Intourist Hotel Zaporizhzhya

During the last adoption, pretty much everything went smooth. Not this time! During a court hearing there is a "prosecuter". Well, before we even had a court hearing the "prosecuter" said he reviewed our homestudy and we were approved for up to 2 kids- not 3. We may not be able to adopt these three kids. We are talking about what our options are at this point.

... means I will be travelling by myself.
It is raining today. It's the first day it's rained since we have been here. The temperature has dropped a bit and I estimate it is in the high 60's. The only internet facility I have found in this city is in the mall. It is a 20 minute bus ride from where we are staying. Please keep us in your prayers. -Arno

... in our photo album. He asked, "Is that me?" Now the big unkown is whether we will get a court date before I have to leave next Sunday. I seriously doubt it. This will mean that I will have to call Delta and get a new date to travel home . I will also need to get the OK from my boss at work. Please continue to pray for us.

Trip Around Ukraine Monday, August 25, 2008. I made my way via the subway to Kiev's gigantic "Bogzal" (train station) to purchase a ticket for the first leg of my trip around Ukraine. Feeling a bit overwhelmed with my minimal Russian vocabulary I studied the departures and arrival boards for a suitable train to Poltava, my first stop. The Bogzal in Ukraine is akin to JFK Airport in NYC. This is Ukraine's transportation hub. Thousands of passengers pass ...

... we are only meant to understand later. Ksu's apartment was exactly how I imagined a communist building and apartment to be: old, dark, weird floor, wallpaper on the ceiling and the ambiance. It was so exciting, I could not stop smiling and feeling my heart exploding and opening wide. This was my introduction into the real Ukraine and I could only desire more. Endless love Erriuc

We left at 6am on Tuesday morning to go via Charles De Gaule to Kiev then catch a flight to Dnipro to be there for 10PM. We actually left at 6am to try to get to Charles De Gaule, took off late, missed connection and got to Kiev via Moscow (naturally minus our bags) to late to catch our flight to Dnipro. So 1 500km taxi and 8 hours ...

The highway that crosses the river is on the dam that makes all the power for Ukraine's main car manufacturer. Another quick pass through this unattractive city, and by now it had been 4 or 5 days since I've heard or spoken a word of English. This was also the HQ of the famous Cossacks with the original bowl-cut hair ...