Day 4, SDA

Today was our SDA appointment. We walked in, sat down, and the lady asked us how we knew Ola and why we want to adopt her. We talked about meeting her, hosting her, and how our hearts love her and we wanted her to be a part of our family. She asked how our children felt about all of this & how they liked Ola. I smiled and said they can't wait for Ola to be home. We then saw Ola's file & she explained what was in the file - all that had happened to Ola since 2000 when she was taken to the orphanage by her mom (temporarily). She also explained that Ola's mom didn't come back for her, so in 2005 she was considered "missing" and Ola was considered abandoned. At this point parental rights were terminated. Nothing is known of Ola's father. The lady asked us if we still wanted to go see Ola & asked if we were still interested in adopting her (HELLO!). We said yes of course.


We walked around the vendors & saw St. Andrews church which they were rebuilding the foundation. Our facilitator explained that St. Andrew was the first apostle to come to Ukraine and he stood atop this hill & saw a vision that Ukraine would be the center of Christianity. So they built this magnificent church atop the hill & named it for St. Andrew's.
We met up with 2 other families adopting and along with our facilitator and her husband, we went to a great lunch. Hot herbal tea, Macchiatto, Coke, pizza, bacon and cheese omelet, cherry crepe/pancake - all for about $10. wow. On our way back to the apartment we posed for a photo in front of St Sophia's. A bit of rest, then eat, then rest.

Ukrainian Worship - Day 3

Today was spent with our Ukrainian Church – we celebrated Thanksgiving! Denton gave a sermon, beautiful singing (which we recognized!), and Pastor Kolia delivered his sermon. It was a wonderful service – we had a great feast of authentic Ukrainian food afterward. I just realized – I forgot my cake! Everyone welcomed us & we got lots of hugs & smiles. The children even gave us a poem in English! They did a great job! After the festivities, Pastor Kolia, Lena (his wife) and Yulia (his eldest daughter) took us to a beautiful and historic Ukrainian village. Amazing! Beautiful rolling hills, windmills, homes, a market, and lots of people! The weather was probably in the 60s with a light breeze – I think this is a special gift from God just for me (kidding, but I sure am thankful!)! This excellent weather is atypical – usually by now there is snow & ice falling from the sky.

Kolia and his family then drove us to the market and Yulia helped us shop for a few necessities. Really neat mall. Inside was a market with items similar to what you would find at Dollar General & a Farmer’s Market. There was a huge area of cheese, a whole row of sausages hanging & bulk bins of fresh fruit for you to scoop out for yourself, and the bakery of course. We got some of each & some yogurt which was THE BEST EVER! I do not know what is different, but it was so creamy & sweet, but not sugary. YUMMY! Everything I have seen hints that they do not use artificial anything. Did I mention the butter isle? There were so many *types* of butter – different fat content, different brands, wow. And there were attendants everywhere watching.

After the market, we returned to the apartment & I asked if Yulia and Lena could help me figure out the washing machine. They toiled over it for about 5 minutes, even Kolia gave his input. The final outcome…? Put clothes in here, soap in there, set the dial to this & see what happens. Can’t wait!

I am truly thankful to be here, blessed beyond measure, and having the time of my life!
I wish our children were here to share it with us.
Our appointment is tomorrow at 9am. We are praying that we do exactly what God has for us to do.

Travel, Days 1-2

Travel – Days 1-2

What a wonderful few days we have had! Our journey began about 7am Friday morning; getting up and ready, saying good-bye to the children & my Mom, driving to the airport & watching Robert & Kathy drive away. All incredibly difficult, but the Peace of God which passes all understanding was overwhelming! I do not worry, I do not fret. I am so thankful God has answered prayers for us to have a good & safe trip and for peace. While in flight I looked out into the great expanse and saw God’s beautiful creation. What a mighty God we serve! Our flights were uneventful; we had a quiet trip for the most part. When we got to Germany I realized how tiny of a box I have lived in. I so wish I could speak to these people! The flight attendants spoke to me in German (I look very German I suppose) and I really was disappointed that I couldn’t talk to them. When we landed in Kiev, it was the same. I really wish I knew Russian! And I forgot my Russian notebook which has all the helpful conversational stuff.

We have an apartment just off the downtown Independence Square in Kiev. It is beautiful here (if you look). I was sad to see an old lady sitting on the steps begging for money. I realized too that this is everywhere – even America. Everyone here dresses very trendy – much different than the town in GA where folks go to Wal-Mart in their PJs and slippers. Up to the knee (or higher) boots with 4 inch heels or so on these rough streets is amazing to watch. Skinny jeans, blingy tops, and leather coats (even though the weather is GREAT – sixtys or so)! Now I can understand why Ola was a little bored with the t-shirts and tennis shoes...

Denton was my entertainment for this evening. He had bad jet lag, so he took a pill for sleeping. My amusement began. He was leaving the kitchen and said, "Whoa, I have got to go sit down" I then heard shuffling of feet and banging against the wall. When I got out of the bathroom, I found Denton passed out in the bed with his sermon notes on his belly. He was snoring. This is about 6:30pm. Normally a light sleeper, he didn't budge when I walked across the floors that squeek with each step. He was still snoozing when I removed his pen and papers from his chest. More squeeking & sleeping husband. Wow, that is powerful stuff. To my delight Denton woke up for a few minutes to entertain me. He was like a drunk college kid. Stumbling around, slurred speech, the whole bit. He had been hallucinating he told me. He though he was talking to his Mom and Dad about his sermon. He bumped along the wall in the living area, talked crazy sentences; I begged him to go to bed before he hurt himself. He said he was fine (I was laughing so hard). Finally he went back to bed. I'll try to get video next time:)

Thanks for the laughs!

Skyped today!

Ola was able to skype us today! The camera was replaced on the orphanage computer & it was *SO* good to see her! She seems to have grown up over the last few months - more so than she already was. It was great to see her smile & you could see how happy she was to see us too. The orphanage was having a party for Ola's friend who was just adopted & today was her last day. Bitter-sweet for those left behind. Ola seemed a bit sad when I spoke to her on the phone earlier & I guess it is hard for her to see her friends go.
When she saw us, though & I told her we'd be there in a couple of weeks, she was surprised & excited & perked right up! Some days it feels like we will never get there & some days it feels like we have so much to do & so little time!

a day

We got our appointment in Ukraine!

We will fly out Nov 12th and have our appointment Nov 15th!

We will do some paperwork in Kiev, visit our church there & then go to see Ola Nov 17th!

Praise God for providing our needs and for planning all the events down to every little detail of our journey.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support. We couldn’t have survived this roller coaster without you!

The ride isn’t over yet, so please continue to pray!

Blessings