Saying goodbye to Kharkov...

Thank you so much for praying for us and for all your encouraging comments!

Yesterday was an incredibly difficult day...As it turns out our facilitator could not return to help us complete the adoption portion in Kharkov. She hired a lovely, very capable woman named Natalia, who was wonderful but unfortunately knew no English. (So the long and the short of that is that our facilitator facilitated the entire day over the cell phone!)

When we went to the orphanage in the morning we actually didn't know if the passports had come yet so we weren't sure if we would be taking them or not. Of course, I was prepared with all their clothes, caregiver gifts, etc...just in case. Our facilitator told us she would call us at 11 am to tell us if the passports came. So, we played with the girls and waited and waited and waited - the time seemed to crawl by. It was such an incredibly intense feeling right up to the last minute as to whether we would get them or not....Finally at 11:15 she called and said the passports came! But she also said we had to hurry to get back in time to get the passports. So, in a matter of minutes we dressed the girls, said goodbye to their caregivers and Drs., gave our gifts, took a couple last pictures, packed into the car and we were off!

The girls excitedly and willingly waved bye, bye and said paka, paka to everyone. There was no looking back or hesitation from them. Do you know what an amazing and miraculous feeling it was to be leaving that orphanage? Their lives are changed forever because 4 strangers - who called themselves mama, papa, and brat (brother) , showed up at their orphanage in the middle of Ukraine 6 weeks ago. Suddenly, they were saying goodbye to everyone and everything they have ever known in their little world for all of their 4 and 5 yr. old lives.

In the end, for me it was good that the goodbyes were rushed. I wasn't sure how I would be able to handle leaving Samson behind. In the previous weeks I have held him and loved him when I could. I saw him earlier in the morning and when it was time for us to leave, I think it was just the grace of Jesus that gave me peace about him. I am certain the Lord will provide a family for him in just His perfect timing. I remember before we left the USA to come here - everything ahead of us felt dark - like we were walking into a mist and could see nothing. Step by (sometimes excruciating) step the Lord has shown us the way. It seems like He has brought us to the edge of the unknown so many times on this adoption journey and then just asked us to wait until the mist clears. Its been really hard. In all honesty, how all of this has worked out and our loss of Samson still feels like the mist has not comletely cleared. I think it will remain dark until Samson has a family and then I will know why the Lord has done things the way He has. For now, we praise Him and thank Him that He knows what He is doing and trust Him for this little boys life.

Anyway, back to our day! So, with the orphanage lawyer (who speaks about as much English as I speak Russian), our 2nd driver (remember Vlad - aka Kurt Bloms?) and Natalia (remember she doesn't speak a lick of English) - who our facilitator hired to assist us with paperwork, we headed back into Kharkov for passports and to finish the legal paperwork at the court house and local Board of Custody.

We had been told both the girls were potty trained which is true in a sense...but if you are 4 or 5 yrs. old, sitting in a car with your new mama and papa, waiting for someone you don't know try to complete your adoption, and its taking forever and you haven't pottied since morning, and you suddenly get a case of the screaming willies (aka diarrhea) any sense of your potty training goes out the window...Forgive me if this is a swear word in other languages, but when your newly adopted girls, who don't speak English look at you, grimace, grab their tummies and declare "kaka" and suddenly it smells really bad - you figure out you are in big trouble!!! I grabbed the drivers shoulder, pointed to Nastya and declared, in a great panic, "kaka"! He instantly panics and hops out of the car (he happens to be very particular about his upholstery, etc...) and hurriedly shows us over to a clump of bushes. So, now we know what Ukrainians do if their children have to go potty and there is no bathroom nearby! And can you believe it, when it was all said and done both girls had the same potty accident, twice!!!! I was somewhat prepared for the first one - had pullups and wipes. But after the second time, we had to just had to endure. Fortunately, not long after the 2nd accident, we were able to leave Lee with Natalia to finish paperwork and the girls and I returned to the apartment for some needed baths.

Lee came back to the apartment late in the afternoon. We hurriedly finished packing and headed out to the airport. I felt terrible because I had left the kitchen an utter mess...there was food all over the place and no dishes washed! But, I just didn't have time. The wait at the airport got really long. Lee was constantly running after Nastya while the boys and I guarded all our luggage and tried to keep Vika entertained. But, the most amazing thing is that both the girls loved the airplane! They were not afraid at all! They chatted, had snacks, drank water and played with their magazines! We taught them how to sign airplane and they continually repeated it.

We are now settled in our apartment in Kiev. It is a very nice place with internet - although it is slow so I'm not sure I'll get many pictures posted. We'll see. I'll let Lee figure that out! This morning the girls had their physicals for immigration. The Dr. was very nice and it was actually an enjoyable visit.

The rest of the day should be quiet. We go out tomorrow after lunch to the American consulate to do more paperwork. If the girls visas are issued tomorrow then we are done! If not, then on Friday and home on Saturday!

Thank you all for your continued support and encouragement! Would you please pray specifially for Vika in regards to the allergy(ies) the orphanage Dr. said she had. (we were told she was allergic to sugar - like candy?, and red fruits and veggies?) She woke up this morning with very puffy eyes, and as the day has progessed I can see hives and some rash. I have no idea what it is if it is something we are feeding her? This is what we have given her since she came to us: bread, crackers, bananas, cherry yogurt(I know - red fruit, dumb of me), milk, noodles, cheese, chicken broth, potatoes. Do you really think it could be an allergy to the cherry in the yogurt? The Dr. this morning gave her some childrens Claritin - which I gave her after lunch - but I'm not really seeing any improvement. (The Dr. also said no more yogurt, fruit or veggies for now, but wouldn't bananas be ok?) I also brought childrens Benadryl with me - but I wasnt' sure I should give it to her, not knowing how she will react. If any of you out there have some advice please - I would appreciate it. We don't know this area well - and for now we are limited on food we can find and cook. I feel like all I'm giving them is bread and noodles but I don't know what else to do. Thanks!