Thank yous

Dear Family and Friends,

I want to thank each of you so very much for your friendship and support during this special time of our lives. To those of you who have written comments, I know it takes a little effort, but it is very sweet hearing from you. I appreciate so much just knowing that you are somehow being blessed. Thank you. I didn't even know some of you knew I had a blog!

God has been so good to us, I just cry and pinch myself when I think about how much he has done for our family. Our year waiting for the boys was all worth it, the way God graciously walked us through many dangers, toils and snares that only a few of you know about. I think I can speak for others who have adopted when I say that it is far harder than having a baby by natural means, and I have given birth to seven and lost one at 2 months gestation. But the preparation for this time was very intense and stripped away from us many things that were a waste of time in God's plan anyway. I have come to see how God has a plan for each life, and that if we are diligent and cling to Him even when everything in our life is shouting, "This is NOT going to work!" He will make everything beautiful in His time.

If I start naming you dear ones, I may miss one, so I won't. I love you all, friends and relatives. I have a very special spot in my heart for those in our Adoption Forum. Thank you for sharing and praying. I know your words come out a deep place in your hearts as you, too, wait for your children or are facing the daily challenges once you get them home. Some of you don't even know who your child is yet, and two of you are heading over to Ukraine in three days to get four precious children! Star, I am so glad our paths crossed. I will never forget the day I met your oldest son-to-be in that 7th grade classroom. The teacher had heard my offer to help a couple kids with drawing, and had vanished for an hour and left me to babysit a roomful of Russian speaking kids watching that terrible horror movie.

After I figured out that she wasn't coming back I got up the nerve to turn it off and do a craft with them. Your Dima walked over to me and said, "I have penpal in America," and it turned out to be our daughter Stephenie! When you mentioned on the forum you were adopting a Dima in Odessa, we connected. He and his sister and two little brothers are going to be so surprised and excited when Mom amd Dad arrive next week to take them home!! I can hardly wait to read your blog!!

I told our Peter today that you were going over to get them, and he got very serious and said, "Ohhhh." I think he wants us to go back and get his little buddy who limps. This morning when he woke early, (he and I are always up before anyone else) he came and sat on my lap at the computer and typed a letter to a missionary there who had arranged for him to get surgery for crossed eyes (his and James are still quite bad I noticed today, when they stared cross-eyed into the camera to have U.S. citizenship photos taken. I had to tell them to relax.)

The first thing he's ever composed in English read, "This is Sasha. My new name is Peter. Thank you for the glasses and surgery on my ear. I love you." Both will need another surgery for their eyes and Peter will need more work on his ear. We and he are glad for what he has, because it holds his glasses up! Unless we find he has hearing in there, we'll just speak to the side that hears. He is so precious. I cannot tell you how much he honors me and loves me. I am his first mama in all his eleven years. But God has been so gracious to him throughout those years, giving him dear people whom he still prays for every night in Ukrainian.

Peter makes it clear that he is Ukrainian and speaks Ukrainian, while his brother James speaks Russian. Ukrainian, to a Russian, it seems, is like a American Southern accent is to a Northerner.

James had a mama, but he was forced to leave home at age 8 years and find work on the street. He sold papers for a man and ate yogurt and sausage, until he was picked up and sent to the orphanage four years ago. It was hard on the street, because sometimes people in the cafe where he slept in a corner would make him dance. He was embarrased to dance, but when they forced him to drink vodka, it was easier to dance. He was sorry and humiliated that he was drunk. Today he is disgusted by vodka.

Later I will delete these facts, but I do want you to know there are many (24,000 in Ukraine) darling children with hearts of gold waiting for someone to tuck them in at night. An orpanhange supervisor is not the same as a mom or dad, even if she happens to be nice and not one of those who calls you an idiot or holds your fingers in the back of a door to punish you for lying.

This afternoon we had a treat, going to the basketball games at school. The boys sat next to Dad and Maggie and cheered as their big brother, Rob, scored and made some great passes. And we spoke with many wonderful friends who were excited to finally meet our new boys. Thank you everyone for the chance for the guys to practice their English on you. God's blessing on each of you for your smiles and encouragement and love and prayers. We are all in this together and you do your part so beautifully.