Thanks for all the warm and kind comments. It really means a lot that so many people are praying for us. We went to the SDA 1st thing this morning to discuss what happened with the referral. We gave them all the facts and once again presented a letter requesting another appointment and a referral for a healthy child(ren) under 5 years old.

We are supposed to be getting a phone call regarding our last appointment today which I doubt will happen. We were told we would be re-invited on Monday or Tuesday of next week but that it is very unlikely that we would be presented with a totally healthy child.

I don't know how many other families are in Kiev right now waiting for 2nd/3rd appointment, but from other facilitators at the SDA - everyone is pretty much mad and upset with the current situation at the administration and availibility of children. SDA is contradicting what local orphanage directors are saying. Inspectors and directors at the local level are saying there are a lot of healthy children that are adoptable, but somehow their files either never make it to the SDA or SDA is never showing these kids to foreigners. Therefore, closing the doors for these children to ever get a chance to have a family.

Yes, Ukrainians are adopting more kids these day but very few as compared to foreigners. We see a lot of ads on TV and on billboards in Kiev and Odessa - government advertising kids that need families. Yet, people like us who come to Ukraine with open arms and hearts to give love to a child are told we can't adopt these kids. Everyone we talk to cannot understand how there is not a single child for us in the whole country. It's something I can't understand either.

Ukraine is a non-Christian country so what else can you expect from a government that believes they are God and ordinary people are nobody. These children desperately need love and care we all can give them, so we are doing everything that we can. God is Mighty and can work miracles, so I still have hope left for next week. But if not - He knows why He led us to Ukraine and what He is trying to show and teach us through this.

Sorry for all the negativity, but we're just plain sick and tired of nothing working in Ukraine. There are no systems and controls from what we see. They make ordinary people jump through hoops to get a simple thing done. But this experience made us appreciate where we live a lot more. We are thankful to our parents who brought us to America to have a great life we have.