Gotcha Day and more

Hello!

First off we apologize for just getting our first blog up. This trip has been very busy and we are just starting to get some downtime. In addition, we think the power supply, or worse yet, the motherboard on the laptop may have been damaged in transit so the laptop is out of service. All updates will be made by NOOK, thanks to a most helpful Christmas present by my sister. Thanks, Sis!

That said, please excuse any spelling or grammatical errors. I will try to get you up to speed.

Monday February 24

We arrived safely in Kiev. I have to say, the allure and excitement of internationl travel has worn off for us a bit. Either that or we have watched every movie on the Lufthansa DC to Frankfurt flight. Whatever the case, we arrived better rested than either previous trip. At the airport we were greeted by our friend B and of course V, Angela's friend from Kharkiv, ex orphan, now daughter of B and K, sister of R and a new  baby, and current resident of Tennessee! They arrived home last night after more than 6 weeks in country!

After saying our goodbyes, we drove straight to Kharkiv to prepare for gotcha day, which is the day your child leaves the orphanage with you to officially start life as part of your family. I was a little dissapointed that we didn't have time to tour Yanukovychs' abandoned estate but priorities are priorities.

Tuesday February 25

This day was to be the culmination of this process. We were busy from 8am til after noon and then were finally enroute to the orphanage! We had a cake, drinks, cups, plates, napkins, and gifts for all the children, which is traditional. We also planned to talk to the other children in the groupa and deliver some messages from families in the US. However we learned enroute that all the other children were going to a movie in Kharkiv and wouldn't be back until 3pm. So, Angela was there pretty much by herself when we arrived. Not what we envisioned , but still a beautiful moment.

With teacher, a friend and us.

We brought a suitcase of clothes for Angela and were surprised at how much the orphanage provided her with. Overall, Angela seemed a bit subdued.  I think she has just been anticipating this moment for a long time. In any case we were in and out very quickly; probably less than 20 minutes. While not exultant, there was no hesitation, no looking back, no second thoughts about her home of the last 4 years. We were then on our way to Kiev.

En route to Kiev. Note the fancy new hat - thanks, Cheryl!

Up to this point in our trip, we have usually stayed in mid rise apartments in city centers. This time, we spent the night in an eastern suburb of Kiev on the 21st floor of a high rise apartment and it was very nice. We got a great nights rest and had an amazing view.

Mix of old and new in Kiev. 

Still many dirt roads.

Family picture.

Wednesday February 26

After getting to sleep in, we were driven to our home for the duration of our trip, an apartment in southern Kiev. We will be staying with L, a wonderful young Ukrainian woman who knows Angela from summer orphan camps. We spent the day settling in and resting, as we are all exhausted. Angela has a king sized bed and her own room, while Julie and I have a sofabed, which is quite comfortable. I ventured out for a time to try and find an internet café (unsuccessfully) and hit the local grocery store for supplies. Along the way, a nice fellow tried to get me to buy tickets for the national lottery. Tempting, but no. In the evening, our host got home and we had a good chance to have extended conversation with Angela as L speaks Ukrainian, Russian, English, and German. Tomorrow we will have a medical appointment and our first visit with the American Embassy.

Things seem to have picked up right where they left off this summer in terms of our relationship with Angela, which is a true blessing. We're so excited to be reunited and continue bonding together as a family. We can't wait to return to the US to have Angela reunited with our bio kids. She asks about them every day!

Good night, and I will update you in Thursday tomorrow.

Michael and Julie

Hope amidst unrest

Hello All,

I expect you all have heard more about the increased unrest in Ukraine. The situation there has become much more unstable since we left just a week ago. Protesters and police have died, and the government is cracking down further.  There are horrible images and videos of violence, and places we visited only a month ago are now wreathed in flame and smoke. For our purposes, everything is still scheduled, although we've been told we will be staying several miles from the city center this time, whereas last month we stayed within 2 blocks of Maidan Square. We've been advised by the State Department that venturing into central Kiev will be risky, but we will have to do so in order to complete our business at the United States Embassy. To anyone wanting up to date coverage of what is happening in country, I recommend the following this link, provided by a friend who is there:

http://www.rferl.org/contentlive/clashes-in-ukraine-live-blog-kyiv/25267783.html

We intend to be careful, but not timid; cautious, but unafraid. God has cleared our way thus far in the process and we believe He will faithfully do so again. We appreciate your prayers, and ask also that you pray for the people of Ukraine during this sad episode. Liberty is rare and precious in this fallen world.

Here are a few more pictures of our recent trip:

Friends in the Groupa room.

Same picture, but I was making faces at them.

Julie giving Angela the necklace we bought for her. It features the state of Tennessee placed within the borders of Ukraine. 

The necklace close up. 

Dressed and ready to go to court. Angela is receiving a hug from beautiful, happy, A, one of her best friends. She needs a family. 

Very interested in our wedding rings. 

Julie and Angela at the window working on Valentines. 

More Valentines.

My turn.

More tomorrow.

Love, 

The Walls

Rebirth

A little over 48 hours ago we boarded an airplane to once again cross the globe in hopes that we would be one step closer to bringing our daughter home. After 16 hours of air travel, we climbed into our facilitator’s van to make the 6 hour drive to our girl’s region. We arrived just in time for dinner, and were prepped for our court hearing before going to sleep for the night. We were informed that it is more appropriate for the mother-to-be to speak for the family before the judge. Enter anxiety. Michael is such a good speaker and he remembers things much better than I do. I found myself rehearsing line by line what I would say if asked any number of possible questions. I prayed and asked the Lord to calm my fears and help me remember what I had prepared. We prayed together and went to sleep.

This morning, we drove out to the orphanage and spent some time with our girl. It was so wonderful to see her again! After she was told how the court hearing would go, we hopped in the van with a representative from the orphanage and went to the courthouse. Our appointment was set for 11am, but there was a delay. There are only a few courtrooms and they are used for adoptions and criminal cases alike. We waited for an hour and twenty minutes, then were ushered into a room with a platform for the judge and jury, a table and chairs for the prosecutor and social worker and chairs for the rest of us. What courtroom would be complete, however, without an 8’x12’ cage for criminals (guilty until proven innocent). We so wish we could’ve taken pictures inside the courthouse! 

Our judge was young and friendly. He entered the courtroom and apologized for the delay. He began the proceedings and the court reporter typed everything that was spoken. I stood to make a petition to adopt our girl. Michael then stood and supported my statement. It was a bit awkward to have things handled in this manner, but it was customary so we did it. After some time, our girl was asked whether she wanted to become a part of our family. She said “yes” and the judge and jurors smiled. Each person in the room had to stand and give their consent or dissent. There was unanimous support and the judge and jurors left the room to make the final decision. When they reentered a few minutes later, the judge read a long proclamation. When he had finished, our facilitator then translated all of this to us. All of our requests had been granted: to give our girl a new name (our name!), to list us on her new birth certificate as her birth parents, and to officially be permitted to adopt our girl. The proclamation ended with a surprising and wonderful, “You are to be congratulated. You have become new parents again! Please note that the time is 1:10 pm for the rebirth of your child.”  Tears of JOY!!!

Praise be to our great God and Father in heaven who did not see it fit to leave us on our own, but chose to invite us to be adopted into His family! We’re thrilled beyond words that Angela said “yes” to our invitation today and now she has a forever family. We are all given the same opportunity by gracious, Almighty God. He did not have to welcome us into His family. He does not need us. He simply loves us and showed us how much by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on a cross for our sins, allowing Jesus to receive the death sentence that our wrongdoings have earned us and offering forgiveness and eternal life to all who would accept His invitation. He has asked you to become a part of His family. Will you say yes to Him? If so, you would become a part of His forever family.

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:8-9

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 6:23

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9

Thank you for joining us on our journey! We're travelling back home in the morning to wait out a mandatory 10-day waiting period. We'll then return to bring Angela Naomi Wall home with us!! More to come soon...

Still waiting

Good afternoon all,

Many of you who have been following this blog are aware that we began the adoption process and traveled to Ukraine at the same time as another local family. They were there to adopt a young lady who is a friend of A and who resides at the same orphanage. We can now happily report that they had a successful court date, and pending any appeals, are now officially the parents of a beautiful 12 year old girl named Valya, whom we have previously referred to as V. Several missionaries from the Nashville area and Radooga folks in Ukraine know Valya and have been praying for her for years. Join us in rejoicing for this family! 

Ya'll just wait; this girl is going to be a star!

One of our new Ukrainian friends has been in communication with A this past week. We learned that each and every morning, A announces that her family is coming to take her to America today! We were also told that she had been looking at our family picture and crying from missing us! We were able to pass along to her how much we are missing her during this time. To encourage her, we told her how we have permanently extended our kitchen table and have prepared a place for her with her own chair that no one else is allowed to sit in - because it is hers! Apparently, that meant a lot to her because she has jokingly asked how her chair is doing. We also told her we have a special gift for her, which we will share with you all after our court appointment next week. Since then, she has been in much better spirits! Here is a picture of A with Valya and another friend, O, from the orphanage:

From just a few days ago

I thought I would leave you with a few pictures of A taken by another new friend who visits the children weekly and loves them.

From December at the orphanage 

From Spring 2013 

Valya and A in October 2013 

God bless you all and have a good evening. 

Love,

Michael and Julie