Sept. 22nd

GREAT NEWS! We have received information that we have been APPROVED as prospective adoptive parents in Ukraine! We also will be receiving our official invitation which will be for somewhere in the middle of October. We will have an accurate date in the next day or two.

Thanks for praying everyone - the day is getting closer! We will be sending a card to Ola and Vala telling them we are thinking of them and praying for them. Sergiy will translate them for the girls and forward them on to them.

Wishing you a blessed day,

John & Jenn

Sept. 16th

OUR DOCUMENTS WERE ACCEPTED! Praise God!

Sergiy e-mailed us that they accepted our medical documents. He will go back next week to see if they need more work done or if they will be extending us an invitation. We will be going soon!

To say we are excited, is an understatement!

Love you to all! Jenn & John

Sept. 14th

It's Monday evening and I am finally able to Post...

Last Thursday we were able to overcome many challenges but obtained the medical documents with all the necessary wordings, signatures, notaries and apostilles. We shipped them off DHL (our first with this company internationally) and it was scheduled to arrive Tuesday (tomorrow), a day before Sergiy needs it for submission.

Great news! Sergiy received the package this morning - a day early!!! He said they all look good and will start his translation to submit on Wednesday. I'm thankful for the extra day.

I'll let you all know more when we know more.

God bless,

Jenn

Sept. 9th

Hello my friends and family!

We successfully sent off our Dossiers with all the paperwork necessary for submission to the SDA. Sergiy's appointed time was today (Wednesday) to submit them. The SDA accepted all the documents but the Medical Certificate. They need some changes made to it, including one type of physician. As I have to head into Boise again, I am trying to not get frustrated over all these little details. The Medical Certificate is one Ukraine sent to us to use! It's not even an American form! So that it was rejected and needing wording changed is frustrating, to say the least. Things change fast in Ukraine and I believe they just can't keep up with them - especially when an adoption takes so many months.

The great news is they liked everything else and kept the other documents. My understanding is they are processing the Request to Adopt a Special Child which names Vala and Ola specifically. This is our ticket to seeing them specifically once we enter the country. If this is denied, we will not get the opportunity to adopt them. We are praying the SDA approves us to meet both girls. To be allowed only one of them would be absolutely heartbreaking! God knows and understands.

Please pray for endurance for John and I and our family. Please pray for the necessary funds to be received in just the right time. Pray for those who will be helping run our business stateside and taking care of our daughters while we are away - and their families too.

Until the next update! Happy trails! God bless you and yours.

Sincerely,
Jenn

Sept. 1st

The dossiers and partial funds have arrived safely to Ukraine! Praise God!

It's been a little nerve racking to wait for all the documents (that took us months to compile) to arrive safely into Sergiy's hands. The package could only be insured for $1.00 as it was just paper documents. The Apostille stamps alone cost $480.00! Not to mention how much time and energy it would take to obtain them all again should it have gotten lost or damaged. I especially, am so thankful it has arrived there safely.

Sergiy will now review the original documents and put his translations on them. From there he will submit them to the appropriate governmental department and then we wait.

Please pray that the documents are acceptable and none have to be redone or more added to the dossiers. Sergiy has close advisers who are working with him to make sure these are as perfect as possible before submission. It has gotten very dicey in the world of international adoption there and everything has to be just right. Frankly, Ola is too close to 'aging out' that we can not possibly afford another delay.

Thanks for keeping up with us! Have a wonderful week. I pray all your surprises this week will be pleasant and fun.

Much love to you and yours,

Jenn & John