What a day! As Brent implied yesterday, this trip has been somewhat (actually a lot) stressful. There was some confusion about our travel schedule within our agency staff, which has left us without an interpreter. So, we have had to navigate orphanage visits with little or no verbal communication.
Today was our last visit with Nik for this trip. It was cold (low 40s) outside but, as has been the case, we were expected to play outside with Nik while the orphanage staff wrote papers for court. We had fun with Nikita: built blocks, played with a shape sorter, and watched videos of Maddie and Dylan on my phone. Brent and I prayed with him for peace and protection for all of us while we are apart. As it came time to leave, I was less sad than when we left him on our last trip; I know we will be back in a month to take him home, so that makes it easier. He handled good-byes better too. Our driver helped with a little translation to explain to him that we will be back next month. I could understand the Russian dialogue that followed: "Nyet (no)" said Nikita followed by "Da (yes)" from the driver. They went back and forth several times with this before we took Nikita to his caregivers. He didn't cry this time, but did stare at us with very sad eyes as we walked away.
Our driver told us the orphanage director wanted to speak with us before we left. Once again, out of necessity due to the absence if our interpreter, our driver served as amateur translator. The director asked if we were prepared for court. We could only say "We hope so!" She explained to us the after our last visit, Nikita's personality changed some, for the better. He was"proud" to have parents and apparently has become more assertive with other kids, compared to in the past when he was more passive and didn't defend himself. He says that he has parents now to protect him. They all see this as positive. That made me feel good and offered reassurance of how much he does need a family.
We then headed to get our medical exams done for court. Apparently, in Moscow, a city of 15 million people, there are only 3 clinics qualified to do medical exams for court. So, needless to say, they can charge what they want, and what they want is 50,000 rubbles ($1700)! Never mind that we have already had 2 medical exams each at home for this adoption. It's all part of the very trying process.
We did not know what to expect from the exam. Basically, we were paraded in front of 8 different specialists who signed off that we were healthy. Actually, 8 signed but only 6 looked at us because the others were too busy. Apparently for what we pay, they will sign without looking at you. We met another couple from Ireland who have been trying to adopt for 8 years. It put our nearly 2 years in perspective. We exchanged email addresses and hope to make follow up contact with them. If you think of it, pray for them (Tom and Gloria) on Thursday as they are nervous about their court hearing.
Tomorrow is court for us. Our agency went over basic information for us, including what we shouldn't say, which are primarily things we would have said. ( i.e., we aren't supposed to say that we want to help give a home to a child, we aren't supposed to say I will continue to work, even if it's only part time). So, without lying, which we would never feel right doing, we need creative ways to answer questions. Lucky for me, we were also told the judge liked to hear men, not women, talk so Brent gets to do the talking.
I have to admit that I feel anxious, mostly for Nikita. I fear for him if something goes wrong. But, our agency has told us not to worry, despite the detailed instructions on what not to say, and told us that our judge is "reasonable". Our court hearing is at 10:30 am tomorrow. That is 1:30 am Tuesday morning central time. We would appreciate a prayer before you go to bed tonight.
We are moving to a different hotel after court. This one is nearer to the airport, as we leave very early Wednesday morning. I assume WiFi will still work there, and I can update on the court decision after court is over. If for some reason I can't, we will send an update as soon as we get home.
Thanks for being part of our family's journey. It is lonely here and knowing so many of you are sharing this with us brings a lot of comfort and peace. We are blessed to have each of you in our lives.
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