I Have Had It!

Okay, I admit I purposely used a play on words for the title today.  Gotcha!  Please know that I just meant I have already had chicken pox and I am sooo relieved.  My mom emailed to let me know I need  not worry.  Yippeee.  Maxim is fine too, as far as I understand, so our travel should not be affected by this.

Today is my birthday and John and Martita have invited Maxim and me to join them for dinner this evening.  It will be a treat to see them again.  They too are waiting for their new childs passport and anticipating Martita having to stay alone with their son in Kiev while John heads home with the other kids.  I am sorry they may not travel home all together, but it is nice to know a friend is close by.

During our stay here in Ukraine, we have had the interesting blessing of little or no access to processed foods and frequent lack of time to stop and eat during the day.  Hence, Daniel emailed me last night that he now knows he lost 20 pounds during our trip!  I know I have lost weight as well, since all of my pants are desperately crying out for a belt.  Natives meeting me must wonder what the deal is with my baggy look.  I feel veryfrumpy.  In the Ukraine, it is the practice to dress up even to simply  go to the market.  When you go out, you wear your best.  I think it is an admirable thing to care about being presentable, neatly put together, when going out.  However, the American way when travelling, at least in the Campau household, is to pack both lightly and practically.  No frills.  Usually a very good approach, but I admit I am looking for to getting home and pulling something different out of the closet every day.  I will feel like a queen after living out a suitcase for over two months.

Today, after three oclock, Igor will go to the passport office in Kherson, and again ask on our behalf for speed in processing the passport for Maxim.  I consider him a pushy tool in Gods hand.  We sometimes have a hard time relating to his personality but there is no doubt Igor works hard, cares about the children, loses sleep over different cases and bumps along the way, and wants to see each adoption to its successful finish. Whatever happens, God gets all the honor and glory, yet we will always be thankful for the huge part Igor has played. He has admitted he has been to church only twice in his life and does not get religion at all.  We hope that as things unfold in our adoption journey and in the other families Igor works with, that he will begin to recognize the work of God in all of it, and himself as a tool.  What a beautiful thing it would be for Igor to become a yielded child of God.  He would be an even more effective advocate for the orphans of Ukraine.  May each orphanage and staff encountering adoptive families see true love and pure motives in each household represented.  May they have no reason to doubt these children will be treasured, nurtured, truly loved members of their new families.  May all nations turn to the One True God, obediently loving/caring for their children and widows and oppressed, and then experience the abundance He desires to pour out on His people.  

A few days ago, I was chatting with our hostess as she prepared borscht in her kitchen.  I had invented my own version in Kherson, but wanted to see hers.  It is said that borscht is really something different in each kitchen.  As she worked, she invited us to share the finished product.  As we must often do, I had to tactfully thank her for the offer while also explaining that in our family, we avoid pork products, shellfish and other such things prohibited in the scriptures.  I had noticed a large bowl of what appeared to be seasoned ground pork on the counter and thought she might be adding some to the borscht.  Not wanting to offend, of course, but needing to be clear about our convictions.  Anyway, she was very friendly about it and quick to explain that the meat I was looking at was a mixture of ground chicken and beef (I later realized she meant lamb for the latter) and then proceded to ask questions about our faith.  As we talked, her daughter translated everything I said.  In the end, the daughter said she admired our faith and that she does believe in God, but He is not for everyday in her life.  Only for special occasions.  I have pondered her comment ever since that evening.  It made me think of how some people have what they call everyday dishes and then others that are only set out for special events.  For this young lady, God is not everyday dishes.  I want Him to be in my life.  I think Daniel and I have learning something more about that during the adoption.  Without looking at everything as being served and sifted through the plate of Gods hand, our focus gets quickly shaken and our anxiety increases.  When we again set our reliance on His hand, peace returns and things that would ordinarily trouble us are actually remarkably easy to weather.  I am so glad for the reminder here.

May the passport be complete today or tomorrow and on its way to us in Kiev.  I crave moving forward.

Blessings to all.

Chicken Pox? , A Safe Journey Home and Memorial

Daniel made it home to Michigan.  What a crazy day yesterday was!  He emailed me and said that the flight from Kiev to Warsaw left one hour late and he was stressing since the layover in Warsaw before his flight to Chicago was only going to be one hour.  Yet when he arrived in Warsaw, he found that they apparently helв the Chicago flight for him and several others headed that way.  Thank you Heavenly Father!  Daniel said he even managed to sleep a little which is usually not easy for him when we travel.  After about three more hours of sleep at home, he was off to work to test the new machine.  Joel and Brina had already arrived back at the house from Uncle Timothy and Aunt Shannon and were sleeping.  Cyan is still at the farm with Grandpa and Grandma until Daniel is rested and ready to get into some semblance of a routine.  Timothy and Shannon have been so accomodating to Brina and Joel and all that goes with the life of teens.  Shannon has driven them back and forth countless times to band and orchestra and piano lessons, science classes and who knows what else.  They have opened their home completely and gone way out of their comfort zone to do so.  Words cannot come close to express how that has blessed us.  I am trying to think of the right ones and they just dont come to mind, it is such a huge leap they took to do this for us.  Daniels parents have also opened their home to the kids, sweeping Cyan especially into their routine and looking out for her special needs.  I just want the world to know we are so blessed with family and friends, near and far, who have supported us along the entire journey.    Encouraging, prayerful, generous family and friends.  

Yesterday evening, Anya, whose flat we are sharing (along with her parents Valentina and Anatoli) , realized she was breaking out in spots and called a doctor.  He came and confirmed she has chicken pox.  We quickly pulled out the medical file I have from the orphanage to see if Maxim had been vaccinated for this.  In the space set aside for the chicken pox shot, they had marked and dated it but written the word flu, so try and figure that out.  I do not remember if I ever had chicken pox so this adds another measure of adventure to this crazy journey.  I suppose if we break out the  best thing to do is relax and take pictures of us together with our spots.  May it not be so, however.  May we get through the next days, unscathed, and may Anya recover quickly.

This morning at nine oclock, Helena and Sergei came for Maxim and me.  The goal was to get his birth certificate and the decree from the judge notarized and nationally authenticated (big words for another fancy stamp and hand-stitching along the edge), finish his medical check-up and take the above mentioned papers to be translated into English for the US Embassy.  We accomplished the notarization and authentication, and got everything turned in to the translator.  However, the doctor said that although he used to do exams even without the childs passport and fill the number in later, the laws are more strict now and we must wait until we can present Maxims passport.  

So we wait.

 Between stops today and during the lunch hour, Sergei graciously accomodated my desire to see a particular synagogue in an area called Podil and to visit the Babi Yar Memorial, dedicated to the Jews who were killed at a particular ravine in Kiev during WWII.  I was surprised at how emotional I felt standing there.  The thought of 100,000 people innocently going to that beautiful area, with their official papers and valuables, thinking they were leaving the city for safety and then being naked and slaughtered one week later is mind boggling.  I looked around at the older buildings, wondering who saw and heard anything from the windows nearby.  What a broken world produced that tragedy and without Christ, it is really that same broken world. That is why we are commanded to pray for the Peace of Jerusalem.  To do so is to pray for the return of the Messiah.  He is Peace.  Come O Redeemer Come.

 

Praising God Again

Just five hours ago, Daniel and I were in chaos, wondering what to do with botched travel reservations discovered at the airport as he attempted to board his flight.

After he returned to the flat, we were able to make new plans through Travelocity.  At first, this did not seem like it would work as our credit card was denied.  Then we realized that the card company was probably suspicious oа a one way ticket being purchased in a foreign country.  Sure enough, when we called, this was confirmed.  After we assured them this ticket was truly our intent, they cleared the purchase.  Daniel took off in a txi summoned by our hostess Anya.  Still, I could not know if Daniel made it.  He left at twelve twenty for a thirty minute ride to airpot for a two forty-five flight.  At three oclock, I was able to confirm through Travelocity that Daniel had indeed checked in a gotten on the flight.  This all reminds of saying I heard a long time ago.  God is rarely early but He is never late.

Maybe some of you never even had a chance to pray about this situation specifically but I know many are lifting us up whenever we come to your mind.  Thank you.

Maxim and I had a delightful afternoon here at the flat and I am confident I will rest well knowing Daniel really is headed home.

URGENT PRAYER REQUEST

We are so blessed to be here in Kiev, with a wonderful family welcoming us and truly opening their home completely to us.  

We are in need of prayer however.  This morning, Daniel went to catch his six fifty flight home and was told his ticket had been cancelled.  Turns out the payment information had never been forwarded to the airline by our travel agent,  for his ticket our mine.  Only for Maxim!  Daniel needs to fly out today in order to be at work tomorrow for a crucial machine testing.  Everyone there has been very patient and accomodating but we have already been gone much longer than we had anticipated and Daniel needs to get back to work.  

Daniel returned to the flat as fast as he could, really miraculously, as he had left both the cell phone and credit card behind with me, as well as the flat address.  We were able to pay for and confirm a two forty five flight (over the phone at twelve eighteen) home, via Warsaw, and Daniel jumped back in a taxi.  

Pray pray pray that he might be at peace, safe along the way, and able to complete his journey now without mishaps or delays.  He is going to be one bleary-eyed employee when he goes to work tomorrow, so please also be praying that he will have miraculously clear mind to see and hear what he needs to with the machine and it can be confidently cleared for transport.

Of course, it will be important for me to arrange and confirm proper flights for Maxim and I but I would also appreciate your prayers  that Maxim and I will just both be proper guests in the middle of all this craziness; that as we run from place to place on Monday for his medical appointment and official document stamping, we will be safe and productive; once these documents are taken care of, we are simply waiting for the completion of his passport.  Igor called the day after we arrived in Kherson, saying that he had gone back to the passport office there and spoken to the people on our behalf.  When we had our appointment there the other day, they told Igor there was only a twenty percent chance we might have the finished passport by the 30th.  He was told at this second visit he made that our chances are now fifty fifty.  Go figure.  Anyway, he was told to come back to the passport office after 3 on the 30th and he will keep me posted as to what he finds out.  If the passport is ready on the 30th or 31st, Maxim and I may still be able to fly home before the 6th.  If it is not ready by the 31st, we may have to wait until after the 6th to fly.  If I am repeating myself for the umpteenth time about any of this and boring anyone to tears, I apologize.  You know my heart to get home.  We covet your prayers.

Blessings to all.

Clarification and Two Incredible Days

Last Night at the Flat in Kherson

I thought I should clarify something today, first of all.  In our last post, I showed all of us outside the courthouse this past Tuesday morning after picking up decree.  So you understand, this was not another hearing.  After the judge gave her favorable pronouncement on the 12th of December, by law we had to wait ten days to pick up the actual printed decree.  That is what we were doing on Tuesday.  Now I can tell you about the next two incredible, blessed days.  

We were disappointed that the decree could not be picked up any sooner because the next step was to head down to the Crimean Peninsula to pick up the new birth certificate and this takes considerable time.  Having already set our minds and hearts, prayerfully, on leaving for Kiev Thursday night, there was no time to waste.  Daniel and I thought there was only one option as far as trains to that area and that the earliest possible one would not go until five forty five Wednesday morning and return at eight that evening.  Anyway, Igor walked in Tuesday evening and said he had gotten tickets to catch a train to Simferopol at one o clock Wednesday morning. It is a six hour ride so this would put them in that town at seven, perfect for being the first customers of the day.   

Before I continue, you have to remember that originally, Daniel and I werу under the impression that we had to both go down to Simferopol and it had been suggested that we take Maxim back to the orphanage for a last sleepover to allow us this journey.  We hated the thought of this, so when we found out only one of us had to go, we were thrilled.

Well, Daniel and Igor got in a taxi and made the one in the morning train , getting down to Simferopol as scheduled, only to find a long line of people already at the birth certificate office because the computers had been down the day before.  There were about ten people ahead of them and they were told that getting their mission accomplished that day was unlikely.  But Daniel was praying and Igor was persistent and they received the new birth certificate.  Daniel invented a new song to go with this event.  To the tune of God Is Bigger Than the Boogie Man, you can now sing God is Bigger Than Bureaucracy, Bigger Than A Government and National Red Tape.  

Now it was time to head for another office to have the official stamp put on the birth certificate.  Seeing no other available way to get there, and trying to hurry, Igor put his thumb out and hitched a ride for the two of them.  When they arrived at the second office, a guard stopped them and after asking the reason for their visit stated that birth certificate stamping is never done on Wednesdays.  They would have to come back on Thursday or Friday for such a thing.  Igor was flabbergasted to say the least, as was Daniel.  Daniel started praying again and Igor told the guard that he was dealing with Americans who could not just come back another day.  The guard pointed to a nearby phone with several numbers posted by it, telling Igor he may try calling someone inside the building to gain access.  Igor successfully talked his way in.   After he explained what was needed, the woman told him that he and Daniel could return at three for the stamped document.  The two men walked around town for awhile, ate some lunch and headed back to the office at two.  The finished product was ready.  Hallelujah!

Now for the trip back to Kherson.  As the train would not leave that area until eight, the guys decided to taxi to the local bus station instead.  Along the way there were many stops and at one of them, Igor got off for some reason and had not returned when the driver decided to take off again.   Daniel is even more limited in his Russian than I am so he did not know how to tell the driver to stop.  Fortunately, Igor was able to run along side and bang on a window, gaining a seat once again.  Whew!

So by Wednesday evening at eight, the two of them were back with the new birth certificate and ready for more local adventures.

Thursday morning found us with many things to accomplish, most importantly getting Maxim his passport pictures and the application taken care of.  But Igor informed us that we must first take a copy of the new birth certificate to the orphanage director, go to a local office to receive the new registration number assigned to Maxim now that his name is changed, have another copy of the new birth certificate notaraized for the passport office, deliver gifts to the orphanage and say polite slow goodbyes.  All morning we prayed and tried not to stress out as the clock ticked.  Igor had also said the children at the orphanage were presenting their annual holiday show and we should not miss it.  

First we went to get the new registration number.  The woman immediately told Igor that this could not possibly be available for us until Monday the 29th!  So off we went to the orphanage to present gifts to the director and the teacher for Maxims age group.  Then it was time for the performance.  As I looked around the room, I saw the faces of all the kids who have become familiar and dear to us.  I saw tears in the eyes of some parents who had come to visit.  I believe now that part of the reason I needed to wait (I cannot speak for Daniel) these days was so I could see those parents tears.  Often Daniel and I have looked around the orphanage, trying to understand how people could completely give up their children, or send  them to such a place and have contact only once or twice a year.  It all seems so heartless.  And honestly, sometimes it is, because of brokeness and foolishness and substance abuse and such on the part of the parents.  Sometimes, however, the parents really believe this is their only option, not unlike the U.S. forty plus years ago.  Just like the U.S. of that era, Ukraine is not an easy place to raise a disabled child.  Access is impossible, or at least very difficult to most buildings, etc.  So God used that hour I had to watch the parents watch their children to wipe out an element of bitterness I had in my heart.  I needed that.  Another reason I needed the wait was because after the show, we had one more occasion to see a teen girl who is about to be adopted but does not know it.  She is discouraged and tired of being there, and we have really enjoyed her company.  Seeing us getting ready to leave was really hard for her.   I was able to wrap my arms around her, kiss her head over and over and tell her, through Igor, that God has her in His hands and has a plan for her.  That she is not only in our hearts but in the hearts of others as well.  We shook as we cried together.  It is going to be such a joy to hear of her journey very soon into the very family who made it possible for us to know about Maxim last year.  

After leaving the orphanage, we headed back to the office  for the registration number.  We have no idea what Igor said to the lady, but this time he returned to the car with the number.  Now we could go to the notary.  She was very kind, welcoming and quick to procuce what we needed.  We finally had everything in hand to go to the passport office.  At this point, though, it was past one and we knew we were into the lunch hour.  Igor drove there anyway.  Just as we were pulling up to the passport office, the notary called Igor to inform him of a mistake she had discovered on the document we had just picked up from her.  Apparently, Igor had shown her a document from a previous adoption family file as an example of what we needed.  When her secretary went to type Maxims birthdate on our document, she instead typed the other childs birthdate and none of us caught it before we left.  Anyway, now Igor was really fretting because he knew we wanted to be on that night train and it now seemed impossible.  He was so afraid we would be infuriated with him.  However, the notary said that she would jump in her car and meet us at the passport office, to make the correction and stamp it again.  This was accomplished.  Igor did not believe that such a correction would be accepted by the passport people but we walked across the street to the  office, and in less than an hour we had taken care (God had taken care of) the photos and application.  Everything was complete for us to leave together for Kiev.  In fact, we are in Kiev right now.   What a miraculous two days! 

What a joy to have such things behind us.  Igor helped us onto the train last night, connected us with a young doctor in our car who spoke English and turned out to be a delightful travel partner on Maxims first train ride, and we said our goodbyes.  

Igor will be continuing to work on our behalf, especially pushing for the passport to be ready by the 30th.  This would require another miracle, but we saw several the last two days so we feel encouraged to pray boldly.  From January 1 through 7, government offices are closed for New Years and Orthodox Christmas.  We signed a waiver which allows Igor to pick up the passport for me, and send it immediately to me in Kiev, so Maxim and I do not need to make that twenty four hour round trip.  This is a wonderful blessing which allows me to concentrate on other things that need to be done.  However, if the passport is not ready and sent to me by the 31st, I will have to reschedule our (Maxim and  I) January 6 flights to yet another date.   I told Igor that the 30th is my birthday and the greatest gift  would be to have the passport ready.  He said he would go back to the passport office today and talk things over with them.  

Well, that catches everyone up on the latest pieces of the puzzle.  We are delighted to be settled in with a family who are friends of Igor, not far from the Kiev train station.  Anna is skilled in several languages and has worked numerous times with Igor.  She lives here with her parents.  It is a beautiful flat with everything we need either already here or a quick walk away.  We feel so safe and welcomed.  We can now go into the Sabbath, knowing we are right where we need to be to rest and for Daniel to get ready for his Sunday morning flight.

Thank you for your prayers and notes of blessing and encouragement, once again.  Shabbat Shalom.

Two Men and A Train and, Yes, Another Birthday

Maxim Matthew Campau with his parents and facilitator Igor outside the courthouse. We had just received the judge's final and favorable decree.

We received the judge's decree yesterday. Hallelujah. No one can deny Maxim is a Campau now. The focus now is to gather everything for his passport and travel as well as copies of documents officials need to file here, stating Maxim has been adopted by us.

This morning at 1 a.m., Daniel and Igor took the train to Simferopol, where Maxim was born. While that area on the Crimea is beautiful and has a rich and intriguing history, and at any other time, we might enjoy exploring, now is the time for the men to just get the new birth certificate and head back to Kherson. They should be back this afternoon, leaving time to go to the notary's office, give the orphanage a copy of the judge's decree and the new birth certificate. If not this afternoon, we will concentrate tomorrow on getting Maxim's passport photo and application taken care of. It is still our intention to be on the Thursday night train to Kiev. It is important that Daniel go, of course, in order to make his Sunday flight. I need to go with Maxim as soon as possible, if not Thursday night, so I can get papers taken care of while we wait for the passport. As it stands, we misunderstood some crucial information. We thought that we had to start the passport here in Kherson (which is true) and could then pick up the completed passport in Kiev.

Apparently this is not the case. It is our current understanding that the completed passport has to be picked up in Kherson. So the basic scenario is that Daniel and I would still prefer to go up to Kiev together, allowing him to make his flight and me to do necessary paperwork and Maxim's medical appointment while we wait for the passport. Then, when the passport is ready, we're hoping that our translator can pick it up in Kherson for us and bring it to Kiev. If that is not an allowed option, I will have to travel back down to Kherson myself to retrieve it. Whatever is required, I must go to Kiev soon; otherwise, I will not be able to complete the Kiev things in time for a January 6 flight. So there's a prayer need you can be lifting up. Every region is different, so some offices have forms that can be filled out giving a third party permission to pick up a passport and some do not. As usual, we'll keep you posted.

Brina, our dear second daughter, is turning fifteen tomorrow, so I'm posting her birthday greeting early, in case we don't get to the internet cafe tomorrow. It could be a crazy day. Brina, we will call you either way.

Brina, you are blessed by God with talents that He will direct you in as you surrender to Him and ask for wisdom. Each thing that you enjoy and are drawn to can be used for His glory and for the blessing of yourself and others as well. As our more shy one, yet strong-willed, you have the ability to quietly think things through yet also the persistence to push for what you believe in. May God bless you with discernment to focus these qualities in ways that honor Him. As soon as we knew you existed, I believed you were an answer to prayer. God used you to reassure Dad and I when "experts" were not so reassuring after your sister's diagnosis. Some "experts" said we would be foolish to have more children, but the "wisdom" of man is foolishness to God. He knew you would add zippy energy to our household from day one and humor. God knew you were exactly the right next addition to our family. He knew the sister just right for Joel and Cyan and now Maxim. Who knows what else He is planning for you right now? Brina you are a beautiful young lady blossoming in your relationship with God and with friends. May His peace be with you and may it show in your life so others can see it too. Have a wonderful day, Briny Baby. Happy Birthday.

Around The Table

Last night we were privileged to be included in a wonderful celebration. The McGowans invited us, among many others, to join them at a delightful restaurant in town, to rejoice to God and feast with them as they welcome a new son into their household. Daniel will have to post pictures later, but it was such a special time. As they recounted their own journey toward adoption, far longer and more deeply tested than ours, we marvelled at how God truly set everything into place for them to be here at this time for a specific child He holds in the palm of His hand. With the best of their wisdom and understanding and obvious desire to follow God all the way, they made plans years ago to have another child/children grafted into their family tree.

God has pushed and pulled and molded them for this time; right now.

As we sat around the tables, we listened to staff from the school their son lives at (he is one of only two orphans at what is actually a school for the deaf) share their love for this child and express both sorrow and joy as they seem him join the McGowan clan. We listened to John tell of praying for years for a child and caretakers they did not yet know. God, through His holy spirit, truly leads our prayers in ways we don't always understand at the moment.


I know of families who took the trip down the adoption road because they had an ever-growing sense that someone was missing at their table. I know of others who realized how abundantly they were personally blessed and couldn't imagine not sharing it with others, maybe an orphan. I know of others who leaped onto this path as the only way to have a family at all.

However adoption is approached and endeavored, there are challenges along the way. Financial.
Emotional. Spiritual. Physical. Questions will arise such as how can anyone come up with the kid of funds required? Why is it so expensive sometimes, when the focus needs to be just facilitating smooth adoptions into loving homes instead of on the business of it? How does a couple committed to integrity accomplish the goal of adoption in a world where corruption is evident? Will biological and adopted children mesh with each other like "real" siblings? Etc.

There are not always easy answers. In fact, sometimes the further into the process one is, the more discouraging it may be. Maybe even second guessing one's decision. Like any other giant leap in life, one may be tempted to say, "wait a minute, I thought this was God's will; why is it so hard right now?" Think of it like pregnancy and childbirth. There are more similarities than I would have thought. The actual day of birth may or may not be the anticipated due date. The length of labor varies greatly from child to child. Life issues come up as the child's arrival is anticipated, such as unexpected financial issues, that add stress. Then, as everything comes to a climax, the pushing stage so to speak, we may find ourselves thinking I cannot do this, even though we know rationally that there is no going back and we can't wait to meet the new little one. After the child's arrival, some birth and adoptive parents may say "that was too hard; I'm glad for this one but I'm never doing that again". And I can say from experience, that sometimes what seems to be a perfect pregnancy can still result in a child with unexpected special needs. Life is just unpredictable.

All of this physical focus takes away from what I could see again at the celebration last night. God has prepared a feast for His people. He does not want us to miss it. He is yearning to birth in each of us something beautiful and to which nothing else can compare: an eternal relationship with Him through the King, Christ. When someone new is grafted in, adopted by Him, it delights Him. He is knocking at the door, waiting for us to open it so He can come into our life and dine with us. It will require getting out of our "comfort zone" and going places we never imagined . It will require going where He leads although He may not even reveal the place or the reason until much later. We could say "oh, that can't possibly be what God is asking us to do" or "how am I going to explain this to everyone else" or any number of other things. Yet if we stopped there at that threshold, what would we miss? God knows.

As we pray for wisdom, acknowledge God in all we do and praise Him, and attempt to replace fear and anxiety with gratitude and rejoicing, won't it be amazing to see to who ends up around our table (through adoption, welcoming the widow or solitary, and wherever else a teachable heart surrendered to Him leads) while we wait to dine at His? Won't it be amazing to see how He will cause our lives to blossom, blessed and a blessing to others? That's the heart-pull that put us on our own road to Ukraine; realizing God was opening a door, asking us to not only peek through and consider but to take the leap and trust Him. Knowing that if we believed He is leading and we refused to surrender, we would miss (and our children including Maxim would miss) something the King of the Universe wants to do in our little house, of all places.

Tomorrow is day ten. I can hardly believe it. Once we set ourselves to focus on and enjoy one day at a time, it has not been so hard. Homecoming is almost tangible now.

I don't know how often we will be able to post, after tomorrow especially , but we'll do our best. Tuesday will be full with going to Simferopol and back for the birth certificate. Wednesday, Igor will walk us through getting Maxim's passport started. Thursday is a buffer day (and our daughter Brina's 15th birthday) for if there is anything else needed locally at the passport office. Then we should be on the train to Kiev with Maxim. So close to being finished. Praise God!

Day of Preparation

As we anticipate another weekend here in Kherson, we are so blessed. All the added time with Maxim during the wait is enabling us to know him better so our hearts are as "knit together" as possible before the journey home that really is just around the corner.

We continue to find new things around town we'd never noticed before, such as the huge indoor/outdoor market west of the Internet cafe. We thought we'd already discovered it but it's really so much bigger than we knew. A true maze of large and tiny stalls. In this huge city, we only know of one store that would count as a sort of western style department store. The true department stores, it turns out, are the markets such as we saw yesterday. Every kind of imaginable edible and supposedly edible item is sold in the large building in the center of the market. I bought some beautiful leaf lettuce, tomatoes and onions. Just basics. A young lady walked up to us and gave Maxim a gorgeous big apple and complimented what a good boy he is. He thoroughly enjoyed some sections of that later in the day (the rest he wanted us to put away for later). Outside the food building, we found stalls selling wallpaper, lighting, coats, shoes, toys, socks/stockings, leather and fur hats, decorative molded Styrofoam used to embellish the outside of buildings (Daniel would be better able to explain how they do this and it lasts, but it looks very nice), etc. We found some nice gifts to take home to our other children. The exchange rate is continually going up in our favor (9.20 last I looked which means for every $100, we receive 920 rivna), which is encouraging for us while we're here, yet reminds us how desperate the situation is for local people. They are struggling.

Now, as we're into Friday, we are in "getting ready for Sabbath" mode. Maxim will be with us as we begin Sabbath at sundown tonight. Last Friday, I could hear someone in our building blowing the traditional set of blasts on a shofar and I so wished we could figure out who they are. It was a sweet sound. This afternoon, I will clean well in the flat, prepare a special meal to make the evening a different and delightful, we'll play music over Daniel's laptop, and tomorrow will be more quiet than the average day here, reading and discussing scripture, praying and just enjoying each other's company. And, of course, in the evening, we'll celebrate at a local restaurant with the other family joyfully completing the adoption of their new son. What a perfect way that will be to finish the end of a day set aside to honor the One Who has adopted us.

We have just three more days after tomorrow and we can pick up the judge's decree and the start the mad dash for the last required items. Our desire is to head for Kiev together as soon as possible after we have the new birth certificate, as I have mentioned before, and it's tricky as we going into the holiday time which effects what offices are open at what time. There should not be any trouble getting the birth certificate picked up and the passport initiated rather quickly. The challenge will be more in getting to Kiev as quick as possible after getting the birth certificate (in the Crimea), receiving the completed passport smoothly in Kiev and accomplishing required medical and Embassy appointments without any wasted days between. Not necessarily easy tasks in the first place, let alone with Christmas and New Year's sprinkled in the middle of it all.


Please don't stop praying. I look at the weekly Sabbath as a reminder of Who our rest is in, and I'm so thankful that it points us back to Him over and over. We are here in Ukraine, yet ultimately held in His hand. This gives preparing for Sabbath and for heading home with Maxim a level of peace like no other, and we know the source can only be the Heavenly Father, through Christ Himself. I am so thankful for His restoring that peace to my mind and heart as we finish this process in the next couple of weeks. I know there will be more tests, yet also where to turn for refreshing and strength.

PS Dear Daniel had mixed up a couple of details about Brina and Joel and the music program they're a part of. Joel is in Concert Band (trumpet) and Brina is in Advanced Orchestra and the Fiddle Class as well. Don't they look sharped all dressed up for the concert earlier this week (see last post)?

Band & Orchestra Concert

Our Children Brina and Joel at the Home School Band & Orchestra Concert.

We are blessed to have our children a part of the West Michigan Home School Band and Orchestra. Unfortunately we missed the latest concert but we have enjoyed their concerts in the past. The above picture was taken from their recent concert. It is very fun to listen to the various bands, which start from very young children playing in the recorder band, all the way to Symphony Orchestra. Joel and Brina both (I believe) are in the Concert band, (I can't remember because it seems they are advancing all the time). These bands are very accomplished, and usually some of the bands go to the State Band Festival every year and compete with all the other accomplished High school bands in Michigan. It is not uncommon for the Home School bands to receive an A ranking. Anyway we are happy to have them in this organization.

In other news, Maxim is doing very well. He was happily singing today while dressing himself after a bath. He is a very happy child who is quietly grumpy when things do not go his way. Jenna and I are trying to teach Maxim that we pray before meals to thank God for all we have. I am sure he does not understand what we are saying, but it is interesting that sometimes we remind him to wait before starting to eat, and sometimes he reminds us to pray. He does this, not by words, but he looks at me and holds his hand up (We hold hands during prayer) then he closes his eyes. Today for the first time, he started praying some, he would repeat the names of our children, and himself and Moma and Papa. It was very nice to hear. I also appreciate what Maxim has learned for himself. He usually dresses himself, and then puts his own cloths away. The caretakers try to teach the children to do whatever they can for themselves. The children in Maxim's group have a nap every day around 1:30 in the afternoon, and they are taught to be quite during this time. I have a feeling that most of them don't get much sleep, but they usually remain quite. I am pretty sure it is the caretakers who are really getting rest. It is very hard for us to pick up Maxim all the time, and play and take him to the restroom. I had forgotten how much work this was as our (previous) youngest child is 13. I imagine that it is difficult for all the caretakers to have to lift so many special needs children. Consequently the children get very little "fun" contact with the caretakers. I do appreciate all the caretakers do for the children however, the children are loved and all there needs are taken care of. (This comment is based on what Jenna and I have seen in Maxim's group). There are several other groups that we are aware of but have not seen the interaction between caretaker and child.

Another Birthday and Many Blessings

We are celebrating another birthday today. Our oldest daughter, Cyan, is now seventeen!

Hard to be apart for such occasions, yet great to look forward to reunion very soon.

Cyan, you precious not only to family and friends, but especially to your Heavenly Father. He has gifted you with persistence together with an overall easy-going nature. He has prompted you to keep trying in spite of challenges you face with your disabilities. He keeps increasing your grace, in your heart as well as when you dance. You are growing a servant attitude and as you keep studying (scripture and school), and acknowledging God in everything you do, He will direct your path. Some may guess that with your CP, certain things are not possible. However, God is the One who holds you in His hand and He has great plans for you. Keep dreaming.

Happy Birthday, Cyan!!!

As we are now on day five of the ten day wait, my attitude about waiting is vastly improved. One thing I realize now is that as we began our journey, we were in "go meet our new son and bring him home" mode. No focus outside that box. And, of course, knowing that our length of time here has some unpredictabilities, we were trying to be very careful and not spend too much. A wise consideration, certainly, but what this turned into, for a little while, was the tendency to stay at the flat and not explore; to not find ways to learn about and enjoy this place we may never visit again, and just be happy tourists for awhile. Who knows where God will lead next?

I really want to be able to tell Maxim about our experience here in positive ways. Yes, there have been challenges. Some culture adjustments. But what a shame it would be if my focus were that of the "ugly American" who wants everything her way, instead of going at all of this with a spirit of adventure and looking to see what we can both learn from and share with the people here.

Here are some things that have been a blessing here:

1)being able to walk almost everywhere we need to go. We need the exercise and fresh air and any other year, we could have had snow on the ground for weeks already, making it more difficult, but we've been blessed with cold yet clear weather.

2)time to know Maxim before bringing him home. I have to admit that the time we have here to spend with Maxim before he goes to the States with us is invaluable. As a small, vulnerable 6-year-old who has not known anything but life in a baby house or orphanage, it is so important for him to get to know us and feel our love for him right now, before we take him to the other side of the globe. It has been a good thing to meet him "on his turf" so to speak and make the transition more slowly. As Daniel and I look forward to being home as quick as possible, we also realize that too quick a transition would be more traumatic to our new son, and we don't want to overwhelm him unnecessarily.

3)we are mindful of how many people here have learned to make due with what they have in a way that is very foreign to Americans, for the most part. We try to be careful how we spend our resources at home but we learn from what we see here. Hand-made brooms (I'm assuming from the reeds of the marsh areas near the river), beautiful floral pictures crafted of anything from various colored seeds to fish bones. Certain aspects of society have become more materialistic since the fall of the Soviet Union (ads and commercials abound for more processed foods, and luxury items such as UV lamps for "getting some sun" indoors), yet there is an underlying culture of making things last and using every resource.

4) there is a history of great hardship over and over yet still trying to make the nation work. Not an easy task for a nation whose present boundaries have only been in place since 1991. We have to be patient with the things we see around us that make us uncomfortable sometimes, as this is an infant nation. And isn't patience something for which to be eager. Aren't we supposed to crave developing discernment between what is wrong and what is simply different?

5)hot water every day, which is not a guarantee here, and our power has never gone out, which is very common in the area.

6)a facilitator/translator who grew up in this area so knows many local things another person wouldn't and who has encyclopedic memory for sharing the history of his own nation as well as others. He has worked hard for us and sacrificed much time away from his family for us.

7)wonderful family and friends back home who have taken our kids under their wings for awhile, sorted through mounds of mail, checked on our house and sent prayer and encouragement. We can't wait to see you all.

So as we go into the last week, most likely, here in the region of Kherson, I don't want to miss seeing what I need to, so Maxim can hear a more balanced account of the land he has come from and also Daniel and I can come away from this experience, glad for the blessing of a new son as well as for the opportunity to see this part of the world. The land we are going home to and this land we find ourselves in now are both precious to the Heavenly Father, and teeming with people who all need Him and have great potential when surrendered into His hand.

In a couple of days, we'll be joining another family as they are celebrating the completion of their adoption at a local restaurant. It is great to share the "grafting in" experience with others and we have also been so blessed by the welcoming and encouraging of local Americans who've given up much more than we can imagine in order to be a light in this area of the world. They've opened their home to us more than once, making Thanksgiving special, accomodating us even when we came knocking at the wrong time, helping us connect with family back home when our phone was not cooperating, etc. Just examples of how God really was walking ahead of us before we came, so all our needs would be met and there would even be unexpected blessings of help and friendship.

Blocks

Jenna in front of stone wall

Before I explain the title and picture, I would like to say that everything with Maxim is going well as we slog through the 10 day waiting period. I feel like it is slogging. We are not doing any paperwork (we can't legally at this point) we really have nothing to do other that to be with Maxim, (which is great of course). However we are getting a little stir crazy. I currently have things that can be done at work and I feel "Stuck" here. Oh well, I guess they do not call it "waiting period" without a good reason.

Ok now to the picture. Of course the photo shows Jenna my lovely wife, but what I am really taking a picture of is the block wall (Don't tell Jenna), Jenna is in the picture for scale. What are these blocks? Well they are cut out of the mountains on the Crimean peninsula. They are used very often for building around here, both in homes and in walls. They seem to be quite layered and not quite solid. When you examine them closely they appear a little like Swiss cheese with air pockets all over. Apparently these stones are favored for building material as they are cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Stone and concrete is almost exclusively used in build homes, even the second story floors and walls are concrete. I am told that any construction that I see from the yellow stone was done after the fall of the soviet union in 1989-90 time frame. The reason is during the Soviot Era, the destruction of the mountains in Crimea was prohibited. Interestingly, there is some very old construction of this same yellow stone from before the Soviet Era around Kherson. I have walked past truck loads of these blocks for sale at markets. I look at them and think they would never pass inspection in America as they appear fragile and crumbly. Not sure how sturdy they really are, but I have not seen any of the buildings which use this material collapse. The cost of the stone is 5 Grivna each. When we first got to Kherson the cost was just under 1 dollar, but now it has lowered to about 60 US cents each.

When we first arrived in Kiev the exchange rate on the street was 1 US dollar to 5.8 Grivna. It went down to about 5.7 Grivna, but in the last few weeks the Dollar has climbed against the Grivna. I just saw as I walked to the internet Cafe the exchange rate of 1 US dollar to 7.8 Grivna. This is great for buying food here, Jenna and I can eat for about 5-10 dollars per day (If we prepare the food). However our lodging is not receiving any break. We pay 65 dollars per night in Kherson, and it does not change as the value of the dollar rises. (Hmm, somebody is making money). Anyway I have to go now as I am expecting a conference call from work.

Out and About

Well, time marches on. We are on day three of the ten-day wait and it doesn't seem quite so overwhelming now. I guess I was just feeling emotionally and physically spent and needing a second wind. I think it's coming now.

Maxim is quite a little goofball. Loves music too. We taught him a very easy Sabbath song and he tries to sing it a lot. Very sweet. The other day he burped and I asked him to say "excuse me"; it came out "thank you me".

He has the appetite of an adult and so far has not turned down anything we've exposed him to; tea, juice, pizza, even salad (he was not thrilled but agreed to finish with no argument).

Maxim has so many things that will be brand new to him but he is a people person for the most part, pretty adventurous and has a funny sense of humor, all qualities that I believe will help him adjust.

In certain ways, life at the orphanage forces caretakers to push the kids to do things that are good in the long run. Otherwise, so many children in the same place would be unmanageable.
For example, the children learn very early to put things away, be careful and neat when they are eating. However, questionable methods at times (what would come across harsh to many) and without the staff to really love every child individually. So we'll have an interesting journey trying to help Maxim (and all of us) maintain good habits through encouraging the best in each other rather than the fear motivation I think he feels sometimes. While with us the other day, he spilled some juice and when he looked up, it appeared he was expecting great punishment.

As I write, we have our first snow since we've been here. It started yesterday afternoon. Hardly any on the ground now but is around 25 degrees F. and I expect we'll get more before we leave the region next week.

Igor is visiting with family during the 10-day wait as there's nothing official we are allowed to finish until the wait is over anyway. We've enjoyed visiting with friends, leisurely walks, and much more time with Maxim. When Igor gets back next Monday, we will "hit the deck running" to complete the last details.

Thank you for your continued prayers. For us and many other families. Our friends the McGowans are into their ten-day wait as well and looking forward to travel home on the 31st. For the McGowans and us, please pray that there will be no delay in processing of the passports. We know of another family (hello Walkers) getting ready to come at the end of next month. All of these separate processes have their own special needs involved in addition to just wanting the "grafting" of these children into our family trees to go well.

Thank you for your notes of encouragement (and your e-hug Delanie; you made me cry). They are such a boost.

Blessings to you all.

When He Knows We're Really Family

It is interesting as we get to know Maxim during this waiting period, to see how limited his understanding is of family. We take our concept of family so for granted. Slowly, he will begin to trust certain things. That a daddy and mommy love each other, enjoying conversation and laughter and kisses. That a daddy and mommy like to help, hold and encourage each of their children, with a smattering of necessary correction from time to time. That a daddy or mommy might have to leave for a little while on occasion but they look forward to and plan on coming back. That a daddy and mommy will not disappear when their child goes to sleep. That having a daddy and mommy means a little one doesn't have to rock himself to sleep any more, and he won't get in trouble for crying kind of loud when he's sad. A loving daddy and mommy means that when juice is accidentally spilled, no one will start yelling and belittling.

Brothers and sisters mean having someone to share one's history with from now on. Brothers and sisters mean not having to work alone when more hands are needed. Brothers and sisters mean sharing, looking out for each other, speaking encouragement to each other, praying for each other.

What an amazing design God has for the family. All of it meant to "flesh out" our relationship with Him. Our household is imperfect for sure. I would do many things different as a mom, if given the chance to go back. But God is merciful to teach us, let us know when we're off track. In fact, He pursues us relentlessly to get our attention, correct us and welcome us back to the Narrow Way. Because He has allowed us three wonderful teenagers (I will be a blubbering idiot in the airport when I see them again) and now this new little son, I know that God's vision for our family is much wider than the little box I have sometimes imagined. That is so exciting and encouraging. I can't wait to see how things unfold.

Daniel will fly home on the 28th so he can take care of work responsibilities he's been trusted with. He is very talented at what he does, and I'm sure they'll really appreciate him being back. Maxim and I will go up to Kiev with Daniel and I will finish the last appointments there on my own (with the help of our translator and driver we had earlier in the trip; it will be nice to see them again). Maxim and I have tickets now for the 6th of January. I would rather be home sooner and maybe we can still grab a standby earlier if things wrap up fast enough, but we had to be realistic in reserving tickets.

Every minute is one more closer to getting home. I am hanging on to this and to Philippians 4:6-8. I will hang on to on-going prayer, with thanksgiving, instead of anxiety. I will acknowledge God in all we are doing, and trust Him to direct our path.

In the 10 Day Wait

Maxim being "Bundled" by his caretakers

Hello everyone, Daniel posting again. (hope you don't get tired of hearing from me). Jenna and I decided to post separately (Not on the same day) because of our current circumstances, which are good, but we can't explain right now.

I thought the above picture of Maxim looked kind of funny. It is common in Ukraine for parents to bundle their little ones up (in the winter) so that they basically look like small versions of the Pillsbury dough boy.

We are able to spend much more time with Maxim during the 10 day wait and we are even with him during his meals.

At one of the meals we were with Maxim and he chose a very large spoon to eat with. He then tried to put the entire spoon in his mouth and it looked a bit awkward to me. So I handed him a small spoon and I tried to gesture with my hands that he should use this spoon instead. Well he eagerly grabbed the smaller spoon, but instead of putting the large spoon down he started using a spoon in each hand. So I thought, "this should be interesting", He then rather adeptly loaded each spoon with food and brought them both to his mouth. He then sat there looking at each spoon trying to decide which one to put in his mouth first. Evidently he could not decide because he suddenly shoved both spoons simultaneously into his mouth. Jenna and I could not believe he actually accomplished this, and we started laughing. Maxim thought it was funny too so he sat there grinning with two spoons in his mouth. I can see we have a lot to learn from each other. Maxim is a vary happy boy and we are so glad to be able to have him as our child.

It is frustrating at times trying to communicate with each other. We can tell he has a problem speaking Russian, (Sometimes his caretakers have trouble understanding him), and he will try to tell us something in Russian or Ukrainian or whatever language he speaks in. Jenna and I just smile and nod and try to understand. Then we try to talk with him and we chatter away and Maxim just looks at us and smiles and nods. Kind of funny when you think about it.

This makes me think of Jenna and I trying to communicate with the local people. When we tell them we do not understand them, they repeat what they just said only in a much louder voice, (I guess it is not just Americans that do that). I do feel bad sometimes because I do not understand the language. Earlier today on the way to the Internet cafe, a man with crutches started talking to me as I crossed the street. Sometimes I explain that I can't understand, sometimes I just shake my head no. Anyway, as I was crossing the street and just getting to the other side, the man started to say something to me. I looked at him quickly and motioned no with my hand and shook my head no (At first I thought he was trying to sell something or solicit me in some way). After I walked about 50 feet I realized he was not trying to sell me something, so I turned back to look. There he was crossing the street with a woman holding his arm. I felt so bad, he was asking me to help him get across the street.

Yesterday Jenna and I were forced to change our return airline tickets as the original return was December 13th. However we still did not have a good idea of when to make the return flight. I need to be back at work before the end of the year, so we made my flight Dec 28th. and Jenna and Maxim's flight on Jan 6th. We just don't know how long the Kiev paperwork is going to take plus we know that offices close on the holidays, and there are weekends, and we only had certain days available to fly. We were told that the passport paperwork would be slower this time of year, and we are shy to make our flights too early because of the delays we have already had. This was our second changed flight. Anyway be praying for Jenna while she is here alone for the week after I am gone. I know that will be hard for her emotionally as we left home and our children on November 2nd.

Great News! and Not so Great News

Introducing Maxim Matthew Campau

Daniel Blogging again :)
First the Great News; We have passed the court!
This morning we got to the court and we walked in with Igor and two other representatives (one from the orphanage and one from the local administration). I was expecting to see the Judge and a secretary but instead I saw five people. So we had 10 people total in the court room. We proceeded with introductions and then the judge asked each of us (Jenna and I) questions about our adoption, why we want to adopt and particulars with our case. I think it went very well. of course everything had to be translated but after the questions, all of a sudden we (the five of us who walked in) were asked to leave the room. About 10 minutes later we were asked to return. The judge very quickly read off her verdict (during which time Jenna had eyes full of tiers) and we left.

The next news (not so good) is we need to wait for 10 days (this is to make sure no one comes forward and claims the child), then we are allowed to change the birth certificate to show Jenna and I as the Mother and Father. We will travel to the capitol city of the Crimea to the city where Maxim was born to change the birth certificate. Then we will return to Kherson where we will begin the passport creation for Maxim. Part of this bad news is we will be trying to get the passport between Christmas and New Years, so this may very well take extra time (Up to a week) so it is possible we have 17 more days in country. We have already been here for six weeks starting next Monday. This is a long time to be away from home, and to top it off we will be missing our three children's birthdays. Joel Dec 7th, Cyan Dec 17th, and Brina Dec 25th.

It is also possible that I will need to leave for home to get back to work before Jenna and Maxim are ready to return.

Thank you for your prayers for this successful court date and please pray we will be returning home in a timely manner.

Hurray for Tommorow

Maxim in the Ball Pen

Daniel Blogging here. We are showing you a sneak peek of Maxim. He occasionally likes to play in the ball pen, in this photo we were batting the balloons around and having a good time. Today's visit with Maxim went very well. Normally he is very jealous of us when other children (especially those in his group) come into the area where we are playing. Even today when one of the boys entered the area Maxim immediately said NYE, NYE (no no). We try to explain that these are his friends, but usually before we get to far one of the caretakers comes and whisks them away. Today however we had a new experience. A new child came to the orphanage and to Maxim's group. He was very scared and had obviously been crying. He is four years old and very big for his age, especially for orphans. It is well documented that orphans are smaller and typically grow 1/3 less than non-orphans. This is true with Maxim as he is six and about the size of an average three year old. Anyway, the orphanage director brought this new little boy to where we were visiting with Maxim. She introduced him to Maxim, and immediately Maxim began to be nice to the boy, and began to play with him. This was very interesting for Jenna and I to see as Maxim basically forgot us and was friendly to the other child.

Tomorrow is the "Big Day" for Jenna and I and Maxim (Cyan, Brina and Joel too, of course). We are hoping for approval from the Judge. If so Maxim will be fully our son after a waiting time and after we get birth certificate, Passport, and other paperwork stamped. Please pray that all goes well and we find favor in the eyes of the judge. I was reading in the Bible this morning that God is the one who puts people in positions of authority (whether for good or evil) and he can and does effect the decisions of people. We are very happy to put our faith and confidence in Him, even though we get our faith tested from time to time, (like waiting extra long for this trip). But also pray for the many others who are here in Ukraine who are adopting children as well. It is a big step for anyone, and we all need your prayers.

Three Teens and A Shorty

Joel is 13! Here he is ready to dig into a very sweet cake, made by Brina.

Well, we are the parents of three teens, soon adding a little guy into the mix. Never would have imagined this a year or two ago. What a turn life can take!

Visiting with Maxim went pretty well today, although his temper flared for a short time. He doesn't understand yet that sometimes he will be interested in doing something, and not everyone else will be. He has yet to learn that this is okay. Not everyone has to do the same thing at the same time. We had built a tower of "padded donuts", for lack of a better term. There are a huge number of balls in the same room, like you'd find in a fast food play area. Anyway, after the tower was built, I (Jenna) decided to try making a "basket" into the tower. Maxim went into a "quiet tantrum". He frowned and flailed hard in Daniel's arms, telling me no no no. Of course, we don't enjoy this response and we would like to avoid it. However, I know we can not do what he demands just to stop a tantrum. That will only feed the problem. So I went ahead and made my shot, trying to tell him that is what I would like to do and if there was something else he would like to do, that would be all right. He still wasn't pleased but the tantrum disappeared. The whole thing lasted less than two minutes but is still an indicator that we will have "moments" from time to time, where he's learning that we love him and enjoy him and he will have choices he gets to make sometimes, but he is not in charge. One of life's lessons for any small child.

Everyday, we take a little healthy snack for Maxim to enjoy during our visit. Usually, it's a small container of yogurt and some juice (as well as a chewy vitamin bear). This week, we bought some mandarin oranges at the outdoor market and have been taking one of those each day. Maxim really likes these and it was a good treat when he was still sick. Yesterday, we took two and indicated to him that we would be sharing these among the three of us. He let Daniel help start the peeling and then finished the process, and he shared with us very nicely. He likes to rub his belly and say "Mmmmmmmm." and looks to see if we do the same.

Today, Maxim was going down a little indoor slide and Daniel grabbed his pants to slow him down. Our little guy slipped right out of his pants (happens frequently as he is quite small and his pants are usually too big), losing a sock at the same time. Daniel quickly discovered that this little boy has been hiding very stinky feet. We got out some hand sanitizer and wet wipes to clean him up. At first, Daniel suggested that I take Maxim right into the bath area and give him a full bath, but then we decided this might be considered an insult to the caretakers. A full bath will have to wait until he's with us 24/7. May it be very soon. We did ask his teacher for different socks. She is a very nice person and went right away to track those down for us.

Court Date #1

We had our usual morning visit with Maxim. Enjoyable but back-breaking at times. Maxim has a lot of creative ideas for things to do when we're together but of course many require that we lift him. His weight is not really an issue as he is about the size of only a three-year-old. However, all of his weight is above his waist and his upper body strength is quite something. So as we hold him and play, we just have to be careful since his center of gravity is not where you would generally expect. Also, because of the way his hips are twisted, he wants to turn in unusual ways to see what is going on around him, and he is very fast. Anyway, he keeps us hopping.

Oh yes, the court date. We headed for the court building with Igor, the orphanage's attorney and a woman representative from the local administration office. We had about a half hour wait and were then called in. The judge simply asked if we were satisfied to have Igor translate everything for us, if we were satisfied to represent ourselves legally, and where we live. The orphanage attorney will need to bring the original of a particular paper rather than the copy he had today, but other than that, the judge says our papers looked good. Our final hearing is this coming Friday, December 12, at 9:30 a.m. When we are actually before the judge, Igor acts only as our translator, not our advocate.

Last night, Daniel and I both woke up a lot, thinking about today's appointment, praying about it and just hoping it would go well. Thank you for all your prayers. May everything proceed with integrity on every one's part.

We would, of course, love to have our final court hearing tomorrow, but that's not up to us so we'll be learning more lessons in patience. However, what a blessing to know we'll be past it at the end of the week. At that point, we will have been in the Kherson region for five weeks, in Ukraine for not quite six.

Right now, it's time to head back to the flat. It's colder out today; upper thirties (sorry to our family in Michigan dealing with the twenties right now) so a bowl of hot borscht sounds great right now. We're very glad the government regulators have turned the radiators back on.

Happy Birthday Joel

Our son Joel is turning 13 tonight at 10:05 p.m. EST. Happy birthday Joel. We are sorry we can't be home with you for such a milestone. We are so blessed that you are our son. You have been blessed by God with intelligence, talent, health and energy and great potential as a young man. You have a reputation among many of kindness, generosity and; responsibility (even if mistakes are made once in awhile). You are a good son, brother and friend. We love you and miss you and hope you have a great day today.

Cyan and Brina, hope you're both able to enjoy the day with Joel somehow. Blessings to you both.

We had a nice, although, short visit with Maxim this morning. We went exploring upstairs to find where the older kids play ping-pong. Daniel scrimmaged with two different boys, one of whom would definitely have toasted him if they had been keeping score. And this boy was playing while using a crutch to stand up.

This scenario was a good one in which to have Maxim with us. It's a little opportunity to see that we really like being with him, but he has to share us with others at times.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend. We will try to post tomorrow after court.

Day of Rest

M. the "train" on his Track. He scooted around pretty quick. Feeling much better.

Taking a break beside the old reservoir behind the castle.

We are enjoying a quiet day today. No visit with Maxim this morning, so we decided to take a leisurely walk around town and stop at the Internet cafe to say hello to everyone.

We will not be posting tomorrow as we will visit with Maxim at our usual time (10-1) and then join friends in the afternoon.

Igor went to the train station this morning to pick up our SDA approval papers, as he received a telephone confirmation that they were indeed posted last night.

As we go into our court appointment on Monday, please pray with us for wise words to answer the judge's questions. This is only the preliminary meeting. The actual hearing will follow hopefully in just a couple of days. We of course want to make a favorable impression on her, with total integrity as far as our answers and Igor's translations on our behalf.

We know who the Eternal Judge is and He has brought us this far. May we be counted among the faithful and have Him with us in the courtroom.

We'll do our best to post again after the appointment on Monday.

Electrical

This is the electrical panel for the flat in Kherson

There is not much new to report today, however things went well. So It is my turn (Daniel) to finally blog something. So ladies if you are bored with this go get your husbands, maybe they will find it interesting.

What you are looking at in the picture is the entire electrical main feed in the flat we are staying at in Kherson. The lower portion is a new electrical meter showing kilowatt hours used. the upper two round things are screw in circuit breakers. Each breaker is protecting one of the two power lines entering the flat. What is interesting is that they are rated at 10 amps. So the entire flat is operated at 220 volts 50 hertz 10 amps. Also I saw the wiring at an electrical outlet, the wire size appeared to be 18 or 20 gauge, which is illegal for power wires in the US. The electrical system is unbonded with no ground. This is also against code in the US. They can get away with 10 amp protection because it is 220 volts. Remember that power (or watts) is derived from volts X amps. So with a fixed amperage of 10, you get twice the power at 220 volts than we would in the US at 110 volts. Being that the system is ungrounded (with no common wire) you can have one of the electrical wires shorted to a metal frame and the device continues to run along happily. If however you touch that device, and you being normally grounded, you find that suddenly you become a conductor of electricity. This is exactly the case with our refrigerator in our flat. If you touch it while it is running and you are barefooted, then you have a shocking experience. Jenna and I have learned this very effectively and quickly.

I do not think that new electrical installations in buildings or houses continue this same wiring practice. More than likely they maintain building codes which require ground fault protection in kitchens and bathrooms. We had the opportunity to see a nearly finished new house, and I found the heating system to be more advanced than what is common in the US.

OK my attention span has been reached, so I am finished for now. I will wake up Jenna and see if she wants to add anything :)

Jenna now: Oh my husband. I am glad he can explain some of these things I am seeing but wouldn't know how to blog about. As far as our power goes, we've been blessed. We're told that power outages are common here in Kherson but we've experienced only flickers occasionally, so we really can't complain at all.

Our visit with Maxim today was really nice. The caretakers would still prefer that he be up on furniture or at least held in our laps off the floor because he still has a bit of a cough, but we enjoyed the time together. As we've played the last couple of days, we just enjoy each other's company and when an opportunity to teach something comes up, we use it. For example, I haven't pulled the number paper I made out anymore. It's too soon. But we've enjoyed counting the sections of the orange we brought or something like that. Much more pleasant.

Yesterday was good too. Little by little, we're learning to balance all the different factors of getting to know each other.

SDA Approval!!!!

As we headed back to Kherson from the orphanage this afternoon, Igor got a phone call from one of his colleagues in Kiev. Our papers have been approved by the SDA. Praise God. They will be on tomorrow night's train back to Kherson, in plenty of time for our preliminary court date. Having these papers in hand, we are hopeful there will not be a long wait between the preliminary court date and the final hearing. Igor is hopeful they can both be finished next week. We have approval to post M.'s full picture after our final court date. We are so looking forward to that.

Today's visit with M. was much more pleasant than yesterday. He is not confined to bed now and overall was much happier. One issue that comes up repeatedly is that he wants us all to himself. This can be good or bad, depending on the context. We love that he feels so comfortable with us and looks forward to time together, and of course it's important for us to do everything we can to strengthen the bonding between us. However, many times if another child or children come into the room where we visit him, he is very rude to them and wants them to leave immediately. Although encounters with some of the other boys have not always been pleasant, overall we enjoy meeting them and know they crave time with someone new just like M. does. We want to prepare him for the fact that he does have siblings who he will have to share us with. Hmmmmm. Any thoughts from those of you who've walked this road? As I mentioned yesterday, it's just plain tricky right now trying to develop respect when we don't have official parental authority yet.

We laughed a lot together today, and weathered issues that came up quickly, so that was encouraging. Overall, M. has a delightful personality and is loved by the caretakers and director (who spoil him some, presenting part of the challenge to us). It will take time to establish boundaries for him in a family setting, and of course right now we have the language barrier, but we are confident that over time, M. will be a wonderful part of our family.

Small, Medium or Large

At the Market with Igor - What Do You Think?

Today, we went to the market before heading to the orphanage for a short visit with Maxim (he is still sick). As I mentioned before, the market is huge and everything you can imagine can be found there. The other day Daniel and I had noticed a woman selling fur hats but didn't feel comfortable trying to make a deal without Igor.

So this morning, we went back. Igor was intent on helping us but without anyone at the market knowing we're foreigners. Kind of comical, since every time the hat lady said something to us, Igor would turn and whisper the translation. Then we'd whisper what we wanted to do and he would turn back to her. So on and so on. How long do you think it took her to figure out we are foreigners?

Anyway, first Daniel picked out a hat for himself that looks very nice and will certainly be warm. We can use it in Michigan, but not here most likely, as it is in the 50's today.

Next, the lady turned to me and wanted to cut us a deal if we bought a second hat. Immediately, Igor insisted I try on the pure white one. Let's just say it is the "Large". I did try it on. Hence, the picture. I call it the Marshmallow Look. It is definitely the look here. Not my style. Igor told Daniel that it's basically the work of a man to make his wife and children happy and that this hat would make me happy. Another woman came out of nowhere, grabbed Daniel and seemed to be telling him this hat was right for me. It took us quite awhile to convince Igor that I was not interested in white or blue fur hats. In the end, we found a very nice hat and a fur collar to wear with my coat. Igor is very proud of Daniel and we will be eating much beans and rice for the next many days :). Actually, it was a splurge for us, but we couldn't have considered it at all in the States.

Maxim still has a cough and has to stay in bed for the time being. We were with him for about an hour, just snuggling, singing, and such. A relatively quiet visit.

Every day when we are with him, we use a couple of pages I made up of numbers and letters to get familiar with. Generally, he has been fully cooperative or at least at some point during our visits. Nothing we attempt to teach him as far as this goes is very lengthy. Maybe five minutes tops. But in the last couple of days, he does not want to do it. Interesting to sort out.

We have noticed that Maxim does not like to do the same thing more than a couple of times. He likes variety. And he likes to run the show when he can. So this will be tricky as we seek to expose him to the new things that will help him transition into the family, but realize everything is new to him and we technically have no authority over him yet.

For example, today when he didn't want anything to do with numbers and letters (or us after we suggested them), we were trying to sort out together whether to let it go completely because he's sick today (probably would have been best) or find a way to gently let him know that he will not always get his way. What a fine line right now!

After our visit, we stayed for a while longer at the orphanage for a program of song and dance that was being presented to the kids. Igor says that today is some kind of holiday in Ukraine acknowledging people with disabilities and this program was presented because of that. It was an interesting mix of smaller girls singing songs in very typical little girl outfits and older girls and one boy giving more complicated dance demonstrations. As in the States, dance costumes even for teens here can be a little lacking in fabric. They had obviously worked hard to prepare for the presentation though and the kids of the orphanage seemed to enjoy the show. Quite loud (show, and audience at times).

As we look forward to our court date on Monday, we are praying that SDA papers arrive back from Kiev in time for court. Igor is working hard to let the birth certificate office in Maxim's birth town and the passport office here in Kherson know that we are coming to them soon and to please have everything ready as soon as possible. Technically, those things can't be completed until after the judge's final decree, but Igor is doing what he can, legally, to just give them a heads up. He wants to get back to his family as much as we want to get back to ours.

We have now been in Ukraine for a full month. Hard to believe. May the remaining required days for us here, and family/friends back home, pass smoothly and productively.

Some News

Hello to all. We are somewhat encouraged today. Igor told us this afternoon that we have our first court set now, officially. We will meet with the judge next Monday, December 8, at 8:30 a.m. This is a time to meet, go over preliminary questions, etc. It is his understanding that as long as we have our approval papers from Kiev on time, we should have our hearing within 48 hours after the preliminary meeting.

It's hard knowing that the airline tickets we have right now will have to be changed. There's no way we'll be finished with the process by the 13th, as originally planned. And we are learning in a whole new way how to wait when nothing is in our control. We have to admit that is a very good lesson to get through our heads, but what a joy it will be to get home.

Today, Maxim was still sick. In fact, the ladies insisted that although we could visit, he had to stay in bed. Good to see him anyway. When we're together, we sometimes sing songs to him and today, he tried to sing one of them with us. Such a peaceful thing to sit together and make music.

He was temporarily grumpy when he found out the candy we would not give him yesterday would also not be shared today. But he quickly forgets about such things, and really the visit was nice even with the restrictions on where he could go.

Maxim and the other boys enjoyed seeing some pictures and video Daniel has on his laptop.

This morning was a good time to go to the outdoor market by the orphanage. There is a wonderful collection of foods, housewares, clothing, construction blocks, live still-wiggling fish (fresh from the river this morning), etc. We just picked up a few basics. Bread, beets, onions, potatoes, cabbage. Splurged a little on some mandarin oranges to share with Maxim as he may not have tried one before.

Tonight, we were blessed to spend time with new friends who are also in the process of adopting. Good to just relax, talk and laugh together over bowls of borscht. What a great way to close the day. Thank you, friends (you know who you are), for the books too. I have missed having another good read.

No News Is.........?

Discouraging. No news is discouraging. We do not have the papers yet from Kiev, so no court date yet. We thought we might see the judge this week, but that looks unlikely now. Waiting is soooo hard. It kind of reminds me of during the last weeks of pregnancy, when there can be the stop and start contractions. Guess you could say we're in the adoption equivalent of that right now. Our facilitator is doing a great job and is very careful not to make predictions about timing but sometimes even things he thought he could be reasonable confident about don't work as planned. It's not his fault. This is just part of what any family going into adoption, domestic or international, might experience. There can be a lot of unknowns and it definitely requires thanking God daily that He is Sovereign and in control, and also asking Him daily for courage and energy to keep going.

We did see Maxim this morning. His cough sounds worse and he seemed to have a low grade fever, but also had energy we wouldn't have expected. A little stubborn at times.

We were encouraged to visit for a little while with some of the teens after Maxim left for lunch. They enjoy coming to us and practicing a little English and although we certainly don't understand each other well at times, it's fun to try and we laugh a lot with them. Wish you could meet them too. They are great kids.