Merry Christmas

Back row: Weston, Masha, MaKenzie, Yulia, Geoff

Front row: Igor, Alysson, Wyatt, Amy

Time To Catch-up

It really seems like it was only a few days ago that I last updated this blog, when in reality it was a few months ago. We have had many new experiences, some trying, but mostly good. It continues to be an interesting journey. The spring semester ended in May and the following week we took a week long vacation. We traveled to Niagara Falls and Cedar Point Amusement Park, Ohio. (More details in a later post.) The kids experienced American football, rodeo and other new things. We continue to grow together as a family. Now we are in the middle of a new school year. I have done enough homework lately, that I should be able to graduate from high school soon. We are nearly done painting the outside of the house. (Photos later.) We are also planning more re-modeling on the interior. The kids were off from school yesterday and today and I am in Nashville,TN for meetings until Sunday morning. I will submit a new post when I get home. (With photos.) I will try to be more faithful in posting from now on.

Latest Update

Here are more photos as I promised. First we have photos of Masha's room. As you can see, she likes bright colors. It is even brighter in real life. We are still working on Igor's room. It will have a multi-color paint scheme, so it will take a little longer to complete.

All three went to prom. Igor decided to stay home and sleep during the post-prom party, since we were going to watch the Creighton University - Wake Forest soccer game the next day. Masha and Yulia went to the party and Gail and I were there to help. Gail assisted with the "bank" where the play money was converted to chances for the prize drawings. I helped with the sumo wrestling. The kids were lined up all evening to wriggle (that probably isn't even a word, but it describes the process) into these bulky sumo suits complete with gloves and helmet. They then proceeded to bump and push each other around the mat. It was never a problem to keep the line moving, because after 3-4 minutes, they were so tired that they were ready to quit. It took 4-6 men just to help get the kids in and out of the suits.

Now here is a photo of the three best looking kids at the prom. It was a new experience for them, but they had a good time.

God bless and have a good day. The Haugs

PS. The soccer game was good. We may have to get season tickets for the Creighton games next fall.

Many Activities

We have had a lot going on the last few weeks. We finished painting Yulia’s and Masha’s rooms. We have the paint for Igor’s room and have bedding and window treatments ordered. Here are a couple photos of Yulia’s room.

About two weeks ago we realized that prom was coming up. It has been about 13 years since we last did this. Things have changed. This past weekend, we rented a tux and bought prom dresses. (Photos next week.) The girl’s have hair appointments for Saturday. The prom is Saturday night, but the day begins with Igor having a soccer tournament. Then 8-11 pm is prom at the Qwest Center followed by the post-prom event at the high school from midnight – 5 am. Gail and I will help with this event, so the entire family will be up all night.

Igor has been having at least 2 games a week. Last week games were scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday and a tournament Thursday through Saturday. The tournament was cancelled because of cold rainy weather. On Wednesday, Millard South won 1-0, Igor got the assist on the only goal with a no-look pass back over his head to a teammate who kicked the goal. He said that it was luck, but it also took a lot of skill. Of course it all happened so fast that I did not get a photo. I think that I will videotape a game to capture some of the action. #15 white and #15 red

For Easter, we went to Steve's sister and brother-in-law's at the lake. The kids enjoyed driving the golf cart. They need a little more practice before they actually drive on the road.

Yulia and Masha have talked to their friends in Ukraine, Vera and Oksana, by web cam a couple of times. Yulia has also talked to her aunt on the web cam twice. It is a great way to keep in touch.

Well, I'll close for now. It is 12:15 am and my shift in the prayer room at church is 2:00 to 3:00 am. We are trying to fill 168 1-hour slots each week to have prayer in the prayer room 24/7/365. It will be a blessing to have prayer there every hour of the year. Hopefully in a month or so, the schedule will be filled.

God bless.

We Are Still Here

I bet that you thought that we had disappeared from the face of the earth. Some days, I wonder about that. We have been home (and I use the term loosely) for about six weeks. The first weekend we went to Oklahoma to introduce everyone to our other daughters, their husbands and kids. The next weekend the girls went to visit Alona and Nina Ruwe. Alona (Aly) was their classmate at Orphanage#4. That same weekend, Igor had the flu and Steve had to go to Illinois to conduct training for the Chrysalis group there. The following weekend he conducted Chrysalis training for the group in Columbus, IN. Then it was home for a weekend or was it two? Then there was a birthday party for Vitalik Roberson and an out of town funeral for Steve's aunt. The kids met about 40 new relatives there. At Easter we went to Steve's sister' place on the lake near Alma, NE. The kids enjoyed driving the golf cart more than anything else. Oh yes, there are also Igor's soccer games twice a week. Millard South High School has a very good soccer program and had to cut quite a few players who tried out. Igor made the JV team. They are 3-0 with wins of 2-0, 4-0 and 1-0. The 1-0 game was the most exciting for us, because Igor scored the only goal. They have games most weeks on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Then they have two tournaments that each cover an entire week.

The kids all like school and are doing well. There were a few rough spots, but things are settling down. They all like to ride bicycles around the neighborhood. Masha wants to play some tennis, so we will get some rackets and head for the neighborhood park a couple of blocks from the house.

Late in February, we went furniture shopping and bought three beds. Since the bedrooms are not large, we got day beds with trundle units. Igor's was in stock, so we brought it home and assembled it. Masha and Yulia's beds were on back order and were delivered last Friday. They set up Yulia's for us, but we were in the middle of painting Masha's room, so her bed is still in the garage. This weekend the painting is to be finished and the bed set up. Yulia and Igor's rooms still need to be painted, so we will keep busy for a while. We also bought Masha and Yulia dressing tables for their rooms that will double as desks and a desk is on order for Igor. The girls have new bed linens and Igor's are on order.

Gail has been been busy getting a home based business going and Steve has a series of Chrysalis meetings in Nashville from April 23-27.

Well I better close. I am getting tired just typing this. Next time I will add some photos. I promise that it won't be six weeks until the next post.

Road Trip

We arrived in Omaha at 2:00 am, Monday, February 4. The next couple of days consisted of shopping and introducing the kids to their brother Geoff, Gail's mom and some people that Gail and Steve work with. Thursday, after Steve got off work, we piled into the van and drove three hours to Cozad, NE to introduce them to their other Grandma, Steve's mom, Gen. After lunch Friday, it was back into the van for a six hour drive to Alva, OK to see their niece MaKenzie (age 6), take part in the Miss Northwestern Pageant in a dance routine and as an escort for one of the contestants. They also met big sisters Amy and Alysson and nephews Weston (age 3) and Wyatt (age 1) and brothers-in -law Corey and Matt. Another three hours of driving to Woodward, OK and back to Alva to see Corey, Amy and MaKenzie's home came on Saturday.

I am posting this from the motel in Alva, OK as we are getting ready to go to church with Matt, Alysson, Weston and Wyatt. After church, we will have lunch and make the six and one half hour drive back to Omaha. The kids haven't even been in the US for a week, and they have been in four states, Illinois, Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma. They go to school tomorrow for some placement testing and then start on Tuesday. I think that they are ready, but a little nervous. Masha said that she is ready to meet new friends.

I will post some photos of this road trip when we get back to Omaha.

The Day That Never Ends

As Michelle says, the trip back to Omaha is the day that never ends. We definitely know what she means. We woke up Sunday morning in Keiv at 3:30 am (that would be 7:30 pm Saturday evening Central Time) so we would be ready for the driver to pick us up at 4:30 am. We got to the airport and got in the passport control line. Of course, it was the slowest one. When we finally got to the front, it only took a few minutes. Our flight to Munich left at 6:50 am and arrived at 8:40 am (Munich time) and the flight to Chicago left at (9:00 am). When we got into the terminal a man was waiting with a sign that said Chicago and our flight number. There were seven passengers connecting to that flight and he walked us to the gate, which was at the other end of the terminal. He walked at a very fast pace. I kept up fairly well as we strung out behind him. Gail and the girls were practically running. We went through the passport control for first class and he escorted us to our gate. We boarded and took off within a few minutes. After a nine and one-half hour flight, we arrived in Chicago an about noon. We had been told to go to the US citizens line at immigration, so we went there, only to have the immigration employee direvting traffic tell us in less than perfect English that we should go to the "black line" for immigrants. I think he saw the immigrant visa holder forms that we filled out for the kids, which the agent at the blue line said we didn't need. I told him that we were told to go to the "blue" line. He replied, " I told you go to black line." So we did and the lady there sent us back to the "blue" line. After a couple of minutes we had been checked through and went to collect our luggage to go to customs. We gave the agent our packet with the customs declaration and the sealed packets for the kids that the US Embassy had given us. After a few minutes, he asked if we had any additional passport type photos of the kids. The Embassy or the medical clinic had glued one set of to one of the forms. He was to move the photo to a different form. Gail remembered putting them in a suitcase that morning. After about 10 minutes of searching, Yulia found it in my camera bag. Then we took all the bags through customs and re-checked to Omaha. Our Omaha flight was scheduled to leave at 8:15 pm. So the eight hour wait began, nearly as long as the flight from Munich. About 5:00 pm the ominous "Delayed" went up on the board. Isn't it strange that they never say it why it is delayed. At 7:00 pm, it began to snow. The prospect of spending the night in Chicago, after being up for 24 hours, was not attractive. The departure time changet to 9:30, but the plane hadn't arrived from Providence, RI. Several more schedule changes and the plane arrived. We boarded at 10:00 amid rumors that the snow may get worse and flights stop departing. Once on board we had to wait for de-icing. They let planes that were traveling to airports with curfews depart first, so we waited. The kids were sleeping the entire time and we were napping off and on. We finally left at 12:30 am and arrived in Omaha at 2:00 am Monday about 32.5 hours after we got up. There were 18 people waiting to greet us, from church and other adoptive families. That was really special and the kids were thrilled to see friends from Odessa.

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I still haven't gone to bed. It is 6:55 am. I am going to take a shower and go to work, so that I can take-off in the afternoon, if the the kids ever wake up today. So two months after we left Omaha, we end this part of the journey and the next great adventure begins. Thank you all for your prayers. Stay tuned.

Arrival Time

We have our flights confirmed to arrive in Omaha Sunday night at 9:51 pm on United flight 343 from Chicago. Not much to tell. It will be good to be home. Thanks for all the prayers. Don't stop!

We Have Visas

We picked up the visas this morning. It only took about 45 minutes. We are now finalizing the airline arrangements for Sunday. Will post again when they are final It was a beautiful day in Kiev. Probably about 40 degrees and sunshine.

Busy Day

We left Odessa at 6:00 pm Wednesday evening. We were scheduled to leave at 5:30, but the tearful goodbyes took a little longer than planned. Masha’s aunt and Yulia’s boyfriend and friends Vera and Vova were all there. It was good to have that many hands to get all the luggage to the van in one trip. Speaking of the van. It was our own private matchutka (sp?). For those of you who haven’t visited Ukraine, those are the little busses that will take you anywhere in Odessa for the equivalent of 25 cents. On January 24, the fare increased to 35 cents. This was a new Mercedes vehicle with about 20 seats. A row of two seats on one side of the aisle and a row of single seats on the other side. And I could stand up in it without bending over. About an hour out of Odessa the driver stopped at a roadside market. We bought some kind of large chicken wraps to eat and something to drink for five of us for under $20. The kids needed a restroom break, so the driver handed them one of those flashlights that you squeeze the handle a few times to store up power for the light. They headed off into the dark behind the market. I could just make out the outline of a small white building in the dark and fog. When the journey resumed, the driver let the kids pick from some videos and he put it on the 19 inch TV mounted from the ceiling. We reclined the seats and watched Russian Comedy Club segments. I guess that they were pretty funny. Then we watched a movie that ended just as we got to Kiev. The weather was fairly cold and we drove in mist and fog for some of the way. The road was often wet but didn’t to be icy. We arrived in Kiev at about 11:30 pm and after a few phone calls to the apartment manager, we found the place and a guy came to let us in. Tami, you think your tunnel and courtyard were dark. We drove through the tunnel which was barely wider than the van into a courtyard. Then we walked another 100 feet or so through another curved tunnel with no lights into another courtyard. Then up three floors (six flights of steps) to the apartment with suitcases for five people and two months worth of stuff. I went to update the blog, but the internet connection wanted a password and ID. We were all tired, so we settled in and went to bed.
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Our driver, Alexi, picked us up at about 9:30 am and took us to the Embassy. We filled out three different forms (three sets of each) and, after a few questions about what to fill in where, the forms were complete and the kids had all been fingerprinted. We met a couple from Utah who were adopting a girl of about 10 or 11. They said that they had been in Ukraine for 22 days. I can’t even remember back to when we had been here for 22 days. I think today is 56 or 57. We headed off to get the medical exams. It was 11:30 am and Alexi said that they stopped drawing blood for the blood tests at noon. It wasn’t far, but it took about 35 minutes to get there. The traffic was terrible and nearly motionless. I know that at one point it took 20 minutes to go a half a mile. Alexi called the lab and they were waiting for the kids when we got there and took the blood samples right away. After x-rays, seeing the doctor, lunch in the lunchroom, several rounds of waiting, one shot for Masha and two for Igor, everything finished at about 3:00 pm. Since results are typically given out after 3:00, we waited about 20 minutes more and left with the results.
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We needed groceries. Alexi had pointed out a store three or four blocks from the apartment. Masha, Igor and I made the food run, but when we got there the store was closed, as in out of business. I sure am glad that the kids asked to go with me, because Masha must have asked six different people where a grocery store was. After forays into a couple of shops with only pop, juice and candy, we finally found a store under a large shopping plaza. Not wanting to go back soon, we purchased five bags of items and a large six liter bottle of water. Then it was back to the apartment. I think the walk back was close to a mile. The bags were getting pretty heavy by the time we got back. And these were the kids who had shots in their arms earlier in the afternoon. The dinner of spaghetti, Masha’s vegetable salad, corn and bread was delicious. Then it was an evening of doing laundry, watching a soccer game on TV and relaxing. Did I mention that the hot water stopped this afternoon? It’s midnight and still only cold. A guy did come and get the internet going at about 11:00 pm. We are to limit the usage, because I guess that they pay by the amount of bandwidth used. After having unlimited internet at home and at Odessa Executive Suites, we are a little spoiled. I am typing this in Word and will paste it into the blog. Well I better close and get some sleep. Today is our grandson, Wyatt’s first birthday. We were supposed to be in Oklahoma on Saturday for the party. Gail has the alarm set for 2:45 am so she can talk to him on Skype.
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We have an appointment at the Embassy tomorrow at 10:00 am. If there were no problems with the fingerprint check, I think that we should have the visas tomorrow. Then fly home on Sunday. We wanted Saturday, but the last time we checked it would cost an additional $900.
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This week has been an emotional rollercoaster for the kids. Being biological siblings, Masha and Igor have each other. Yulia fits in well, but at times I think that she feels quite alone. And having to leave your best friend and your boy friend, doesn’t make it any easier. Keep the kids and their adjustment in your prayers.

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We have the passport. We have a van picking us up at 5:30pm (45 minutes from now) to take us to Kiev. We have a driver to take us to the Embassy tomorrow morning. The Embassy has scanned copies of the kids passports and has already entered them into the system. We might actually be on that plane Sunday morning.

Still Waiting...

Well the passport has been located. It is with Tami's in the wrong city. Apparently a group of them were sent there in error. They will probably arrive in Odessa tomorrow (Thursday). It would seem that since there are at least several in the wrong place, that they could just drive them to Odessa. But that is logical, so there is virtually no chance of that. Indications are that they will be sent back to Kiev to be sent out again. I guess that they want to see where the mail clerk will send them next.

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The Embassy received the passport scans for Igor and Masha and the information for Yulia and already have them entered into the system. We had the ID photos taken this morning and Dima, from Oleg's adoption team will have the police reports for the Embassy later today. So, the visa processing has begun without us. Maybe we will just have them meet us at the airport with the visas on the way home. I don't think that it will be that fast, but they are doing everything possible to try to get us finished by Friday. I thought about trying to get ink and paper and fingerprinting the kids myself and sending an scan of them to the embassy, so that they can start that also. I think that I will scan and email Yulia's passport as soon as I get it, before we start the five hour trip to Kiev. They can start processing it sooner that way.

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Well, I guess I better make a grocery run. We are only buying enough for the next one or two meals at a time. Everything is packed. We just dig out what we need, when we need it. Literally living out of a suitcase.

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Stay tuned for the next exciting chapter. You never can tell what the next twist or turn will be.

Groundhog Day

Can anyone tell me when they moved Groundhog Day to January?? We seem to be stuck in that never ending scenario where the day keeps repeating itself. Masha and I were talking about Yulia's passport. When it didn't arrive again today, she asked when will it come. I told her that they said that it should be here tomorrow. She said," Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow." She got it. That is exactly how I feel. I'm sure that those of you who have been here and done this know what I mean. Tami told me that Elle's passport was sent to the wrong town and won't be here for two more days. I know how agonizing that is. We don't think that ours went there also, so we are still hoping for tomorrow.

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Silly me. After two months you would think that I would know not to assume that ANYTHING here will be done in any type of semi-reasonable time-frame. You know that great apartment in Kiev that I mentioned in yesterday's blog? Well, we are paying for staying there tonight while we are still here in Odessa. That jacuzzi sure would have felt good. Well, I won't be sending them any more non-refundable deposits. When we have the passport and a van to take us to Kiev, I will call them and reserve an apartment.

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I called the Embassy in Kiev to see if there was any part of the visa process that they can begin before we get there with the passports. They asked me to fax copies of Igor's and Masha's passports and Yulia's birth and name information and they would try to get things started tomorrow. I went to the office here at Odessa Executive Suites and they scanned the documents to PDF files, so that I can email them instead of faxing. When I opened the PDF file of the translation of Yulia's birth certificate, the one that went to USCIS in Omaha, the birthday was wrong! Instead of December 1, 1990, it said January 12, 1990. That would make her 18 and cause a whole other set of issues. I don't think that I had a heartbeat while I searched for the PDF of the original birth certificate and saw that it had the correct date. Here, dates are arranged by "day", "month", "year", so Yulia's 01 12 1990 was translated as January 12, 1990. I quickly checked the other two certificates and translations and they were all OK. We are having a new translation made. I called USCIS in Omaha to explain. I hope they understood the voice mail. I just want to be certain that everyone's records agree so there is no confusion later on. I can tell you that I was having visions of another month of getting a new birth certificate, ID number, domestic passport, etc.before we could get the passport that we need. I guess I get the message. No matter what we think, it could always be worse.

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We really appreciate the extra effort being expended by the Embassy and the great job by USCIS in Omaha. I hope that the Embassy is able to get Tami the visa that she needs in one day, so she can finish this week. If they start on our processing tomorrow, we also might make our Sunday morning flight. And I thought the next adventure might be getting settled in at home in Omaha.

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If I have a chance to blog tomorrow, it may not be a good sign, but we should have internet in Kiev, so I will continue from there.

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PS. Only five teenagers for dinner tonight. We got carry-out from Pizza City and Masha made one of her vegetable salads. Add dried fish and banana juice and it was quite a meal.

Tomorrow

Well, we had six teens for supper. Since we had already pretty much cleaned out the refrigerator, there was nothing much to eat. The kids didn't want McDonald's, so Steve headed to the store for sausage, bread, cheese, chips, pop, crackers, etc. That was well received and every one kept visiting, looking at photos on the computer and watching a video. At about 10:00 pm, our kids walked the other three to the bus. When they got back, we talked a little about going to Kiev tomorrow (pray that it happens). I asked Yulia if she was ready to leave and she replied with a definite "yes". Masha asked if we would be in Kiev for two days and Steve said, "No, five days." That's right five days. If we get to Kiev tomorrow and go to the Embassy on Wednesday, with the older kids, we were told it takes a minimum of 24 hours for the visas. That makes it sometime Thursday morning, so a 6:30 am flight doesn't work. Friday, the flights are all full and Saturday would require $900 worth of upgrades. Not worth it for a one day savings, besides it would keep us from being gone for 60 days. Why not go for the record. It's not as soon as we had hoped, but it is a REAL date.

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We have booked a two bedroom apartment in the City Center in Kiev. It is bigger than the one we have and about three times the nightly rate. But it does have a few extras (see attached link to photos). We haven't spent any time in Kiev yet, so we plan to do some sightseeing.

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http://kievapts.com/images.asp?ID=112

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Our facilitator went back to Kiev tonight, so we get to pick-up the passport tomorrow. He will call the woman tomorrow and the kids will be the interpreters. A good family activity.

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It is time to leave Odessa. The kids are all ready. I think that they are emotionally drained. They have been saying good-bye for several days now and everyone is ready for that emotional roller coaster to end. At least in Kiev, we will be on neutral ground and spend time with just family. A week ago, Igor said that he had said his good-byes, but then he had to go back to the same town about four days in a row to do some other piece of paperwork. He said that people were going to think he wasn't really leaving. This last week has been stressful, but if all the kids involved, ours and their friends, remember this as a good experience, then it was worth every minute. Maybe God wanted to provide a few more kids with some good memories in lives that may not have many. Well our kids are watching a movie in the living room and Gail and I are in the bedroom working on the two laptop computers and talking on Skype. Yulia came and asked if she could close the door. I guess that we were being too loud. Well, we thought it was our turn.

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So it begins - life as a family. I wonder what the next adventure will be. Only God knows and He's not telling. Whatever He has in store, I'm sure it will be an exciting ride.

Signs of Things to Come

As I begin to write this, we are sitting in the apartment waiting for the last passport - Gail and I and 8 teenagers. Since it is 3:00 pm, it doesn't look likely for today. We were told that it was sent from Kiev on Saturday, but to Odessa passport office doesn't have it yet. There is no such thing as having them hold it in Kiev and picking it up there. The kids are all disappointed, since they have said their good-byes (more than once), they are emotionally drained and ready to go. The kids just left for the photo booth in the mall to take some sets of photos to share. Our apartment seems to have become the place to hang-out. It seems like each time there are 1 or 2 more. We hope that this will continue when we get to Omaha. We enjoy having the kids around and we think that most parents would like to have their kids in a safe environment instead of cruising the streets. We invited them all to come back later to watch a movie and hang out some more. We will see what happens.

Gail was sitting on the arm of the living room chair, when Vladik, Yulia's boyfriend, came and sat in the chair to have their photo taken. Then he came to have one taken with me. These are all great kids and fun to have around. Here is a photo of 7 of the 8 kids with Michelle and Julia and Sergey. Vera hadn't arrived when this photo was taken.

A Light at the End of the Tunnel

We have had more delay with Yulia's passport. The new national ID number they issued her last week was not valid when they tried to use it to apply for her international passport, so they had to correct that mistake and wait 24 hours for it to get into the system. Even expediting the passport would take until Tuesday or Wednesday. They know that we are to get the other two passports today (Saturday) so they said that they will try to have it for us on Monday.

The really good news is that USCIS in Omaha approved the I-600s yesterday and sent an expedited cable to the National Visa Center in New Hampshire and a copy to the Embassy in Kiev. Since it was after 5:00 pm in New Hampshire when she sent it, NVC will probably forward it to Kiev on Monday. She will be out of the office on Monday so she called us for the information for lines 16 through 27 and filled them in over the phone so she could complete it before she left for the day. The approval took two days from the time she received it.

So, depending on the actual timing of the passport for Yulia, we should leave for home late next week. Now we need to start getting things organized and begin packing.

A Good Day

Today was a good day. In the morning Igor had an English lesson before he had to go out of town with our facilitator for one more piece of paperwork. He was scheduled for a one hour lesson, but told Julia that he had enough time for the normal two hour lesson. While he was making his third trip in three days, we met Yulia and her aunt for coffee. Our friend Julia (the English teacher for the kids) went with us to translate. We were glad to meet her and to let her know that we appreciate all she has done for Yulia and assure her that we will always keep in touch with her to let her know how Yulia is doing. This is a hard thing for her as, other than her two sons, Yulia is all the family she has. She told Yulia that she should not forget the past, but step out of it into the future and to work hard to be a part of our family. She truly wants what is best for Yulia.

Yulia and Her Aunt

Then it was time, past time actually, to go to the orphanage for the girl's going away party. Michelle had purchased fruit and drinks and ordered five large pizzas from Pan Pizza. We were running late so we took a taxi to Michelle's. Gail and Yulia got the supplies from Michelle's apartment and walked to the orphanage. Masha went to the supermarket for a few things we had forgotten and I met Michelle at Pan Pizza (two buildings from her apartment) to pay for the pizzas. Masha met us there and we began the 15 minute walk to the orphanage. We got some strange looks with Masha carrying two very large pizzas and me with three. When we arrived at about 5 pm, it was getting dark and the orphanage had no power. You can't tell from the photos but all but three of the "Preparation" photos were taken in the dark or by candlelight. While we prepared for the party, Yulia and Vera went to buy candles. We had the party by candlelight for about 20 people. Everyone had a good time and nearly all the food disappeared. Instead of having the guests sign a going away card or poster, they signed lids from the pizza boxes. Not everyone in Omaha will have a framed Pan Pizza box with good wishes written by their friends.




After the party, Masha went to spend the night with her aunt. Michelle, Vera, Yulia's friend Vladik and his friend Vova, boys from Igor's class, who have graduated from the orphanage, walked to the bus with us and we said that everyone could come to the apartment to watch a movie. Vladik asked Michelle,"Me too?" Yulia and Vera stopped at the store to get some banana juice to drink. It seems to be their favorite. Michelle had given us some digital photos of Masha and Igor and their classmates from five years ago, so the kids looked at those on the laptop and browsed the internet on the apartment computer. Then it was movie time, so we rearranged the furniture so they could all watch the movie. With popcorn and soft drinks, they enjoyed themselves. When we ran out of soft drinks, I went to the store for more and Vova asked to go with me. He and Vladik are very nice young men, the kind you want your daughters to hang-out with. As Gail and I watched from behind this row of five teenagers, she remarked that this is how it should be for all of these kids, not just the ones that are adopted - a safe place to hang-out and enjoy themselves with adults who love them. We wish we could take Vladik and Vova to Omaha also, but they are too old for adoption. The guys left just as the movie was ending at about 10:45 so they could catch the last bus. The girls walked them to the bus stop and were back in 20 minutes. As I finish this, Gail, Yulia and Vera just went to bed. Igor is taking a shower and I will turn in as soon as this is posted. Like I said a very good day.

Oh, yeah. Today we filed for Masha's and Igor's passports, but had another delay with Yulia's. Maybe tomorrow.

Home Stretch??

Well, I guess we are in the home stretch. In many ways, this last week has felt longer than the first six. Yes, today marks seven weeks since we left Omaha. Several times this last week, we thought that we could see the end, only to have another paperwork requirement surface, some routine, and some expensive. We have discovered that with the older kids there are "extras" beyond the normal things like property settlements passports and visas. New national IDs have to be obtained in their new names, then new domestic passports with the new names and IDs must be obtained, all so they can be turned in to obtain international passports so they can apply for visas. For Igor, we have to un-register him from the military, get a police background check showing that he is not a criminal and maybe a couple of other things that I am forgetting. All this before the passports can be applied for. At the same time, the documentation for the I-600s should be in Omaha today when they open for business. Hopefully they will email their approval to the National Visa Center quickly so it can be forwarded to the embassy in Kiev. If everything falls into place (I don't know how likely that is.) we could be traveling to Kiev on Saturday or Sunday. That would make it extremely difficult to fly home early the morning of the 29th. The kids have had a lot of good-byes to say and we continue English and Russian lessons. I think I am ready for my exam today. Many days the daily devotional from Henry T. Blackaby's "Experiencing God Day-by-Day" have been exactly what I needed to be reminded of. Here is the one for today:

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Our Motivation of Love

"O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them." (John 17:25-26)

You do not “organize” the kingdom of God, you “agonize” the kingdom of God. You cannot be close to God without being affected by His love. The heavenly Father loved His Son with an eternal love. Everything in the heart and life of the Father was released to His Son. As the Father expressed His love for a broken and sinful world, this passion was manifested through the life of His Son. The Father initiated His plan to save mankind, and out of a heart of devotion, the Son accepted the assignment that took Him to the cross.

As Jesus walked among people, the Father’s love filled His Son. Jesus recognized that no ordinary love could motivate Him to go to the cross. No human love could keep Him perfectly obedient to His Father throughout His life. Only His Father’s love was powerful enough to compel Him to commit His life to the saving purpose of His Father. Jesus prayed that God would place this same love in His disciples. He knew that no other motivation would be sufficient for the assignments God had for them. God’s answer was to place His Son in them. It is impossible for a Christian to be filled with this measure of love and not to be on mission with God.

You will be incapable of ministering to everyone God sends you unless you have His love. You cannot forgive others or go the extra mile with others or sacrifice for others unless you have first been filled with the boundless love of God. Seek to know the Father and His immeasurable love, then allow His Son to love others through you!

PS. Does anyone know the proper procedure for bringing hamsters home on international flights?

The Opera

On Saturday we went to the opera. Odessa has one of the most beautiful opera houses in the world. It has undergone extensive renovation and re-opened in September 2007. When I went to get the tickets, I was already to try my Russian language skills. I had written out a couple of sentences in Russian to ask how much the tickets cost and that I wanted six tickets (We later ended up with eight.) When I got to the box office, the woman knew enough English, that along with pointing to the Russian printout from the website, I purchased the six tickets. Later, when Julia came for our English and Russian lessons, she and I went to purchase two more tickets and to stop by the restaurant to make reservations for dinner after the performance.

The opera was La Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi. We enjoyed the performance from the third row, so we nearly felt like we were in the action. Gail and I enjoyed the fact that for once during this trip, we weren't the only ones in the room that couldn't understand what was being said. Since all the singing was in Italian, none of our party understood the words. After the Opera, we went to eat at a traditional Ukraine restaurant. We had a great time of eating and visiting. Steve finished the evening with desert - chocolate pie with chili pepper. It was more like a chocolate cheesecake. You could only taste the chocolate, but the burn from the pepper built up in the back of your mouth as you ate. It wasn't an intense burn, but you could tell that it was there. A very interesting recipe.

Are We Having Fun?

Wednesday afternoon, the girls wanted to go ice skating. So, Masha, Yulia, Vera, Gail and Steve got on the bus and rode to the park, not far from Prevost market. The girls said that it was within walking distance, but it was cold and many of the sidewalks still have several inches of snow and a lot of slick spots, so we opted for the bus. The temperature was in the low 20s when we arrived at the outdoor rink. The girls got their skates, while Mom and Dad watched the shoes and took pictures.

I guess that I didn't mention that the rink is in an amusement park and much to our surprise the rides were operating in the cold weather. After skating, Masha asked her Dad if he would go on the Bomber ride with her.

You can see in the photo that this ride consists of a long arm on a central pivot point that has seats for four people on each end of the arm. When you are at the top, you are probably 50 or 60 feet in the air. While we were waiting to get on the ride, the operator connected an industrial strength hair dryer device to an extension cord and was warming up something on one of the units. I don't know what it was and didn't ask. Finally we boarded the ride. I guess it was made for smaller people, because when I got on, I slid back as far as I could in the seat, but when the restraint mechanism came down to hold me in place, the operator had to use his knee to push it into place so that it would latch. When it latched, it was so snug that for a moment, I thought that I wouldn't be able to breathe. On the good side, I was secured so well that I didn't have to hold on and when we were going forward, we were traveling so fast that it didn't take much effort to inhale. With the temperature in the low 20s and at the speed we were moving, the wind chill factor must have been close to zero. The ride didn't last long enough to get really cold, but Yulia was taking photos while we were riding, so her hands were cold. Really, it was fun. The girls and I enjoyed it, even though Gail thought that we were all crazy. I told the kids that I used to skydive when I was in college, so now they all want to jump out of an airplane too. We will talk more about tat after we get home and settled.

Mamma Said There'd Be Days Like This

January 9, 2008
We should have gotten the adoption decree yesterday, but the judge was not in. The secretary said he would be in by 11:00 am tomorrow - that would be today, 01/09/08 - but he was not in today. She said he will be in tomorrow. I guess that we will see. Igor left to try to find his original birth certificate so we can turn it in for the new one.

Turned on the faucet and no water. It came back on about noon.

Then Oles, our facilitator called to say that the office for getting the new birth certificates is closed until January 15. Some of the other facilitators said that some of the birth certificate offices are open, but the one we need is not. We can't apply for passports or send documentation to USCIS in Omaha until we have the new birth certificates. Pray that the office opens sooner, so that we can get home before the end of January.

Familiar Things

On Sunday, December 30, we helped Lisa move things to her and Michelle's new apartment. They don't have any furniture yet and the carpet laying isn't finished, so they really don't want a lot of heavy furniture to move around. It was difficult to keep the apartment warm since you could see daylight between the glass and frame on some of the windows. There were some loose fitting window frames that let in a draft in the kitchen, living room and all three bedrooms and a couple of holes that had been drilled at various times to bring in telephone, tv or internet cables. On Friday, January 4th, we gave Lisa a "house warming" gift, a roll of clear plastic package tape, which Steve used to seal all the windows in the apartment. Th temperature probably increased by at least 10 degrees, with no draft coming in. On Saturday, Steve and Sergey went with Lisa to purchase light fixtures, electrical outlets and light switches. There were no lights in the bedrooms or living rooms and several places had wires in the walls, but no outlets. It is quite an adventure to shop for light fixtures in an outdoor market when the temperature is about 15 degrees Fahrenheit. Back at the apartment, Sergey and Steve were able to install all the fixtures, switches and outlets. Shutting off the breakers that we found in the apartment didn't seem to have any effect on shutting off the power. Sergey talked with the woman who lives in the next apartment and determined which switches in the hallway were the main breakers for the apartment. It was good not to have live 240 volt circuits to work on. Steve commented that it seemed like home, where he is always doing home projects at the house or at the daughters' homes in Oklahoma. It was a productive day. When Michelle returns this week, more items will be moved. It was nice to have something different to do than to just wait.

Our 14 day 10 day wait is over tomorrow, so we should get the final adoption paperwork. We will then apply for birth certificates, get copies translated to send to USCIS in Omaha and apply for the kids passports. Hopefully, two weeks later we will be ready to return to Omaha.

Something To Think About

I’m not really sure where to start. The time we have spent here in Odessa, Ukraine has truly been a wonderful experience. We have learned a lot; about another culture, other customs, other ways of life and about ourselves. What strikes me is how comfortable our lives in the US have become, how much we take for granted, how little most of us really sacrifice for our faith.

I want to tell you a story, a true story that happened here in Odessa on the night of December 26. After attending a Christmas party of Vineyard Church members and friends, this young couple was returning home. As they were walking, they encountered two young boys, street kids. Realizing the situation, they began talking with the boys and learned that they were brothers from a small village outside Odessa. They learned that the older boy, age 13, had been living on the streets for quite a while. His brother, age 12, had been living in an orphanage in their village, but apparently was at home for the holidays and was convinced by his older brother to run away with him. This was the first time that the younger boy had run away. After talking for about an hour, the couple took the boys with them to their apartment, fed them and gave them a place to sleep for the night. They got the boys to agree to return to their village and in the morning, Sergey bought three bus tickets and accompanied the boys on the four hour bus ride home. The boys’ parents are very poor. They do not have electricity in their home. They do not work and live on the government assistance money they receive and do not appear to provide much guidance or supervision for their sons. They placed the younger boy in the orphanage, so he receives better care than the two boys still at home. The 13 year old lives on his own on the street more than he lives at home. Hopefully, at least the 12 year old will stay at the orphanage and have a chance at a better life.

After taking the boys home and talking with their parents, Sergey prepared to go back to Odessa. He wasn’t certain how he would get there. It was night and he was not even sure which direction that he should go. He began walking and stopped a house to ask directions. When he knocked, a woman answered the door, so he explained why he was there and asked which way to Odessa. She told him and he began walking and praying. After 15 or 20 minutes, a car approached and stopped. It was the woman who had given him directions and her husband. After Sergey had left, the husband had asked who was at the door. The woman explained and the husband said that they should help him. They were Christians and understood that prompting from God was the reason Sergey had gone to the trouble and expense to bring their neighbor boys home. Since they were poor and didn’t even have gas money for the car, Sergey paid for gas and the couple drove him to the main highway leading to Odessa, so he could get a ride from there. As he was talking to the couple, Sergey discovered that they were possibly the only Christians in that village. There is no church in the village for them to attend. They said that they wanted to send a Bible to their son who is in the army, but had no place to get one and no money to purchase one. Sergey gave them the Bible he always carried with him. It was a leather-bound gold-edged page Bible that had been a gift from his wife Julia. The couple was reluctant to take this special gift, but Sergey said that Julia also would want them to have it. The couple was extremely grateful to have a bible of their own.

Sergey was able to get a ride with a truck driver. He arrived in Odessa very late that night and had to tell Julia that he had given away the gift she had given him. She was a little surprised at first, but agreed with his decision.

As I think of our lives as Christians in the United States and what we sometimes think of as sacrifices for our faith, I feel that often my Christian walk is pretty wimpy by comparison. When Jeff and Tonya Filleman came to our church to talk about Youth of Ukraine, the ministry in which they partner with Sergey and Julia, I thought that this ministry to the orphans was a very good and needed thing. But until we came to Ukraine and actually saw the need and came to understand what this ministry is really about and the total commitment of Sergey and Julia to serving these children, I didn’t have a clue what it was really about. They do this because they God called them to do this. I wonder how many times God has called me to do something and I didn’t even hear Him amidst the clamor of everything that goes on in my everyday life.

I think I need to give you a little background here. First of all, Sergey and Julia didn’t feel comfortable about me writing some of this. They don’t feel that what they are doing is sacrifice compared to the young man in Belarus who recently was imprisoned for two years for handing out invitations to an Intervarsity Christian event. Sergey and Julia live in a 100 year-old apartment, which until recently didn’t even have hot water. They have done most of the conversion work themselves. This has been a lengthy process, because, when they see kids who need help, they use their own money to help them, thus further delaying the remodeling. They do have a computer, but have put off purchasing a printer because there were more important uses for the money. Their priorities are where mine should be, but usually aren’t. Money should be used to make an eternal difference, not a material difference. We have such a good life, that it was difficult for me to comprehend what real Christian commitment is all about. Julia and Sergey have forever changed my thinking on a number of things and I will always be grateful to them for that.

Sergey is a street preacher who ministers mostly to street kids, who also sometimes preaches at the Vineyard Church in Odessa. Both he and Julia minister to the older kids in Orphanage 4 and the ones who have graduated from the orphanage. Julia also teaches English to some of the kids who are being adopted and to some who are too old for adoption, but want to learn English to help them in furthering their educations. They want to also travel to orphanages in surrounding cities and villages, but they do not have a vehicle and it costs $100 to $150 to hire a vehicle and driver for a day to make these trips plus the cost of the gifts and other items they take for the kids. So, they are not able to make very many of these trips. They are also closely associated with Intervarsity and invite orphanage graduates to attend Intervarsity events and workshops with them. This gives these kids the opportunity to associate with Christians and encourages them to stay away from all the negative influences that constantly surround them.

Sergey and Julia have friends and family who don’t understand why they do this and think they are crazy. They wonder why they don’t get real jobs where they can make more money. But Sergey and Julia take very seriously Christ’s admonition in James 1:27 “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” If you have not done so, please check out their website at www.YouthOfUkraine.org

Happy New Year

On December 31, Gail and I had our second Russian lesson. Gail did very well and I did OK. I claimed that it was due to the fact that I spent several hours helping Lisa move things to their new apartment, but that was only part of it. After the lesson and Igor's English lesson, We went to Kompot, one of our favorite places to eat. We had Olivier (Russian) salad and Napoleon cake. Julia said that they are traditional new year food. Both were very good. Yulia and Igor spent new year's eve with friends and Masha went to her Grandfather's. Lisa and Betsy came to the apartment in the evening. At about 8:00 pm we decided to go out to get something to eat before the fireworks display. After a few minutes of walking around it was evident that everything was closed for the evening, even McDonald's. Fortunately we had made a couple of grocery runs and were well stocked. We returned to the apartment and made vegetable beef soup. After a good supper and good conversation, at about 11:25 pm, we walked to the city hall. There was already a large crowd at the stage where singers were performing. At midnight, the fireworks display began. I think that in the US I have seen displays with as many fireworks, but they usually lasted 20 minutes or so. This went off in 10 minutes or less and was very intense, with a lot of fireworks simultaneously. We had to look straight up to see much of it as the air bursts were directly overhead. As we walked back to the apartment after the display, fireworks were going off everywhere. Even people in the crowd were shooting roman candle like fireworks everywhere. We continued to hear explosions and see fireworks from our window until at least 4:00 am. We had Lisa and Betsy spend the night. Their new apartment doesn't have furniture yet, so they were sleeping on the floor for now. Igor returned from visiting friends at about 2:00 am and slept in late, even missing breakfast. I spent quite a bit of time on Skype talking to my Mom and my sister Laura until about 4:00 am. When we got up this morning, we made omelets. Then we relaxed and visited until about 3:00 pm , when Lisa and Betsy returned to their apartment. We wish everyone a very happy and prosperous new year.