Sunday night in Vloré

Well, today has been quite a day!  We attended church this morning at Grace Church in Tirana.  It's the church that meets in the former dictator's home!  The worship and scripture reading were very meaningful. Here's some of the verses that were read from Psalm 103 which made us think of Ellie:  "…who redeemed your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things   so that your youth is renewed like the eagles. The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed."  (We didn't write much about it, but our visit on Friday was really hard on all of us, seeing the reality of orphanage life, in particular being forced to consider what Ellie's life has been like up until now and what kind of challenges we may face retraining her in appropriate ways to receive attention).

 

From church we ate a quick lunch and then were picked up by Bethany staff and driven to Vlora.  The drive was nice as the weather was gorgeous and we were able to roll the windows down a few inches to enjoy the fresh country air.  It's a dramatic drive into Vlora.  Coming from the north, one drives through some steep hills covered with olive trees, then driving around a corner, the hills split and you're looking down on a city on a harbor.  One could say Vlora sits in the bottom of a bowl, surrounded by mountains on three sides hugged by the edge of the sea on the fourth. Our driver told us that the harbor in Vlora is the deepest in the Adriatic.  It's not difficult to believe by the size of the ships sitting just a few hundred yards off shore. 

 

Alma offered to take us over to the orphanage to see Ellie this afternoon -- something we weren't expecting to do.  After quickly checking into the hotel and dropping off our luggage, we drove over to the orphanage and had over an hour with Ellie this afternoon while Alma and the driver had a meal.  It was such a good visit.  I think Friday's visit was a bit overwhelming for Ellie with all of the new people and new attention.  This afternoon she seemed to recognize Nathan and I and didn't exhibit some of the nervous traits that she displayed so much last week (throwing her head back and looking at the ceiling). This was very rewarding for us.  We still didn't have much eye contact, but we definitely felt like we connected a lot more than in our first visit.  The ladies at the orphanage laid out a soft blanket on the floor and we sat and enjoyed getting to watch her play.  The stuffed animals didn't hold her interest in the least, even though one of them rattled.  However, Nathan had the brilliant idea to introduce her to a beaded bracelet I was wearing.  She probably played with it for 45 minutes, passing it back and forth between her hands.  If she dropped it on the floor she would hook it with her index finger to pick it up (instead of grabbing it with her whole hand).  Occasionally we would set it just out of reach to see how she would get herself over to pick up the object of her desire.  It was fun to hear her little grunts while she scooted on her bottom and then her look of concentration on such a simple item. Her hands seem so small, especially watching how she manipulates each little finger so precisely.  Eventually she started initiating more physical contact, like opening and closing my fingers and patting the palm of my hand.  If we initiated the contact, she would withdraw a bit, but if it was on her terms, she was fine.  After a while it was time for supper -- another mug of something warm.  Boy, was she excited!  She gulped it down even faster than Friday's chicken/rice meal and started fussing when I would pull it away to wipe her mouth and face.  We were excited to hear another new sound coming out of her, even if she was mildly upset!  Are we strange?  By then it was time to go, and we were pleased to see her follow us out of the room with her eyes after we set her back in her crib. 

 

The time went really fast.  We look forward to seeing what each new visit this week will bring, especially to the day when we walk in and she demonstrates that she's excited to see us!  It's really funny, nice, and strange to hear the caregivers talk about us as Elisona's Mommy & Bobbi (Albanian for "daddy").  Yeah, even though we're not fluent in Albanian, we do know when they're talking about us, even through a plexi-glass window!  I'm sure it will feel more natural as time passes, but for now, it's kind of like how it felt to be referred to as Nathan's "wife" the first few weeks after getting married.  Surreal, but nice.

 

Our hearts break for the kids in her room.  Four of them sit in their cribs and look longingly at us playing with Ellie.  Occasionally they will throw one of their toys on the floor so we'll pick it up and give it back to them.  The fifth one just sleeps – he slept Friday morning, and he slept this afternoon – we've intentionally avoided naptime to respect the schedule the kids are on.  We have no idea how many of them are eligible for adoption, but we can tell they long for affectionate interaction.  On Friday my mom picked one up and he just laid his head on her shoulder and soaked up a long hug.  This afternoon if one of them cried, Ellie would stop what she was doing and turn to see who was the cause of the noise.  She seems to have a very gentle spirit.

 

This week is gearing up for Friday's court date.  If you would feel led to pray for us, you can pray that we might find favor in the eyes of the judge.  Nathan is flying back to Kentucky on Saturday so he can finish out the semester and give final exams in the media classes he is teaching.  We really need the judge to approve everything in this one appointment Friday, and not to call for a second hearing. If he calls for a second hearing then it wouldn't be able to be scheduled until Nathan returns to Albania the week of December 18.  Such a delay would set us back a minimum of 2 weeks before we can take custody of Elisona.  If the judge can complete everything to his satisfaction on Friday, then the 15-day count down begins and we can bring Ellie back to Tirana the day Nathan returns from the States!  After this afternoon's play session, we can't take her home soon enough!!!

 

Before I sign off, the count is now up to about 119 Albanians (not really that many, but a lot) who have pointed out that Ellie looks like her daddy!  Today, one of the caregivers specifically drew her finger over Ellie's eyebrows and pointed to Nathan's smiling and laughing. J  On Saturday Mandi said, "You will have no problem at the airport with the passport – they will just look at you and look at her and say, 'You are her father!'"

 

Thanks for your prayers on our behalf.  We are sensing them by the peace in our hearts.