I just received an email from our facilitator which clarifies things a little more.  I now know that the two little sisters are in an orphanage still and that their only hope for adoption is to be adopted with their older sisters.  I can't go into a lot of detail, partly because I don't know that much myself, but also I don't want to hurt the adoption.  We are going to proceed with the adoption with the hope of adopting all five.  They are all available for adoption, but hearts will need to be softened for us to adopt all of them.  I know that hearts can be softened.  We will need to raise and bring enough money to adopt all five because this will be their one chance.  If we only have enough to adopt the older three girls, we won't be able to later adopt the other two as I previously thought we could try to do.  We get one shot!  As things unfold while we are in Ukraine, I'll keep you posted.

 I have peace about being able to adopt the girls.  Before we had decided to adopt them and after the girls had left to go back to Ukraine, Jay and I did not have peace about not adopting them.  We decided to fast and pray for peace.  While I prayed for peace, and peace only, not whether we should adopt them or not, I very strongly felt these words, "You will adopt the girls and it will be okay."  It was surprising to me to get that answer, but a week later the way was opened up for us to begin to adopt them and we have continued to witness miracles.  I have faith that the way will be opened for us in Ukraine.  It will be okay!

One thing that drives me in all of this is the thought of Lyuba and Snezhana who we hosted during last summer.  They are wonderful girls who have a great desire and a need to be adopted.  I think about Lyuba and how kind and compassionate she is.  She is intuitive and willing to help without being asked.  And how adventerous and full of life she is too.  She needs a mom and dad who love her!  And Snezhana, whose pet name is Snezhok, which means "snowflake."  She is a little girl who became more confident and happy as the summer went on with us.  She loved snuggling with me and rough housing with Jay (Papa).  She needs her own mom and dad who love her!  Then I think of Diana, who was left behind at the orphanage because she had been in the hospital when the New Horizons interview team came to their orphanage to find kids.  She must have felt so left out.  New Horizons didn't realize the girls had another sister.  We didn't even know about her until a week before the girls left to go back home to Ukraine.  We loaded the girls up with gifts for Diana hoping she would feel our love for her.  We have been able to talk to her on the phone during our weekly calls and she sounds just as cute and sweet as her two sisters.  All three are anxious to be adopted as soon as possible.  They can't wait to come back to America and be reunited with our family and with the friends that they made while here.  I also think of the two little sisters, Liliya and Sasha, separated from their sisters and living in a different orphanage.  I know how wonderful the older three are and know that we don't want to leave their two little sisters behind.

The reason we are working so hard to adopt these girls is because we absolutely know God wants us to. We also love the girls very much and don't want them to graduate from the orphanage system in Ukraine. Their opportunities are very limited in Ukraine and aren't nice at all. It's hard for us in the Western world to really understand the realities orphans face in Eastern Europe. I have come to a bit of an understanding and it is not something I can stand to think of for our girls.