Day 22 - "Dat's What Da Judge Done Said"

Well, today was our court appointment.  Couldn't think of a better way to title tonight's entry than by quoting a famous actor - "Mater" from the movie "Cars" (which we have watched twice since being here.  :-)

Our day began at 8:00 a.m. when we awoke to get ready.  I spent time the day before asking Vicka to pick out my attire.  Before we all headed out at 12:00, Vicka was constantly adjusting and checking the clothes that Angelia and I were wearing to make sure they were just right.  She is quite the fashion expert because I looked much better wearing what she picked vs. what I would have picked.  I sensed that Tolya was a little in awe of me wearing a coat and tie.  He had a look on his face sometimes that seemed to say "that's how men are supposed to dress and I want to dress that way too, someday".  As I was tying my tie, he watched every move and was pleased with the outcome.  I look forward to someday teaching him this simple task that all men should know how to do and do well.

Angelia & Vicka After Getting Ready For Court Hearing #1

Angelia, Vicka, Tolya and Tim Prior to Court Hearing #1

Before leaving, Angelia and I began our time with the Lord this morning asking him to forgive us for our sinful choices and that he would cleanse us of all unrighteousness.  We also asked that He would prepare our hearts for His word and that He would write in on our hearts that we might not sin against Him.  We opened card #4 from our friend Pam who was kind enough to send one for each week that we are here.  The following Scripture from Colosians 1:11 was on the front of the card: "May He strengthen you in His glorious might, with ample power to meet whatever comes with fortitude, patience and joy".  We were so encouraged by this that we read the entire first chapter of Colosians outloud.  I don't think I've yet taken time to read Colosians and I am thankful for the direction to do so.  In verse 17,  we see that, speaking of Jesus, that "He is before all things and in Him all things hold together".  It's hard to express how much God's word satisfies a heart looking for answers, comforts a soul looking for refuge, and gives hope to those who desperately need it.  When you realize that all things, including your very life and eternity, are held together by the Almighty Living God, then you find strength in facing whatever is thrown at you.  The lives of Joseph, Daniel, Job, David, Paul and many, many, many other of God's children demonstrate this.  Thank you, Lord, for holding us together.

So, off we go on the two hour trek to the village for court.  We arrived about 45 minutes early and were ushered into court as scheduled.  The court proceeding lasted about 30 minutes.  During the hearing, the judge explained what rights we had and what the law was.  We were then each asked to stand and give our name, birthdates, address and positions / type of work we did.  The rest of the court hearing involved the judge and prosecutor asking very pointed, blunt and wise questions pertinent to the adoption to me, Angelia, Vicka (who spoke for both the children), the orphanage director and the social worker.  The result being that the judge ordered an additional, final court hearing to occur on Thursday, September 9 at 2:30 p.m.  At that time, we will have a final decision from the court on whether or not Vicka and Tolya will become our children.  We will remain in Ukraine for 10 days afterward and then we'll be able to work on getting new birth certificates, passports and visa's which usually take about 5 - 7 days.  We are thankful for the care and wisdom of the judge.  The questions we were asked showed that she had put some forethought into our case and that she really does care for the children.

So, we don't have a final court verdict yet.  It was not easy to hear this but the words of Scripture we read earlier in the day strengthened us greatly.  As I sat in the courtroom dwelling on the fact that we have another few days before the final court hearing, I recalled the book "The Hiding Place" that described the suffering endured by the Ten Boom family during World War II.  Their lives saw much greater suffering and despair than I have ever known.  In the midst of their difficulty, they chose to continue glorifing and trusting Jesus Christ.  That's what living by faith is.

We left the courthouse and gave the orphanage director a ride back to the orphanage.  While there, we were able to see some of the children that I remember from previous visits.  "Older Katya" was there and she was smiling very much - as usual.  Her older sister Nela was there, too sporting red hair in place of the golden blonde she had last year.  We also saw a younger boy we nicknamed "Joe Joe".  It was great to see all these children whom we have known and cared about for so long.  We hope to see others coming back from their vacation soon.

Our night ended by us coming back and grabbing a bite to eat down at the base of the mountain.  The walk up is not nearly as hard as it used to be.  Maybe there is a lesson in that somewhere.

So, as I end the day I make one other observation.  Diamonds are the hardest substance known to man but they are also very, very beatiful.  In fact, diamonds with very few blemishes are very rare, highly sought after and extremely valuable.  Diamonds are created when a mere lump of coal endures intense heat and pressure from external forces over the course of thousands of years.   This example from the natural world around us reminds me that I am being shaped, molded and refined into something much more beautiful and valuable than I am today by the One who made me and the diamond.

We continue to thank the Lord for all of you who take time to follow along with us, pray for us, care for us and encourage us.  We love and miss you all and hope to be home soon!