Last few days in Ukraine/Departure Day Tomorrow!!!

   

Elena sitting at the photo studio while waiting to pick up her passport photo

After a very hectic past the past three days, we are now getting ready for our departure day!  Slavabogu!!!  In just a few hours, we awaken at 2:15 am and leave at 3 am to fly out of the Kiev airport to Frankfurt, Germany and then home to Atlanta!  Hallelujah!!! 

The past 3 days have been full of rushing all over Lugansk applying for her passport, getting the passport photo, etc, and flying out to Kiev and running to the American Embassy twice, the children's hospital for Elena's medical exam and moving in a new apartment, moving out the next day and into another apartment (yes, it was that awful)!

Now, with all the official documents in hand and Elena officially being our daughter, we are packing and preparing to fly home!  Oh my, I am really looking forward to going home! 

I don't have any pictures of our past two days in Kiev since my batteries ran out and we were rushing around so much and never found a store with batteries.   We have been in 3 different apartments the past 3 nights and 2 different regions of Ukraine (Lugansk and now Kiev)!!!

Praise God for His sustaining grace, under girding us, overseeing us, and for His constant kind care. He is SO good!  Praise Him for the way, things went smoothly especially toward the end.  Now, I am ready to finish packing and try to get a little sleep before awakening in a few hours!

Elena and Rita (now Emilee) have enjoyed one another these past few days.  Now Elena will be leaving her last connection to her past few years at the orphanage so please remember her in prayer as she transitions to a totally new life!

Getting Elena's completed passport

Passport office in Kiev where we picked up Elena's passport

Alexey ready to enter the passport office in Kiev.  This is Nastya's husband

Leaving the passport office along the walk back to our apartment

We spent nearly 2.5 hours at the travel agency's office-still not sure why!!!

Landlady in Lugansk and Elena -our last day there

Out in the rain

Elena ate exactly one rice chip and nothing else- by far the pickiest eater I have ever met! 

An old buggy