Answered Prayers . . .And More Requests

Well, its official.  GameBoy spoke with the orphanage director and the inspector and made it abundantly clear that he wants to be adopted by us.  Zhenia said that he said something like, "I already told you 'yes.'"  It sounds a bit abrupt to us Americans, but it is normal Russian phrasing.  He was just emphasizing that he has not changed his mind.

Zhenia also spoke with another facilitator that is working with an Italian family, and she said that GameBoy told their boy that he had spoken with the other American family and they told him it was good that we wanted to adopt him and wished him luck.  This is what I prayed for but had no way to knowing would happen.  I would like to think I would do the same thing in their shoes.

So we had a good visit with the kids today.  They are settling in with us, and we are seeing a new comfort level.  We take them snacks (usually fruit, juice and some candy) and play games and try to talk.  Today GameBoy introduced his best friend, and they played games on the cell phones for a while.  The camera got a rest today, as Giggles found other amusements.  We did a puzzle, "played" Uno (she has her own rules), tickled and wrestled a bit.

Yesterday GameBoy asked for a cell phone so he can call us and keep in touch.  We brought that for him today, and he was thrilled.  He called us about 30 min after we left this evening (we were in the cab outside the inspector's office), asked to talk to each person in turn, and tried very hard to use his English.  It was really sweet.

Zhenia spent the time marshaling the paperwork.  Unfortunately he found that the court order severing parental rights contained some errors.  It will have to be corrected before we can proceed.  The inspectors need this document to complete their paperwork.  So tomorrow he and Cliff will make a 2 hour drive to the city where the order was originally filed to pick up a corrected order.  Fortunately Zhenia has been able to lay the groundwork by phone, so it should just be a matter of picking up the order and coming back to Izmyil.

While they are gone, the girls and I will go over to the orphanage and visit the kids.  Should be interesting - especially with GameBoy.  He really enjoys Cliff, so it will be different for him.

We had a celebratory supper at a "hole in the wall" restaurant that was out of this world good.  We had the biggest pork chops I think I've ever seen, a Romanian/Bulgarian beef soup (yum!), and homestyle potatoes.

Now for the prayer requests:  That the court order is quickly and easily corrected and ready for pick up tomorrow; that Cliff and Zhenia will have safe travel to and from the court; that the rest of the paperwork will be quickly and accurately prepared and ready for pick up when we need it; that USCIS will swiftly process our request to bring the kids home (we need this document to schedule our court date); that we will be able to have our court date on Tuesday or Wednesday next week, so Cliff can get home in time for his Board Meeting.