Friday, April 16 (Actually, I’m not sure WHAT day it is!) I am typing this while sitting at Frankfurt Airport in Germany where ALL flights have been cancelled due to volcanic activity in Iceland. We arrived here at 6:30AM Germany time (6 hours off from US time) and at this point I can’t do the math on which time my body is now on.
We just sent out a quick, “The judge said, “YES!” from a computer at the airport we were permitted to use for 15 minutes, but I wanted to go back and include some details of yesterday.
Thursday, April 15 11AM – 12:15 – (Court) Gulnara speaks for 40 minutes presenting our case, primarily proving that Kirill’s mother was unfit and though she continued to live in various places with her boyfriend and to drink she made no attempt to come back after her son. We were asked by the judge why we wanted to adopt Kirill. John went into his speech mode which sounded very nice but had nothing to do with why we wanted to adopt Kirill. I continued with a response as to what it was we loved about our new son. Our favorite doctor sat behind us (representing the baby house) and spoke on our behalf. A representative from the Dept. of Education stated that he had no objections to our adoption. A prosecutor (lady in an interesting uniform) asked us questions concerning what our response would be if Kirill began to exhibit bad behavior after coming to US (All here are concerned after a Tennessee woman sent her 7 yo Russian adopted son back to Russia on a plane alone – now all Russian adoptions to American families are on hold). I stated that we had seen the place that Kirill spent 2 years of his life and that we ANTICIPATE there will be some issues in his future and that we have good appropriate healthcare to help us. Court was dismissed until 2PM for the judges verdict.
12:30 - Helen (our new translator) drives us to the baby house to see Kirill and to explain to him that we will be leaving for 4 weeks and that he will be joining us in America. She asks Kirill if he has any questions and he shakes his head. Does he have any concept of how different his life will be? How far away America is? What it will be like to ask for a snack any time he is hungry (or to help himself to food for that matter)? It seems he can tell something big has happened. We leave some little cars and candy for his “classmates” and some gifts for his teachers to show them our gratitude for their fine care of Kirill.
2:05-2:15PM Back to court room for judge to restate our case and after several minutes state that he gives his approval for John and Kirby King to adopt Scott Kirill. Thank you, Heavenly Father. We are now blessed to parents of five. (Kim Cain, forgive me for ever making fun of you years ago for wanting so many children! As Cooper says now “ We have a lot of family!”)
2:30 Iger takes Gulnara, John and I to Olga’s house. Olga’s daughter works with Night Light Adoptions in Colorado and Olga will be escorting Kirill to US next month. She has prepared an incredible spread of food for us. Gulnara asked John (on our way to Olga’s) to call and invite Zhanat (first translator) to come and join us for this celebration meal. We are grateful that we will be able to end this road on a positive note with our original translator. Truly, we do not blame him for calling it quits when he did. He has tolerated much.
Olga has such a pleasant smile and she adds a gentleness to the Russian language we have not heard so much of during our time here. Our time with Olga is a very warm way to finish our stay in this country. Because Olga lives in walking distance to the baby house; John, Zhanat and I run (in what is our first rain since being in Karaganda) to make one last, quick visit with Kirill. We are thrilled to be able to see the American families and tell them our good news (and to have some “group” pictures taken before we go.) They have “felt our pain” for the past couple of weeks and have been such a blessing to us. Upon returning back to Olga’s apartment (about 6:20) we are greeted with more food on the table and told that what we had at 3:00 was “dinner” and now we are having “supper!” That’s my kind of eating schedule! One plus of wearing your pants so many times without washing them is that they stretch out for more room!) Eating and toasting goes on until after 8PM. We leave 2 bags of new clothes, undies, PJ’s, toothbrush, and a new “Machina” book bag with Olga to have for Kirill when they travel to the US. NOW it is beginning to feel like reality!!!! This nice woman will bring our boy home – Storkess Olga! She has done this escort trip twice before and says that she and Kirill will board the business train in Karaganda at 10PM (whenever this day will be) and arrive in Almaty the following morning at 8AM. On that day she will take Kirill to the hospital for a required medical exam and then on for his visa. The following day at 3PM they will depart for America. Now that’s what I’m talking about! (this is Zhanat’s favorite American expression.)
9:15PM John and I are dropped off at our apartment to change clothes and pack. At 10:45 the owner of our apartment comes by to collect our past 2 weeks rent and helps us carry our 4 bags of luggage downstairs so we can wait on Iger and Gulnara to pick us up and take us to the airport in Astana. 15 minutes later (and a lot of readjusting to cram 4 large suitcases and 3 carry-ons into a medium size Audi) we are on our way to Astana.
Friday, April 16 (The day we thought we were finally going home)
2AM - We arrive at airport, check in our bags with Lufthansa Airline and say our goodbyes to Gulnara and Iger. Since our final souvenir shopping was cut short with other activities we are grateful that the airport has a souvenir shop open at 2 in the morning, and that they take Mastercard. Not exactly how I had pictured collecting some memories from my new son’s birth country, but he now will have a 4”x6” Kazakhstan flag that flies proudly on a 10” stick and a small plate with his country’s name and picture on it. Our greatest souvenir is a beautiful malchick (little boy) that can fill up his room one day soon with other keepsakes.
4:30AM – On board and ready to fly home! (Astana to Frankfurt to Washington, DC to Greenville by Friday 6:30PM) ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!
A quick summary of Friday – lots of standing in line to find out that NO ONE is going anywhere until this cloud of volcanic ash from Iceland moves elsewhere. So proud to be a part of newspaper headlines “Volcanic ash PARALYZES European air travel” - that’s us, baby. That’s what I’m talking about (thank you, Zhanat!) So cool to befriend several people in one of our wait lines. Three American missionaries -one now living in Ghana and one in Botswana and an adorable woman in her late 70’s who is returning home from her 51st mission trip. As well as a precious woman, originally from India, whose husband is a pediatrician in Virginia. She and I enjoyed long walks around the Frankfurt airport, talking and window shopping. I have learned so many interesting things about these people’s lives and though we wish we were home, this day has given us wonderful looks into the lives of people who chose to live for the Lord in foreign lands. John and I are also very grateful for the input that John and David (the two workers in Africa) have given us on dealing with Kirill’s past experiences. Both feel that it is most important that we allow Kirill, with an interpreter, and counselor upon arriving home, to talk about his past and express his feelings about this (rather than waiting for issues to come up later). This seems like wise advice. So our new community of friends help to guard our possessions while we take turns walking about the airport. There are a limited number of airport seats that slightly recline and we do our best to keep position of these.
8PM dinner at German restaurant (that takes Mastercard). 11PM – John calls it a night on the reclining seat and I claim territory under the “ALL FLIGHTS CANCELED” sign using my squishy pillow to line my butt and John’s neck pillow for my head. So glad I still have my heavy coat with me. They must turned the heat off in this place at night (and the extra padding on the floor is wonderful).