Day 16

The paperwork is moving along. We were able to meet with the director of Vicka’s orphanage and since we weren’t sure when we would see her again, we gave her our donation. But we also received some bad news from Marsha. It seems that Vicka has a great-aunt who refers to herself as her grandmother and has expressed interest in applying for guardianship. To make matters worse, on our way to visit Vicka at camp, we crossed paths with the aunt. Her name is Lena and seems a bit young to be a great-aunt. She told us of her intentions and that she visits Vicka whenever she is at camp, which is about once a year.

Marsha told her that she is not suppose to visit Vicka without both the directors and social workers approval. And to help dissuade her, Marsha also informed her that she would have to apply for guardianship of both Gela and Vicka. That didn’t dissuade her but after letting her know that we would pursue the adoption, that we will provide good healthcare, an education, and the boys wanted them as sisters, we left and spent time with Vicka.

We had a good time with Vicka but the aunt had told her that she isn’t going to America; though she would like to be a part of our family and live with us. We are committed to continuing in the process and we know that the law is on our side. We also tried our best to enjoy ourselves and know Vicka better. She loves the camera and after a couple of shots, she wanted to work it. We didn’t get as much time as we liked because we spent 40 minutes speaking with the aunt. During the entire conversation with Lena, we silently prayed for God to change her heart. I think it was one of the strongest prayers I’ve ever petitioned for I felt like my spirit was truly reaching out along with all of my mind, heart, and emotions.
On the way home, we got awesome news! Lena called Marsha and said that after some thought, she has decided to not pursue guardianship but she did ask if we would send pictures and updates every so often. Since we have to do this for the SDA every year, we agreed. Lena also agreed that the girls would be better off with us but would like to meet one more time. This was a 4 hour heart attack that we didn’t need. We love the girls so much. Angelina is learning English words quickly and both are vibrant little girls. They are both so excited! But then so are we!