Two of Emily’s sisters; Natalia Anatolievna Moisieva (Now Analise Natasha Simmons) with her sister, Lidia Anatolievna Moisieva at their orphanage in Yekaterinovka, Promorsky Krai, Russia.

[Emily’s blog this week requires some foreground. When Emily was seven, the State removed her, three younger sisters, and one younger brother from a horribly neglectful and abusive home in rural Russia. The social worker who handled the case was in her sixties when I met her. She had worked her entire professional life in social services. She told me that the environment our daughters came from was the worst she had ever seen. After the children were removed from the home, the State decided that it would be best to divorce the sibling group in order to allow the youngest two children a chance to be adopted. Eight-year-old Emily was forced to sign divorce papers that would allow her two youngest siblings to be adopted out. She has never gotten over it and probably never will. As horrible as the divorce decision sounds, none of the children would have been adopted without it. As it was, the youngest two were adopted, early on. Later, Amy and I adopted two little biological sisters who were born after the first five children were removed from the home. When we learned about the other siblings, we went back to Russia to try to add the other three siblings. We succeeded with Emily, and Annie (who is one year younger than Emily). Lydia, who is four years younger than Emily, was simply too damaged to leave the institution. She remains in Russia. Amy and I never would have been in Russia attempting to adopt seven siblings. When we got into the situation and learned of others, we did what we believed was right; what God expected us to do. It is sad how much suffering others end up going through when we ignore situations in which we would really be willing to help, but try to avoid because they are difficult. Amy and I were not willing to go looking for that many siblings, nor would we have agreed to begin the adoption of such a group. But when we had some, and learned of others, we decided that we had to do what was right. Sadly, God had to arrange for it to be done in pieces, after much suffering by children, because He knew that we would not have done it otherwise. Along with Lydia, our daughters mourn the loss of two siblings from the first group, who were adopted by other families. They all hope and pray for a day when they might find those siblings and learn of their lives and wellbeing.]

The first time I signed papers about get adopted, my sister and my brother, that happened in the fall [spring] and I been thinking about it every day. And same time make me happy or sad. [Emily is happy that her youngest two siblings were adopted and got families, but sad that they are no longer in the same family and don’t know the whereabouts of each other.] I never meet my brother or sister before. I never saw them before. [Emily has never seen or met the two younger siblings since soon after they were removed from their home.] Also I remember that about my sister or brother, before, that they going to be adopted from Amarican families.

[We have reason to believe that Maria was transferred to the orphanage, Ussuriysk Baby Home #3, (about two hours north of Vladivostok, Russia). We believe that she was adopted by a couple from the U.S. at the age of two, in May of 1999. We have heard contradictory stories about Vitale though we have no evidence in his case. We were once told that he was adopted by Americans. Another time we were told that he was adopted by Russians. Emily says that when she was younger that she was told that both Maria and Vitale were adopted by Americans. I have created a blog page that can be shared that has everything we know that might help us to locate Emily’s siblings. Please read it and share it to help Emily find her siblings. You can find that article here: https://johnmsimmons.com/basic-history-of-the-moisievakoshkina-family/ ]

I hope see them someday. My Amarican dad told me that maybe we going to see them someday. Also, it’s hard for me pay attention on fall, winter, summer, spring. And it’s hard for me when flowers grow on the ground.

[Emily struggles during changes of seasons because she remembers bad things that happened to her during different seasons in Russia. One of the hardest is spring, when the flowers bloom, because that was the time of year that she was forced to sign the divorce papers that separated her younger brother and sister from the rest of the siblings.]

Sometimes I thought I never see my sister or brother again. Their names are Maria (girl) and Vitale (boy). Sometimes I feel nervous about new family who adopted my sister and brother. I talk to director from my orphinige. She said they already adopted from orphinige. I found out about my sister and brother that they adopted from orphiniges. I am happy for them. I cannot talk to them about them. My adoption very good. I feel happy, my adoption. My family amazing. But Vitale and Maria, I don’t know about them. I been waiting for a long time to get adopted. I adopted because it’s hard for me because is different like keep rules. But in the Amarica always you are keep rules but in Russia you are never keep rules because why it is hard for me. My family caring about me and they loving me.

I don’t like orphinige because they treat me very bad. My family before the orphinige they not good. I miss my sister (Maria) and my brother (Vitale). I never saw them [since they were divorced from her]. I found out because director [at Emily’s orphanage] told me that they going to Amarica. And I feel happy and sad because I signed papers. They told me I needed sign papers make sure they went to a new family from Amarica. They ask me if I wanted if them got adopted like come to Amarica because my Russian family not good at all. I want adopted [wanted to be adopted] because my family and sisters or brother adopted, too. I want help my sister and my brother [explanation for why she signed the divorce papers] make sure they get families and also make sure they was be happy all the time.

I will say to my sister and brother that I love them and miss them. Because I got adopted my new Amarican family because they think they need to help me and give me love because they need help at orphiniges like me. If my sisters and brothers not get adopted then we might going to die. [The real dangers are not in the orphanages, but after aging out.]

In the orphinige they so mean about it. I miss Vitale and Maria. They been adopted for long time, now. I got excited because my sisters and brother adopted and always me. Kids in the orphinige some, they excited get adopted and come to Amarica always. I feel that when my sisters and brother getting adopted they get easy to adopted and make me so happy about it all the time. [she feels like she made it easier for her brother and sister to be adopted because she signed the divorce papers]. They never supposed to tell you about agency adoption. [Emily is voicing her frustration that Russian adoptions are legally sealed and that they won’t share information about the adoptions of Maria and Vitale.]

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