Day 6 - Ola

Today we see Ola! We have our letter of permission, but first we have to sign a petition to see her & get it notarized. After about 6 hours of sleep, we're up and eat breakfast. Then off to the lawyer to notarize. Next to the Inspector General's office - we sign something and take the Inspector with us to the orphanage for the "interrogation". They inspector asks if Ola knows we are here. The assistant to the Director and the Orphanage Lawyer start laughing & speaking some kind of funny story. Sergei translates that they are all laughing at the question because Ola has been telling *everyone* that we're coming today. Ola has become friends with lots of families coming for their children because she speaks such good English & she can translate for them. Thus, Ola has everyone looking out for when we arrive. I am thankful everyone seems to be in a good mood. Ola is well liked at the orphanage having been there 10 years or so & she is a very good girl. It seems they are so happy that we will be her family.

We joke with everyone that we will name Ola after Denton (a custom in Ukraine) - Olga Dentoniva Elliott. They crack up in laughter! Everyone asks me if I have Russian roots (Russian name, fair hair). I do, I only wish I could speak the language.

Finally we meet with the Director. She asks how we know Ola - we tell her. Then Ola comes in & what a reunion! She seems smaller - more like a little girl today. She sits & the Director asks her some questions (in Russian of course) - I hear "da, da, nyet, nyet, nyet" and that is it. She has to write out that she wants us to adopt her & sign it. All done. We get to go to the library to visit with her a while. After about an hour Sergei comes in & is in a hurry to get Ola to her list of medical appointments. The process is something like this:
6 or so Medicals > paperwork signed and on the train to Kiev > must be submitted M, W or F > processed> returned by train > given to Head Judge > trickles down to the Judge for our case > then we can have court!

We are so happy to see Ola. I keep thinking about her birth mother - wonder what is going on in her life now. I wonder how Ola felt the day she was brought to the orphanage close to 11 years ago. How she feels now that we are finally here. We feel so blessed to be here for her - to be her Dad, Mom, sisters, brother, grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends = FAMILY forever. Amazing that God had it planned this way all along. His name is Wonderful.