The long arm of the law....

We had our court hearing a bit early today. It had been scheduled for 9:30, then was rescheduled for 11am. But at 9:30 the judge called wanting to know why we were not there. They (of course) were trying to wrap up for the year and appear to have had a pot-luck lunch scheduled.

We were just leaving, so scrambled to Lutugino as fast as possible. We had to have a driver go to the train station for us to pick up some documents that were sent overnight from Kyiv. Only one of 2 required documents was ready (and on the train). the other still lacked a signature from the SDA, so we were hoping the judge would give us some leniency.

Natasha had briefed us well on the court procedure, so we were ready for the judge's questions. In many ways, at this point the procedure is a formality. However, there was always the possibility of 1) the judge requiring the missing paperwork from the SDA, 2) our making some horrible breach of etiquette, 3) someone protesting the adoption itself, or 4) one of the boys deciding he did not want to be adopted by us. We said many prayers, but left it in God's hands, so felt confident.

We arrived at the court at 10am and scrambled into the judges chamber. In the room were Nancy and I, Natasha, the judge, a court reporter, the assistant inspector, the assistant director of the orphanage, the prosecutor, and 2 witnesses. The boys were not yet in the chamber. We also decided it best to leave Colin and Claire at the flat, but had them on call in case the judge requested their appearance.

The hearing began very formally and the judge seemed rather harsh. I think he was a bit perturbed as he had been expecting us earlier, and they were all trying to get out for the New Year's holiday. However, he very quickly warmed to us, and within minutes was quite jovial.

The hearing began with some legal talk for the record, and stated for the record the status of the biological parents. Then we each stated our name, date, and place of birth. To minimize time, the judge read our petition which requested several things:
- That we be allowed to adopt the boys,
- That their last name be changed to Combs
- That their first and middle name be changed and the patronymic named dropped
- That we be named their parents
- That their birthdate and place remain unchanged
- That their birth certificate be reissued with their new names

With preliminaries out of the way, the judge asked a series of questions.
- Why are we adopting?
- Why are we adopting from Ukraine?
- Why not adopt from Nicaragua, America, or somewhere else?
- Describe ourselves and our family
- How do our children and family feel about the adoption?
- Describe our education and professional history
- Describe our income
- What taxes did I pay on my income last year?
- What does the average family in the US make?
- Do we have any cattle?
- How much does the US government spend on support for the poor and homeless?
- Do we know what the average person in Ukraine makes and what the tax rate here is?
- What do we think about Ukrainian politics?
- Do we think we are prepared to be parent to 4 children and understand the difference of raising adopted children?
- What are our views on discipline? Do we intend to torture the children?
- Do we intend to treat the new children differently?

We were each to stand as we were addressed by the judge. Nancy was asked questions first, and the judge did not dismiss her. So rightly, or wrongly, she was asked most of the questions (except the tax questions). Perhaps I should have stood up to answer, but I did not want to breach protocol. Besides, she was doing a great job, so I got to sit back and admire her effort.

The Nicaragua question came up as we had shown the judge and witnesses our picture book. For those that may read this in the future, you absolutely should make a picture book and show it to as pretty much every official you see. Ukrainians do love to share pictures and it really helps develop a bond. We saw the demeanor of everyone soften each time they saw the book. Ours happened to be 1/2 of our home and family and 1/2 of a short-term mission trip we took to Nicaraguan orphanages about 4 years ago.

The taxes and average income questions I think raised from the judges desire to make sure we understood cultural differences. He said my tax rate in Ukraine would have been about 80%. Yikes. Also, I think it was to see how we reacted to the average salary in Ukraine in comparison to the US. I mentioned being from a small town and below-average income growing up. the political questions were to make a point along the lines of, "we are very much alike (Americans and Ukrainians), and are family-oriented. Don't believe everything you hear". Nancy and responded (masterfully, and truthfully) to the question on Ukrainian politics, saying "Honestly, I don't always understand it." Not only did it avoid any Ukrainian vs Russian issues (the country is very proud of its heritage, but the eastern portion is also very pro-Moscow), but I think they appreciated the humility and recognition of the complexities of political life.

The cattle question I think was a little tongue in cheek as a result of their looking at the pictures of our back yard (which is fairly large).

I assume every question or rule arises for a reason. So the question about torture was interesting. Apparently, someone adopted a Russian child a few years ago and they were abused and murdered. Obviously, our answer was no. We emphasized the key was to have rules and to ensure the children understand the rules and the consequence (lost privilege) of breaching them.

Finally he asked some more formalities such as do we support the petition, are we aware of the children's medical records, are we aware of our responsibilities as parents.

Satisfied with those responses, the boys were escorted in. They stood at attention, with big grins on their faces. R was asked questions first. Meanwhile V got a little squirmy on the seat.

"Do you want to go to the America with the Combs'?" "Da"
"Are you ready to leave the orphanage and Ukraine?" "Da"
"What will you do in America?" "I will help Mama and Papa." (I meant to get a recording of that for future use, but forgot).

V straightened up when it was his turn. Same questions, same answers.

After a short recess, we were read the verdict....