Guess what??!! You prayed us home! Today at 2pm the passports came in and we are ecstatic! We didn't haggle about the expedite fee, I agree with all of you that said, just pay and get out. However, the office reduced the fee from $300 per child to $200, so we saved $300 and for that we are grateful.
There was some indications this morning (Monday) that the passports would be coming in so Heidi called the embassy to ask if we could come in that afternoon and get the paperwork started. Usually the visa applications are only taken in the morning, but they made an exception for us. We arrived at about 2:30 and the kids got a kick out of going through the security screening process...they loved the wanding!
A very friendly lady helped us sort through the paperwork, well, she helped Heidi. I collapsed in the chair and watched as the kids huddled around Heidi at the window, eager to see what process was taking place to get them home. Thanks Twyla for the heads up on completing those forms beforehand and just signing them there. Heidi downloaded the forms last week and we were ready to go when we arrived. An hour after we arrived, the applications were accepted and we were told to start our medicals in the morning and to try and be back there at the embassy before noon. We are in the "system" now and our visa appointment will be in the afternoon, tommorow. That will be the last hurdle before going to the airport on Christmas Eve morning!
We met the Volfs at the train station yesterday (Sunday) morning and we all went to the ICA church were Karen and her family attend. Most of you read their blog too, so you know that they were coming up from Kherson to pick up Tatum and Austin at the airport on Monday. We attended service and afterwards we had lunch at Friday's. Kari and Jim spent the night with us and got to see all of the public trasportation that Ukraine has to offer. We used the Metro, the bus and the Martsuka to get back home. This morning we all loaded back up in a Martsuka and caught the first Red Line Metro station we came to. We parted ways as we were headed to the passport agency (and unknown to us, the embassy too) and they were headed to the airport. After all of the above mentioned excitement for us, we met back up with them in Independence Square for dinner, Tatum and Austin in tow. It was good the see the Volf kids agian and it was a treat to spend a couple of days with Jim and Kari. We will see them again in Longmont in a couple of weeks when Kari, Tatum and Austin return. Jim will follow in late January with their two Ukrainian additions!
Please focus prayers to the Volf family, the Christopherson family and the Hoffmann family. Rollie and Leena will have their SDA appointment on January 20th. Three more Colorado families bringing home Ukrainian Angels!
