For Such A Time As This

Right now I am sitting in a lawn chair at the top of my driveway. Overlooking our grass that is just beginning to go a little brown, a cement driveway chipped by the salt off our vehicles. Hearing birds twitter and wind chimes dance on the gentle breeze that is stirring my hair.

Garth is working on a freebie pressure washer and so there is a hint of gasoline in the air along with an occasional huff of frustration from my never-can-sit-still man.

And I am realizing that I am Esther. Sitting within the palace gates.

For such a time as this.

All around the world and in our community there are so many needs. And if you are reading this, you CAN do something about it!

Because God is going to deliver. He is Almighty Deliverer. And we have such an amazing opportunity to partner WITH Him!

We don't need to be wealthy to give. Giving makes us wealthy.

An abundant life is one that is filled with the ebb and flow of blessings coming from and to open hands.

People complain about the economy. Driving by and seeing another store shut down and there the conversation starts all over.

I want to live an abundant life. One that is characterized by sharing and contentedness.

Ukrainian Food is the BEST (and other valid reflections on our trip)

Me and the love of my life.

We are home.

Ukraine was... well, a world away from anything that I have ever experienced. I really didn't know what to expect. I had heard a plethora of descriptions. But nothing prepared me for the deep love that I felt God fill me with when we landed. This is the birthplace of my child. My son.

We landed in Kiev on June 16, Father's Day at 1:15 p.m. (which is 6:15 am our time). We were exhausted. A businessman who we met on one of our flights advised against trying to sleep too much on the way over so that was the plan we went with. 

We arrived to the home of the missionary that we would be staying with and visited for awhile and then went out to explore Kiev.

Karen, the missionary, showed us how to get to where our appointment would be. It was pretty close, but once you reach about the halfway point as far as distance goes, you come to a hill and I think that it would be fair to say that the hill is about a 45 degree angle. (I now have thighs of steel!)

The road up the hill to Saint Andrew's Church is lined with what amount to a Ukrainian Shipshewana. (Flea market for all you who have no idea what Shipshewana is). I found a great Sputnik poster. The guy who sold it to me (for about $3 USD) was surprised that an American would want it. I think it is pretty cool.

That evening we went out to eat at a little restaurant that was close to Karen's apartment. It was DELICIOUS. Normally when I travel I miss my normal food. I have to say that now I am home I am feeling a little deprived. Ukrainian food is THE BEST.

The day of our appointment dawned hot. But it was a dry heat. We put on our nice clothes and climbed. And climbed. And climbed. And climbed. Long story short. I can eat like the above picture shows and lose eight pounds in one week in Ukraine.

I had heard lots of stories about how appointments go, including a little vignette that mentioned a "Volkswagon-sized woman." For us, the appointment went beyond perfect. D's SDA pictures were so cute. He was posing and sassy and ADORABLE. The woman who met with us was so happy for us and for him and the whole meeting was full of smiles.

We left the appointment with the promise that we could go the next day and pick up our referral between the hours of 4 and 5.


We walked around Kiev some more and Garth found something else that he likes about Europe. (Coffee here now tastes so watery.)

The next day we picked up our referral at the appointed time and were whisked off to the train station to begin our journey to our region.

We arrived in our region early Wednesday morning along with our facilitator. We went to the hotel and dropped our baggage off and then began the crazy paper chase.

Off to the social worker's office to get a permission sheet from them to meet D.

Off to the orphanage with the social worker, our driver, our facilitator, and the two of us.

The orphanage was a surprise as well. Very nicely tended. 

As we walked up the path to the front door I glanced over and saw a group of children sitting around outside. And I saw him. Just a quarter profile. But my heart KNEW.

The director was very kind to us. It was obvious that she cares about the children.

We met D, which I describe in an earlier post, we asked him what his favorite color is and he said red. I had bought this car for him back in the States. He loved it and he took this picture. Isn't his little hand so precious?

The Eye of the Beholder

What gives something value?

The general definition of value is that something is only worth what people agree that it is. And when person after person throws it away, it seems rather invaluable. 

What happens when that "thing" is a person? A child? I won't lie. There are children at the orphanage that initially were off putting. Love hungry eyes following me. Bony fingers stroking my arms and grasping at my hands. Asking in Russian for treats. Any acknowledgment. Wearing the only shirt that they will get for the year. Pointing with pride at the little, old, black dog with  a jaunty plume of a tail that looks an awful lot like the little black dog I had when I was a little girl. Wanting me to pet it. Wanting to share what they can. 

Andrew. Peter. Igor. Sasha...

Names. Lives. Hopes. Dreams. 

Children of Ukraine. 

Children of God. 

Our children. 

Two blocks over children are walking out of a convenience store with treats in hand and parents with them. Their hair lovingly styled and clothes clean. They skip past the Lenin statue in the square under the scythe and hammer, while their parents watch. 

On the other side of the world my homegrown children are spending this week with their aunt, going swimming, going to a baseball game. Eating cinnamon rolls. 

Here in Ukraine my blue eyed son dances when he looks at the picture book we made. Grandparents. A five year old mini van. A bottom bunk with Spider-Man sheets. A brother and sisters. 

Watching the video his brother made him and grinning ear to ear to hear a five year old little American boy with brown eyes and curly hair say, "I love you." Playing it over and over. And over. 

Calling the American boy "most precious brother" in Russian. Petting our faces with his sweaty little hands. 

Saying "Dasvadanya" and bravely blinking back tears as we tell him we will be leaving and will see him in a few weeks. 

He waits for us. Sleeping in the only pair of underwear he will get for six months. On a toddler sized bed. Where the stars are hung upside down, half a world away. 

 People blow money on closets full of clothing that will still have the tags on them years from now. 

What gives something value?

D Day

Good news, friends! One less orphan, one more Sponseller!

We met D but the orphanage director didn't want to tell him why we were there. She just told him he was a good boy and some people wanted to see him. He came in and she had him draw a picture and count to 10 (he made it to 9 and claimed his other finger was broken) hahah.

There are some delays with his drawing and counting, nothing we are worried or surprised by.

I asked him what his favorite things were he said red cars and, lo and behold, that is what I had bought him.

He was shy, appropriately so, with us but good with the director. And really, it was a very stimulating situation. Maybe 6 adults and this little boy who is being asked to perform. He told us his name he asked ours, he said "Garth" better than just about any other Ukrainian we have met.

 We didn't say anything to him, per request of director, about being adopted. Later, as we were leaving, we saw him getting ready for nap time and they told him then. He told his friend Sasha that we were his parents. We will go back to visit from 4-6. Good luck with that nap, kiddo. ;).

As for the orphanage and director, we were very impressed by both. Director was kind and tearing up, orphanage was cheerfully decorated. Garden was very nice, maintained and imaginative. So far everything here has been a pleasant surprise.

And we are off!

So, like the true procrastinators that we are, we waited until last night to pack.

Today I received another package of documents to take along with us as well as with another package of items to carry to Ukraine. Crazy! The crazy part was that I had to chase down the UPS guy to receive the package. That was exciting.

We are ready now. One large checked suitcase packed right at 49 pounds and 12 ounces. One backpack filled with our clothes that Garth will be carrying. One large Vera Bradley duffel bag with documents in it as well as gluten free snacks and my pillow. (Can't leave home without it!)

Wish us luck and God's blessings! Also, peace to our at-home kiddos as they are not excited about us leaving.

We will be leaving at 6:45 to head to the local airport for our 8:42 flight.

So it begins.

I Know Who Goes Before Me

Today in church we were singing a song that I have heard many times before. The God of Angel Armies.

There is a line that says, "I know Who goes before me, I know Who stands behind, the God of angel armies is always by my side."

These next coming weeks we are facing many unknowns. 

What will it be like? 

What will HE be like?

I always have wanted to KNOW. What. When. Why. My poor mother, whenever the phone would ring when I was a child, I was right on her, "Who is it?" When I was fifteen and in the hospital and the nurse was removing a surgical drain and said she would remove it on the count of three, "One, two" RIP! My arm felt like it was turned inside out. I was SO MAD! I felt like it wouldn't have hurt so much if she would have just done what she said. I could have been ready!

Today when we were singing that song I realized that I DON'T KNOW what is ahead, but I do know WHO is ahead of me. 

And that is the peace that passes understanding.

The Things We Do For Love

We are preparing to travel. 

I don't have the suit case out yet, but it will be soon. I laugh to think about how I used to bemoan the fact that my suitcases were better travelled than I. 

I have a growing pile of things to take with me. Things that people have requested be brought or requested me to take. Socks and underwear. Tooth brushes and tooth paste. Beanie babies.

We will leave Fort Wayne on June 15 at 8:42 am on United to Chicago. We will have a layover and then depart to Germany. Frankfurt to be precise. (I think that I will have to eat a hot dog there!) and from Frankfurt to Kyiv. We will arrive in Kyiv at 1:15 pm local time, which is 6:15 am EST.

We have made arrangements to stay with a missionary in Kyiv for the two nights that we will be there before we travel to our region.

That is next week. (gulp)

It struck me on Wednesday that in two weeks that I would meet my new son. Even typing this gives me a fluttery feeling. I am so excited. 

The journey will be long. We will come back after this first meeting and wait for court and then it will be back to Ukraine. Garth for 2-3 days, me for 3 weeks. I will probably miss sweet Claire's seventh birthday. That makes me sad. I have talked with her about this and she is all about having an early birthday. I told her that I would let her turn 7 a few weeks early. Hopefully to her it will be an adventure whereas to me there is an element of heartbreak. 

Right now please pray for reasonable travel fares, for safe transportation, for quick court dates and for resolve and peace for us. And for rest. It seems like whenever we are going to take a moment of quiet something else comes up. 

Whereas I STILL do not have stretch marks I believe that all of this travel will cause me to wear my braces longer. Awesome. Hence the title of this blog.

The things we do for love.

Please be praying

Please pray for us as we make our travel arrangements. The first set of (one-way) tickets that we have purchased were over our budgeted amount. If that continues to be the trend it is going to knock us over budget around $5000. I don't know if it would be better for me to just stay in Ukraine the whole time or if I should continue with my plan to go back and forth.

Pray for clarity and good deals!