SDA appointment

Hi all,

Sorry it's been so long but as most remember sometimes you have Internet and sometimes you don't I will let you figure out which was the case. So I left off that we were traveling to Bachisary to visit the inspector this is the town Tanya was born in. We had gotten word earlier that morning that there definetly would not be a seperation for the girls given but the is a brother in another boarding school that we could possibly get seperated so we picked up Tanya and traveled there. Well the news didn't get alot better there seems the mom has been visiting the girls and if these visits are considered official then you have to wait 6 months with no visits. The good news was the inspector did say she felt she could seperate the brother from the 3 girls. So e talked to Tanya and asked her why her wishes were and she said she would rather not bring her sisters with her as she has had to care for them all their lives and she wanted a new life with a new start without her sisters. We were taken back by this as to us as Americans I could not dream of leaving my brother behind if he had an opportunity to have a future also. We told her to think about it and we had to get on a plane to Kiev for our SDA appointment on Tuesday. As Jeff and I sat in the airport I could see the sadness on Jeff's face and I asked what he was thinking and he said he didnt want to talk about it till we were on the plane. As we left Simferopol I knew we wouldnt be returning. Jeff said that she was not the same little girl he left 5 months ago. She had changed, had hardend, had grown up way too much and we had to think of Madison and what we didnt want her exposed too.

We arrived in Kiev just in time to celebrate Gayla's birthday party with her and her friends. It was a wonderful night of singing and fellowshiping and it kinds eased the pain of the past few days. We were taken back to the apartment by our driver where we settled in and slept before we had to be at the SDA on Tues...All went well and we got a referal for one girl. I bought a awesome artic fox hat and I lot very Ukrainian now and it is so warm and I need it as the region we are in it will be -23 degrees tomorrow and we have had about 9 inches of snow. We have no internet service so we must visit the internet cafe to check and recieve emails so posting will be limited. Please pray for us the right decisions are made and we make it home safe. The prayer that I have decided is my signature prayer for this adoption in the Serentiy Prayer. I is what is getting me through. Madison is struggling with us being gone. She is very sad when we talk to her and wants us home. We miss her how can she have been a part of us for such a short period and it hurts so much to not be with her. I am sure we will all make it through this as our work here is not done but will soon be. We love you all and pray for our safe travels with the weather and the roads.

Love
Jeff and Donna