in my never ending search;)
Welcome to RWD!
I hope the above statement does not end up being true or you'll take TG's record away from him!

First, what is the best site to start the process of contacting and talking to someone? I don't want to get caught up in a scam or spend time/money on something not real.
No site can give you a 100% guarantee as no one can see what is inside the lady's head but the only two that I would trust to be honest and to have very good screening processes where they actually know the women are Lviv Brides
http://www.lvivbrides.com/ in Ukraine and Tver Angels
http://www.tverangels.com/ in Russia. Both are small agencies that are owner operated, both are run by Canadian men married to FSU women, and both live there with their wives unlike some of the foreign owned agencies where the owner shows up once or twice a year, if at all, and leaves it up to the staff to actually run the agency the rest of the time.
One of the problems with the warehouse sites like Elena's is that you will find women listed from all over the place, and it is a VERY big place, so you can get caught in the trap of writing to women in 8 or 10 different time zones. A logistical nightmare unless you have unlimited time and financial resources.
Another issue with the warehouse sites is that they do not know the individual ladies involved and are trusting in either an online form for the ladies information or in a partner agency in each of the cities to properly screen the women. Both are risky in that you really have no idea about the integrity of the lady or of the agency.
Spend some time reading through the FAQs and the Trip Reports. I suggest you read Groov's and Kuna's as they are not only informative but also entertaining and well written. When you get a better feel for the how and what ask about the specifics involved. This place has a very deep well of information and experience available to you.
Good luck!
Ken