Swan Adoption

Viktor's Welcome

2008-03-04T11:54:00.004-06:00

February 27-March 3

The day of Viktor's arrival, Samantha, Tammy's niece, sweetly came by to help us straighten the house before we headed to the airport to wait for the flight from Cincinnati. We were so happy to see Viktor and Curtis coming down the escalator and ran to give them hugs. We took photos and introduced everyone to Viktor, even though we knew he probably couldn't remember names. After the airport greeting, everyone all went together to a steakhouse for dinner, where Dima, Sasha and Zhenya were coming from a soccer practice at the high school. Zhenya and Sasha were overjoyed to see Vitya. Zhenya gave him a big hug and shouted, Vitya!" Sasha kept hugging him saying, "Vitya! Vitya!!" After a nice dinner, we headed over to Ben and Jerry's ice cream store where Ginger's fiancé Eric met us. For those who don't know, this is something like Baskin Robbins and Viktor could hardly wait to get inside and choose his flavor. After this, we finally headed to our house for another little welcome party and cake and meeting Aunt Cyndy's family, Rebecca, Sarah, David, Chris and Ashley. Marmee and Papa had to give a call on the phone as Marmee has the shingles and has been very ill. Her voice brightened up when she talked to Viktor and told him she was so glad he was finally in Alabama. Viktor seemed very happy to meet everyone.

The next day after Viktor did a walk through of each room in our home as he stopped and examined all the paintings on the walls, saying things like "I like this perception, this depth." He even noticed small details such as silk flowers, and the plastic fruit on baskets in the kitchen. We've never had a young person be so observant of the things in our home in this way. The other kids didn't even glance at the pictures on the walls. We caught Zhenya examining a doorway spray that had silk flowers and fruit on it, but that was the only item of interest for him. Viktor stopped in front of a cabinet that holds Ginger's trophies, medals and other awards. Tammy said, "Ginger's" Viktor said, "ALL Ginger's?" Then she pointed out a few trophies that belonged to Brooke and Baylee, for dance and gymnastics, and then said, "All the rest are Ginger's." He stared at them for a few minutes and Tammy was wondering what was going through his mind. We know the Berdyansk sports teams had won trophies and first place awards. Yet, the boys have no personal trophies of their own like many American kids. She then took Viktor down the pathway outside to show him the lake. She said he smiled and looked around and then wanted to throw rocks in the water, so they did that for a few minutes. Then he looked around and waved his arms and said, "Mama, it's beautiful!"

After this, we had to do medicals for participation in sports, and getting one of Viktor's shots. We took him to an Italian restaurant near our home, one of our favorites with authentic Italian food, Cafe Tretuno. One reason we took him there was to show him a huge mural that our friend, Bruce, had painted on their dining room wall, a countryside scene of Italy. Being an artist, we knew he might appreciate seeing this. He did enjoy it and also really enjoyed his calzone. Later that night, we created something sort of Ukrainian, kielbasa and fried potatoes, at home, and then the boys had a soccer game. It just happened to be the first game they were approved to actually play. Up until then, they had just been practicing with the team. They were very excited Viktor was there to see them. It happened to be a cold day in Alabama, so we were wearing coats and sipping on hot chocolate as we cheered for the boys. Sasha was a star player, and Zhenya showed some good ability as well as being one of the fastest runners. After the game, we took Viktor shopping for some clothes and shoes. He gave all of his jeans away to his friends at the orphanage, only brought a couple of shirts and didn't even bring a belt with him! We had several things to buy. Fortunately, we had perfect timing and the store was having a huge clearance sale.

Then the next day, it was time to tour the school. Dima took him to lunch at Dairy Queen and then took him for his first Starbucks trip which he really enjoyed. Then it was time to register at the High School. We could tell he was a little nervous as we were walking in, but he was all smiles. The school asked a senior student from Russia to take us our tour, and Dima also helped translate because he was at this school for his 9th grade year. Sat. was spent fishing on our lake all day. Viktor enjoyed this so much we had to pull him away from it, because we had another welcome party to attend with the Thompsons and some other kids who had been adopted. We all met at Dairy Queen to have an ice cream cake for the boys that said "Welcome to America", and then everyone went ice skating. It was Viktor's first time to ice skate and he was determined to give it his best shot. Sun, the boys attended a church that has a Bible study for teenagers with a Russian translation, and after this, we attended our own church. Sun. afternoon was a soccer game and basketball in the park, fried chicken and biscuits for supper. We felt we had to introduce Viktor early on to some Southern food. :) Mon. was Viktor's first day of school and it went well. He came home with positive comments about the school and several Teachers, but was requesting however, to be placed in the 11th grade, instead of the 10th. The school chose the 10th for him to put him with his brothers, because they thought it would help him. But there is an 11th grade exchange student from Russia, (as well as a Russian 12th grader) who could help him, so we've put in the request to be moved. After supper, Dima took the boys to the Y to swim and play basketball.

In between all of this, Viktor is eating bananas like they are going out of style! Fortunately for us, they are the cheapest fruit in the market. While he's not a meat eater like his brothers, Viktor often visits the fruit basket on the kitchen table. He walks around with an apple, pear, plum, peach or banana in his hands all the time nibbling and munching. It's obvious he was a bit deprived of fruit at the orphanage. The other boys empty the fruit basket often, but Viktor seems to enjoy it even more than they do.

It has been a very full week so far. Things are going good and we're just all trying to get the routine and rules established. We're smiling, a little tired, but very, very thankful God has brought us all together.

Going back for Viktor

2008-02-26T08:41:00.002-06:00

February 23-February 26:

After waiting three weeks for Viktor to get his passport and police clearance and then book my flight, I was able to return to Kiev to complete his process. Misha brought Viktor to Kiev on the train early Sunday morning and they went to church with Yulia and then back to the Webber’s home while they waited on my flight to arrive. My flight arrived on schedule about 3:00pm Kiev time and I was able to easily get through the passport line and out to the city. I called Karen and they arrived after about five minutes. It was good to see Viktor, Misha and Karen. We walked to the van and headed to the apartment. After we got settled into the apartment, Karen left to go back to the Webber’s and Viktor, Misha and I went to get some pizza before Misha had to take the Metro to the train station. Viktor and I then went back to the apartment for some much needed rest.

Everything went well in Kiev with medicals and the Embassy. Around 2:30pm on Tuesday, we were able to obtain Viktor’s Visa! We then went back to the Emmanuel office and checked email and updated this blog.

Finishing in Kiev and Welcome to America

2008-02-26T08:39:00.007-06:00

January 30-February 2:
We had one of the longest and most stressful days of our life on Wednesday, January 30. Misha and I spent all morning and early afternoon traveling to and waiting in Zaporozhe for the boy’s passports. When they finally were given to us, we had to rush to the bus station and travel to Tokmak. We thought that it would be impossible for us to get Zhenya’s remaining paperwork done and get to Melitopol before our train left the station. What we thought to be impossible was not impossible to God! Miraculously, we were able to make it to the station about ten minutes before the train arrived at the station. It was such a relief for all four of us to be able to board the train and find our cabin! We finally were able to breathe a sigh of relief as we waved goodbye to Don, Misha, Inna and Dima.

Everything went well in Kiev with medicals and the Embassy with the help of Valery and Karen. Around lunchtime on Friday, we were able to obtain the boys’ Visas! We went to bed early in preparation for our early morning flight. The taxi to the airport and the trip home went without a hitch. It was fun to see the boys on the plane and they seemed to enjoy the view from the plane and glancing out the windows from time to time. We had no problem with immigration in Cincinnati and were even blessed that we were able to get on an earlier flight than we expected. We knew the time change in flight might affect some of the people wanting to be at the airport to welcome the boys. Still, we were overjoyed to see the family members who were able to make it the Birmingham airport early Saturday evening.

Ginger, Dima, Ella, Brooke, Baylee, Sabrina, (a neighbor), and cousins Samantha and Rebecca were all waiting with big smiles as we descended the escalator at the airport. We were so happy to see their faces and get hugs from everyone. We did the introductions, took a few photos and were on our way. We went straight back to our house, since the kids had an ice cream cake that said, "Welcome to America" written on it waiting for the boys, and Marmee and Papa, (Grandparents) would be meeting us there, as well as more cousins, David, Sarah, Chris and his wife, Ashley, Aunt Cyndy, and Uncle Vic. We all had a wonderful time eating ice cream cake and sitting around the kitchen table together, playing pool, listening to Ginger and Rebecca play the guitar and sing, and taking photos with the boys. It was a great welcome and it was a relief to be home after a very long, eventful process and trip.

The next day was Sunday, so after some much needed sleep, we all got up and went to church. This service was the boys' first time to ever attend church, so it was very special for us. They seemed to enjoy the music, but of course, we realized they couldn't understand the message. We were touched so many church members made a special effort to come up to the boys after the service and introduce themselves and welcome them. After church, we headed to Habaneros, a brightly decorated, festive Mexican restaurant in Hoover, to celebrate the boys' arrival. We had a very long table to seat our family of 10, plus some of Aunt Cyndy's family, 7 people, plus one of Dima's good friends from work. We all had a good time laughing and talking and watching the boys experience their first Mexican meal. They were happy enough, but didn't seem to care for the Spanish soup Dima ordered for them. They tried to be courteous and eat as much as they could. Dima loves it and asked them "En ravitza??" "Do you like it?" He wanted to say, "Why don't you like it?" because this is Dima's favorite soup and he was surprised that they didn't love it. It was their first experience with sliced avocado, so they weren't too sure about that bright, green stuff in their soup!

After lunch, the boys went with Dima and his friend to the park to play soccer. Then later that night, we were supposed to all go to Karen and Alan Thompson's (another adoptive family) house to watch the Super Bowl. However, Tammy fell asleep and we had to admit we were all pretty tired. Cousins, Rebecca, Sarah, and David came over and watched the Super Bowl, played pool, ping pong and ate pizza with Curtis and the kids, while Tammy still did not ever wake up from her sleep. As soon as the Super Bowl was over, Tammy woke up and asked if we were still going to the Thompsons. We all laughed and told her the game was over.
The next day, Dima went with us to take the boys to tour our local Y, and get their membership photo passes, and then we went for their sports Medicals. This took a long time because the doctor's office was full. The boys were scheduled to practice soccer, so after the doctor, Curtis and Dima had to rush with them to Hibbett’s Sporting Goods to get some soccer gear. It was nice for them to get to play soccer after not playing for months in Ukraine due to the cold weather. The next day we had appointment to register the boys at Pelham high school. They also took a tour of the school, met some other Russian speaking students, the Principal, two ESL teachers, and coaches. That night, Ginger and Samantha came by and along with Ella, and took the boys to our largest mall, The Galleria, to get some shirts and jeans. The boys were very anxious to start school, so we were glad that they were able to start the next day. We were surprised we didn't even have to wake them up that morning, and actually heard them stirring around and taking their showers by 5:30 am! They were excited to be going to an American school. They were ready and standing outside at the end of our driveway with Brooke and Ella, waiting for the bus by 6:40 am. The bus arrives @ 6:45 and within minutes; the four kids were on their way.

We've been in a routine since then of school, soccer practice, supper, and then either going to the park for soccer, or to the Y to play basketball, swim, get in the Jacuzzi, or visiting the fitness, work out stations. These boys are very ACTIVE and energetic. They aren't used to being still. Whew! We have to break way from them at times and let Dima take over, just to have some rest. They are in high gear all the time. It's good of course, because it challenges us to be more active, but other times, we're pooped.

We knew Curtis would have to return to Ukraine soon to get Viktor and he would be gone for about a week. So, we tried to get in some fun activities with the boys. We've had a couple of ice skating times, a trip to the Birmingham Zoo, playing games at the bowling alley, and driving up to the top of Bluff Park to see the view and eat hamburgers and hotdogs. We also got to meet some other kids who have been adopted from Ukraine at a birthday party for Alexa Thompson. Ella was actually the only one invited as it was a Girls only party, but the boys went with us to take Ella to Alexa's house and to meet the Thompson family. It was quite a sight watching the boys as pretty girls who spoke Russian kept arriving and getting out of their cars, one after the other. From the smiles on the boys' faces, we knew they must be thinking Birmingham was OK! :)

One very neat thing that happened while at the Thompson's was meeting Christina, a friend of both Vitya and Sasha's from Ukraine. Christina was adopted from Zaporozhe, the same region as Vitya and Sasha, and knew the boys from summer camp. She was so excited to see Sasha and we could tell he was equally happy and amazed to find her here in Birmingham. It was a nice surprise for both of them.
We have all enjoyed the first few weeks with the boys. It has been busy and eventful and everyone is trying to adjust. We're sure that after Viktor arrives, it will be even better to have everyone together.

A quick note of thanks

2008-01-29T14:23:00.000-06:00

January 29: I want to thank everyone for the many supportive, personal emails we've received since we traveled to Ukraine in December. I realize not everyone feels comfortable posting comments on this blog, for others to read. So, whether private or public, your encouragement is appreciated. The emails that have contained scripture are most appreciated and we've really taken those to heart. Trust us, we'll save each one and will put in a special place for these boys to someday read.

We'll be able to pick up International passports in Zaporizhzhia, go back to Takmak for the military release, go to Molochansk to sign Zhenya's papers, and leave tomorrow for Kiev. Thank you to everyone for your prayers. We know you're all in your daily grind at home, and yet you've taken time to support us in our process. At this point, we're ready to go home. Our oldest daughter, Ginger, (almost 22, soon to be married) is about to jump out of her skin with excitement because she found her dream condo in downtown Bham, (a loft), just like she wanted. They accepted her offer today and we can't be there to celebrate with her. Our neice, Rebecca is a basketball superstar right now at her high school, written up in the home town paper. We hate we missed her big game. She was the leading player even after surgery to both ankles and a long rehab. We miss everyone and are looking forward to getting back home with these boys! ~

We may not have a chance to post more before we get back home due to travel and tight schedules in Kiev.

A Day of Rest and Recovery

2008-01-28T11:30:00.000-06:00

January 27: I was feeling much better when we woke up about 8:00am on Sunday morning so we decided that we would go to church even though we weren’t sure how much we would be able to understand. Although our taxi was a little late, we were still able to get to the service before it started. We were able to meet Ernie, Don’s friend who heads up the ministry here in Berdyansk before praise and worship began. We were glad that they repeated some of the songs that we had sung in December so that we were able to partially join in singing “Esoos” and other familiar words as they appeared on the overhead projector. When it came time for the sermon, we were surprised to see Ernie get up and start talking in English. As it turned out, he was preaching and Sergey was interpreting so we were probably able to understand the message better than the rest of congregation. He spoke on John 6 and in general how we should daily try to be more like Jesus. He challenged everyone to read the whole book of John and write down every attribute that we could find of Jesus and then pick our top 5 to work on in our own lives. He also used several good illustrations to get his point across. When the sermon was over, we participated in the offering march where everyone takes their offering to the front of the church before having a time for testimonies. One older man went to the front of the church and spoke for a few minutes and then broke into singing several hymns as the congregation joined in. He had a beautiful tenor operatic voice and obviously loved God with all of his heart. Another very short little woman came to the front and shared a poem about God. When the service ended, this little woman came up to Tamara and gave her a beautiful handmade placemat out of a bag she was carrying. It touched our hearts that one so obviously poor in a monetary sense was so obedient to give what she had to strangers like us. We looked in the church bookstore before catching a taxi back to the hotel where we ate lunch and then went back to our room to rest since the boys had an activity that they wanted to participate in all day.

After about a two hour nap, I went to the store to get us some groceries and then got on the Internet to upload several days of blogs and check email. When I got back to the room, Ginger called and talked to us for quite a while about a condo that she is very interested in before we finally went back to bed for the night.

A Day of Fun with Viktor and Sasha

2008-01-27T12:39:00.000-06:00

January 26: I slept until after 9:00am and only got up then because I knew that the hot water would be turned off at 10:00am and I better get my shower so that we could go and eat breakfast. After breakfast, we called Viktor to see what they were doing today. They told us that they wanted us to come and see them and play some ping pong and indoor football. We told them that we would be there in a few minutes and they seemed very happy. When we walked into the orphanage, Tamara decided to hide behind a wall in the hallway so they wouldn’t see her. She startled them as she jumped out when I walked them by where she was hiding. Sasha pulled out a yellow handmade bracelet for Tammy and tied it on her wrist. Viktor went to get the key to the ping pong room and we talked with Sasha. We enjoyed playing together for over an hour and then decided to go to the computer room. We checked our email and then showed them our blog and website. Viktor was very interested in this and to our surprise started reading what we had written out loud to Tamara. We didn’t realize he could read English so well. Sasha was interested for a few minutes but then decided that he wanted to play “Need for Speed” on another computer. He asked me to come over and watch him while Viktor continue to read different pages. Sasha kept asking me to try the game and I finally agreed (although I’m not very good). I played on one computer and he played on the on next to me. If I paused, he would smile at me and say, “Drive!” He seemed to enjoy that fact that we were playing together.

The lunch bell rang and the boys told us that they were going to eat. After only 10 minutes, they were back with a juice box and some candy for us. Viktor left and then came back to ask us if we could eat lunch with Galina in the kitchen. We agreed and they escorted us to a small dining room next to the kitchen. There was quite a spread including chicken soup, cabbage salad, fish, shepherd’s pie, bread, kielbasa, turkey, cheese, bread, poppy seed rolls with jam, and cookies. We enjoyed sitting and talking with Galina with the boys’ help. After we got back from eating lunch, Sasha played FIFA 2008 and I watched him play several games as Liverpool before it was time for them to play their indoor football game at 4:00pm. We watched and cheered for about 2 hours as they played a very fast paced game of 4 on 4 in the gymnasium. Both boys played very well and enjoyed having their parents affirm them even though the games were just for recreation. We were touched by the smiles on their faces when they heard us cheer for them when they made a good play. When the games were finished, we all went to get something to drink in the cafeteria and Viktor showed his paintings to Tamara. It was getting late, so Viktor asked if he could call a taxi for us. When this arrived, we all embraced as they escorted us to the back door of cafeteria so that we wouldn't have to walk all the way around the building in the cold. When we got back to our room I called Viktor to let him know that we were safe (since he had asked that I do so). We’re so impressed with the good manners these boys have, and they’re so considerate of us. I then tried to catch up on the blog for the last three days and Tamara went on to bed. It had been a very fun and happy day.

Another trip and some fun

2008-01-27T12:24:00.000-06:00

January 25: It was very hard for me to wake up the next morning because I had not been able to go to sleep as early as I had needed to the night before due to the kids calling and wanting to talk to us. I made my way to eat breakfast and then joined Misha in the taxi. We drove to the orphanage where we picked up Zhenya and gave Sasha his birth certificate and passport so that he could go and make a notarized copy of it while we were gone. Once again, our drive made very good time and we made it to the Tax Office by about 9:30am. There wasn’t a very long line so Misha was able to quickly speak to a lady about our situation. After showing her the Court Decree, passport and other documents that she needed, she quickly made the two corrections in the database. She was very apologetic and more that willing to promise that she would call the office in Zaporozhe and tell them that the changes had been made. She also gave Misha their phone number so that we could follow up with them. We then to the taxi to Molochansk and began looking for the doctor. When we couldn’t find her at first, the Director’s secretary arrived and was able to call someone to bring the form to the office. We compared the form to Viktor’s form and found that it looked the same. After saying goodbye to Zhenya, we headed back to Berdyansk.

On our way back, Sasha called to tell us that he had completed his mission and that he and Viktor would like for us to go with them to the bank when we got back to Berdyansk. Misha and I agreed to go even though we were both ready for a nap. When the bank reopened at 2:00pm, we all walked the several blocks to the bank where the boys had their accounts. Viktor had already withdrawn the rest of his money and had most of it changed into dollars but since Sasha was only 16, he needed me to sign with him to withdraw his money and close his account. The bank manager assisted us with the process and it only took about 20 minutes. I asked the boys if they wanted to get some lunch before they went back to the orphanage and they said that they did so we decided to eat at the Cossack Cafeteria. We all enjoyed our meals and talking with Misha’s help and the boys asked me to come and play ping pong with them for a while. We walked back to the hotel and I went to the room to check on Tamara. She wasn’t feeling well so she told me to just go and be with the boys for a while and she would rest. I was starting to feel like I was getting the same cold that Tamara had been struggling with for days but I wanted to have some fun with the boys (especially since Sasha had told me that he was going to beat me).

When I got to the orphanage, Sasha showed me a book of English phrases that he had bought and I explained several that he had questions about to both of the boys. Galina came down the hall toward us and said she wanted to show me some of the items that they had received from the shipment that we had sent. I asked Viktor to take pictures because I had not brought my camera with me. We took pictures of the soccer goal, pillows, blankets, and towels. She also told me that all the clothes had been distributed to the children. After this, it was time for the ping pong challenge. First, I played Viktor a few games which ended in a 2-2 tie while Sasha played against a friend of theirs (Andre). I thought that I was ready for Sasha but I guess I must be out of practice since he beat me three straight games with each one having a larger margin of victory. I congratulated him on beating me soundly and then quickly decided that we should play doubles the rest of the time with him as my partner. It was dark when I told them that I needed to go back to the hotel. Viktor called a taxi for me and they walked with me to leave when it arrived. When I got back to the room, Tamara and I talked and I rested for a while before we went downstairs for dinner. After dinner, I went to be and as soon as my head hit the pillow, I went to sleep.

Berdyansk Morning (Tamara’s Heart Reflection)

2008-01-27T12:23:00.000-06:00

Friday, January 25th, Middle of the night until around 4:00am.

Well, I’m finding myself back in the book of Psalms….104. It’s especially beautiful in the Old King James version and I happen to have a tiny one with me. It starts out with “Bless the Lord O my soul. O Lord my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty. Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment, who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain. Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters; who maketh the clouds his chariot; who walketh among the wings of the wind. Who maketh his angels spirits, his ministers a flaming fire; who laid the foundation of the earth, that it should not be removed forever. Thou coveredest it with the deep as a garment; the waters stood above the mountains……….”

I somehow feel I’m the only one awake in this dark, quiet, seaport city. As I look intently out the window in our little room, it’s just me and a soft, ivory moon staring back at each other. I feel as though I’m intruding on his privacy. I stretch and yawn as he hangs there, immobile, like a proud ruler of the midnight and dawn. I look out over the shadowy darkness of Berdyansk. I can’t believe I’m here for a third time, attempting to adopt three more older children. Berdyansk has been like a delivery room for me over the past 6 ½ years, as four of our children were born here in a village on the outskirts of town. Now, God has brought us back here, to this tiny piece of the world for three more. I gaze upward out over the bare trees and remember how I prayed and told the Lord I would go back to Berdyansk for the adoption only in warm weather. Being by the sea, Berdyansk can have icy winds that cut through you like a knife. In Alabama, we fry eggs on the sidewalk in hot, humid summers and sometimes wear no jackets at Christmas. I smile, very aware of the fact that He is God. He heard me, but he didn’t take into consideration my “condition”. It’s January and the glass on the window in front of me is icy. I can hear the wind outside. I could breathe hard and the windows would frost. I shiver as I realize that sometimes my prayers are cold and selfish.

I look out again into this lonely city called Berdyansk. I know the murky sea is just over and behind some buildings. Salty waves are tossing in the breeze, if at the moment there is not 4 feet of solid ice covering the top! Not far away are three boys peacefully sleeping in an orphanage where they first entered 9 years ago. That was the beginning of their struggle as “orphans” shortly after their young Mother died. Since that time, they have never seen anyone in their extended family again. I gaze upward, toward heaven, where I know she must be.

Just as in that timeless Psalm,…. the sky is like a charcoal curtain stretched out with stars like scattered specks of silver. I’m waiting here in the stillness of this morning at the verge of dawn, in more ways than one. I must admit, no matter how much we do, or how busy our day has been, I find myself anxiously waiting for that first ray of light to peek through over the distance. Right now, I’m listless as I stare out into the dark streets below. I read on and pause on a verse. “He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down.” How often do I realize the moon was “appointed” by God to do a specific job for the whole universe? I highly take that ball of light for granted, I think. The town has a dimly lit glow, like soft candlelight. A passing car causes a flicker of light on the streets. I keep reading. “O Lord, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom, thou hast made them all; the earth is full of thy riches.” I think of God’s wisdom, not just as Creator, but as my Heavenly Father.

I know my prayers might not always line up with the will of God. I pray for something, and at times, God says ok, yes. Other times I pray and He says, that isn’t the plan. Still I look up at this round, huge lantern in the sky, called a moon, and I know it’s there because a wise, sovereign Creator hung it there long ago. I didn’t have anything to do with that. Compared to Him,…yes, I am very small. But I rejoice that I don’t have to worry about my own life! He made the moon and the stars and set the heavens with the span of His Hand. I’m in that very Hand that carved out the universe, and this minuscule corner of the world by the Azov Sea called Berdyansk. I glance back at the psalm. “So is this great and wide sea, wherein things are creeping innumerable and great beasts. There go the ships…..”

He is a Mighty, Awesome Creator, filled with love and wisdom and He made everything there is and he made my children. He created them with me in mind. He placed a love for them in my heart that I simply cannot comprehend. He brought me here for His own purposes. Despite all of this, I could walk away. The thought crossed our minds in a moment of uncertainty. I could say that I’ve had enough of the resistance and struggle. But I would miss the miracle of this moment and of this day and of His plan.

He made this Berdyansk morning just for me. I know it. He knew long ago when He formed me in my Mother’s womb; I would someday awaken in the early morning to peer out this window, and up into the dark sky wanting to question Him. But I don’t question Him. I choose to trust Him. I read on. “These wait all upon thee, that thou mayest give them their meat in due season. That thou givest them they gather; thou openest thy hand, they are filled with good. Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled; thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust.”

I just said goodbye to two people who were like parents to me. They both died at Christmas after long illnesses…I lost a baby 3 years ago just before Christmas. It seems Christmas and winter have been full of grief over the past few years. Yet, God has changed my mourning to laughter. I can’t tell you how often on this trip I have burst into laughter. I am almost embarrassed as it has happened even in serious situations. It’s like I’m overflowing with joy and it just spills out regardless of the situation. The psalm continues, “The glory of the Lord shall endure forever; the Lord shall rejoice in his works.” I look at Sasha’s smile and his eyes and I see the sunrise. I can’t help but smile. I can’t help but laugh. I look at Vitya’s face and remember how I wept for him and his situation. Now, we’re here and I can embrace him and hear his laughter. I don’t know where you can find joy like this anywhere in the world. Simply doing God’s will brings joy. The verses end with,“ I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. My meditation of him shall be sweet; I will be glad in the Lord.” Zhenya was torn away from his brothers when he was seven and still hurting over the loss of his Mother. Now, he stands before me with open arms, wanting a hug. When he sees us, a smile breaks out, although he is more shy and tries not to show his emotions. Coming here was definitely part of His plan.

In creation we observe there is a time and a season for everything. I’ve had a season of mourning. I’ve had my time to cry and I walked that path and endured it. And I’m finding myself at the threshold of another season….. and I am laughing. How often do we give up in a difficult season, when there is another season about to begin that will bring us great delight? So, I thank God for this Berdyansk morning, a new beginning, another season. I thank God for this change in my life, and for leading me here, despite the difficulties along the way.

Soon, the struggles will fade in our memory. I pray that when I look back on this time, I won’t even remember the cold outside or the icy, unkindness of some of the officials, or the problems we faced. I pray all that remains in my memory are moments like this one…this quiet morning with God, Sasha’s radiant smile, Vitya’s glowing eyes and laughter, Zhenya’s warm hug.

If even the moon was appointed by God to be steady and sure for centuries, then surely I can stand still for a little while and trust a Wise, Sovereign Creator. I too can be still and simply shine in the darkness. And maybe, someone looking out their window one restless morning will see my light…and choose to trust God even more. ~

Back to Zaporozhe, again

2008-01-27T12:19:00.000-06:00

January 24: Thursday was to be a very full and exhausting day for Misha and me. Our first mission was to meet Viktor and Ileana at the Passport Office to get then new stamps for both Viktor and Sasha’s passports. We all met at the office about 9:15am and after about of hour of visits to different officials by Ileana, she completed the task and handed the corrected passports over to us before she returned to the orphanage. While we were waiting for Ileana, Misha called the Tax Office in Takmak and the Director to find out what was wrong with Zhenya’s form. Nothing was found to be out of order since the number had not changed and his new name was on the form. The next task was to get everything pulled together to file for Viktor’s passport. We made copies of the corrected passport, my translate passport, and Viktor’s birth certificate before going to the notary to obtain a notarized copy of the birth certificate. We then had to search several stores for two folders for the documents before Victor and Misha went to the bank to pay the application fee. I went back to the notary to pick up the certificate but they told me that Viktor would need to come so I called Misha and told him to send Viktor to get it. We then met together once more at the Passport Office and took our documents in to office number 8 so the man accepting the application could verify that everything was in order. He said that everything looked good but that we would need to have Galina sign and put her stamp on three forms. He also told Viktor that he needed to shave and change into a different color shirt before they could make his picture and that he should come back at 4:00pm. We decided to ride the bus to the orphanage which was probably a mistake since it took longer that we expected and we were then delayed further as we met with Galina because she needed to vent about Valery leaving us before the process was finished. I tried to defend Valery but it was a lost cause. Finally, she signed and stamped the forms and we called our taxi driver that was going to take Misha and me to Zaporozhe. We first had to go back to the Passport Office to deliver the application package. Unfortunately the door was locked for their lunch hour so we stood there for a few minutes trying to decide what we should do. Miraculously, at that very moment the man that we need to see walked out of the door on his way to lunch so Misha asked him what we should do. He told us to have Viktor bring everything with him at 4:00pm and the he would also help Viktor write a letter requesting expediting his processing. He also told us that he had to go to Zaporozhe the next morning so he would hand carry the application and give it to the office there. We couldn’t believe how God had helped us finish Viktor’s process and giving us such great favor. It was already almost 2:00pm when Misha and me left the office and headed on our way to Zaporozhe while Viktor went to get something to eat and wait for his appointment.

Normally, I wouldn’t want to ride in a taxi going almost 120 km/hr on the road to Zaporozhe but because I could tell that the car handled well and the driver was very careful while passing, I was glad that we were making such good time. Incredibly, we were in the outskirts of the city in less than two hours and arrived at the passport office a little after 4:30pm and went in to talk to Alexander about the corrections to Sasha’s passport and Medical Form and about Zhenya’s Tax ID. We also told Alexander that about Sasha’s birth certificate being reissued. After a few minutes of looking at the computer and the documents, he told Misha that if we brought a notarized copy of Sasha’s birth certificate with us when we came to pick up the passports that he would be able to process his application and we should be able to get his passport next Tuesday. Unfortunately, he still had problems with Zhenya’s Tax ID. It turned out that although nothing printed on the form was incorrect, the person in Takmak had failed to change his birth date and delete the previous information in the Father’s name field. He also told us that he needed a Medical Form for Zhenya as well but that we could bring it when we picked up his passport. The bad news was that we would need to go to Takmak and get the database updated before Zhenya’s application could be submitted and that this would mean that his passport would be delayed until Thursday or Friday. I couldn’t believe what Misha translated to me when he told me this and immediately asked Misha to please go back to Alexander and ask if there was anything that could be done to get Zhenya’s application back in synch with Sasha’s. The only hope that he could give us was for us to get the database changed ASAP and then call him and the Tax Offices in Zaporozhe and Kiev to tell everyone that the corrections had been made and to ask them to please get Zhenya’s passport finished as early as possible.

Since it was already 5:30pm and we were leaving Zaporozhe in rush hour traffic, we knew that we would have to accomplish this task the next morning. We stopped to get some dinner since we had not eaten anything since 8:00am and then headed back to Berdyansk. I prayed in the back seat for God to please help us get Zhenya’s passport on the same day as Sasha’s (Tuesday would be best but Wednesday at the latest). This would give us a chance to get the medicals and US Embassy documents and Visas completed before the weekend. When we finally arrived back at the Berdyansk Hotel, we were exhausted but we agreed to meet at 8:15am the next morning to take Zhenya to the Takmak tax office and then to the Molochansk orphanage to get the Medical Report.

A long day in Zaparozhe

2008-01-24T15:56:00.000-06:00

January 23: Don, Misha and Inna picked us up at 8:15am and we picked the boys up about 8:30am and we all squeezed out way into the van for the trip to Zaporozhe to conquer birth certificate stamps, passports, and police clearances. It was much warmer but we had to deal with some bad fog as we got closer to Zaporozhe. When we reached the edge of town, we chose to try a new road which caused us to get lost for about 45 minutes before finally locating the birth certificate office about 11:30am. Misha and I hurried to the bank next door to pay the fee (all major fees to government offices in Ukraine are paid to their bank accounts and not at the office itself in order to eliminate theft and corruption) before going into the office. I wondered why there were not any people waiting outside the office door and when we knocked and entered the door we found out that they were supposed to only be doing office work and not accept anything from the public on Wednesday. My heart sunk for a moment before Misha began telling one of the ladies about our situation. After a few minutes, they agreed to handle our stamps but that the certificates would not be ready until 3:00pm. We were so glad that they would do them at all that we agreed and then headed for the passport office.

Once we entered the passport office and found Alexander (the man that Valery had been working with), we took out the package of required papers for all three boys. He looked at Viktor’s papers first and unfortunately pronounced to us that he would not be able to process them (just as we had feared). He said Viktor would need to file his paperwork in Berdyansk as any other adult even though he had been adopted and that this process could take as much as one month. He next began processing Sasha and Zhenya’s paperwork and found something wrong with each. Sasha (and Viktor) would have to take their internal passports back to Berdyansk and get a different stamp put in them to show that they were still living in Berdyansk. Zhenya’s problem would require him to get a new tax id form in Takmak and return in to Zaporozhe. They went ahead and took the Sasha and Zhenya’s pictures to transmit to Kiev but would require us to fix these issues and also give them an updated medical report with their new names on it, before they could receive their passports. Before Misha and I went and stood in a long line to make the payment at the bank, Alexander had told us that his office could process the police clearance forms but when we returned, he changed his mind (probably because we had already caused him to work through his lunch hour) and we had to go to the normal office to do this.

It took us a few minutes to locate the building since we had not been there before but the one man and one woman that were in the office were very helpful and friendly, even though she had to redo all the boys’ forms by hand. The craziest thing that happened to us was when we went to the bank to pay the fee, it was broken up into what seemed like 25 pieces and we had to wait for a slow dot matrix printer to print out the forms which I had to sign. This took what seemed like and eternity since it was already time for us to be back at the birth certificate office. We finally finished and rushed in to hopefully just grab the certificates and then finally go eat. Instead, they told us that two of the three certificates had been rendered void by a notary writing on the back. They had reissued them completely and after a little scare when I couldn’t find a translated copy of my passport at first, I signed several books before we had to go back to the bank one last time to pay a very small fee for them making copies.

There was nothing else that we could accomplish due to the time of day so we decided to go to McDonalds before heading back to Berdyansk. The boys all ordered Big Mac combos and then had hot fudge sundaes for desert and we all enjoyed fellowshipping in an environment that almost made you feel like you were back in America (until you tried to order off the menu). The trip home was very nice. We looked at photos of the kids and family trips on my laptop while Misha translated. Tammy told a long description about each of our children and their activities and personalities. We both answered any questions that the boys wanted to ask us about what life would be like in Alabama and the Swan family. We dropped the boys off at the orphanage and they hugged us goodbye. Don drove us to the hotel and I typed all of this blog while Tammy went to bed for some well deserved rest.

Changing plans, as usual

2008-01-24T15:52:00.000-06:00

I went to the passport office at 8:00am only to find out that it didn’t open until 9:00am. After coming back to the hotel for a few minutes, I returned about 9:00 and they finally opened the doors at about 9:10am. A few minutes later Ileana and the boys arrived. Unfortunately, we couldn’t begin the process of getting their corrected passports until the Director of the passport office arrived about an hour later. The boys had to have their pictures retaken and we had to pay the fee again even though it was their fault the original passports had been done incorrectly. About 10:30, Ileana came over to me after talking to the Director and told me that we would have to pick up the new passports on Thursday! This would not work at all for our process schedule so we called Valery on his cell phone and Ileana carried the phone into the office for him to speak to the Directory. When she came back out, the news was a little better; we could pick them up after 3:00pm.

In order to not waste the whole day and at least accomplish something that we needed to do, we decided to go to Molochansk and pick up Zhenya so that he could be with us for at least the next couple of days. Don was going to take us but realized that he wouldn’t have enough time so we called one of our taxi drivers, Sasha to take us. We also took Misha (a college student who had helped Don teach Viktor and Sasha English) along with us to serve as our translator. After stopping in Takmak to buy a couple of torts and some drinks to share with some of Zhenya’s friends, we finally bounced our way to the Molochansk orphanage. We went into the Director’s office and the lawyer, Olga, also joined us. They told us that we would need to follow a more strict set of steps before signing the paper that officially released Zhenya into our care. The most disturbing point was that they insisted that Valery would have to be present in order to “put his mark” on the document since he was the facilitator/licensed translator that had been involved with our process up to this point. They also told us which days certain offices were closed that had to be part of this process and we attempted to determine which day we could complete all the required steps. We also told the Director that we would like to make a donation to the orphanage and for him to be thinking of the greatest needs that they had. He also had Zhenya’s transcript ready and gave it to us. Meanwhile, back in Berdyansk, Viktor and Sasha picked up their new passports and took copies of them to the tax office and obtained their new tax id forms.

When we asked what we should do about a small party with the torts and drinks, we were told to let Zhenya take them to the dorm and just share with his friends. We asked how we could find Zhenya which ended up not to be very difficult since he was waiting outside the office door when we opened it. After giving him hugs and showing him the food, he took off for the dorm. We followed him there after a little delay talking to one of his caregivers who wanted to check us out to make sure that we would love him as much as she did. When we got to Zhenya’s floor, he informed us that they had all just eaten and he would rather we all just go ahead and leave for Berdyansk and let his friends have a party without him later. We thought this was a little strange but were able to get him to pose for some pictures with his friends before heading out. We had planned to take the boys to see National Treasure, Book of Secrets when we got back to Berdyansk and ate some supper but when we found our that it didn’t start until 9:30pm, we decided to just eat and then go to the orphanage for a while to spend some time with all three boys together.

When we arrived, we found the Viktor and Sasha in the cafeteria. Sveta, the Assistant Director was also there and offered us some tea. While we were drinking our tea, Tamara complimented Sveta on her beautiful hair clip. Much to our surprise, she grabbed it from her hair and forced Tamara to take it from her even though we both pleaded for her to keep it. She is such a kind and sweet person and she cares about the children very much. Since the ping pong room had been locked, we decided to go upstairs to the room where we had the party and talk for a while with Misha’s help. We explained as much as possible to the boys about the remaining steps that were left before we could go home to Alabama and answered any questions that they had. After Don arrived to pick us up, Tamara and I decided to go with him, Inna, and Misha to Don’s apartment to see what it and the other apartment looked like. We ended up staying and talking about potential new ministry opportunities to adoptive families and mission groups until about 10:00pm before they took us back to the hotel.

Tamara's early morning thoughts

2008-01-21T23:13:00.000-06:00

From Tammy: It’s January 22, very early in the morning. Right now, I have a very bad cold and am achy and congested. I’m constantly sneezing. Curtis has been so sweet to have room service bring several meals and hot tea for me. I agree with him that for only a dollar extra, this is a great help. I’m finally on an antibiotic, so I hope I’ll feel better soon. I’ve been going to sleep at night around 11:00 pm and then waking up at 2:30 or 3:00 am every morning and haven’t been able to go back to sleep. So, I’ve been using the time to read my Bible and devotions. I also spend a good bit of time walking around the room with my hands lifted praying and interceding for our process and our children/family back home. I’m praying that our needs will be met and that God will remove obstacles. I have to constantly keep the lines of communication open between me and God. I can’t do this without Him, because there are too many unknowns. I have to totally rely on Him and ask for His help. I’m sensing His presence with us and take note of little blessings along the way. He is a God of details and cares about us every step of the way, like in the cafe when Curtis was trying to order our food a few days ago. We’re usually the only ones around who can speak English. Total there are only 8 Americans in Berdyansk. Hearing someone speak English is rare here. He didn’t know how to say chicken or ham sandwiches and was struggling, and this woman we’ve never seen before just walked up who could speak English/Russian and helped him order his food. He came back to the room with exactly what I wanted, a chicken sandwich. I said, “How did you get this? And he told me the story of the woman appearing at just the right moment. God cares about times like that when we really do need his help, like when we’re facing these officials who present great obstacles in our adoption process, or when we’re just trying to order a sandwich. He is a God of love and compassion. His Word is so true that He will never leave or forsake us. He is a wonderful God.

What a way to start the week!

2008-01-21T13:13:00.000-06:00

January 20-21: Neither one of us were able to sleep well on Saturday night. It was almost dawn when we finally went into a deep sleep and I was the first to wake up at almost 11:00am. Obviously church was out of the picture so we decided to just make our Sunday a day of rest. The one exception was that I decided to wash some clothes in our bathroom sink. I hope you get a laugh out of what happened to my looooooong johns. We did venture out for a late lunch and enjoyed walking in the snow. After we got back to the room, Valery told me that he needed to talk to me. He had just found out that he would need to travel back to Kiev on Monday night to meet another couple at the airport. I was a little shocked to hear this but felt that everything would be well on its way to being finished by the time he left and that we could handle the rest by talking to him on the phone when necessary.

Monday, January 21 was supposed to have been the busiest day of our process. We needed to go to the tax office and get Viktor and Sasha’s new forms to take with us to Zaporozhe and then hit the road to Molochansk to pick up Zhenya before going to Zaporozhe to get stamps for their birth certificates and apply for their passports. Tamara and I got up early after another almost sleepless night and were ready to eat breakfast as soon as the cafe opened while Valery went to the tax office. When Valery returned for the office, we could tell by his expression that he didn’t have good news. The first thing that he said to us in his heavy Russian accent was “Let us go sit down, we need to talk”. It turned out that the Berdyansk passport office had made an error on both Viktor and Sasha’s passports that would cause them to have to be reissued before we could get their tax ID and be able to go to Zaporozhe. Even worse news was delivered when Valery reminded us that the passport office was closed on Monday. I couldn’t believe this was happening to us, just because they had put the boys’ new middle names on the line reserved for the derivative of the father’s name (like Dimitryvich) would normally go. Even after we both went back to plead our case and Galina (the orphanage director) called on our behalf, the tax office and the Zaporozhe passport office would not agree to let this go. I was severely crushed at first, mostly due to my knowledge that this meant that we would lose a whole day and then have to try to get new passports and then do everything on Tuesday that we should have done on Monday without Valery.

My first (and as usual, selfish) reaction to this situation was for Tamara and I complete everything that would require both of us in Berdyansk and Molochansk and then go to the US Embassy in Kiev on Wednesday for Tamara to sign papers. This would allow us to make our flights back and for me to come back in a few weeks when all the dust settled on our messed up process and take all the boys home. After praying and talking with both Tamara and Karen Springs (with Project Emmanuel in Kiev), I realized however that I was just angry and not trusting that God was big enough to help us navigate through this bureaucratic maze (even without Valery’s physical presence). Karen promised to help me by contacting the airlines for me about out potential changes. I was convicted that Jesus didn’t choose the easy way out; He walked the hardest road that anyone ever could to pay for our sins on the cross. We can go home on our scheduled flight Thurs. or we can stay in Ukraine a few more days and face the unknown obstacles. We can walk through this and just try to get the boys home with us as soon as we can. It is going to require much more faith to stay with this being our second trip, on our 9th day and having already been away from home 13 days in Dec. for the first trip. We had to miss Christmas Day with our kids and family. Yesterday was Ella’s birthday and we’ll have to celebrate when we return home. We’ve had to juggle things around and accept things being different from the way we had planned. God’s will isn’t always convenient. We decided to go forward and let God “make our paths straight” and take it one day at a time to see what He reveals to us. I realize that we can’t see the future but He already knows what is going to happen.

We decided to arrange with Galina for us to come sign the papers that allow us to take the boys from the orphanage when we leave in order to get that part of the process out of the way before Valery left. We picked up the Inspector and drove to the orphanage. When we entered Galina’s office, she greeted us and presented us with a stack of the boys’ pictures and diplomas. She then brought in the only two girls that were still left at the orphanage from the 2B class with Kristina Spangler. Galina wanted us to take a picture of the girls to send to Kristina. The girls told us that they also remembered our daughter Brooke (a.k.a. Yulia). We could hear Valery and Olga (the school lawyer) discussing the passport situation as they prepared the papers for us to sign. After we finished signing the forms, Viktor and Sasha came in and we to the library to talk and look at the suitcase that we purchased for Sasha while Valery went back to town for a few last minute errands. We enjoyed talking with the boys and were disappointed when we saw Valery enter the room because we knew we would have to return to the hotel. I knew that he needed to give me all the documents that we would need to complete our process and time was running short for him to make it to Melitopol in time to catch the 7:00pm train to Kiev. Viktor walked us to the taxi and hugged us goodbye, while Sasha took his new suitcase back to his room.

When we got back to the hotel, Valery carefully explained what we would need to do and how he had organized the documents for each office in folders for me. Finally, I felt comfortable that with the help of God, the boys and Misha, a college student friend of our Missionary friend Don Norton (who volunteered to drive us to Zaporozhe) we could make it. Valery reluctantly left our room and headed off to Melitopol. Hopefully, the next time we see each other is when Tamara, Viktor, Zhenya, Sasha and I arrive in Kiev to finish the process at the US Embassy. That is what I am asking God to do for us!

After all the stress of the day, lack of sleep, and Tamara fighting a bad head cold, we had the cafe bring dinner to our room and went to bed early. We thought for only a dollar extra, we would take advantage of this service, especially since it was rainy and cold outside. Lord, please bless us tomorrow with all the answers to prayers that we need. Amen.

First passport phase complete

2008-01-19T12:49:00.000-06:00

January 19: I woke up about 9:00am and got ready to go to the passport office and meet Valery and the boys. Since Tamara told me that she had not been able to sleep from 2:00 -7:00 am, I quietly left the room so that she could rest. The boys and the orphanage lawyer arrived a few minutes after I did and then Valery got there about ten minutes later. The passports were ready as promised but it took about two hours for the boys to complete some other forms that were required. Finally, everything was finished and Valery, the boys and I went to a shop to get some copies made of the new passports and our passports before the boys went back to the orphanage and we returned to the hotel.

Tamara was still resting so I went downstairs to eat breakfast/lunch and to bring something back to the room. After staying in the room for a couple of hours, Valery called and told me that Galina would be leaving in about thirty minutes and that I needed to come and talk with her about several things. I left immediately and spent some time discussing the status of Dima, Ella, Brooke, and Baylee’s little brother, Sasha and their birth-mom. We then talked about the boys’ money and their wishes to give a donation for repairs to the orphanage. We were very touched by the generosity and unselfishness of Vitya and Sasha. Due to the death of their Mother when they were younger, they have always received a small check from the Government. They have somehow managed to save several thousand dollars each. Today, they went to the bank and withdrew $2,000 each and presented $4,000 to Galina to use for Orphanage repairs and replacements. We were pretty blown away that they did this! We told them we had just sent a huge shipment for Berdyansk and we knew of many groups who were blessing and helping the school. Nothing could sway them from the burden they had and they were determined to give the donation. They said they knew of some specific needs the orphanage has, such as windows that needs replacing, and they wanted to provide the funds for this. We have to praise GOD for these boys and for their hearts to care for those children who being left behind. Thank you, God, for their unselfish hearts which is a huge blessing for us!

After this we went on a tour for me to take pictures of improvements that had recently been made using gifts from American sponsors (including the water purification system that our small group at church had sent). By the time we finished the photo tour, it was time for the boys’ party. Valery and I stayed for the first part of the party which began with toasts made with peach soda and Pepsi. I took pictures of their friends and teachers enjoying the cakes and tangerines. Viktor and Sasha made a goody bag for their Mom that included cake, candy and tangerines before we left for the hotel. After writing this blog, we went down to eat supper and then checked email and uploaded blogs.

God is in control

2008-01-19T12:44:00.000-06:00

Jan. 18: (By Tammy) We met Valery at the Notary’s office and had to have the boys’ Passport applications notarized. After this, we went to some indoor shops across the street, (a mini mall) and found some rolling suitcases for Zhenya and Sasha suitable enough to be considered carry on size. We then made our way back to the hotel. Valery was off again to the bank for some business and to exchange some money for us. The school will be giving Viktor and Sasha a party/dance in their honor tonight, so we’ll also provide some fruit and tortes (cakes) for this event. Curtis braved the outdoor market to purchase some very large boxes of tangerines. The children rarely have fresh fruit to eat in the orphanages and usually are not given any citrus fruit in the winter. So, we thought it would be nice to bless them at the party with some fresh fruit.

We’re a little concerned that because of all the paperwork having to be done in Berdyansk and Zaporozhe that we haven’t even seen Zhenya yet. We’ll see him tomorrow when we have to go back to Zaporozhe for the Foreign Passport photos and then back to Takmak, because all three boys have to be present for this. We’ll also be spending time with him in Kiev before we leave. We hope this will be ok for him and we won’t feel like total strangers when we leave for the U.S. We have to admit we’re disappointed about Viktor not being able to go with us and know he is too. We’re trying to have good attitudes and trust God there is a reason he has to be delayed. We know we’ll all be together in Alabama soon.

As I’ve been waking up in the middle of the night for several hours, I’ve been turning to God’s Word to calm my heart and strengthen my trust in Him. Psalm 146 was especially encouraging to me last night, that He cares for the cause of the orphan and obviously cares for those involved in pleading their case. A portion of it reads, “Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God: who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in it, who knows truth forever: who executes judgment for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets free the prisoners. The Lord opens the eyes of the blind, the Lord raises them that are bowed down, and the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord preserves the strangers; He relieves the fatherless and the widow; but the way of the wicked he turns upside down. The Lord shall reign forever, even your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the Lord.” So, I know that God is actively involved in the process of caring for orphans and He surely sees our situation right now.

(By Curtis) Tamara wasn’t feeling well so only Valery and I went to the orphanage about 4:00pm to take the cakes and tangerines and to talk with Galina about a few things. When we arrived, we could tell that there was something was very wrong by the sound of Galina’s voice on the phone. One of her assistants sent for the boys and the three of us went out in the hall to talk while Galina finished her conversation. Much to our surprise, Viktor told us that the party would not be held tonight because all of the children had to attend a performance by the small children in downtown Berdyansk and they would have to leave at 5:00pm. They were very happy about the cakes and tangerines and also told us that the party would now be on Saturday night. We asked permission to store the cakes and tangerines in the cafeteria refrigerator and I walked there with the boys. The cafeteria at the orphanage is spacious and very clean and has artwork hanging on the walls of the dining area. Sasha pointed out a beautiful painting of a flower arrangement that Viktor had done. We went back to Galina’s office and she told us that she was upset because a father had taken his son and daughter for a couple of days to visit and had not returned them when he promised. The police had checked his home and no one was there so Galina was worried about where they were (fortunately we found out the next day that the children had been returned and were unharmed). Because of this situation, we told Galina that we would wait until Saturday to talk with her and we returned to the hotel while Viktor and Sasha went to the concert.

When I got back to the room, Tamara was feeling better so we decided to go downstairs and get something to eat. There had been a birthday party for a little girl and we were the only guests being served beside what remained of the adults from the party. After we ordered the special for the night, chicken steak and mashed potatoes, we were surprised to find out that the people from the party sent over another dish for us to try. It was like a pastry with ground beef inside and it tasted delicious. I guess they thought that these two Americans would never order this dish on their own. I smiled at them and gave them the “thumbs up” sign to thank them for their kindness. After dinner, there were no free computers to check email so we just went back upstairs and watched and American movie on TV so we could follow what was happening enough to understand the plot. After talking to Baylee for a few minutes, we went to sleep.

Trying to get back on schedule

2008-01-17T13:43:00.000-06:00

January 17: We woke up in the middle of the night thinking that it was really 5:30 am when it was 2:30 am instead and when we finally went back to sleep, we didn’t wake up until 9:00 am. After talking to Valery about today’s schedule, I got ready and went downstairs for breakfast. Since Tamara was still resting, I had them bring her breakfast to the room. We then wrote some blogs and emails on my laptop before getting ready to go eat lunch with Valery. After lunch, we bought a few snacks and went back to the hotel. At 3:00 we walked to the passport office with Valery where we met Viktor, Sasha and the school lawyer. It only took about 15 minutes for the final paperwork to be submitted. We were told that they would be ready at 10:00 am on Saturday morning. Valery left for Takmak to do the same process for Zhenya (hopefully his passport will be ready on Saturday morning as well). We walked to the corner with the boys and after Viktor told his Momma that she needed to go buy a warm coat, they went to catch a bus and we returned to the hotel.

After a nap, we went down to eat dinner and spent quite a while at the internet cafe updating blogs. Valery called us to tell us that everything went well in Takmak and that Zhenya’s passport would also be ready on Saturday morning so that all three boys could go to Zaporozhe to apply for their new international passports and get police clearances. Karen Springs also called us from Kiev and we updated her on the latest news about our progress.

Visiting with Viktor and Sasha

2008-01-17T13:16:00.000-06:00

January 16: Valery was at the court as soon as they opened to get the corrections made to the Decree. I decided to call Lillia at the US Embassy in Kiev to ask for her help concerning Viktor’s passport process. We met Valery in the cafe for breakfast and then rode with him to get the new copies from the court. Afterwards, the taxi dropped us off at the orphanage to visit with Galina and the boys while Valery returned to Zaporozhe. Galina was very glad to see us and greeted Tamara with an embrace. We had been given a package by another American adoptive family, The Spanglers, to give to Galina so we presented it to her. She was overjoyed to see the letters and pictures. Since Valery wasn’t with us, we were all happy to see Viktor and Sasha enter the office because this meant that we would have some help communicating with each other. Sasha and Tamara roughly translated the Spangler’s letter for Galina before we went with the boys to the library to spend some time with them.

We had a good time talking with each other and were amazed at how well they understood us. Viktor had obviously learned a new phrase since we had been gone because he told us “one moment” when he wanted us to wait for him. We were impressed. Sasha was still ahead of him in speaking and understanding but Viktor had obviously progressed a lot over the past couple of weeks. Tamara decided to teach the boys something crucial to survival in the Deep South. She explained to them about the definition of “ya’ll” and how to pronounce it. This can be confusing to people who have never heard it, and in Alabama it’s a word that is sprinkled into every day conversation liberally, but you won’t find it on Rosetta Stone. Tamara also felt that we needed to explain the details of the long trip home and tell them how many planes they would be taking. She wanted to prepare them for travel on an airplane, and we gave some descriptions of what that is like. When we adopted Brooke, she threw up on every plane, so we felt a little preparation wouldn’t hurt. We also discussed the possibility of Viktor’s delay. Viktor was disappointed to learn that he would probably have to wait a few more weeks but he agreed that it would be best for his brothers to go on before him and get started in school. After over three hours of visiting with each other, it was time for us to take a taxi back to the hotel and then to Takmak to meet Valery and obtain the new birth certificates.

Lillia called me back with what initially seemed like good news about Viktor but after she talked with Valery, we learned that the delay is caused because he is registered with the military and needs to be taken off the draft list since he will be immigrating to America. We continued to pray that God would make this process as short as possible. After about 1 ½ hours, we arrived in Takmak and began searching for the birth certificate office. Finally, we were able to meet Valery’s taxi and he joined us. He told us that we had an hour before the certificates would be ready so we decided to get something to eat. After eating a delicious and overdue meal, we drove through a maze of small roads on a hospital complex to the office. The two ladies were very cordial to us even though they both had to work overtime to complete the certificates. Valery had told them about these three boys giving us a total of seven children adopted from Ukraine so they told us that we should have some kind of monument erected in our honor. We told them that God had blessed us by what he had led us to do and they wished us His continued blessings. This was the only point so far that gave Tamara tears in her eyes, when they handed us the boys’ birth certificates. After driving back to Berdyansk, I checked email and updated our expenses on my laptop before going to bed.

A Disappointing Day

2008-01-17T13:03:00.000-06:00

January 15: After Valery went to the court to get copies of the Court Decree, he and I met for breakfast and then headed for Zaporozhe while Tamara rested. It is a long, somewhat boring 2 ½ hour drive from Berdyansk to Zaporozhe (the city which wins the prize for the most correct ways to spell it and still be correct, I have chosen to use the shortest version). The most exciting thing to do along the way is count the number of chickens, geese, and turkeys that you see. On certain stretches, you can also gaze in wonder at how thousands of plastic bags had been strewn along the side of the road and across the beautiful fields (it looked like an entire garbage truck filled with plastic bags exploded and the wind spread them for about a mile in each direction). The main check points on the drive are reaching Takmak which is about the halfway point and then reaching the intersection of the road to Melitopol which means you are only about 50 km away.

After searching for the street and then the address for about 20 minutes, we finally located the birth certificate office. Since we were late, the woman helping us asked us to go on to the passport office and she would prepare the paperwork that we needed. After asking for directions about five times, we finally found the familiar street and building where we had been on both of our other two adoptions (it was interesting that I seemed to know my way around Zaporozhe better than Valery and our driver, but, after all, I had been there several times before). I sat in the taxi as Valery went in to check on the boys’ passport process. After about 30 minutes, Valery returned with some news that I didn’t really want to hear. The man in charge of reissuing the passports had told him that Viktor’s process could take up to 30 DAYS! This was due to the fact that he was already 18 and considered to be an adult (even though he is just a kid and has been living in an orphanage for the past 9 yrs.) so he would have to abide by the normal process that any adult that is immigrating to a foreign country has to follow.

I was still recovering from this news as we drove back to pick up the birth certificate paperwork. When Valery came out of the office, I could tell that something else was wrong because he had a downcast look on his face. When I asked if he had gotten what we needed, he reluctantly told me that the woman had found a couple of errors in the Court Decree document and that we would have to get them corrected and then bring it back to her the next day. This was the second blow in the gut in less than 30 minutes but I had to catch myself and focus on trusting that God knew all about this before we did and that He was able to take care of these obstacles. It was dark as we left Zaporozhe on the way back to Berdyansk and we were hungry and tired so we made one stop at the roadside market to get a few snacks at one of the kiosks. After we got back to the hotel, Tamara and I went down to the cafe and had dinner while I told her about everything that had happened. I was tired so I went to bed and Tamara wrote the blog about our time at home between trips and our return journey.

Back Home in Alabama

2008-01-15T21:05:00.000-06:00

December 30-January 14:
Tammy: We woke up feeling very weary from the journey. Somehow, Curtis managed to go to church with all the kids. I wondered at the time where he got the strength. I decided that I better stay home and try to recover before we had to go and greet family and friends at the funeral home for the visitation at 5:00 pm. I received a call from our longtime friend, Beverly Fuqua. She was calling to tell us that she had prepared lunch for our family and she and Jack would be delivering it in a couple of hours. It was a welcome call. She said in her sweet, southern voice, “I started to send flowers and I felt God speaking to me to make lunch for ya’ll instead.” God was speaking indeed. Beverly listened. The kids had managed to consume all the groceries while we were gone and hadn’t had a chance to restock. They all took turns staying at the hospital with Mimi, along with some of Mimi’s friends, and some family, Aunt Cyndy, (Tammy’s sister) Marmee, (Tammy’s Mother) and Eric, (Ginger’s fiancé). Ginger and Dima had both continued to work through all of it. We told them we wanted them to go on with Christmas while we were gone and also open presents on Christmas morning. The Sunday before Christmas, the Hornsby family had their party at Uncle Brad’s, (Tammy’s brother’s house) and then our kids, plus Eric, ate Dinner on Christmas day at Aunt Cyndy’s. Aunt Cyndy had a houseful. We felt it was good for the kids to get to be with some of the family in our absence. We’re so thankful for our family and friends for their support during the past few months.

We managed to get through the visitation later that afternoon and the tearful, but encouraging service the next day. Pastor Ron Higey, Mimi’s Pastor at Vestavia Alliance, officiated and offered words of comfort from the Bible and shared of the hope that we have in Heaven. Rev. Ivan Lay, a retired Missionary from Indonesia and a friend of our family, also read scripture and prayed from his heart. Sharon Roberts, a friend for many years from Westside Alliance, sang "Great is Thy Faithfulness". We were so thankful to Sharon for her willingness to sing in spite of some serious physical difficulties. Sharon was always Mimi’s favorite. Another blessing was Judy Gaskin, an active Missionary in Indonesia, in the states on a speaking tour, was able to attend both days. Judy gave a testimony during the service of Mimi’s friendship and support to her as a Missionary for many years. Pastor Blake Lindsey and his family, the campus Pastor at the Riverchase service where we attend, along with Pastor Layne Schranz, came to offer their support. I wondered before the service, because it was New Year’s Eve and so many people were still out of town and traveling home from Christmas, if many people would be able to attend. We were amazed that 150 friends and family made a special effort to attend the visitation and funeral service. We can’t say enough to thank everyone for the acts of kindness, the food, cards, emails from around the world, phone calls, flowers, and donations given to the Great Commission Fund in Mimi’s honor. She requested this in lieu of flowers because the ministry of Missions was always so important to her. We’re thankful for the families who helped us by having our kids over to spend the night or the day, so we could take care of many overwhelming details. The support of others has carried us through a very sad and difficult time.

The saddest part to me was driving back to the grave site later, to check on the gravestone. It had been accidentally bumped at some point and slightly damaged. All the people were now gone. The flowers were piled in a heap on Mimi’s grave. It was done. It was over. It seemed so final. She was in heaven now with her Sweetheart, Grandaddy. As I’m recalling this, I’m reminded this is an adoption journal, as we’re recording our account of something very happy and exciting in our lives. Only God knows why He would weave into this bright, joyful experience some dark threads of grief and sorrow. We can’t see the tapestry He is making. The only perspective of the tapestry we can see is a mess. He sees the perfect, beautiful picture He is creating. Someday we’ll know why He does what He does, in the timing that He does it. For now, we must simply trust Him. He is a Great, Awesome, Mighty, Loving God. And Mimi is with Him, enjoying His presence and the presence of Angels. She couldn’t even walk before she died. Now she is strong and well again. And I think, just like a friend, Mike Hanscom wrote in an email, that she is dancing with her Frank on streets of gold right now. That’s our comfort. That’s our peace. We’ll see her again. Pastor Layne told Curtis that after he left the funeral, he had to go to the hospital to visit a couple who had just had a baby. So, he was honoring one life on earth that just ended, and one life that was just beginning, meeting her parents and new family. As Curtis shared this with me, I was actually reminded that Mimi’s life is also just beginning, but in a new place, in heaven. So, in many ways she is like that newborn baby, starting all over and being re united with her parents and other family after so many years of separation.

The days that followed were filled with visits to lawyers, banks, back again to the funeral home several times, and other post funeral business. We also were frantically trying to get our flights back to Ukraine and weren’t being given much hope for all five us getting a return flight together.
Finally, Curtis was able to arrange our flights there and back. We packed and prepared our home to leave once again. The kids were not excited to say goodbye to us again. They knew it would be about ten days. We weren’t exactly looking forward to being away from them again or enduring the long, tiring flight. Still we had to press on and finish the course set before us. God called us to a task of going back for these boys, and that was the only joyful part in this scenario. We were excited at the thought of bringing them home.

Curtis woke up on Friday, January 11th very excited because he knew the time was drawing near. Our adrenaline began to flow and we managed to get all the last minute details in order. There is always so much to do, from finishing up bills, getting the kids’ school issues taken care of, restocking groceries, packing, arranging transportation to dental appointments while we’re gone, the list goes on. I think if we were still there, we would still be getting ready. J

Jan. 12th, was the day we chose to celebrate my birthday. Curtis made a reservation at Macaroni Grill at the Summit. He made it early for 5:30 pm so we could come home and finish packing. It was just our family of seven and Eric joined us. I enjoyed the food and the opera singer’s version of the birthday song in Italian. The waitress brought me a dark chocolate birthday cake with a candle. It looked scrumptious. It had dark chocolate sauce drizzled on top with dollops of whipped cream all around the plate. I had been fasting dessert and bread and was going to allow myself this one treat. I couldn’t wait to try it. We passed it around the table and I served myself a piece. I took one bite. Hhmmm. It tasted different from what I was expecting. I took another bite. I wondered why it tasted so odd. The waitress returned a few minutes later smiling, and asked me if I liked the cake. I honestly admitted, “Well, it’s not great.” She looked surprised at my honesty. “Really?” she asked. “What is it about it that you don’t like?” I told her it was the cake, not the chocolate drizzled or the whipped cream. She said, “Well, the reason I’m asking, is I don’t like it either. It has mayonnaise in it.” We all responded with, “Mayonnaise!!?” I had heard of putting mayonnaise in cake and biscuits, but I sure wasn’t expecting it to be in this yummy looking cake. This sparked a little memory from our first adoption trip to Berdyansk and I had a flash back as the waitress was still talking. We went to what was supposed to be an authentic Italian Restaurant in Berdyansk that served pizza. Curtis and Ginger and I were so happy to be getting pizza after weeks of eating Ukrainian food. However, one bite into the pizza told me someone had their facts wrong. We were very surprised to find there must have been a whole jar of mayonnaise hidden on top of the pizza under a smooth layer of cheese. Curtis hates mayonnaise and I can’t say I like it on pizza. Mayonnaise to Curtis is like a disease. He immediately pushed his chocolate cake away. I flashed back to the look on Curtis’ face when I told him the pizza had mayonnaise on it. Then I flashed back to Macaroni Grill and the waitress was still going on about how she doesn’t like the cake, “but hey, it’s free.” she said. It’s the day before we leave again for an adoption trip to Berdyansk and we’re in a truly authentic Italian restaurant. However, just like the Italian restaurant in Berdyansk and the pizza, we have a surprise with our cake… mayonnaise. God has a sense of humor for sure. Maybe, it’s a good sign.

Curtis woke up on Sun. Jan. 13th like a kid on Christmas morning. He was so energized he decided to drive Ginger to work at her downtown office at 7:00 am, and then go by Mimi’s house to get her mail. The purpose for this was so we could then meet Ginger back at her office later and she could drive us to the airport. He woke me up bouncing and happy. I was a little irritated by his energy so early in the morning, but was also excited.

We took the kids to attend the early service at the Riverchase campus, at Curtis’ prompting. Then, we drove to Ginger’s office and she took us the rest of the way to the airport. Baylee had spent the night at the Garrett’s the night before, Ella decided to stay home. Dima was meeting his Teacher, Jim Barnes for lunch after church. Only Brooke went along for the ride. As we hugged them both good bye at the airport, I couldn’t help but wonder how our story would turn out in the days that followed. I tossled Ginger’s reddish, blonde curls, and smoothed Brooke’s straight dark hair. Would we arrive back at that same location with three new brothers for them? I gave them one more tight hug, a kiss on the cheek and we were on our way. First flew to Cincinnati, then Frankfurt, and then Kiev. (You can tell Tammy is writing this, because she completely skipped over the flight details.) Valery greeted us in Kiev with a smile. It was good to see him and we chatted excitedly as we immediately made our way to the parking lot and taxi to drive to the Kiev airport. We asked about Yulia, and knew Karen would be arriving back in Kiev on the 16th, so we were just missing her. We had a smooth flight to Mariupol. We cautiously stepped off the plane into gentle gusts of icy wind. I had to be careful, because I had slipped on an icy patch in Frankfurt. Our driver, Sasha was waiting for us to take us to Berdyansk, back to our nice, warm rooms at the Hotel Berdyansk. We had only slept a few minutes here and there over the past 24 hours. Still, we made it.

Now….part 2 of our adoption journey begins.

Heading Home

2008-01-01T16:58:00.000-06:00

December 28: We had to get up at 4:00am for the drive to Mariupol. We got ready and left for the airport about 4:30am and made it there in about an hour and fifteen minutes. We sat in the cold, dark terminal for a few minutes as the workers and other passengers trickled in. About 6:30am, we checked our luggage and went through security and fifteen minutes later we all boarded the bus to the plane. The flight left even a few minutes ahead of time and was an enjoyable, comfortable experience with soft drinks, hot tea and candy bars being served to each of us. We arrived at Kiev at about 9:00am, retrieved our luggage and found our taxi driver waiting for us. When Valery called about our apartment, he found out that the one Yulia was planning for us to use would not be ready until 12:00 so he called someone about another apartment near where he lives that would be less money and closer to the airport. Since it would be ready at 11:00am, we decided to take it.

In the meantime, we decided to go to the CBN office and check our email. When we arrived, Valery took us to Steve Weber’s staff conference room. The secretary brought us some hot tea and a couple of minutes later, Steve came in to talk with us. We really enjoyed talking to Steve about our families, our experiences, the children adopted from Berdyansk, the last few days with the boys and several other topics. The most interesting one that he shared was that Valery had done some undercover work in Kherson after a judge had demanded a $1000 bride to complete a family’s adoption process. He was approached by the authorities to go back to the judge equipped with all the 007 gadgets (hidden camera and microphone) in order to get the evidence needed to convict the judge. It was good to hear that something that was an acceptable part of the adoption process six years ago when we came for our first adoption, was now not only frowned upon but was being prosecuted in an attempt to eliminate it completely. We not ready to leave but Valery reminded us that someone was waiting to let us in the apartment so Steve quickly gathered up three Bibles, three New Testaments, two C.S. Lewis books and a couple of copies of a Creationist newspaper for the boys to have. Hopefully, we will be able to have more time with Steve and his family on our next trip through Kiev.

We drove to the apartment, took in our luggage and then walked to a nearby outdoor market area to eat and look for some DVDs for Dima and the boys. We enjoyed our dishes from a small cafeteria and then started the DVD search. We ended up buying five DVDs containing over 30 movies for about $26. (Later, we realized the movies weren’t great quality, so not such a great bargain.) We then rode a bus to a grocery store near our apt. for some snacks.

After we got back to the apartment, Valery and I balance our books for the process so far to be sure that we didn’t owe him money. After he went home, Tamara and I watched parts of the Russian versions of Nacho Libre, Mr. Bean’s Holiday and a few parts of some other movies before realizing that it had gotten cold in the apartment. First we both put our jackets on and then we covered up with the comforter before I was able to figure out how to adjust the radiator. Since it was now dark outside and we didn’t really want to go out to eat, I decided to find an ATM and go back to the grocery store for some real food. I was able to buy some bread, cheese, cabbage and carrot salad, either bologna or something similar to it, pelmeny and some potato chips all for a little over $8. After we ate, we watched part of the World’s Strongest Man competition with the sound turned off before I came in the kitchen to write this blog. I am trying to stay up late enough to sleep until about 9:00am since we won’t be leaving for our flight until 10:00am. I don’t want to wake up in the the night and stare at the ceiling for two or three hours.

December 29: Tamara woke up earlier than I did and was almost ready to go before I even got out of bed. I got up, ate as much of the leftover food as possible and took a shower before getting ready. We had all of our bags packed when Valery arrived a little after 9:30am. The landlady arrived a few minutes later and we talked with Valery about our return trip plans while we waited on the taxi. Although it was Saturday, Valery told us that it was still a work day for most people in Kiev because of the upcoming holiday week. The traffic wasn’t very bad at all so we arrived at the airport at about 10:30am. Valery walked us into the terminal and we said our goodbyes before proceeding to the Delta check-in for our flight. The line was short at the passport control windows and we had no problems. The Delta agent had some difficulty printing my boarding passes but the issue was resolved in plenty of time for us to drink a Coca-Cola Light as we waited for our flight to board.

Finally, it was time to board our flight to New York – JFK. This was the first time that we had flown directly from Kiev to the United States so we were excited to see what it would be like to not have some kind of European connection. After getting settled in for our ten and a half hour flight, we departed Kiev on schedule. We had a good flight with two meals and an ice cream snack, three movies, some TV shows and no sleep. The highlight of the flight was the view that we had of ice drifts and glaciers as our flight path took us close to the Arctic Circle. It was a beautiful sight and we took several pictures from the window. Although we had pretty strong headwinds, the flight arrived in New York pretty much on time. When we got to customs, there was a fairly long line that didn’t move very fast but we were able to endure the wait and made our way to the Delta domestic flight check-in and our gate for the flight to Atlanta. The flight boarded on time and I was amazed how quickly we taxied to the runway and took off. The 757 was equipped with satellite TV and since we had and empty seat between us, I watched the Mississippi State and UCF game at the same time as the New England and New York Giants game while an exhausted Tamara finally got some sleep. We arrived in Atlanta about 30 minutes early but unfortunately our perfect trip so far was about to be derailed. First, there was a gate change for our flight to Birmingham and then about and hour and a half delay due to the plane being late and then needing two new tires. Finally, we boarded and taxied off as the last plane out of Atlanta after Midnight for the 25 minute flight to Birmingham. I commented to the stewardess that this was the first time that I had ever arrived at my destination a day before I left since it would still be about 11:45pm CST when we arrived. We were really dragging as we looked for our daughter Ginger who was supposed to be waiting for us. Since she and her fiancé, Eric, had come in her Volvo C70 and one of her friends had come along in her car, I had to drive her car back home. This was not pleasant for either of us since all we wanted to do was fall into our bed and pass out. We made it home about 12:30am…….

Tammy: When we arrived home it was after midnight and the house was dark and strangely quiet. The kids were obviously all asleep. I felt a twinge of sadness as I entered the back door and noticed a small pile of “stuff” strewn on the floor in the sunroom. It was Mimi’s belongings from the hospital….some Gospel music cd’s, her bag of clothes, cards and plants from friends who were praying for her. It was comforting to see the Christmas tree. I smiled when I saw the evidence of Christmas morning and opened presents here and there. Our presents were still wrapped and arranged neatly under the tree in a semi circle. Baylee probably did this. She was our official present arranger. I knew it had been hard for them for us to be away, not just because of Christmas, but because of all that was happening with Mimi. Ella woke up to give both of us a hug. Dima heard us and came upstairs looking pitiful because he needed some cold medicine. They seemed happy and relieved we were home. I climbed into bed and slid under our wonderful comforter. To sleep in our own bed was a gift, like we had been given a priceless treasure. I knew we had left unfinished business in Ukraine. I thought of the boys and their smiling faces. At the next moment, however, our mattress felt like a cloud and within minutes I gently drifted off to another land.

Court Day

2007-12-28T02:37:00.000-06:00

December 27: After waking up early, I made the mistake of going back to sleep from 7:00am until 9:00am. I felt incredibly drowsy until after I had my shower and we went down to eat breakfast. We met the Rahns in the hallway and all decided to eat together. It was such a blessing to get to share stories from our lives and our adoptions as we ate and then for at least an hour afterward. Please take a minute as you read this and pray for God’s intervention in the problem they are having obtaining their daughter-to-be Marina’s paperwork from the SDA. (She was registered for adoption in 1999 but her file was lost in the transition from the NAC to the SDA and she is now needing to be re-registered without having to wait any more time.) We look forward to keeping in touch with Rick and Fran and their girls when they get back home in Virginia. After our long talk, we checked email before heading up to rest prior to going to court. Valery called and told us that all went well at the Donetsk bus station and that he would be back by about 1:30pm. About 2:00 pm, Valery called and told us that Zoya (our taxi driver) would be at the hotel in about 10 minutes to pick us up. We made one stop at a travel agent to check on our tickets from Mariupol back to Kiev tomorrow morning but they could not provide them the same day.

Finally, the time came for us to arrive at the court. Just as we were driving up, Nataliya called me on the cell phone asking where we were, that Zhenya wanted to know why we weren’t there yet. He and the boys were relieved when I told her that we were about to walk into the building. They all smiled from ear to ear when they saw us arrive on the second floor outside the judge’s office. Nataliya, Yuri, Nastya and a Moldovan pastor friend of theirs were also there waiting from their case to be heard just prior to ours. After they were called into the judge’s office, the pastor spoke to the boys about God and Christianity and told them that the reason we had come to adopt them was that God had led us to do it. They all listened very intently to every word and had several comments and questions for him. Finally, the Khomyak’s hearing was over and they were all very happy as we congratulated them.

Now it was time for the Swan family and our large entourage to pack into the small office. There was the judge, her secretary, two jury members, Valery, myself, Tamara, the Inspector from Berdyansk, the Inspector from Takmak, two lawyers from Berdyansk, the lawyer from Molochansk and Vitya (since he was applying for adoption on his own), thirteen people in all. The hearing took much longer than our other sessions had taken because of the two orphanages and municipalities being involved. Valery, me, Tamara and Vitya first had to introduce ourselves and tell our birth date, city of birth, and home address. I was then asked to stand again and answer questions from the judge and jury members about why we wanted to adopt the boys, what their new names were, when we were married, what was my income, etc. Tamara then answered more questions like how would we communicate with the boys and help them learn English and what occupations were the boys interested in. Vitya was then asked why he wanted to be adopted and go to America and some other questions not all of which were translated for us. Following this, each official made their statement about why they though these adoptions were in the best interests for the boys. Sasha was then called into the room and asked questions and then he went out and Zhenya came in and did the same. We were especially proud of the way that he carried himself as he responded to the judge. Finally, we were all asked to leave the office for a few minutes for the judge to confer with the jury members. We were then all called back into the office and asked to rise as she pronounced her decision that the adoption and all the requested changes to the boys names, etc. was approved. We were all very happy as we left her office as one family for the first time.

We had arranged for Zhenya to be allowed to ride back to Molochansk with the Inspector and lawyer so that he could attend his school’s Christmas party and since they had to pick up his suitcase at the Berdyansk orphanage, Vitya and Sasha also rode back with them after we gave them all big hugs. We told Vitya and Sasha that we would call them after we went to the bank and the travel agent and see if they wanted to go eat with us. After getting our tickets, we called them and told them that we were sending the taxi to them. Not long after we began ordering our food at the nice Georgian restaurant in the park, Vitya and Sasha arrived. I once again got a call from home but this time was able to complete our flight changes with Ella’s help. PRAISE THE LORD! We were now confirmed on the 12:30 flight to JFK on Saturday and would be arriving in Birmingham at 10:30pm CST. I was so relieved that I was now able to really enjoy myself at our first official Swan family dinner with at least two of the boys. We had salads, soup, meat dishes and desert and the boys asked a lot of good questions about what they should do with money that they had saved in their bank accounts, how they could help their orphanage in some way, etc. We were not used to such mature conversation with children that we had just adopted.
Far too soon it was time for Valery to take them back to the orphanage and for us to walk back to the hotel. We hugged them tightly as we said goodbye until January. God had finally completed the work that he had birthed in Tamara’s heart many month’s ago.

As we walked back to the hotel and then checked email before returning to our room to rest for our early morning departure, we were filled with the peace and joy that can only come from the Holy Spirit. Thank you, Lord for choosing us to be these boys’ parents. Help them to quickly come to an understanding and acceptance of your salvation through Jesus Christ. Bless them and us until we can return for them in January. Amen.

Party Day

2007-12-28T02:21:00.000-06:00

December 26: After Tamara and I slept in shifts, we were both awake around 7:30am so we got ready to go to breakfast, check email and post our blog. Valery was running around making sure he had Sasha’s original birth certificate and Yulia was in Kiev picking up our papers from the train station and taking them to the SDA. When she first got to the SDA and showed them the cover letter explaining the importance of expediting our paperwork due to my Mother’s funeral, the person told her that they didn’t believe this was true since it was only in Ukrainian with no English translation. She told the person that she was a Christian and would not lie and miraculously was allowed to talk with the person in charge who did believe her and promised that the papers would be ready between 5:00 and 6:00pm. This would be just enough time to get them on a bus to Donetsk. This would also mean that Valery would have to take a taxi for about two and a half hours each way to pick them up and had to be back before our 2:45 pm court time. Where is a FedEx truck when you need one?

Well, back to today, we went back to the room for a little while and waited on our laundry delivery. Soon it was time for lunch so we walked to the cafeteria once again. After lunch, I wanted to take a short nap so Tamara read some inspirational stories to me from “Power for Living”, one being an adoption story of two boys, and I then went to sleep for about 30 minutes. It was time for us to call a taxi and head to the big Christmas Bash for the older kids at the orphanage. We arrived a little before 3:00pm thinking that it was supposed to start then but found out from Vitya that it wasn’t starting until about 3:40pm. The auditorium was packed with children as the grades participated in a competition like the Russian TV show “KBH” where several groups of people perform skits, songs, dances and comedy in front of a panel of judges. There were three rounds during the competition and it took about three hours for it to be completed. Sasha was the star of most of the skits for his grade and played the part of a pirate in one (looking very much like Captain Jack Sparrow). He also starred in a video that his class had produced where he was dreaming that he was a popular singer from a music video and was catered to by all his teachers, caregivers and friends, getting to sleep late and being brought breakfast in bed while the other students cleaned his room. It was very humorous.

Victor, who is a lot more reserved than Sasha had fewer lines but did play the part of a clown in one skit and we think he was under a box that walked across the stage in another skit. Tamara joked and said, “Look honey, our son is a box.” The box actually looked like the Washington Monument on the outside which made it even stranger. We didn’t fully understand the whole box thing, but Vitya did a good job of walking across the stage in it. If it hadn’t been for two cute little 7 year old girls sitting next to us (Galiana and Angelina) and entertaining us with their expressions and trying to tickle me, we might not of been able to endure the entire program. This was mostly because we couldn’t understand it. Finally and just in the nick of time for my backside in the hard wood chair, the competition was over and Victor’s class (the eleventh grade) was chosen as the winner. All of the kids were then given a gift of a large box of candy.

We had told Yuri and Nataliya that we would try to go to the CBN Training Center for their Christmas party between the program and the dance that was to start at 7:00pm so we hurried out to the taxi with Valery to go. As soon as we walked into the center (which is an awesome place), we were escorted into a room where a large table was overflowing with food. Nataliya asked us if we wanted to eat dinner, and just as I was reaching for a plate, my phone rang. It was Ginger and Ella. After talking with Ginger about some issues concerning my Mother’s funeral I asked Ella to set up a three way call with Delta Airlines. I had to go stand in the pantry in order to find a quiet place to talk and even then, the computer voice recognition system was very annoying since it never understood what I said. Finally, I got a human who then had to transfer me to another human after a long hold and then almost got somewhere about my alternatives when my cell phone dropped the call. While I stayed stuck in the pantry, Tamara and Valery decided to nibble on the refreshments. I finally made my way back into the area with the food table, it was time for us to leave. I had spent the whole time in the pantry on the phone. It was an interesting party for me. A very kind girl who felt sorry for me began piling some paper plates with sandwiches and fruit, so I could take it with me. Ella called me back and we started the process over again as we headed back to the orphanage for the dance. Tamara was balancing two plates of food for me and we scooted inside the taxi. I then gave her the phone to talk to Ginger to advise her on some funeral details. What a crazy day it had been! When I got the phone back, again, I worked my way through the maze of computer prompts and hold times to once again get the right person and again get almost to the point of changing our flight when my battery ran out. I had to give up for now so I just went to the dance wondering if I would ever get our flight changed. We stayed at the dance for about 45 more minutes, and took all we could of bare bellied girls on the dance floor, seeming to be imitating Shakira. It was a perfect time to go eat my plates of food. So, Tamara and I used that as an excuse to step to the far side of the room, so we didn’t have to observe the belly dancing. We know they mean well and are only trying to have a good time. After I ate, we told the boys good-bye and headed back to the hotel.

On our way back in the taxi, our driver, Zoya, (who we’ve gotten to know pretty well) asked to see pictures of our home in America so I pulled out my laptop and started showing her. She seemed impressed with our house and let out a little gasp. We told her we really aren’t rich people. She said, “Berdyansk houses….bad, bad!” She kept trying to look while she was driving and seemed amazed at our humble home. Tamara decided that maybe it might be safer to show her after we parked at the hotel instead of while she was driving so I complied. When we got back to our room, I plugged in my phone and changed out the SIM card with one that Nataliya had let us borrow that could be used to place direct calls to America. Once again, I worked my way to the right person and she was being very helpful and was just about to book us on a flight through JFK on Saturday when, for some unknown reason, the phone dropped the call and would not work anymore. I calmly replaced the SIM card again so people would be able to call us and decided to go ahead and type this blog and then try to call the Kiev Delta office in the morning. I couldn’t handle anymore frustration in one night.

Merry Christmas from Berdyansk!

2007-12-26T01:09:00.000-06:00

December 25: Merry Christmas from Berdyansk! After getting ready, we went downstairs to breakfast and then got on the Internet to answer emails and update our blog. As we were heading upstairs to our room we ran into Rick and Fran Rahn, a sweet couple from Virginia that is adopting two girls. We had met them the first morning we went to breakfast and they had also gone with Don and us to church on Sunday. We stood and talked in the hotel lobby for over an hour so by the time we went up to our room, we were ready to go for a walk and find somewhere to eat lunch. Rick had told us about a cafeteria style restaurant that was very reasonable and had given me directions so we started out on our way. Unfortunately, something was wrong with the way I remembered the directions so we didn’t see any restaurants and were freezing. The icy wind was cutting like a knife. We decide to retreat inside one of the bakeries that we had eaten at on our previous trips just to escape the cold. Once inside we ordered cake and tea from a woman who spoke enough English to understand us. We knew we hadn’t eaten lunch yet, but the bakery only served dessert, so we had to take what we could get while being provided warmth. When we headed out again toward the hotel, we only had gone about a half of a block when we found the Cossack Cafeteria. This is a cheerful, delightfully decorated place inside, with a cafeteria style line, so you can just go through and point at the different items you want. Our meal, between the two of us, consisted of borsht, fried potatoes and mushrooms, cabbage rolls stuffed with meat, pork chops and bread was pretty good and very reasonably priced. It was a nice place to have Christmas lunch.

After eating, we had just enough time to check email quickly and then freshen up before taking a taxi to the orphanage. We found the boys when we arrived and went straight to the gym to play basketball. Vitya, Sasha and I played several games of 21, H-O-R-S-E and 2-on-1 but Zhenya didn’t have his tennis shoes on and said that he didn't want to play. We had a lot of fun and the communication went well. Vitya had to go practice being a DJ for the party that we are invited to tomorrow at 3:00. The boys wanted to make sure that we were definitely coming and we insured them that we were. We said good-bye to the boys and went to Galina’s office to find Valery. He needed to put some final touches on our paperwork before taking it to Melitopol for the 7:30 train to Kiev. On his was way to Melitopol, the taxi took us back to the hotel where we at supper at the cafe and then went to our room. I tried to stay awake but we were both tired from the day so we went to sleep about 8:30 pm. About 10:00pm, Valery called us to tell us that he was back from Melitopol and that he had gotten the documents on the train successfully. Dima then called us about 11:00pm to wish us a Merry Christmas. He had just gotten home from Aunt Cyndy’s and had left earlier than Ginger, Ella, Brooke and Baylee so he would be able to call us before we went to sleep. I have now read the entire adoption requirements document from the U.S, Embassy in Kiev trying to go to sleep and typed this additional information in the blog but cannot seem to get sleepy. Where’s a good, late night, English TV program when you need one?

Mimi's Homegoing

2007-12-25T01:34:00.000-06:00

December 24: Christmas Eve began with some very sad news from home. My Mother, Evadna Swan went to be with the Lord at about 2:15 am CDT, 10:15 am Ukraine time. Our daughter, Ginger called us with the news. Ginger’s fiancé, Eric Kendrick, was with my Mom last night and had just called her to tell here that her Mimi had passed away. Our entire trip has been a bittersweet experience as we knew that she was slipping away a little more each day as the cancer spread into her kidneys and other parts of her body. She had insisted that we go ahead with our trip as planned so we know that she is now happily watching over us in Heaven along side my Dad who passed away on Christmas night 2005 after a long fight with Leukemia. I know that there are so glad to be reunited again for eternity with Jesus. Right now, we have planned her funeral for next Monday morning in order to be sure we and a lot of other friends and family can return from holiday trips. It is a sad time amidst a joyful time with the boys.
I will miss my Mother’s presence in my life, and I wasn’t ready to say goodbye. People have said you are never prepared to lose a parent, no matter how long you anticipate their passing.
Only the Holy Spirit can bring comfort and true peace at a time like this.

We got ready and went to the Internet cafe to send emails about my Mom and then to the Hotel cafe for some lunch. Valery had been running around from office to office with paperwork all morning and he arrived to tell us that he needed to go to the orphanage. We all got our coats and took a taxi together. After arriving, I went looking for the boys and finally found Sasha walking down a hall. He helped us find Vitya and Zhenya and I told them the sad news about my Mom. We then went into the library to download some pictures from Vitya’s camera to my computer. Soon after we began this, Nataliya Khomyak and her husband came in telling us about the little girl that they were visiting with and considering adopting. They invited us to go to the Christmas program for the second graders in the auditorium so we decided to go with them but the boys had better things to do with their time. The program was very colorful and festive and lasted about 2 hours. The children recited poems and lines, sang and danced and were dressed in all kinds of elaborate costumes. It was getting late so we tried to find the boys again to spend a little more time with them. We were successful in finding Sasha and Vitya but not Zhenya. We talked for a while and Sasha made us laugh. Then we decided to go to the computer classroom and check our email. After planning that we would come back tomorrow at 2:30 pm to play some basketball, we went back downstairs and were saying goodbye to the boys so that they could do their homework when Nataliya told us that they were taking some of the children to get some ice cream and asked if we would like to go with them. We told her yes and hugged the boys before loading into the minibus.
We called Valery on the way to The Potato House and he met us there shortly after we arrived. We had a nice supper while we watched the beautiful little girls enjoying themselves. Valery then told us that the hotel “was only 10 minute walk” so we believed him and started walking. It turned out to be more like a 20 min. walk. By the time we reached the hotel, we decided that we wanted some pastries to take to our room, so we went to one of the nearby bakery stores. After we got back to the hotel, I went to the ATM around the corner and then to the Internet cafe to check email and also check on possible flight for either Thursday or Friday (we will need to be home no later than Saturday night for the viewing on Sunday night). Just before bedtime, Valery brought us another revision of our paperwork for us to sign..

December 23

2007-12-24T05:37:00.000-06:00

December 23: For the first time on our trip, we were able to go back to sleep after our usual 4:00am awakening. Unfortunately we were supposed to be at breakfast by 9:00am in order to be ready for Don to pick us up for church at 9:35am so we had to quickly get ready in about 30 minutes. Don arrived to pick us up about 9:40am and we arrived at the church in plenty of time. The room where they had the service was beautiful but very cold since they had just completed the installation of the radiators. The praise and worship, message, offering and testimony time were all very good. We were both very blessed but we felt like a block of ice by the time the service ended about 12:00 pm. Interesting the Pastor spoke about being willing to give up comforts and luxuries and being willing to make sacrifices when needed. At the time, we were all giving up the comfort of heat, and it brought to mind all the people who have done this around the world, meeting to worship God in less than desirable circumstances. Nevertheless, God’s presence was definitely among us. After church, We invited Don, Rick and Fran to go with us to lunch and we decided to go to The Potato House. Since none of us could read the choices on the menu, we all decided to go with Burritos. It sounded safe enough. They were saturated in garlic, and weren’t like we get back home at Habenaros, but we ate them anyway.

Don then took us to the orphanage and Tamara and I began our search for the boys. I went up to their rooms and they were not there but one of their friends called Vitya on his cell phone (Orphan technology is amazing these days). Vitya and Zhenya came in and then found Sasha and all three of us went down to find Tamara. We need to go and get their passport photos made so we called for a taxi. When the taxi arrived, there was no way we could all fit so Tamara volunteered to stay behind at the orphanage. After a few minutes, I called to check on Tamara and found out she was alright. She had gone back inside to the school dining hall and asked the ladies in the kitchen for some “chai”, tea. After they gave her two small cups, she sat down at one of the tables to rest. Sveta (Galina’s Assistant) came in and saw her sitting by herself. She immediately went to the kitchen and barked out an order to the ladies in Russian. She then returned with two plates of pelmeney, meat filled dumplings, and a plate of sliced pickles. Tamara didn’t have the heart to tell her she had just eaten, so she tried to politely nibble while they managed a conversation with a little Russian and a little English and a lot of sign language.

Since I knew Tamara was in good hands with Sveta, we proceeded with getting the passport photos of the boys. The first place that we tried told the boys that only the passport office could take the photos so we called Valery who began researching if this was true. Since we were close by we walked back to our hotel to wait on Valery but for some reason the boys wanted to just stand outside in the cold instead of standing in the lobby. Again, Valery’s “few minutes” turned into at least an hour, but the boys didn’t seem to mind being in the cold. Finally he called us and told us to come to another photography store a couple of blocks away. When we got there, we paid them and the boys went in and had their photos. I was a little worried because none of them wanted to brush their hair for the photos, but they still turned out ok. When we were finished, we walked to the taxi stand and found two taxis to take us all back to the orphanage.

When we got there we found Tamara in Sveta’s office talking with her as best she could. She had been taken to observe a ballet class and had been fed and given chocolates while we were gone. We spent quite a long time talking with the boys about school in America and the importance of getting a complete and accurate transcript of all of their courses so that they could be sure they would be admitted in the highest grade level possible. Vitya was the most concerned about this and said that he really wants to be no lower than the 11th grade. We found out that all of the boys have taken cooking courses but the Zhenya is exceptionally fond of it and might like to be a chef someday. After this, Victor had to rewrite his adoption agreement document changing some of the wording since he was going to be a special case where he is requesting to be adopted on his own and not through the SDA like the other two boys.

Since Valery hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast, we decided that we better leave. The cab driver suggested a very nice Georgian restaurant near the Inspector’s office. We enjoyed the food, especially the cheese bread, which was round and flat like pizza, but tasted like crescent rolls. We also ordered way too much because the portions were huge. After finishing, we decided we better walk back to the hotel! We checked email, uploaded our blog for the first time and signed some papers that Valery needed to take to the judge the next morning.