By Tim Leeds
It looks like two 8-year-old boys will soon be leaving orphanages in Kazakhstan in a few weeks to come to their new home in Havre.
"We have finally gotten our invitation to go," Diana Greytak said.
She and her husband, Gary, have been working on adopting the two boys since last summer. They leave Montana on Thursday to fly to Kazakhstan, then will take a train about 500 miles to the town where the boys will be. The two boys are from different families, and live in orphanages in towns about 130 miles apart, but Gary said they will be brought together to the larger town for the adoption proceedings.
The Greytaks were one of the host families in Havre for a program initiated by Kidsave International, an organization that works to help reunite families or find families to adopt children in orphanages.
The Greytaks and other Havre-area families hosted eight Kazakhstan orphans, taking them to picnics and other events that allowed families from across the state to meet the children. The two boys the Greytaks are adopting are the last of those orphans brought to be adopted by Montana families.
Gary said he and Diana received the invitation to come to Kazakhstan to complete the adoption proceedings a couple of weeks ago and timed their visit to coincide with a court date for the adoption proceedings. He said the trip is a little unsettling Kazakhstan is about 300 miles north of Afghanistan but he's happy to start finalizing the adoption.
"We're nervous, but we're very excited to be going," he said.
Gary said there were a few delays getting the paperwork started in 2000, and the requirements changed before he and Diana got the paperwork in. Adoption papers have to be filed with the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service. Once the adoption goes through regular channels here, the papers are then filed with the government of Kazakhstan.
Gary said they will have to stay in Kazakhstan three to six weeks before they can return to Havre with the boys. He said part of the new rules of the adoption is that the government of Kazakhstan will contact the boys about 30 days after they come to Havre, probably through the embassy of Kazakhstan.
