Gennady, thank you for all the advice.  It really helps us and we appreciate it.

 

     Today we were told to go to the SDA again.  We had to meet with the Deputy Director.  She sort of yelled at us for an hour.  She said we are problem people.  We tried to explain to her that we really wanted to adopt the two girls, but the orphanage director would not let them be separated from their older siblings.  The orphanage director wanted us to adopt a 20 year old brother of one of the girls.  The U.S. would never allow us to do that. She didn't want to listen to us.  Then she started complaining about hosting programs and all the problems they create.  We aren't sure why she was saying that to us because we never were in a hosting program.  We kind of just sat there and let her vent.  She wants hosting programs to end. 

  Then she said we could go to meet the two girls we wanted to adopt.  She was quite firm and said....don't come back here, this is your last appointment. She said if there were any problems with siblings, then that is not her problem.  She was venting about some other things but we didn't really quite get the translation of what she was mad about.

  But she did allow us to have the referral paper.  Tonight we are going on the train to Simperofol.  Our facilitator is in the hospital so we are going alone!! This will be an experience.  Our facilitator is planning to be released from the hospital tomorrow and he will meet us there.  We have a long train ride overnight, about 15 hours.  When we get off we will call our facilitator and he will tell the taxi driver where to take us.

  Hopefully, the paperwork will begin on Friday.  We are a bit concerned because of the sibling situation with one of the girls, but our facilitator is confident that it will not be a problem.  And we sure hope he is right! We are guardedly optimistic and hopeful!! The girls are so sweet.  We know for sure that one of them wants to be adopted but we don't know if the other one has been asked yet.

  We are planning to fly home on Sunday.  We will come back in two weeks when we have a court date. I will leave after the court date and Dan will probably stay to bring the girls home.

  We met another couple, the Richardsons, from CA.  They are here to adopt 16 year old twin girls whom they have hosted.  They also have a referral for two boys and may adopt them too.  It was really nice to spend a few hours with Americans!  They are a really nice couple.  They are heading to Odessa tonight.