Jan 27th Update

Rob is still in Svalyava. I was able to talk to him for 2 hours on the phone this morning - yay! All of our other conversations have averaged 2 minutes, so we're thankful he was able to get internet and call me on Skype for FREE.

Good news = We have our changed ID number for Cosi.

Bad news = The worker at the office neglected to enter the number in the computer. She didn't think she needed to hurry or even do it. Our facilitator tells us that most office workers just sit around and drink coffee all day. Anyhow, when our passport application was sent to Kiev, it was rejected because this worker had not entered the new number into the computer system. So, the application was rejected and returned to Uzgorhod.

Now = we have another delay in our adoption. They are telling us that the passport might be approved by Tuesday. If that happens (pray for that or for it to be ready sooner), then Rob & Cosi would be back in Kiev on Wednesday morning. Of course, there's more paperwork to be done in Kiev. It's possible that they could fly back to the US on Friday, Feb 4th. I hate to even hope for that, because this process has been so difficult with so many delays...

In the midst of this, Rob was told he could get a passport in one day IF he paid $500 US Dollars (extortion?). Rob didn't have an extra $500 with him, so it wasn't an option. However - I wish he had been able to pay it b/c we'll be paying even more than that after you add in extra days of housing/food/plane ticket changes/extra car rides.

Please pray for us. We're tired and discouraged. We knew this adoption process would be hard, but it's even harder than we imagined. We knew this adoption would be expensive, but it's even more expensive that we imagined. We were totally unprepared for all the levels of corruption that we would face.

Please pray also for Cosi. Her life is going to be changing a lot in the coming weeks. Overall, please pray that God would help us to be able to meet her special needs.

Here are a few specific areas for prayer:

-Eating - We're planning to continue to provide her with a lot of potatoes & soup (her usual meals), but we want to introduce her to vegetables and even some harder foods that require her to use her teeth. Rob has started her on "baby puffs" (something I picked up at Target & brought over in December). She seems to like them.

-Discipline - I'm reading a lot of adoption books these days, especially in regard to nurturing the hurt child. We're trying to figure out how to best discipline a child that has likely been physically abused.

-Bathroom/Potty Time - Rob helped to change her diaper after she pooped yesterday and she screamed the whole time. We're concerned that the orphanage workers might have been physically/emotionally abusive to her during diaper changes.

-The Plane Trip back to the USA - Rob is going to have quite a time keeping her in her seat for take-off and landing. Pray for energy & patience for him - it's going to be a long 2 flights!

-Cosi's USA passport and Chinese Visa - We are scheduled to return to China on February 24th, but we have to get more paperwork done in the USA before that can happen.

-Baby brother's arrival in April 2011! - We all need prayer for this one!