Anastasia

Anastasia. This picture is from our visit in February of 2004 to the orphanage in Vladivostok. Anastasia is Max's sister. They were in the orphange together since the time she was 4 and he was 3. They were very, very close. When we adopted Max, Anastasia was not yet available. Russia has lots of complicated laws and we were assured it was just a matter of paperwork and beauracracy until she would be available. Anastasia made the decision to let Max go while we waited for the paperwork to be complete so we could go get her. It has now been 18 months since we last saw her.

It has been a fight the whole 18 months and it has just been one thing after another. Her father has been discovered in a mental institution and he refuses to give his permission for her adoption. Aparently he grew up in an orphanage and it was good enough for him so it is good enough for his daughter. We are currently trying to get the courts to declare him mentally incapable, but it has been a long battle and we still aren't there yet. Our greatest weapon at this time has been prayer and fasting and we are now resolved to do even more fasting with prayer. We have recently found a secret weapon named Mary Kirkpatrick, she runs an organization called Russian Family Finders and she has good contacts in Russia. She has been helping us and that is how we have the little information that we do have.

We have been able to contact Anastasia a few times but she cries the whole time and can not understand anything about judges and government regulations etc. She only understands that we promised we would be back and we haven't been back. Even now as I write this, my stomach is contracting and I feel ill with anger and frustration. It is our prayer that all of these complications will fall away and we will have our daughter, our son's sister, home with us soon.

Anastasia is going to be 11 on September 20th. She is one month younger than Alexander. A friend just pointed out to me that we will have 4 children in high school, going on missions and going to college all at the same time. We are going to need lots of blessings and miracles. I have asked Max what Anastasia likes to do, what her favorite color is, what kinds of things she likes, but he doesn't know. He just says she loves to eat. How I wish she were home with us now.