Just some thoughts...

In response to some of the comments to my bus trip, there weren't any chickens on the bus. I believe the bus is privately owned. It's kept pretty clean, just not very comfortable. The seats recline, but if you recline them all the way, your head is in the lap of the person behind you. It makes it difficult to get out of your seat. If all goes well, the kids and I should be on an early morning flight back to the US on the 26th. Today is day 7 of my 10 day wait. On the 11th day, Victor will be able to have the birth certificates and passports done. They will officially be ours on the 22nd.

I spent yesterday afternoon with Dasha, Natasha and some of their friends. Natasha was in some sewing class so we waited for her. I brought a large bag of peanut M&Ms. I figured the way to a woman's heart is through CHOCOLATE. :) The bag lasted less than 10 minutes. After that we walked down to the sea. Some of the guys decided to go for a swim. The water was still pretty cold. Dasha still won't try to speak to me in English. She asked one of the boys who knows some English to ask me a few questions. I then slapped her with some reality when I told her in just over seven days she would be going to a country where they speak only English.

Today Sharon will drive to Charlotte to get her fingerprints redone. Since nothing has gone as expected, this is a precautionary measure. Our appointment at the embassy should be on the 24th and we should get the visas for the kids either on the 24th or 25th. Please note the use of the word "should". If something happens that causes a delay on getting the visas, Sharon's fingerprints will expire and I will be stuck here for another week to ten days. Therefore, to be sure that we get the visas in time, I've asked Sharon to make the trip for fingerprinting. At least when she goes to the US CIS office they'll speak English! I'm also looking at this as step one in our adoption of Natasha.

Not sure what the girls and I will do today. I keep wondering how Michael is doing and if he's getting excited. After our court date, Victor was talking to the Molochansk inspector and lawyer about the possibility of getting a group from Molochansk to travel to the US. They were pretty positive on the idea. Hopefully, we'll be able to do this if not through our church then maybe through some of the churches in our area. Many of these kids don't belong in this orphanage. Others have some disabilities, but they don't deserve to be forgotten either. That what I consider Molochansk to be, a place to go to be forgotten. Forgotten by orphanages who sent them there and forgotten by their own country. Our prison system has more than some of the Molochansk type orphanages have. Hopefully the Lord will allow Sharon and I to be advocates for these kids and find them families in which the will no longer be forgotten. I don't think you can go to such an orphanage and not be changed.

Sharon, I love you and miss you. Have a burger for me and get one ready for when we step foot on NC soil. God my mouth is watering at just the thought of that.