For those of you that have been following our journey since the beginning, you can appreciate the ups and downs that we have faced along the way. This morning, I awoke to find news from Victoria who had talked with Sveta.
The three weeks to gather documents may take longer due to the lack of signatures by Julianna's living relatives. First, one of her older brothers is incarcerated. No need for a signature from him! The second brother was not found yet. Sveta left a note at his place of residence.
Now the aunt...she's a different story altogether. Apparently, the aunt is married and quite affluent. The aunt was Julianna's babysitter when she was still with her mother. The aunt would have adopted Julianna IF she would not have had Down Syndrome. According to the information that we received, Julianna's aunt will not be able to care for her, so she needs the weekend to think about signing off her legal rights to Julianna. Sveta is only concerned that this will delay our process, not stop it! Whew!
We also learned that Sveta was not permitted to see Julianna when she went to the home...it's the policy of the children's home.
So how do we feel on a Saturday morning as we head out on a hot day to our kids' swim meet? My first reaction was anger that Julianna's aunt could be so selfish. How could she not realize that this would be a dream for her niece? Then...I started to try to put myself in her position. I wouldn't sign a document right away either if a social worker whom I didn't know visited me and explained the circumstances, especially if I had had an emotional attachment to my niece.
I think the best thing to do is pray! Please offer prayers for Julianna's aunt so that she can make the best decision for her niece. I will be praying for her peace.
For us, this is just another test. God's grace will see us through to the end, whatever that may be.
Off to the meet....Annie
The three weeks to gather documents may take longer due to the lack of signatures by Julianna's living relatives. First, one of her older brothers is incarcerated. No need for a signature from him! The second brother was not found yet. Sveta left a note at his place of residence.
Now the aunt...she's a different story altogether. Apparently, the aunt is married and quite affluent. The aunt was Julianna's babysitter when she was still with her mother. The aunt would have adopted Julianna IF she would not have had Down Syndrome. According to the information that we received, Julianna's aunt will not be able to care for her, so she needs the weekend to think about signing off her legal rights to Julianna. Sveta is only concerned that this will delay our process, not stop it! Whew!
We also learned that Sveta was not permitted to see Julianna when she went to the home...it's the policy of the children's home.
So how do we feel on a Saturday morning as we head out on a hot day to our kids' swim meet? My first reaction was anger that Julianna's aunt could be so selfish. How could she not realize that this would be a dream for her niece? Then...I started to try to put myself in her position. I wouldn't sign a document right away either if a social worker whom I didn't know visited me and explained the circumstances, especially if I had had an emotional attachment to my niece.
I think the best thing to do is pray! Please offer prayers for Julianna's aunt so that she can make the best decision for her niece. I will be praying for her peace.
For us, this is just another test. God's grace will see us through to the end, whatever that may be.
Off to the meet....Annie