We have the passport and visa so will board our first plane tomorrow morning, Friday, at 6:00 a.m. Ukraine time!

Today was a busy day! I am surprised I had the energy I needed after getting only 4 hours of sleep last night. We met our coordinator at the medical center a little after 10:30 a.m. to get the passport, which she had picked up at the train station, and to pick up the sealed medical report to take to the US Embassy. Then we hurried to the Embassy for our 11:00 a.m. appointment. We were late to meet our coordinator which made us late for the Embassy but it all worked out perfectly. We got Angelica's visa in less than an hour. Praise the Lord that we got it so fast! We had been told at our first appointment that we would have to come back to get it. What a wonderful gift from God that we only had to wait a short time for it!

After getting the visa! we drove to Midan Square and walked around. I have wanted to do that with Angelica since arriving in Kiev but the timing and weather had not permitted. Andriy shared the story of the the fighting that started on December 10, 2013. It was educational to hear the story from someone who was there when it happened. He and his wife were called to the prayer tent to help injured people and guard it so police would not come in.

After our tour around Independence Square, Midan, and government square we walked to Pusata Hata and had a delicious lunch together. Then we drove straight back to the apartment to finish packing. Amazingly everything fit into the suitcases so we are officially packed and ready to leave the apartment at 2:45 a.m. We even had time to walk to the market to buy chips and sunflower seeds to bring home. Then Angelica wanted one last swirled ice cream cone and so did I so we sat and ate one more cone for old times sake. Early on in Kiev we walked to the mall every day and had an ice cream cone so it was special to end our time in Kiev the same way.

Our first flight is to Frankfurt, Germany where we will have a 5 hour layover. Since Angelica cannot leave the airport in Germany without a German visa, I guess we will sleep or walk around for awhile. Then we have a direct flight from Germany to Denver. We will get home by evening time after traveling for over 13 hours in the air and having a layover. It is so bizarre to travel back in time.

Please pray for our safety as we fly. Angelica gets motion sickness so she is excited to go home but not looking forward to the flights. Please continue to pray for God's healing of her cough and cold and His protection over our other children so they do not get her germs.

We praise God for the special mother-daughter time we had here in Ukraine since December 27 when Angelica officially became our daughter. Now we ask for continued prayer as our journey begins with starting life as a family of seven! The adoption process has been a long and emotional adventure over the past 2 years and we truly appreciate your support. We know the real adventure is just beginning!

"Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them. Glorious and majestic are his deeds, and his righteousness endures forever. He has caused his wonders to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and compassionate." (Psalm 111:2-4)

We leave Ukraine rejoicing in God's faithfulness!

Update for morning of January 13, 2017 - I tried several times to post the above update last night but we had no internet connection. Sorry! We both got about 2 hours of sleep. Angelica was so excited she did not want to go to bed! We are at the airport now; through security and waiting to board our plane in less than one hour. Everything went smoothly so far so please continue to pray that there are no issues with Angelica's visa or immigrant paperwork. Pray we can get some rest on the plane and during our layover in Germany. We are almost on our way home for good!