March 12 – 20

This is the part of a typical adoption journey that generally lacks drama, so let's add some:

1.     There is a boyfriend.

2.    In order to get a new birth certificate, Pam and Milana had to go right through Kramatorsk, where Milana, Sasha, and Jonathan had lived prior to being put in foster care, then later two/then three different orphanages in three cities hundreds of miles apart.  Milana naturally wanted a chance to say goodbye to remaining family.   No matter how risky this is, even if you could speak Russian, could you say 'nyet' to such a request?  So, with much prayer, there was a meeting at a restaurant.  Sharing pictures, addresses, and tears--just the kind of thing you'd expect.

3.    Stas is being adopted!

Details:

1.     Milana: "He is not my boyfriend.  He is a friend who is a boy."  Pam: "Honey, honey, honey.  Very handy.  That word play only works in English and some forms of German.  In French you could get arrested for it.  In Russian and Roman you are just setting yourself up for heartache."

2.    Milana: "Why are the adults crying?" Pam: "Some day you'll be a mother and you'll understand."

3.    Reader's Digest Summary (read http://claypeck.com/adoption-journey/ for more):  Clay and Selene Peck of CO were in the midst of adopting a 15-year-old (they all thought) when a typo about her birthday was uncovered.  She had turned 16, and according to U.S. law, the time for adopting had expired.  After much heartache, friends we knew from Kiev Christian Academy, where Adrienne attended in 2005, convinced Clay and Selene to start a prayer campaign and write to Congress and other government officials.   In a matter of days an amendment was passed which allowed them to continue!  It is flying around the Internet as the "Julia Peck Provision."  In this next part, please interpret our role as just being in the midst of a special compressed week where it is really clear and amazing how much God loves.  Anyway, this new amendment could help Stas, who is turning 16 in May, if somehow a couple could learn of him and respond quickly, and rapidly move through the first steps of this rather complicated process.  After much prayer on our part (although Stas has been praying about this for much longer) and asking quite a number of couples to consider this, Pam thought of friends from college who have all girls.  Miracle of miracles, they said, "Yes!"  They are now Facebooking (or VKing, the Russian equivalent), and everyone is so excited!  God is SOOO good!

Other less dramatic stuff:

Pam and Milana spent a chunk of their last day in Donetsk at the Dolphinarium.  Pam is the one NOT wearing black leather.

They then took the slow train back to Kyiv, and rode first class.   That means the fish 'n chips vendors come around twice as often.

In Kyiv the first two nights they are staying with Karen Springs, another key support person for the Pecks.  The Pecks will be staying with Karen Sunday – Wednesday, and Pam and Milana will move over to Sergei and Irina's.  Moreover and more cooler, Pam and Milana had dinner with Clay, Selene, and Julia just a few hours ago.  I haven't heard, but I'm guessing they had about 800 hours of stuff in common to talk about.  

If the passport is finished early Monday, Masha will bring it up and they could be coming home Thursday. 

Meanwhile, back in the States, Adrienne and I have been working to get ready.  Adrienne had volunteered last September to move downstairs, and we had completely gutted that room, built a closet, added wiring, finished off the ceiling, added carpet, etc.  Then in the last week we had Adrienne's old room (Milana's new room), clean and painted, and had a dresser, chair, bookshelf, and lamp.   I thought we were close.  Then Bethtastic came over on Friday to inspect.  She took a mental picture and came back today to decorate.  Wow!  Even Sasha, who cares little about such stuff, said, "Nice room." 

Klas!