From the Bunker

Heidi, Erik and Vova (who did not sign up for a tour in a combat zone, but he is doing well)

We are working on the next step. We had court on Monday and after a three-hour court hearing the judge ruled in favor of the adoption. Only the oldest boy in the end said yes and the other three children said they want to stay at the orphanage. We are pleased the judge and the prosecutor were of their right mind and the Judge stated in his five-page decision which he read every word of - "that it is in the best interest of the children to be adopted and to stay together!"

Unfortunately while we are working on the next step, the orphanage, where the younger three live, is making an appeal. The reason given is because the kids did not agree in court. We hear it may be because if all three kids go it will put their levels (grade 1, 2, and 3) behind in the necessary numbers and the orphanage may lose those classes and eventually may close.

We are hopeful and will know more tomorrow. We also were able to talk to some legal advisers (offline) last night, for an hour an a half, and they gave us some ideas. We will be also meeting with the some offices tomorrow as they have an inspection going on today.

It is not pretty, but we are hanging in there! This is an all-or-nothing game at this point. If the appeal succeeds, the court process will last for months. The kids are very traumatized at this point. The middle two now will not make eye contact initially and their classes seem to be suffering collective punishment for their contact with us.

The Good News is we are being allowed to take the kids out of the orphanage this afternoon (we have been asking since mid December)! We plan take them to the local mall that has an indoor ice rink, small cars the kids can drive in, an arcade with a bowling alley, shops, and food. So this is our first chance in a month to show them something else than the only thing they know!

We want to recognized our special angels who have come to our aide here lately. Imagine being stranded in a foreign land, in a courtroom, settling your future, in a language you can not understand:

Ruslan, began as our cab driver but has grown into a Friend and protector, Heidi calls him our new older brother. He had us to his house on New Year's Eve; took us on a tour of a local Orthodox church, build in a small forest in the last 15 years; and for a sleigh ride on Tuesday (before the feces hit the air circulating device).

Vova (Vladimir, Masha's brother) came to help us with the kids and do some light translation, but has now bore the brunt of several very heated meetings with the director and her staff. He is invaluable in gaining insight to what's going on behind the scenes.

Svedlana, the librarian of the Intrenaut in Sevedonesk. She is a woman of faith who has taken several administrative beatings for helping us out. She is a friendly face, a voice of truth and a place of refuge in a very bitter and cold place.

Keep us in your prayers. Also that the care-givers see past their own self interests in this adoption, and the Kids most of all.