"I Got It! I Got It!!

These were the words coming through my phone that woke me up at 4am on Friday morning as Kim called me to share with me her news.  She had just received a call from the Adoption Unit at the Kiev Embassy saying that they had received the approval by email and were able to issue the visa!!!

She was arranging a taxi to get over to the embassy.  She was so excited she started listing off how I could contact the travel agent who is helping us so he can try for a flight this weekend.   I had to stop her to remind her that it's 4am and  that we are 10 hours behind and I would have to wait till the poor guy opens his office.  :-)  

I had actually just gotten to sleep at 3am, so that's why I was so groggy.  I had been working late and then decided to not wait, but to issue my own personal request and plead our case to the DHS in Moscow.  I didn't want to delay because the weekend was coming and so I wanted them to get it on their Friday. My email to DHS went out at 2:06 am.   Immediately after I sent this personal request I found that Kim had just written to me.  She wrote that the embassy told her our waiver had been assigned a DHS reviewer and he was reviewing it already!  Less than 2 hours later the embassy called her!  

It turns out that Broden is not necessarily the first child to be adopted with HIV.  Although, you could deduce that sort of scenario based on some of the comments from various Ukrainian and American officials.   But, he is the first to receive a waiver where all communication and action was handled by email!  That is a certainty based on communication from the embassy.  I hope they will do this in the future for others.

Thank you for all your prayers on our behalf.  I had intended an update on Friday with some other details of what was happening and how the Lord had opened up doors: 

~~ Kim had found a place for them to stay with a single missionary who offered for them to stay at her flat, 

~~ the fact that we were working on the details of sending Tiffany on a flight next Saturday, in order to stay with Kim during the holidays and to help her,  and 

~~ little tidbits of activity and interaction that they were going on for Kim, Kaitlyn and Broden.   

But now that doesn't matter and we are all overjoyed to say that as soon as we can arrange their flight through The Golden Rule Travel guy  (after he gets to his office today) they'll be on their way home!!!  

~~~~So, now... I'm going back to bed. I need the rest.  ;-)