A new daughter

Yesterday the court granted us permission to adopt our daughter.

It was a sweet experience.

Waiting for court to begin.

More waiting outside the courtroom.  The two people on the right side of the hall are our jurors.

The bulk of the proceedings followed set formalities.  The judge sat at the front of the room behind a large desk/table.  On either side of him were two jury members that were chosen from the community.  To the right of the judge's table was a small desk for a court recorder.  In front of the judge's table were two other tables, perpendicular to his.  We sat behind one, with our facilitator sitting at the foot of the table, facing the judge.  The lawyer for the orphanage, a social worker for the region, and the prosecutor (who was there to make sure that any family ties that our daughter still had were honored and that correct court protocol was followed) sat behind the other.


After the particulars of the case were read into the record and reviewed, we were asked a few questions by the jury and region officials.  We were prepared for these, but we weren't prepared for the Spirit of the Lord that attended our answers and felt both amazed and very blessed.

They asked about our understanding of our daughter's medical history.  This was something that I had felt impressed to look over again just that morning.  I was able to relate the important details in a clear and concise manner, surprising even myself with what I remembered.  Later that evening I tried to recollect the dates of the history again, but the information had slipped from my mind.

They asked why we wanted to adopt when we had 5 children already.  We anticipated this particular query, because having more than two children is pretty uncommon here.  People see our family picture and are amazed.  I told the court that when my children are all gathered, my heart tells me that someone is missing.  So we prayed and prayed to our Father in Heaven, and He led us to Ukraine.  When we met our daughter, we knew from God that she was our daughter, as though she were ours biologically, and that this what what He had planned.  (Our responses had to be translated, so we tried to keep them brief and to the point.)  My eyes began to fill with tears as I testified of this, and we noticed that some in the room were touched as well.  I was grateful for the Spirit in the room because we wanted the people there to know our hearts, and we really didn't want to offend them.

(Prior to coming to adopt, Ben and I created a hardbound book of our family and our home and surroundings to bring to our daughter so she could become familiar with her new siblings, etc.  We were able to show this to the judge and jury, and they were looking at it as I gave the answer above.  We hadn't planned on it being used this way when we made it, but it was a great resource!)

The next thing they wanted to know was what our 5 children thought about the adoption.  Ben said, "Let me show you," and he pulled out the iPad and opened a video that the children had made for their sister.  It had 10 second clips of each of them saying in Russian, "Hello Anatolia!  My name is '_________'.  I am your brother/sister.  I love you!"

When we asked the children to make the video, we didn't think of using it in court.  We made it so Anatolia could hear her siblings reaching out to her with love and joy.  As the judge held the iPad and the video began to play, he and the jury were pleasantly startled to hear their own language coming out of our children and their excitement in welcoming their new sister.  It was clear that to our children, she wasn't an outsider.  They were already her brothers and sister.   (We told the children last night that they had been called to testify in court, and that everyone could feel their joy as they witnessed their love for their sister.)

After the video, the feeling in the room was tender, and I said, "She will have lots of love."

At this point, one of the jury members sat back in his seat with tears in his eyes and an expression that seemed to say, "That is it.  This is beautiful, and I have nothing to say against it."  I was grateful to see his response, because before our case he had been impatiently pacing the hall outside the court room, apparently anxious for the long case before ours to end so he could get in, put in his time, and get back to his other responsibilities.  I was worried that he would approach our case with frustration, but as our proceedings unfolded, his expressions became more tender and his interest in us and our feelings was genuine.

When the judge and jury came back in and read the verdict, he watched us closely and his eyes conveyed so very clearly to us that he was happy for us and was glad to have helped us in our glorious journey.  (The other juror was less in our line of sight, and less emotive, so we didn't notice her as much.)

Outside the Courthouse after our hearing, with Olga, our facilitator.

We were in the court room about 40 minutes.

Last night, as I knelt to pray, and the old familiar tickle came back that what we are doing is crazy (which it is!), I was able to counter it with the feeling both Ben and I had as we were given permission to adopt our daughter.  We knew that it was right and that God had just given us an incredible gift.

Praises we sing to Him!