At Home and Abroad

An invitation arrived by email from the US Embassy in Kiev Consular Section inviting us to a town hall meeting the day we arrive in Kiev. We also have our appointment with the Adoption Center that day. Hence, we may not be able to leave immediately for the Region to see the children. However we may need to attend the meeting, given the current cautions and public notices regarding the possibility of civil unrest, and that discretionary travel plans should be deferred. Trains may not be running and we may need to catch a flight instead.

Last January I felt God highlighting Isaiah 45: 1-3 for us.

"Thus says the LORD to His anointed,
To Cyrus, whose right hand I have held--
To subdue nations before him
And loose the armor of kings,
To open before him the double doors,
So that the gates will not be shut:
²"I will go before you
And make the crooked places straight;
I will break in pieces the gates of bronze
And cut the bars of iron.
³I will give you the treasures of darkness
And hidden riches of secret places,
That you may know that I, the LORD,
Who call you by your name,
Am the God of Israel.

A somewhat strong passage about God opening double doors and giving us treasures from the darkness. Bob felt we should allow God to lead as to the number of children. Maybe there would be more than one. So during the remainder of my time there, attempting, with great difficulty to keep my emotions to myself, I opened my heart wide to whatever God would show me. It seemed very apparent that He was hightlighting particular children, so that I was unable to close my eays at night without seeing them smiling at me. I spent some time with these children, enjoyed listening to their banter, chatting with them, and observing how they interacted with the others. I saw thoughtfulness and intelligence in one and a twinkle in the eyes of another. I also learned that they had no family.

Something that puzzled me, though, was the reference in the Isaiah passage to nations, iron bars and bronze. At that that time the country seemed fairly open to me. So why the need for those kinds of ressurances. We took them nonetheless and frequently read them over the next year and have been comforted. We never expected that the news this month from Ukraine would be what it is.

May God calm the nations, bend iron prison bars, and open up doors to let His young treasures come forth to a new life. I read that 80% of orphans graduating from the orphanages in Russia die on the streets within the first two years. With God's help we shall try to rescue some.

Christmas Season Begins

The Day After Thanksgiving has become the day in which the kids take the liberty of dragging out all the Christmas stuff. So this morning when I rose, the house was twinkling with white lights. One particular young lady we know and love is the worst sentimentalist and insists some lights must be on all night.... Today I will collect summery knick knacks and store them away, as our lives are already somewhat cluttered, and apparently it is finally no longer summer here!

A note from our facilitator says that things are not good in Ukraine, and he is uncertain as to what to advise us until Monday after the Supreme Courts decision regarding the election outcome. The eastern part of Ukraine, he says, wants to join Russia. Families there now are proceding safely with their adoptions. The Lord is my Shepherd. I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul..."

I shiver as I recall last January's train trek by night train, bouncing and swaying across the bleak, snowy countryside from Kiev to the region where 'our' children live. Then the dull incessant rhythm as we rumbled along, dozing in our bunks, only to be wakened every half hour with the whistle blow of the next village.

Praise God for our friends over there. One forwarded the following two letters from the boys. One child is still in sanatorium because of a positive TB test. He writes:

Dear miss Sylvia,

How are you? I am doing good. I am still at the sanatorium health camp. I would like to go back to the internat since we have been here for almost 2 months already. Babushka came to see us here several times. I am not all by myself here. Kolya from the 6 B is here too. Recently, our class went to Kamenets-Podolskiy. It is the city in the west of Ukraine. I was happy I could go with my friends. I am so happy we have Babushka who could orginize that. Miss Sylvia, how are you and your family? I love you, Z

Without an abundance of medications as we have here, they send folks to "health camps" for nutritional and herbal remedies in Ukraine. Slow natural healing and strengthening sounds good to me, except that they are separated from familiar friends and school classes.

Z's friend Kolya (Nicolas) needs a penpal too. He is a perky, pleasant boy, 12 years old. I know he would love hearing from someone.

Another letter from the 11 year old back at the orphanage says, "...last week our class was on duty in school. We had to clean the school all the time, to stay at the doors and watch for the good discipline on the corridor, so I didn't have much time to write, but now I have. Miss Sylvia, come and see us..."

Thanksgiving Day

Happy Thanksgiving Day everyone. This has been a pleasant family day, rather quiet but in a fun way. I rose early to stuff the turkey and put it in the oven. Then I went back to bed and slept in. Maggie helped make pies this morning, pumpkin and strawberry. Rob and I tried our hand at a new peach icecream recipe with fresh ingredients in the Vita Mix. It was wonderful. This afternoon we went to see the Incredibles, a really cute and good, action, family movie.

It seems the boy we wondered about is not adoptable. A wonderful boy. I hope things get better at home for him and that he will be able to have a real home life some day. The others do not have anyone at all.

Our man suggests an apartment within walking distance of the orphanage. It has two bedrooms and even a bed in the kitchen. This way we can walk to see the children while he is working on documents and translation. I look forward to searching those long, dimly lit hallways carrying pen pals' notes to some kids I met last January. Also I really hope to introduce Bob and Rob to some of the folks I met in town, and to go to church. Of course we will also travel to the sanatorium to visit our other boy.

Elections

This morning the news from Ukraine reads as follows: Ukrainian Prime Minister Wins Runoff Election.

There are demonstrations in Kiev's Independence Square and elsewhere, and we have received cautions from our connections. The opposition leader feels he has beencheated. Adoptive families there currently should be in our prayers for safety and that their adoption preceedings will go forward without difficulties. Public demonstrations in different cities so far have been peaceful but could become confrontational. So, yes, may God's will will be done there, that the gospel can go forth and missionaries will be safe. And that things will be stable there when we fly.

This morning a little friend, needing a place to play for the day, arrived at the kitchen door with his usual big smile, and a toy electronic land and sea vehicle in his arms. Little Buddy is always an enthusiastic and pleasant playmate. It's good for Rob to practice having another boy around, and the two have had fun out in the rain by the pond - and driving it on the pond. It has given me an opportunity to continue my de-cluttering project throughout the house.

No stone is left unturned by Don Aslett in his book, "Clutter's Last Stand". I am finding its message of Simplify Your Life, very inspiring. Following his advice of scouring every corner of the house has revealed what our prioroties have been at various stages of our marriage. In this most recent chapter the man is commanding me to declutter my recipe cards! What clutter could I possibly find in my recipe boxes?

Well, in addition to some duplicates of Spaghetti Sauce, there were some cards which I will not and cannot throw out. Memory jerkers like Grandmother's Famous Cranberry Bread, and Mom's Yorshire Pudding. But also included were some questionable treasures like Pep-Up Health Drink and Super Tonic (oh horrors!), Homemade Chicken Feed, baby formula, and Diet for Hyperactivity. Then...tucked in a section called "Non Food" were some oddities like Deer Discourology, Play Dough, and Growing a Coal Garden!

A rather nice distraction from the concerns of whether our visas will arrive on time, plane tickets will be all right, and what we will meet when we arrive in Kiev's Independence Square.

"In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths." We are trusting in the Lord.

Another Day Nearer

It has been hard sleeping past 5:00 am lately. Once I wake I am fully awake. So I usually just lie in bed praying for the family before I finally get up to read my Bible and organize the kitchen for breakfast.

So many wonderful, loving children and spouses.... and our precious little granddaughter, whom I miss so much. I have two archived messages on our phone with her tiny voice saying,"I wuv you, Gammy". Here we are acquiring more sons, just as our girls are beginning to think about having babies. I trust that God will stretch my time to give each what he/she deserves. Two of my heroines are Lela in Ukraine and Lydia Prince in Israel, whose very lives are/were orphans, orphans, orphans.... Lela and Lydia.

We are looking at Rob's bedroom as the place to start for sleeping arangements. The new light pine bunkbeds arrived and look beautiful. We made up the bed (it is tricky on a top bunk!) with the new sheets and bedspread, and he slept up top last night. Imagine having a boys' "sleepover" every night of the week!! What fun.

I also need to purchase another locker-type cupboard for storage in the roomy bathroom. Each boy can have one with a basket inside for his dirty laundry. Keep it separate, and each wash his own, on his day of the week. OK, let's try that. I don't feel inclined to prepare another room, so we will just have to see how many kids we end up with.

On Thursday, when I telephoned Bob at work with my Big Question, I was amazed how calm he was. It must be that his moment-by-moment crises in the office have immunized him against anxiety about issues of magnitude in my world. That is nice.

Between emails and phone conversations with travel agents about whether to fly through Detroit, Frankfurt, London or wherever, I announced to the future father that the airlines wanted exact names of the one-way-home passengers we were about to add to our tickets! Bob simply replied, "Well, pick some names." "But, Love, you don't understand. They are asking me, not only to risk saying that we are getting these particular boys, but that we know What English Names Are Going To Appear On Their Passports! Tickets and passports must match!

So, calmly, right then and there on the phone we picked names for the boys, just first and last names, English eqivalents as best we could. Later we can discuss their preferences and juggle and add names we may actually call them. I cannot see them, at their ages, wanting to change all that much, but maybe. At any rate their passports will have the English equivalents.

Complicating all this has been the increasingly strong sense that one of the boys we had originally thought we'd be bringing home might not be part of our future. With the sadness, there is also the peace that God knows this young man, and He will be the Father to him in His own way and suited to his needs.

The children's dear, praying, Babushka leaves any day now for US. So her house is open to us. Oh, how comfortable that would be, unlike another family's experience of sleeping on "concrete beds" in the same city! The children will miss her, but we will be coming, God willing, in a very short while. And her translator and driver will continue to go in to visit them.

Yesterday a little letter arrived from the translator for me,

Miss Sylvia,

hello! How are you?? I am doing good. Do you know that BAhbushka is going to America soon? Are you going to see her there? I would like for you to come to Ukraine very much. I am doing good at school, much better than before. MIss Sylvia, when is your Birthday?

I love you,

(signed by one of the boys.)

Sigh... what can I say?

The email arrived just as we were heading out the door to meet our new friends, the English teacher and her soccer coach husband. So I tucked it in my purse to share with them over, of all things on the menu that night, Chicken Kiev and Steak Odessa.

Yesterday I ran in to the school to see our wonderful new headmistress about the possibility of our boys entering school after some home schooling. Her eyes filled with tears at the prospect. She asked, "What can we do? What can the school do for you?" What a wonderful woman. She took my hands and prayed a blessing on us all and the days ahead.

When I got home on top of the mail was a letter from a ministry to orphans. The sweet Russian girl featured has the same name as one of "our" boys. Another coincidence?

After a visit with a dear friend who expressed reservations about our adventure, I prayed, and, seeking to brush aside the concerns raised, I went to check my emails. Among them was one from another tentatively supportive friend. It read as follows:

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!

THE LORD IS WITH YOU. I HEARD BENNY HINN SAY ON TBN LAST WEEK--IN A WORD OF KNOWLEDGE--THAT SYLVIA WAS GOING TO HAVE CHILDREN - AND TO GET READY.

IT MUST BE GOD. HOW ELSE COULD YOU HAVE THIS DESIRE, AND BE ABLE TO FOLLOW THROUGH WITH ALL YOU HAVE HAD TO DO!

Today was a wonderful crazy day. It started with me calling around for the right tourist agent to arrange flights for us to Kiev for our appointment date with the National Adoption Center. It is hard to arrange for international flights out of our "International" (hah) Airport.

The hours flew by as I answered emails of dear well wishers, and checked with experts about visas. I am hoping that the Team will allow us to stay at our friend Lela's house in Odessa. What a treat that would be but I don't know if it is in the right part of town for all the runnuing we will be doing. Mid afternoon I called it quits and ran Rob to the orthodontist and then back to basketball practice.

While he was there I shopped for bunkbeds for 'our' new boys.... If they only knew the upheaval they have caused for almost a year at our house. Men have cut down forests for all the paperwork involved in adopting them.

The bunk beds will be delivered tomorrow, complete with pull-out drawers beneath, to save space in the room.

We just got word that Steph and Ed's penpal, whom I met last January, is being adopted along with his siblings. How wonderful. I have been corresponding with the mom and emailing every photo I have of her kids. We are all thrilled at the kindness of God.

Still no word from the travel agent. Why is it so hard? Well, we would love a flight right from Jackson. Lord, help her. I have on my refrigerator the very first Bible verses which jumped out at me the night before leaving on my fact-finding tour to Ukraine last January, 2004. It is Jeremiah 29 11-13. Whenever thoughts of fear and failure enter my mind I say.... "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD , "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the LORD..."

I need to call the bank to set aside some crisp bills for us. Ukraine is a cash society and they like new American money. Everyone carries cash, no credit cards.

Bob has a trip to Chicago which he just cannot miss the week before we leave. He promises to come home lively and excited. That he will visit the juicing shop daily and take his vitamins.

Just had a call from the lovely, Russian speaking girl who wants very much to teach our boys English. Hers is impecable, much better than mine! Her husband is a soccer coach, who wants the boys to teach him Russian! "Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness to the children of men!!" Isn't this the sweetest thing God has arranged for us? We will meet them at "Olga's Restaurant" tommorow evening for, you guessed it, Russian night!

And...more amazing grace! They would like to house sit for us! So when we arrive back in town they can welcome us in Russian. Perhaps God will use them to comfort the kids when they miss their friends, their "Babushka", our missionary friend, and her young translator who is like a big sister to them, visiting them almost daily at the orphanage.