January 7, 2013- Looking back to the last post (yes, it's been quite a while), I am amazed at how things have changed; disheartened that we are not where we were supposed to be; thankful that we are not where we could have been! So, October 5th, the girls and I boarded United /Lufthansa for our 'easy' trip. We planned a few extra days in Liepaja to see their foster family and friends. We arrived in Riga on 10/6 and we were met by their foster dad, who drove us to Liepaja. We went to church on Sunday and spent the afternoon with the family. We had a wonderful time seeing everyone- almost like 'coming home for Christmas'! Everyone had gifts and Grandma made some of the most delicious food for us! I had my first experience on the ice and managed not to break a leg as I gingerly glided around the skating rink, never venturing more than a foot or two from the rail! Lera got to spend some time with her friends at the Karosta Day Center, and a couple of sweet sisters hung out with us for a few days. Then came the day before court. (Can you here the creepy music playing? Da Da Duhhhhh!)
I could tell the girls were very troubled. They began arguing and having heated discussion in Russian. They wouldn't share what was going on until late that night. They were trying to work out their differences and had listed 8 things they felt they needed to work on. I was impressed that the girls were able to put their differences on paper....We discussed it a little, but the problem is, once Lera is angry, it's hard to get her to cooperate. And if Lera doesn't communicate, Rita gets her feeling hurt- so it's a catch 22! So, Daina picks us up for court, and she talks briefly to the girls. Little did I know, but we walked in to a formal courtroom, with Judge, Court Reporter, Prosecutor, and our Attorney and Translator. Not at all what I was expecting! Everything was moving along ok until the judge called the girls to the stand. Let's just say that we ended up with a lot of confusion and hurt feelings...So, the prosecutor recommended we have another 4 months to resolve these issues...and that's how we ended up here today...still waiting...now preparing for trip 2B (or 3 of 4 now!). It was a hard return to the US, although I was so thankful the Judge didn't pull one or both girls from the adoption! We met other families at LIDO's that night, but unfortunately I couldn't enjoy the food and I don't think I was good company. So many families were dealing with heartache that night- not just us! So, 2A was a flop...2B will hopefully be short and sweet- Limited contact with friends and family to cut down on confusion, no extended stay, just a quick trip to Liepaja and hopefully, a stop at the bridge on our way out of town so we can put our Adoption Lock on the rail and throw away the key to symbolize that we are family forever!!! (An interesting note...when I ordered the lock, I should have had them engrave it with not only our names, but it should have had 10/10/12...but, for some reason, I did not put the date...hmmmmm. So now I will take the lock to our local jeweler and have them engrave our 'new' date!
These months have been helpful and hurtful for our situation. The additional time has helped them get over some of their anger towards each other, but they would have done that anyway, and probably even quicker without this uncertainty hanging over them. It has added additional stress to all of us because we still face this giant elephant standing in front of us, trying to keep us from our purpose. As we look down the path, fear of the elephant keeps emotions stirred up, uncertainty of our outcome causes short tempers, it takes a lot of money to feed the elephant. There are blessings beyond the elephant, but it's hard to focus on them when we know we have an elephant to kill! So how will it end? I don't know, but in Jesus' name, we press on!
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