Chosen

An Extra Special Day

2010-05-29T23:06:00.004-05:00

What a great looking group!!!

Yes, we are still here. It has been a busy, eventful year, or more, since the last post, but as the title says, today was a very special day. Today, Yulia, Masha and Igor all graduated from Millard South High School. We are so proud of them. They have all worked very hard and are really great young adults. It was a great experience to see them receive their diplomas at the 10:00 am ceremony. Then there was the party from 2:00 - 6:00 pm. At least seven of the other friends from Odessa were at the party and four of the others also graduated this year.

The last two-and-a-half years have been amazing. We wouldn't trade them for anything. That is not to say there weren't some bumps along the road, but what family doesn't have them. We view next fall with mixed emotions. We are so happy and proud that they will all be attending college, but we will really miss having them at home with us. Igor will attend Dana College in Blair, Nebraska, where he will play soccer and major in sports management and business. Masha and Yulia will attend Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Yulia will major in criminal justice and Masha will start out in business. They will all live on campus, but will be within 50 miles of home, so we can visit and can attend Igor's games. The last two years have been fun and the future will be exciting. We are looking forward to it.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-25T14:26:00.003-06:00

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

Front row: Igor, Alysson, Wyatt, Amy

Time To Catch-up

2008-10-17T11:17:00.000-05:00

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

2008-05-08T08:55:00.000-05:00

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

2008-04-14T23:48:00.000-05:00

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

2008-03-25T19:24:00.000-05:00

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

2008-02-10T09:43:00.000-06:00

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

2008-02-04T06:02:00.000-06:00

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.

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

2008-02-01T14:03:00.000-06:00

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

2008-02-01T10:02:00.000-06:00

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

2008-01-31T17:01:00.000-06:00

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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-01-30T08:45:00.001-06:00

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.

2008-01-30T04:27:00.000-06:00

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.

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.

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.

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

Groundhog Day

2008-01-29T14:17:00.000-06:00

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

2008-01-28T14:24:00.000-06:00

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

2008-01-28T06:56:00.000-06:00

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

2008-01-26T02:58:00.000-06:00

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

2008-01-23T15:22:00.000-06:00

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??

2008-01-22T01:58:00.000-06:00

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

2008-01-15T03:27:00.000-06:00

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?

2008-01-10T05:29:00.000-06:00

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

2008-01-09T05:55:00.000-06:00

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

2008-01-07T11:04:00.000-06:00

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

2008-01-05T01:12:00.000-06:00

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

2008-01-01T07:27:00.000-06:00

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.

School Program

2007-12-27T16:37:00.000-06:00

Masha

Yulia

Today we were able to attend the girls school program. We thought that we were leaving early enough, but the line at the bus stop meant we didn't get aboard until the third bus. Then traffic was very heavy and the normally 40 minute trip took over an hour. The program was to begin at 4:00 pm and we arrived at 4:40 pm. As we walked in, our friend Julia said, "You are just in time, the show is about to begin." Praise the Lord. Due to heavy traffic for everyone, probably mainly for the VIPs that attended, the program start had been delayed for an hour, so Mom and Dad were able to see their new daughters perform. The Director of the orphanage came up to us after the show and said that she was glad to see us and did we enjoy seeing our children perform. We said yes and thanked her.

After the show, we all walked to Pan Pizza for some supper, only to find that the entire restaurant had been reserved for a private party. Decisions, decisions. Where so we go to eat? We decided on the food court at the market. It was quite a distance so we got a taxi. Not the formal kind, but the more like hitchhiking kind. There were seven of us, Gail, Steve, Julia, Betsy and the girls, Yulia, Masha and Vera. That meant we needed two "taxis". You signal for a car and when they stop, you tell them where you want to go and if they are willing to take you there, they tell you the price and off you go. The foods court was very busy, but we finally got two tables. Then we did a little shopping for things like serving dishes, salt and pepper shaker, camera batteries, etc. Then the girls headed back to the orphanage and Julia got us a "taxi" back to the city center. It cost 30 grivna (That is 6 dollars.) and only took about 20 minutes.

Here are some photos. Of course these first two are our favorites, but all the kids did a great job.

Incredibly Blessed

2007-12-24T11:30:00.000-06:00

This has been an amazing weekend. OK, weekends don't usually last from Friday through Tuesday, but this one has. The shopping trip, the time with the kids doing jigsaw puzzles or just kidding around, it all was indescribable. As I watched the kids interact with each other and with us, I was overwhelmed by the incredible blessing that God has chosen to bestow on us. Experiencing this adoption journey is totally something else. We are so glad that we found out about Igor's availability this past summer, so that we had time to complete a revised home study approving us for adopting three children.

Court was scheduled for 3:00 pm today (Odessa time). At 2:51, the taxi driver pulled over to the side of the road and took out a map. We definitely did not take this as a good sign. Driving on the trolley tracks to get around a traffic jam is definitely an interesting experience. Gail told the kids to forget how people drive in Ukraine.We arrived at the court building at 3:03 and waited nearly 30 minutes to be called into court. Thankfully, our judge was not on time. We were told that they never are. The room was quite full with two persons from Ilichovsk, two from the orphanage, one from Odessa administration, Oles, our facilitator and the five of us. There were also four persons from the court, including the judge. With 15 people and 13 chairs, Yulia and Masha were standing for the entire 30 minutes of court. When Gail was describing how we decided to adopt three children, that we began by deciding to adopt Masha, but didn't want her to be alone, so we decided to also adopt Yulia, then found out that Igor was available and wanted to keep brother and sister together so we decided to adopt all three, the judge and other court members were all smiling and he asked if Masha had any more friends.

So, now we have three more children. More waiting for paperwork, so we can send copies to USCIS in Omaha and apply for their Ukraine passports. We should be home in another month, maybe a little sooner. We opened gifts and Masha has already worn out one set of batteries in her digital camera. The other two have each taken a few pictures. We enjoyed having dinner with Lisa and Betsy at their apartment, going Christmas caroling and watching the movie "Happy Feet" in Russian, with English subtitles. It is already December 26 here, but we realize that we have just experienced a wonderful and totally unique Christmas Day that will forever make the day even more special than it already was. Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas

2007-12-24T04:03:00.001-06:00

"For God so loved the world, that he gave His only Son, that whosoever believes in Him, shall not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16

We hope that this Christmas season finds you and your loved ones well. In this time of the hustle and bustle of everything that has become "connected" with Christmas, we must keep our focus on the reason for Christmas. God gave the world a gift on that first Christmas, a gift that we often ignore or take for granted. He gave us the opportunity to spend eternity in His perfect presence. Only the perfect is allowed in His presence. I know that the only way for me to attain perfection is through the saving grace of Jesus Christ. As we have spent this Christmas season here in Ukraine, it has provided a new perspective. We haven't watched much television, so the ever present ads are not there. The primary focus of celebration here is for the new year. Christmas is celebrated on January 7 in the Eastern Orthodox tradition, so that time of celebration will be after the new year festivities. Little things, simple things, seem to be more special than before. Walking to the grocery store, not having a hundred brands of every product, but having everything we need. "Things" are important to people here, just as they are in the US. There are just fewer "things" available. To see the delight on a person's face when they receive a gift that we might consider insignificant, gives me pause to remember that it isn't the "things" that are important, but the people, the friends, the relationships. These are also of the most importance to Jesus. He and the disciples traveled without "things". They cared about, and ministered to people - usually people who were considered outcasts, socially challenged. The "good" people thought they had it all together, all figured out, so they didn't need what Jesus was offering. It is easy for us to think that we too have it all figured out. We are constantly told that we can do-it-ourselves, it is owed to us, what "we" want is really all that matters.All of the distractions, all of the propaganda can only serve to lead us away from the narrow path that leads to Christ and eternal life. Don't let the world distract you from what is really important, the only thing that matters for eternity. Place your trust and faith in Jesus Christ - the only way to true peace and joy, the only way to life eternal in the presence of a mighty and loving God.

God Bless and Merry Christmas

Steve, Gail, Igor, Yulia and Masha

Holiday Decorations

2007-12-23T12:26:00.000-06:00

Here in Odessa, the holiday decorations are going up. Each day there are more. The big celebration here is for New Years Eve on December 31. Christmas follows on January 7. When we first arrived, we walked by City Hall and Primorskiy Boulevard which are both very scenic areas, but when we walked there again last night, the transformation was amazing. The building and the trees were covered with colorful lights providing a winter wonderland. As we walk around this city, the contrasts are striking, much as the dramatic difference made by the lights. There are beautiful buildings, well maintained and bustling with the activity of well dressed, apparently affluent people. There are also many buildings that are worn and dreary looking, obviously in need of maintenance. There are also many buildings, especially near the city center area, that are undergoing various degrees of renovation. Everywhere you see people, well dressed as for a night on the town. There are also those who obviously struggle to survive. The economy has improved over the last few years, but remnants of the Soviet era are still very evident. You see small children with their parents, groups of teenagers, business people, elderly people, wedding parties going to the popular spots for photos. Some people seem happy, but many never seem to smile, whether due to a bad day or a hard life, we will never know. One thing that strikes me is that whenever we visit the orphanage, the kids smile and greet us. They seem to be happy. Knowing that they have had difficult lives, at best, it illustrates that we can determine what our attitudes will be, what type of an image we present to others. We can choose how we feel, how we react to situations, how we respond to others. I have decided that, whenever I have a down day, I will try to remember these kids and the way they seem to try to make the best of things. I know that we aren't seeing them all the time, but it still gives me hope. What better time of year for hope than at Christmas.

Shopping at Prevost

2007-12-22T14:11:00.000-06:00

Today was an interesting experience. We experienced a shopping trip to the Prevost Marketplace. This huge area consists of outdoor stalls and a large covered area with row after row of stalls, each about 5 feet by 8 feet. Boots, jeans, coats, shoes, sweaters, undergarments, etc., it is all there. The aisles are about 4 or 5 feet wide and often have 3 or 4 people trying to pass through them at the same time. Items are displayed on racks or hanging from the sides of the stalls. Some are so full that there is no room for the salesperson. How do you know if a pair of jeans is the right size? You try them on. We each took our turn assisting the merchant hold up a lightweight blanket while the girls tried on the jeans. Purchases are made - not a receipt in sight. I guess if you have your merchandise in a bag, that means that it is paid for. There were even a few stalls with electronics or cell phone accessories, but this area was mostly clothing. We were purchasing new outfits for court on Tuesday. It was a fun time.

Walking back from the market, Gail and I followed along behind the kids. The brother-sister banter looked the same as you would see anywhere. At times, we just shook our heads, because we didn't have a clue about what they were saying. We really need to learn a little more Russian. There is no telling what three teenagers could be planning. Things will definitely be interesting around the Haug household.

Gail, Igor, Masha, Yulia, Steve

Here is the first photo of the five of us together. It was this morning and the kids were still in their pajamas. We will get something more "formal" on Tuesday.

A Day Spent With Friends

2007-12-19T23:07:00.000-06:00

Wednesday was a good day. In the morning, Steve talked with his brother and one sister on Skype. It was good to have the chance to talk with them. After lunch, Sonja graciously gave us a walking tour of some of the interesting places around downtown Odessa. We met her at the Vineyard Church, here in Odessa. She is a lifetime resident of the city and offered that unique perspective. Lisa had arranged for the tour for Betsy, Gail and me.

I think that there are many stories about the Mother-in-law Bridge, but the one Sonja told us was that the Governor built it over this deep ravine so that it would be easier for his mother-in- law to return home and she would not have to spend the night when she came to visit.

After the tour, we returned to Lisa and Betsy's apartment where Lisa made us a delicious soup for lunch. We spent some time visiting before we walked to the Vineyard Church for worship. We enjoy the praise songs and were able to remember the English words to some and to attempt the Russian words for others. We were blessed to worship with fellow believers from Ukraine and Sweden. The message was presented by Sergey Yaravoy and translated by his wife Julia. Sergey and Julia have a ministry, Youth of Ukraine that ministers to street kids and kids in the orphanages. Please check out their website at http://www.YouthOfUkraine.org

After worship we went to Pan Pizza with Julia and Sergey for a wonderful time of fellowship, sharing and food. God is using this young couple in wonderful ways to touch the lives of many children. Also, Julia is the teacher that we have had giving English lessons to our girls and other kids in the orphanage.

Oh, I almost forgot. (Yeah right.) Our adoption hearing is at 3:00 pm Tuesday December 25 - that is 7:00 am Christmas morning for those of you in the central time zone. What a special Christmas this will be.

Thank you for all your prayers, they are felt and appreciated - and don't stop praying.

The Paperwork Saga Continues

2007-12-18T23:24:00.000-06:00

Our updated home study arrived at the Embassy in Kiev on Monday. Now they know that we are approved for three children. The USCIS office in Omaha really gave an extra effort in expediting the process and we appreciate that. If only things here were moving that fast. After days of travel to Illichevsk and providing them with templates for forms and offers of assistance with the paperwork, Oles, our facilitator, said that the administration office there finally did use the template for the Conclusion for Adoption form. Then when he took it to the court, the judge said that he wasn't scheduling any hearings until next month. That wasn't exactly what we wanted to hear. So, Oles made some calls and now the hearings will be combined in Odessa. The Odessa judge is unavailable this week, so it looks like our adoption hearing will be next Monday or Tuesday. I know that Tuesday is Christmas day, but in Ukraine, Christmas is celebrated under the Eastern Orthodox tradition using the Julian calendar version of December 25, which is January 7. All of that just to say that, here, December 25 is just another business day. We think that it would be very special to have the adoption take place on Christmas Day. What a special gift that will be for all of us. Christmas Eve day would be special as well.

On December 27, the girls will be in a program at the orphanage. They will have singing and dancing parts. We are looking forward to that. Dad plans to take a lot of photos.

The other two families have returned to the US until January 9, when they will return to continue with the process of applying for passports for the kids. These are Ukraine passports, since the kids are still Ukraine citizens until they reach US soil. They will also then apply at the US Embassy for the visas that the kids will need to enter the US. We will also be doing this at that time as well as sending adoption documentation to USCIS in Omaha for approval of the I-600 forms for the kids, which declares that they are our dependents. These forms must be approved before the Embassy will issue them the needed visas.

We plan to attend at least one performance at the Odessa Opera Theater. It is said to be one of the most beautiful in the world. Here is a link to more information. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odessa_Opera_Theater

Gail's arm is improving. She is able to move it more each day. The inside of the upper arm is one large bruise from the shoulder, half way to the elbow, so it is no wonder that it has been painful. Wednesday, we will be having a tour of some of the sights of Odessa. It is truly a wonderful, beautiful city.

Weekend

2007-12-17T03:55:00.000-06:00

Igor, Masha, Vera and Yulia at the computer.

Sorry we didn't update this weekend. It was a busy weekend, Masha, Yulia and their friend Vera came to the apartment Friday evening. Igor came on Saturday afternoon. We spent time talking, eating, on the computer, watching a movie and going to church on Sunday. Sunday afternoon we went to the mall. We bought a sweater for Igor and gave up on finding boots for the girls. The boots we saw in the mall were of the fashion variety when we were more interested in the warm and dry variety. Judging from the icy sidewalks, we also need the good traction variety. Masha said that she knows a shopping area that would have a better selection. We will shop there next weekend when they come. All of the kids know some English, but Masha is our interpreter when the others don't understand. Occasionally, Masha doesn't understand something or quite how to say something, but we always get it figured out. On Sunday she asked Steve, when would be the time when she tells them that, Yes, she does want to be adopted by us. Hopefully we will find out today when our court hearing will be and if we will need to have two hearings or if they can be combined into one hearing. One or two, we would just like to have them, so things will be official, pending the waiting period. It still looks like the waiting period will extend into the holiday time here. That will mean that the next step for applying for passports and sending documents to USCIS in Omaha will not take place until about January 8. The girls are rehearsing for a program at the orphanage on December 27 when they will be singing and dancing. They are already looking forward to Steve taking a lot of photos and some video. We are also looking forward to it.

Yulia and Igor helping Gail with a Russian Lesson

On Saturday evening, Yulia was trying to help us learn Russian. She was going through one of the books we had and kept telling us that it was easy. Could have fooled me. So, we logged on to the Rosetta Stone website, where we have subscribed to six months access to the Russian language lessons. One of the exercises pronounces words or phrases, has you pronounce them back into the microphone then gives sound effects to let you know if you were correct or not. On one phrase, Steve must have tried 20 times before everything was correct. This produced giggles, laughter and a lot of help from all the kids.

It was a great weekend with some great kids. We are truly blessed with great kids (this includes sons-in-law Matt and Corey) and fantastic grand kids in the US and great kids in Ukraine.

Please keep Gail in your prayers. Last evening, she slipped on the icy sidewalk, fell and injured her right elbow and shoulder. It is somewhat better today, but it is extremely painful and very difficult to move her arm.

Sights, Snow, Food and Friends

2007-12-14T16:23:00.000-06:00

We took a guided tour of Odessa today. We went with another adoption family from Michigan. It was interesting to see points of interest in Odessa and have the history behind them explained. The sun also came out for a few minutes and we saw a few patches of blue sky, just long enough to get a photo. We toured several churches and some of the 2000 kilometers of catacombs under the city. These were formed when Odessa was built, as the limestone was mined and used for the buildings of the city. There were no forests for lumber, so limestone was the cheapest and fastest way to build the city. During World War II, the Resistance used these catacombs to hide and as a base of operations for 2 - 3 years. Much of the time they lived with no light. The thousands of entrances to these tunnels have been closed, because of the danger of getting lost if you enter them.

The tunnels included sleeping areas, work areas, kitchen and hospital facilities. The only time they would come out were for night raids on the German army. They held out much longer than other European countries.

When we returned, we talked to Oles, who had spent another day in Illichevsk getting Igor's paperwork in order. We also talked to Julia B., who has been teaching the girls English, and she made arrangements for the girls to stay with us for the weekend. She brought Yulia, Masha and their friend Vera to the apartment. We made plans to go out to dinner/supper and to have Oles meet us there. By this time it was snowing and making the streets and sidewalks a bit slippery. As we were getting ready to order, Lisa, Michelle's roommate called to say that she and Betsy were going out to eat and would we like to join them. We told them where we were and they said that was where they were going, so they joined us at Steakhouse Meat & Wine with the cow statue out front. http://www.steak.od.ua/english.php We ended up with nine of us in the group and had a good meal and wonderful conversation. Isn't it great how God can arrange meal plans so we could all be together? As we left the restaurant, we met two more Americans, one from Texas and the other from Florida. Small world.

Tomorrow the girls will help with the blog, so no telling what you will get.

A Pretty Good Day

2007-12-13T18:26:00.000-06:00

Today our facilitator spent most of the day with the court for Igor. We haven't had a chance to hear all the details yet, but he sounded really tired on the phone. We will find out more in the morning. The adoption agency sent our home study update to USCIS and they have forwarded it and asked that it be expedited. I'm sure that it will be at the Embassy in Kiev in plenty of time. It looks like our 10 day waiting period will probably be closer to 20 because of the holiday. O well, I guess that I didn't need three more tax deductions this year anyway.

We found a store today to buy a pitcher for ice tea (since I drink that all year) and more dish towels, etc. We also got the phone card and I got in about three more hours of work for my job.

The best part of the day was visiting the girls late in the afternoon. Our facilitator arranged a cab for the trip to the orphanage, since he was still dealing with the court in Illichevsk. He had told us that we would be able to visit the girls, but that they would not be able to leave the orphanage grounds. We were pleasantly surprised when we got there and the social worker had Yulia write a permission letter for us to sign. We couldn't read what it said, but once we signed it, they said that we had to have them back by 8 pm, so we were able to take the girls out of the orphanage to supper. We walked to a large store, kind of like a Super Target, that had a food court. We had pizza for dinner and did a little shopping. On the way there, Yulia was cold, so I gave her my gloves and scarf to wear. After dinner we got her a new pair of gloves and they selected a Ukrainian cook book to take home. They will have to help with that cooking, since the book is in Russian. We picked up a few other things, like scotch tape and sticky notes and some candy bars for the girls to take back for themselves and a friend. We have also been told that they don't seem to sell washcloths in Ukraine. They have hand towels and bath towels, but no washcloths. After walking back to the orphanage, they walked us to the bus stop so that we would know where to catch bus number 133 back to the apartment. Once you know where to get on, you ride from one end of the route to the other. You know when you are at the end of the route, because the driver stops the bus and shuts off the engine. I wish that the bus had economy plus seating like United Airlines. I would definitely pay extra for some leg room. The seats are so close that it is nearly impossible for me to get my legs into the space in front of the seat. But, I guess for 25 cents it isn't too bad.

It was great to spend time with the girls. We really didn't have problems with communication. Yulia understands a lot, and if she didn't, Masha would explain it to her. Masha seems to understand almost everything and can speak very well most of the time. They seem to be getting more comfortable with us. We think that they will be allowed to spend the weekend with us, but we will check on it tomorrow.

Wednesday

2007-12-13T02:09:00.000-06:00

Wednesday provided a couple of delays. The Inspector in Odessa did not complete the Conclusion for Adoption for Masha and Yulia. It will be ready on Thursday. The judge in Illichevsk was not available when our facilitator, Oles, arrived for the appointment, so he must return there today. Oles said that it does not appear likely that we will get a court date on Monday, which probably means that we will not get the final adoption papers before January 8, at which time, we would still have to apply for passports and send the documentation to USCIS in Omaha for approval of the I-600 forms for the kids. That would probably mean that we wouldn't be bringing the kids home until late January. Even though we realized that this was a distinct possibility, it still is a little disappointing. Pray that everything works and that there are no major hurdles. We were also told that the US Embassy in Kiev only has us as being approved for two children. The paperwork was sent to them in May, before we had our home study updated for three. Our dossier has the updated paperwork, so it is a matter of the adoption agency sending the update to USCIS so USCIS can notify the Embassy that we are approved for three. I also have a scanned copy of the completed, notarized, apostiled form on my flash drive that I can email to the Embassy. This isn't critical, since it doesn't come into play until the end of the process, when we attempt to get visas to bring the kids to the US. We are glad that it came to light early so there is plenty of time to address the issue.

We attended worship at the local Vineyard Church which we attended when we visited in May. It was good to see familiar faces. We went with Michelle's roommate, Lisa, and her visitor Betsy.

Wednesday, I spent some time upgrading the computer in the apartment. I added service pack 2 for Windows XP and loaded anti-virus and anti-spyware software and a firewall program. I also set it up so that another adopting family in the apartment next door can log on to the secured wireless network that we set up.

We plan to visit the girls at the orphanage Thursday and take them out for pizza. Hopefully, they will be able to spend the weekend with us at the apartment. We still need to work out the logistics for having Igor visit.

Well, I need to get a phone card, before the cell phone minutes run out, so I will sign-off for now.

Tuesday

2007-12-12T07:37:00.000-06:00

Tuesday we went back to Igor's school, in the city of Illichevsk, for the meeting. We spent a lot of time in a room with ourselves, our facilitator, Igor and for women from the school. We were asked a question one time and then sat there while the discussion went on for 30 or 40 minutes. They asked Igor several questions. Those of you who haven't been through this international adoption process haven't experienced the feeling of not having a clue what they are talking about or if they are talking about you. Afterwards, our facilitator said that 90% of the conversation had nothing to do with us or our case. We think that this may have been the first time that they have had one of their students adopted from that school. They were asking our facilitator questions about adoptions in general and about other topics. They were also telling him about other kids they knew, etc. Strange feeling, but we knew that there would be sessions like this. Paperwork was prepared for Igor, much of it by the orphanage where he was before going to the technical school. We were told that the Director at the school needed to sign the paperwork, but he was gone for several days. We came back to Odessa, but the facilitator stayed to talk to the court judge for that area about combining the court hearings for all three children. He discovered that the judge was out of town. The facilitator located the school director in Odessa and made an appointment with him for Wednesday morning, in Odessa to get the papers signed. He also made an appointment to return to Illichevsk Wednesday afternoon to speak with the judge. We are hoping to get a court appointment for December 17. This would let the 10 day wait be over on December 27, which is just before the Ukraine holiday which is from December 28 through January 7. During that time, all government offices are closed. We would like to be able to apply for the passports on the 27th and also send the adoption documentation to USCIS in Omaha so they can be processing the I-600 approvals during that waiting time.

Pray that the timing would work to make the best advantage of the holiday time.

History In The Making

2007-12-10T15:13:00.001-06:00

Today was an interesting day - and long. We went to see the Inspector (social worker) for the orphanages in Odessa. We stood in the hallway for over two hours, while our facilitator went from office to office to copy center to office. We never did meet or talk with any official in this office. In the end, we did get a letter allowing us to visit the orphanage and visit the girls.

We then went to the orphanage and, after talking with the psychologist and director, we spent almost two hours with the girls, getting reacquainted and being impressed with how much English Yulia has learned since we last saw her. She was very willing to try communicating with us and did a very good job. We can tell that Mashsa is very knowledgeable with English and can understand virtually everything that is being said. She still does not use much of it for speaking.

Then we went to a neighboring city where Igor is attending technical school. We met him for the first time and got to visit with him a little. We met with an administrator for that area, who was concerned that he already was well on his way to completing his education and having a good job. She asked why we would want to take him to the US where he would have to go back to high school and then to college. We must go back there Tuesday morning (45 minute drive each way) to meet with the administrator, some teachers from the school, the social worker from the orphanage and Igor. After that our facilitator will talk to that local judge to attempt to get Igor's adoption hearing combined with the one in Odessa for the girls. It will be another long day.

Then we returned to the orphanage and visited with the girls some more while the facilitator and social worker completed more paperwork. After a fast cab ride back to the apartment, we went out to eat (first time since a light breakfast), went to the grocery store and back to the apartment.

I am ready to get some sleep as we will start earlier tomorrow.

O yes. The making history part. While we were waiting in the hallway this morning at the Inspector's office, she walked buy us several times going to and from other offices. The last time she went buy, she dropped a coin, 10 kopecks. I think that it equals about two cents. I picked it up after she had gone into her office and asked our facilitator if I should take it in to her. He said not to bother her about it. I still have that coin. I think that probably makes us the first adopting family in the history of the Ukraine to actually GET money from a government official.

Day of Rest

2007-12-09T16:46:00.000-06:00

We went to church this morning with Michelle's roommate Lisa. The service was in Russian, except for the guest speaker, an American missionary support person, who was there for the installation of a new pastor for the congregation. Sasha, a young Ukranian man, had been mentored for five years by the pastor who's place he is taking. It was a blessing to see how these small churches are growing here. Even though the praise songs were in Russian, and we couldn't read the words from the screen, we could sing or hum along, knowing that we were all praising the same Lord and Saviour. We got so that we could sing some of the words by listening to them being sung, and use them the next time through the chorus. It was a good time of fellowship since several in the small congregation spoke English very well.

This evening, we went to church with Michelle in a house church for a group of American missionaries. It was good to worship and sing and fellowship in English. We also enjoyed the ice cream and cake as we celebrated the birthday of one of the women there.

There are two other American couples, here to adopt, that are staying in the same apartment complex. We met one of the couples at our appointment in Kiev on Friday, but haven't met either couple here in Odessa yet.

Tomorrow will be a busy day. We will meet with the head inspector (social worker) for the orphanages in Odessa. From her, we should get a letter allowing us to visit the orphanage and visit the girls. She will also be preparing a document telling the SDA (State Department of Adoptions) that the best interests of the children would be served, by having us adopt them. A copy of this document (Conclusion for Adoption) will also be taken to the adoption court judge to be used as part of the official adoption hearing. We will also visit a notary to complete a "Petition to Adopt" form, copies of which will go to the Inspector and the SDA. After our referral to, and meeting with the Director of the orphanage, she will prepare copies of the girls information packets for the SDA and for the Court. The girls will each be required to prepare a handwritten letter saying that they want to be adopted by us. These will be included with their documentation packet from the orphanage. Since Igor is in a different city, we may be required to prepare for a second court hearing in that city. Oles, our facilitator, will talk to the judge in that city to try to get permission to include Igor in the same adoption hearing as the girls, in Odessa. This would save quite a bit of time and effort, but is entirely at the discretion of the judge in the other city.

Hopefully this part of the process will be completed/arranged for by Wednesday. It will be a very busy two days. I will try to do a new posting each day through this.

Enough boring details for one day. It is 1:12 am and we will be meeting Oles at 8:30 am, so we better get some sleep.

God bless and keep praying.

Saturday

2007-12-08T18:14:00.000-06:00

We really didn't do much today. Since Michelle took us grocery shopping last night, we were set for the basics. Steve got the wireless network set up and encrypted, but still needs to get the printer connected to the print server. He also discovered that he had forgotten to redo his password for work and it expired, so he had to call the support desk in Omaha. They reset the same password for another 45 days. It would be really nice if we would be coming home by then. Steve even spent 3 or 4 hours going through work emails and doing some research needed for updating some work information.

I guess that I should mention that we found out that the extra traffic control yesterday, wasn't for us after all. The President of Ukraine was in town, so I guess that it was for him.

Gail cooked supper tonight and we invited our adoption facilitator, Oles, to join us. He seemed to enjoy the company as did we. After supper, we all went to Michelle and Lisa's apartment and watched the Chronicles of Narnia movie. They have a guest who is working with Lisa for 6 weeks to learn more about infant massage therapy. We also met their new roommate.

It is now 2:24 am here, so I suppose we should get some sleep. We are meeting Lisa at 9:50 am for church. Oles will meet with one of the administrators at the orphanage, tomorrow, to make arrangements for our visit there on Monday, and to get more information on how we contact Igor, since he is no longer at the orphanage, but at a technical school a 45 minute bus ride away. Oles said that Monday will be a "crazy" day and Tuesday will be "crazy" also, but not so much. Then, it sounds like we may have a few slower days. Maybe a quite a few, depending on what forms, documents, etc. we do or do not have to track down.

Back to Real Time

2007-12-07T15:46:00.000-06:00

We are back to posting "live". Another interesting day. It started at 3:30 am when the alarm on the cell phone went off. We didn't think that we had planned to get up that early. The message on the phone said something about Jeri.

Our appointment was at 10:00 am and lasted about 5 minutes. The woman showed us the three files and asked if these were "our" kids. At least that is how Dima translated it. Since it was in Russian, we couldn't read anything, but we recognized Yulia's photo immediately. The other two, we had to examine very closely since the photos were at least 10 years old. Masha's photo looked like the first video that we saw of her when she was 6 or 7, but I don't think we would have recognized Igor. At least we hope that all three turn out to be the three we planned for. Two other families were there at the same time, one from Michigan and one from Ohio. We will see the Michigan folks in Odessa, but we don't know what region the other couple will be in. We don't have our appointment in Odessa until Monday, and can't see the girls until then. Our facilitator/translator Oles said that we may be able to travel to Igor's school on Sunday to meet him. We will find out more about that tomorrow. It is sad that Masha and Igor had to wait so long to be adopted, but we feel blessed and thankful that God has kept them safe for us for all this time.

We met Oleg after the appointment. He and Dima both seem to really care deeply about these children. Oleg asked us to take photos at the intenot so we can show other people in America all these kids who need families. From our trip in May, to Internot 4, we already have met many of these great kids, but three is our limit, even though we would love to take a couple dozen more home with us.

Oleg, Steve, Gail , Dima

Oleg and Dima thought that it was very cold, but the folks from Michigan and Nebraska thought it felt about like home.

After the appointment, we got into the VW minivan and headed for Odessa. It took nearly an hour to get out of Kiev. We just sat back and enjoyed the ride - yeah, we enjoyed the ride. We were thankful that we didn't have to drive. Gail said that she was glad that our kids would learn to drive in Omaha instead of Ukraine. We noticed that wherever there were three lanes on the road, there were usually at least four rows of cars in those three lanes. Some of the intersections were literally free-for-alls. Whoever could edge in wherever, first, got to go first. As chaotic as it seemed, we didn't see any accidents. Our driver was a good driver, often letting others in line ahead of us. Once on the open highway, we were often passed by drivers that must have been going 100 mph. As we neared Odessa, we passed a line of trucks, probably a half mile long and 2 to 4 trucks wide stopped along the highway. A couple of miles later, the same thing on the other side of the highway and in Odessa there were police directing traffic at many intersections. Steve asked what was up with all the trucks. Oles said that they had probably were being stopped to keep the highway open for someone important, to which Steve replied, "Would that be us?"

We made it to the apartment and got unpacked. Michelle came over and took us grocery shopping, so now we have food to eat and water to drink. Steve got the router set-up so we can use more than one computer at a time. Tomorrow the printer will get set-up on the network, so we can use that. He will also check in to his work and catch-up on a few things.

December 6 – Another Short Day

2007-12-07T15:42:00.000-06:00

Apparently God thought we either needed more adjustment to the time change or that we just needed to catch-up on our rest. I didn’t get up until 1 pm. Gail had gotten up a couple of hours earlier to eat breakfast and read. She discovered that the milk that we had gotten the night before wasn’t ordinary milk. It was more like a mixture of milk, yogurt and sour cream. I guess a few more language lessons are in order.

We were notified that our appointment is at 10 am tomorrow. That’s 2 am for those of you in the central time zone. After the appointment, we will leave by van, with our facilitator, for Odessa. We should arrive in Odessa about 5:30 pm. We called the Odessa Suites and made arrangements to check in a day earlier than planned. Our next appointment will be in Odessa on Monday. Then we can officially go to the orphanage to “meet” the girls and start the period of getting to know the kids. It will be nice to get to Odessa and get settled in at the apartment, so we can get connected to the internet and our Skype phone service.

This evening, we went to a restaurant called “The Wall” they were apparently named for a 1990 Pink Floyd concert at the Berlin Wall. The big screen was showing Pink Floyd videos while we ate. We don’t speak Russian, but they had a menu in English and one of the waitresses spoke a little English, so we got along fine. After we got back to the apartment, we were watching the Kiev news, even though we couldn’t understand anything that was said, when we saw video of Omaha police cars and the Von Maur at the Westroads Mall. With all the police and FBI in the video, we knew it was not good. We called our son to find out what happened. It is so sad, that young people everywhere in the world feel that things are so hopeless and their lives are so worthless that they can think that doing something this terrible will give their lives meaning. We are praying for this young man’s family and for all youth who feel the way that this young man felt. Pray that their lives will be touched by the Holy Spirit.

December 5 – The Lost Day

2007-12-07T15:33:00.000-06:00

I know that we had the day of December 5, but it seems like a lot of it is missing since we “lost” 8 hours during the trip. We arrived in Frankfurt a half an hour behind schedule. After a little breakfast and more waiting, we proceeded to the boarding area, where Gail’s shoes set off the metal detector, and Steve was asked to open the carry-on bag with the computer printer in it. That only delayed things for a minute or so then we settled in to wait for boarding. True to form, we had another delay. The plane was delayed in it’s arrival to Frankfurt. While we waited in the boarding area, we overheard a woman mention the word adoption to someone else. We also noticed that she also had a laminated card for learning Russian letters, words and phrases, just like the one Steve had left in the seatback pocket on the last flight. We began talking with her, and she was flying to

Ukraine

to meet her daughter and new teenage granddaughter who was being adopted. Her daughter has been in

Ukraine

since November 11. They were in another region of

Ukraine

, so we won’t see them in Odessa.

After arriving in Kiev, we were driven to our apartment and shown the locations of the restaurant and grocery store. We also got a sim card and some minutes for our cell phone, so we can once again communicate with the outside world. We went shopping for a few food items and fixed a light supper. Gail went to bed and Steve made some phone calls to let our mothers, children and a few others that we had arrived safely. Now I need to figure out how to get the phone to tell me how much credit I have left on the phone after those calls. Our friend, Michelle, was going to try to post to our blog so everyone would know that we had arrived safely, since it will be Saturday before we get a chance to do that. By now it is about 2 pm central time and 10 pm Ukraine time and time to get some sleep.

December 4 – We Are Really Doing This

2007-12-07T15:21:00.000-06:00

These next three blog postings were written while we did not have internet access. We got to Odessa Friday afternoon. We opted for a car and driver instead of the 10 hour train ride. We are now unpacked and settled into our apartment in the Odessa Executive Suites. If you are in the neighborhood in the next couple of months, stop in and see us.

December 4
We left today – after more than a year of anticipating this day, the feeling is “We are really doing this.” Not a sense of fear and trembling, but a sense of awe and wonder of the journey that God has us on.

Today’s lesson must have been patience. It started in Omaha as we sat on the plane for an hour while they changed one of the fuel filters. It probably wasn’t a part that was in stock at the local Auto Zone store. The pilot must have been speeding on the way to Chicago, since we arrived only a half an hour late.

In Chicago, we had a sandwich for lunch and boarded the plane for Frankfurt, Germany. Just before departure, the pilot announced that one of the bathrooms was out of order and was being repaired. After a half an hour wait, we were on our way.

It is about 7 pm central time, but it feels more like it is after midnight. The plane is dark except for a few reading lights. I have already watched a movie, had dinner and a nap. Maybe it feels so late because the last few nights have averaged 3-4 hours of sleep, but I think that God is already helping to adjust us to Odessa time.

I glance at the video screen in the headrest of the seat in front of me and see that we are over the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Newfoundland. We are traveling at 736 miles per hour at an altitude of 37,000 feet. It is a little nippy outside with a temperature of – 74 degrees Fahrenheit. We are 3 hours 51 minutes into this flight with 3 hours 51 minutes to go.

I don’t know why I sometimes think of things in the context of song titles, but right now I have this “Peaceful, Easy Feeling”. I know that it comes from the fact that God is in control and many people in Omaha and many other places in the world are praying for us and for this adoption adventure. We can really feel the love and the prayers and we feel God’s presence. We feel humbled, inadequate, excited and full of anticipation of everything that He has in store for us.

PS: The upgrade to Economy Plus on United, which gives an extra 5 inches of legroom
was well worth the $89 on the Chicago – Frankfurt flight.

Arrived in Kiev

2007-12-05T10:35:00.000-06:00

Steve and Gail wanted to let everyone know that they arrived in Kiev today with no problems. They are looking forward to their SDA appointment on Friday and hope to be in Odessa on Saturday. Please pray that their adoption process would go smoothly and quickly.

14 Hours

2007-12-03T20:04:00.000-06:00

Only 14 hours until we leave. A lot of arrangements have been made to have some painting, carpeting and bathroom re-decorating done while we are gone. These are things I planned to do, but did not get done. The bedrooms won't be done, because we want the kids to help pick out furniture and to decorate their rooms. We just thank God for children, friends and neighbors who are helping. It is really amazing how people respond when they find out we are going to Ukraine to adopt. We wanted the carpet installed on December 28, when our daughter is here to paint. The installer said that they don't schedule an exact day to install a particular job, but after visiting with the owner about the adoption, he said that they would do it on the day requested. It seems that even those people that wouldn't consider adopting, still think that it is great and are very supportive. It has to be a "God thing", but then isn't everything a "God thing" if we just think about it. But,the garage is clean, except for the furniture from the family room that will be there until the carpet is installed. Even the neighbors were amazed that our garage really does have a floor. I think that the car feels a little strange being "inside". Better finish packing and weighing suitcases, to see if everything will fit. It may be a few days before we get to post again. We should get to our apartment in Odessa on Saturday and get connected to the internet.

Keep us in prayer as we begin this next stage of our great adventure. God bless.

5 Days

2007-11-29T17:31:00.000-06:00

We leave in five days - only five. I know that we will be forgetting something. I just hope that isn't anything important. We can probably get most things that we need in Ukraine and our dossier should have the necessary documents. Most of the stuff at home is done. It is amazing how much unnecessary stuff has accumulated that probably should have been thrown out years ago. Well. most of it is gone. Omaha will probably need a new landfill after the last three weeks. Sleep has been in short supply as we stretch the days to get more things done. If I sleep all the way from Chicago to Kiev, it will about three nights of sleep based on the past few nights.

Well this needs to be short, so I can get more things done.

Ready or Not

2007-11-23T15:17:00.000-06:00

We are continuing to prepare things at home for our departure. It seems that, no matter how much we get done, the amount left to do still seems overwhelming. We have been sorting through boxes in the garage that haven't been unpacked since we moved here years ago. It is about time we got rid of a lot of this stuff. We have also been purging things that belong to our grown kids. We need to make room for all the stuff associated with three new teenagers, so we're sure that any space that we empty will fill rapidly once we return home. We web-cammed today and the girls seem excited and a little nervous - kind of like we are. Two weeks from today we will have our appointment - wow. After over a year of anticipating that day, it doesn't seem possible that the time is here. We have our airline tickets, our apartment arranged for in Odessa and arrangements are being made for an apartment in Kiev.

Well, better get back to work. It seems that no progress is being made while I sit here typing. At this Thanksgiving time, we can't help but marvel at the many ways we have been blessed - wonderful children and sons-in-law and the cutest, smartest grandchildren in the world. We also marvel at the fact that God is now trusting us with three precious teenagers to become part of our family. Please continue to pray that we will be the parents that these kids need and that we provide them with the love and support to help them become secure, confident, successful Christian adults.

But That Doesn't Give Us Much Time

2007-11-17T07:48:00.000-06:00

The news we have been waiting for has arrived. We have our appointment date - December 7! (Check out the countdown at the bottom of this blog.) We have been ready for this for a long time, but when it finally arrives, we discover that there are a lot of things we still need to get done around the house even if "WE" are ready. We leave Omaha at 10:55 am on Tuesday December 4 and fly to Chicago-two hour layover, Frankfurt, Germany-four hour layover, and arrive in Kiev at 1:05 pm on Wednesday December 5. (Remember the eight hour time difference.) Yes, this is a day earlier than we have to be there, but we want to allow for travel delays, recovery from jet lag, etc. and have an opportunity to see some of Kiev. Now it is time to really get serious about what we plan to take with us. Make sure we don't miss anything. Get the phone and plug adapters from Jeri and Charles, make sure the camera, batteries, charger, memory cards, etc. are packed. Christmas presents for the kids, both in the US and Ukraine need to be taken or taken care of. Oh yes, we better pack the clothes - nice warm winter clothes. Well we better post this and get back to getting ready. I guess a few 30 hour days might do it.

Waiting

2007-11-04T22:32:00.000-06:00

We continue to wait for our appointment date. Our facilitator has said that SDA has said it will be in December. We are praying that it will be in early December, but God knows the best timing. One of the girls we plan to adopt asked in an email, "Why is it taking so long?" We wonder why it is taking so long to find out the appointment date, but we know why it has taken nearly a year to get to this point. When we began the process, we discovered that one of the girls had been in the orphanage for over three years, but she had never been put on the adoption registry. She won't be available for international adoption until the last week of November, so we wait. We are ready to go. That doesn't mean that everything at home is ready, but we will get done what we can and the rest will wait until we return. We can have some "family bonding" projects. We want the kids to have a say in the decorating of their rooms, so we haven't finished them. We are getting things ready to go and deciding what to take. Whenever we go, we will be thankful for God's timing, guidance and protection.

Division of Labor

2007-10-20T23:40:00.000-05:00

We knew from the start that the adoption process would involve a lot of paperwork. We were right. From reading other adoption blogs, we know that we can expect a lot more paperwork when we get to Ukraine. And with three children, it will be even more. Then, since our I-600s were filed at USCIS in Omaha, the adoption paperwork will have to be sent back to Omaha for the completion of the I-600s while we wait in Ukraine for the approval so that the State Department can issue visas for the children.

This adoption process involves a lot of time, a lot of paperwork and a lot of patience. Steve has been doing most of the paperwork and making most of the arrangements. Gail said that this was only fair. She had all the labor for the first three children, so now it is Steve's turn.

More Than We Can Ask Or Imagine

2007-10-16T22:36:00.000-05:00

When we began this adoption journey a year ago, we thought we would do the necessary paperwork, go to Ukraine and return home with two new daughters. Needless to say, we knew it would try our patience, prove frustrating and take a long time to complete. What we didn't realize was that apparently, God had more than that in mind for us. It has been a year, our dossier has been submitted and we are waiting for our appointment. But, the last year has also brought other changes to our routine. Even though there have been about 12 children from Ukraine adopted in the Omaha area, we were some of the first to attempt to adopt children that would be over 16 by the time of the adoption. This meant that some of the paperwork that is normally submitted to the US Embassy in Kyiv after the adoption, instead had to be submitted to the USCIS office in Omaha, before the 16th birthday. After much research and after asking many questions (and occasionally even getting an answer) we have made it to this point. During this process, the number of children we are planning to adopt has changed to three. This has resulted in having our home study amended and some additional paperwork. As we have progressed through the process, we have been getting questions from other families who want to adopt children that are "aging out". It is a little overwhelming to think that we can be of assistance to others, even when we have not yet completed the process ourselves. Steve's first comment was,"Why are we giving you advice, we don't have any kids yet, so we don't know if we are doing it right." So far, we have had nearly one request a month for information on adoption. When we came to the crossroads in September 2006 and decided to follow the call to adopt, little did we know that God would put on our hearts a love and concern for not only the children that we will adopt, but for all the orphans in Ukraine. He has shown us a way that we can make a difference in the lives of people that we don't even know, in the US and in Ukraine. We have met so many fantastic people, both here and in Ukraine that have a love for these kids and are working to provide a future for them, the ones who are adopted and the ones who are not. Check out www.YouthOfUkraine.org for other ways that people are helping these kids.

Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us. Ephesians 3:20

Dossier Submitted

2007-10-12T22:05:00.000-05:00

Our dossier was submitted to SDA today. Oleg says he hopes that we will get a December or January appointment. Pray for December. We are anxious to get to Ukraine to continue the process.

For those of you who read this and would like to help the orphans of Ukraine, but don't feel called to adopt, there are other ways that you can help. One of our favorites is Youth of Ukraine. This ministry involves Julia and Sergey Yarovoy, a Ukrainian couple who have a heart for these orphans. Their mission is:

"The ministry for the children from the orphanages and broken homes. 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. James 1:27

The main goal of our ministry is to introduce children and teenagers from the orphanages and broken homes to know the Lord Jesus Christ. To tell them that He died on the cross for their sins and that they can have personal relationship with God the Father Who loves them and cares for them.

We are working on achieving this goal by fulfilling three main needs of these children.
Spiritual
1. Having Bible studies.
2. Providing a Bible or a New Testament for every kid who doesn’t have one.
Social
1. Building friendships with them and having discipleship relationship with them.
2. Organizing seminars on such topics as addictions, relationship with the opposite sex

and other essential issues.
3. Organizing sport and musical events and also summer Christian camps.
Material
1. Medicines, clothes, school supplies, toys and so on.
2. Finances for studies.

We think that orphans are not only those children who don’t have parents but also those who don’t get love and care from their families (their parents might be addicts or just emotionally distant and inattentive to them). That is why it is our hope and prayer that through our ministry God will fulfill their needs as well.

To change lives of the teenagers is possible by changing mentality of their parents. One of our long-term goals is to work with their parents and supervisors."

We met Julia and Sergey when we were in Odessa in May. They are truly making a difference in the lives of these children. Please check out their website at: www.youthofukraine.org

The Crossroads

2007-10-08T12:34:00.000-05:00

At our church, we talk about the crossroads. A crossroads is a place in life when God presents you with a situation that requires a choice. You can choose to continue life as it has been (sometimes known as being in a rut) or you can choose to make a change, which could potentially change your life in a profound way. It can also be explained as choosing to live your Christian life via the tourist route or via the adventure route.

That Sunday in September 2006 was definitely a crossroads point in our lives. We both felt the call to make a change and move toward the adoption of teenagers from Ukraine. With our children grown, and at an age when many people are retiring or at least thinking about retiring, we chose to get out of the rut and embark on the adventure route of international adoption.

People have asked us why we decided to adopt teenagers and not young children. Steve's first response was "I don't want to be 80 years old when they get to college." Our age was a consideration, but we also enjoyed the years when our three children were teenagers. There was only 3 1/2 years spread in their ages, so they were all in high school together for one year and all in college at the same time. I guess we thought that if we survived it once, we could again.

About Us

2007-09-29T10:57:00.000-05:00

The past year has brought a wide range of experiences. In January, our third grandchild, Wyatt, was born. A week later, Steve's Dad passed away. In August, Gail's Dad passed away. We are very excited about having new children in the house, but it is sad that they will not get to meet two wonderful Grandpas. They will be welcomed by two fantastic Grandmas as well as three siblings, a niece, two nephews a lot of aunts, uncles and cousins.

We plan to adopt older teenagers. We enjoyed the time when our three children were high school age and we continue to work with teens through the Chrysalis program. (See list of Interesting Websites.) We provide training and support for Chrysalis groups in a 10 state area. We are planning on a lot of family time with homework, travel, sight-seeing and fun. Since there are already at least 12 children from Odessa that have been adopted in Omaha during the last three years or so, they will probably already have friends here. There are several more Omaha area families in various stages of the adoption process for children from Odessa. Our friends, the Robersons are in Odessa now, so keep them in your prayers.

Our dossier has been sent to Ukraine and we are waiting for our appointment date. We are hoping to complete the process by the end of the year, but at this point only God knows the timing. It will be nice to have a date to plan for.

What's in a Name?

2007-09-25T21:22:00.000-05:00

The name of this blog is "Chosen". Why "Chosen"? We had a lot of ideas and suggestions. Some thought that it should be "Old Enough to Know Better", "Say What?" or "Deja Vu All Over Again". But, we really feel that this path was "chosen" for us. We also are certain that God has "chosen" just the right children for us to adopt. We are convinced that the journey will only be successful if it is of God. On our own, we probably would not have embarked on this adventure - might not have even thought of it. Please keep us in your prayers. Pray that we will keep our eyes on Jesus and follow His leading.

What Happened??

2007-09-25T01:01:00.000-05:00

We were enjoying life. Our kids are grown. We have three beautiful grandchildren. We were even thinking about retirement. Then the second week in September 2006 came along. Steve was preparing the slides for the Sunday worship and previewed a video clip for a guest speaker. He noticed a cute little girl in an orphanage in Ukraine and commented about her to Gail. The next day, a young woman spoke about her ministry to orphans in Ukraine. When she spoke about adoption, Steve commented to son Geoff that "Your Mom is going to want to do this, but I don't know if I'm there yet." After the service, Gail came back to the sound booth and said, "Are we going to get one or two?" Thus began an adventure that could only have been orchestrated by the Holy Spirit.