Sorry I didn’t get this posted last night, I was SOO tired I kept falling asleep as I typed so thought I’d better not post something I couldn’t stay awake to proof!
I know this is a long one, so if you only have time for a couple of paragraphs, don't miss our funny incidents in paragraphs ~7, 16 & 17 I think! :) You just have to understand the humor in the title- especially the Kisses!:) XOXOXO;)- Ha!
Saturday- 10/6/12-
Today we started our day with eggs and toast and a sleepy crowd of kids. V. was especially sleepy and low key when the day began. He is snuggly morning, noon and night. I love that. They played a little, then got ready to go to the CIRCUS! We walked over a mile to get there and were hoping it was going to be worth the effort. The outside of the building STINKS! V. kills me with his response to something stinky. He says, in his adorable Ukrainian accent, “Oh, my goooodness” as he waves his hand in front of his scrunched up “stinky face”! The gooood in “Goodness” has the long oo sound as in “shoe” “Moo” or “boo”. Goooodness. He is such a funny boy.
We met our friends, P & J and their new son, E. there, as well as the B. Family, N & L, and their new kids, V. and A., as well as P& J’s host family, J & E and their three kids K, K and K. After several happy family photos on the front steps, we made our way in to the building. I was a little nervous upon entering when I heard a recording of music which was reminiscent of a toy which needs a new battery- scratchy, slow, dissonant….messed up. I thought, “Oh this is going to be a LONG afternoon!” We found our seats and then An. and I decided we’d better use the bathroom before it all started.
B. and W. and L. adoptive families from TN and FL in US.
Side Note on the Potties here: We’d been warned that the bathrooms there at the Circus were dark, scary, nasty, squatty potties. But when you’ve gotta go, you’ve gotta go! So we went. Fortunately, it wasn’t as dark as we expected and there were actually 10 stalls! WOW! Most places only have two stalls MAX which are shared by men and women (separately) Imagine my surprise the first time An. went to the bathroom at Coffee House a couple of weeks ago. Since we were right by the door, I let her go in without me. I decided it had been a while and went in to check on her. When I opened the door to what I thought was the women’s restroom, a MAN walked out!!!! I then realized that there were two stalls in this bathroom, with an outer area with sink and hand dryer and it was unisex. An. was in one, strange man in the one next to her! Ha!) But at the Circus there were actually separate Ladies and a men’s restrooms and there were several stalls. The Potties were squatty, but medium squatty. The potties yesterday near Lavra were TRUE squatty potties- a hole in the floor with foot places on each side. Ewwww. AND they STINK!!! No, it is far beyond STINK…. they REEEEEK. Worse than the worst porta-potty you have ever used. My friend J.P., back home, with the sensitive nose would be absolutely gagging! And most have no toilet paper. So if you forget yours you are outta luck. AND they don’t flush toilet paper here. If you are so lucky as to have brought your own, you are expected to throw it in the trash can next to the potty. Ewwwww. Double…no… quadruple stink! But at least it wasn’t 95 degrees in there, like most indoor places are here in Ukraine!
So back to the Circus! When we made it out of the bathrooms we were so excited to learn that we made it back before they started! As we were rushing up the stairs to our seats, the crowd burst into applause. HA! I know it was coincidence, but it felt strangely as if the crowd was clapping for An. , V. and me! :D Perhaps they were happy that we made it safely back from the nasty, scary, smelly squatty potties! HA!
Opening up for the Circus, we were surprised to hear an AMAZING little band! They were followed by dancers, jugglers, and performers of all types! There was much climbing, leaping, dancing, and even singing! After the initial recorded dissonant, messed up music, we were all pleasantly surprised and impressed by the talent there. We were very happy to have been able to go! After what seemed like the blink of an eye, it was intermission. We had been watching them for 1 hour and 45 min and never noticed the time! At intermission, we went out and got a few snacks to tide us over until dinner. After intermission- the ANIMALS came out. I will be honest. As much as I loved seeing the animals, several of them made me a bit sad. In particular, an OLD camel which was very well trained, appeared to be struggling due to his age. They should really let him retire. He’s been there, done that. And now he’s tired and needs a retirement arrangement for aging show camels. I hope they are well cared for.
After the Circus we went to Mega Market! It is a WalMart type store with EVERYTHING! P and J had figured out how to get to it using busses so we asked them to show us! We really only needed a few things, mainly snacks for our backpack so we can do lunches on the go, but shopping around there was fun, too. In addition, J. , being 13, has managed to grow out of the long pants we purchased for him right before we left three weeks ago!!!! So we went in search of jeans in Kiev! Much to my surprise, fitting him was MUCH easier here than it was in the US. I suppose being skinny like he is makes him closer to a European build.:) It was all an adventure and our 5 (Lynch and W.) kids were excellent and quite the troopers.
OH, funny incident just before our Mega Market adventure. Adjacent to the Mega Market is a Mall. Quite a nice Mall, actually. Tomorrow we will have been here 2 weeks and it has taken THIS LONG to find a hairdryer for purchase. Grocery store- no. Pharmacy- No! Even the Mega Market, which Is like a Wal Mart- No! Finally we were told that hair dryers are sold in an electronics store! SO, nearly two weeks into our adventure here, we found an electronics store at the big mall. We looked past the computers, through the kitchen appliances and finally found the hair dryers. It is quite a bit deal to purchase a hair dryer here, evidently! As we looked at them THREE sales people lurked nearby….fearing that we would somehow steal the $6 hair dryer. When we had made our selection, they took the item from us, took it out of the box and tested it at a nearby plug to prove it was functional. They then certified it as being in working order with an official type of certificate which I had to sign. (?!?) Three or four employees were involved in this process- all gathered round the little, tiny counter top on the end of one aisle. Next, we were directed to the counter where you pay, off to the side of the room. Fortunately we had V. with us and he directed us to the appropriate location after they pointed and blasted us with a rapid fire string of unknown words. Finally, the hair dryer purchase was complete (it was as complex as if we had purchased a 60 inch flat screen TV!) We then proceeded toward the exit, which is flanked by metal detector type gadgets you must walk through. On the other side of the gadgets, there are guards- SCARY Communist looking guards. Although I had not set off any alarms, and was merely walking along with my kids, they approached me as if I had just boarded a plane with a bomb strapped to me! They were both scowling and very intense, moved rapidly toward me and pointed at my bag. I showed them my little hair dryer and they took it out of the bag, were looking it over and over and proceeded to blast me with harsh Ukrainian/Russian words! YIKES! I decided it would be best if I showed them my receipt, which I had wadded up with my change and shoved into my pocket. Finally, I found it and was nearly trembling as both officers flanked me. I DID NOT set off the security alarm…I don’t know why they were SO concerned by me. So after I showed them my receipt, they pulled out an official stamp and stamped my receipt and let me go. WOW! All for a $6 hair dryer! Apparently all electronics customers are treated to the TSA-style shake down upon exiting the store!:)
After Mega Market, we went to a local café where the W. Family had tried a huge platter of chicken strips all for a very reasonable price in the past, so we followed their advice and ordered them for our dinner. We added to that another recommended sandwich platter and we were set! The chicken platter had twice as much chicken as a small Chik Fil A tray for about the same price. It is nice how inexpensive food is here! We are most likely saving money over our usual food expenditures, even with occasional eating out. After dinner, little V. fell asleep on my lap as we sat and chatted. He is such a sweet boy, making up for 13 years without a real family. We missed our little sleeping interpreter when the server came back and we couldn’t understand something.
It was a nice day and evening, followed by some relaxing family time at the apartment, prayers and bedtime. Happy day J
Sunday, October 7, 2012
We got to go to Church today with our friends, P & J and their new son, E. as well as our new Ukrainian friends, Sl. And Sa. and our little V.! There was a time in my life when I used to say (or think), “we HAD to go to Church today.” But now I realize that we GET to go to Church. If you “have to go to Church” like I used to, you need a new Church! The Church we attend here, ICA, is filled with a mixture of Americans and Ukrainians. The worship is refreshing and the preaching a delightful mix of powerful illustrations and humorous commentary. Maybe it’s just us, but to go to this Church it is quite a long journey, so we have found that those we have met there are pretty serious about their faith. The sermon today was about grace, God’s grace. Grace and mercy used to confuse me until I heard one day that mercy is not getting what you do deserve, while grace is getting something good that we don’t deserve. We definitely have God’s grace raining down on us right now. It’s a pretty unique situation we are in now. For so long, I have been crying out to God for His assistance in our adoption journey, whether it was first finding our son, paperwork difficulties, financial needs, timing, etc. etc. Now, here we are, hanging out with V., and just being showered upon by His grace. Standing there in Church next to the little guy I had sought for SOOOO long- it is nearly surreal. And even better was seeing our little guy standing in front of his Daddy, each of them holding onto one another. I am truly living in a miracle. Thanking God just simply doesn’t seem adequate. But thank Him I must, and often.
I must mention another amazing young lady in our group today! We had invited another dear new friend, O. from Coffee House, to join us at Church. After she was able to get more info from our other Ukrainian friends about time and place, she brought smiles to ALL of our faces when she walked into Church just before it started!!! Weej and I, along with P & J, have decided we want to take all three of our new Ukrainian friends home with us! These girls definitely know how to smile and enjoy life.
The song we sang at Church, “Your Great Name” was so amazing. When it got to the point where the song says, “The Fatherless …they find their rest, at the sound of Your great name…” we were a mess with tears streaming down our faces. Honestly, even though I knew God was leading us to adopt little V. I was afraid it may take a while to feel the full bond of a mother. I was afraid he may take a while to call us Mom and Dad. But from day one we were Mom and Dad to him. He constantly reminds us, “You my Momma. “ “You my Dad.” And, it is amazingly just as easy and natural to love, hug and kiss on him as it is “The Original Three”. It is AWESOME! If you are a Christian, you TOO were adopted! Isn’t it awesome that God has big love for US and he doesn’t keep us at arm’s length just because we weren’t part of the original family?! By the way, our “Original Three” are now the “Fantastic Four”.
Adoption has really been a spiritual journey for us, maybe even as much as it has been about rescuing a child. I love how Galatians 4:4-8 puts it: “But when the fullness of the time had come; God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.” WE, (if you are a Christian), are all adopted into God’s family! How cool is that?! If you don’t know if you have been adopted into God’s family, please let us know so we can help you understand the process. We don’t want to see any of our amazing friends or family left behind at the “orphanage of life” when, unlike us, God’s family doesn’t have a limited budget or home study. Even though it is freely offered, you do need to agree to your adoption, just as our new son had to write a statement that he wanted to be adopted by us and will have to testify to it in court. Again, if you don’t know whether you are a part of God’s family and would like to be, please let us know so we can help you understand the process. Just knowing ABOUT God’s family doesn’t make you a part of it, anymore than those reading about our family are a part of ours. ( as much as we love youJ)
As I stood in Church today, holding onto the sweet and very grateful child who is about to become my son, I pondered his gratitude and affections toward us, and wondered if I treat my Heavenly Father with the same interest, love, adoration and gratitude as this sweet boy treats us. Except for some occasions, I don’t. And although this adoption process has been grueling at times, even hard, sweltering and miserable at our three yard sales, my work is NOTHING compared to what God did to adopt US! One day this past summer as I toiled lugging items in and out of the garage in the blistering FL heat, I thought, “(V.) will never fully understand what we went through to get him here”…..and immediately I was reminded by the Holy Spirit, “you’ll never fully understand what I went through to adopt you, either.” So, shame on me. Again, yes V. has been as good for us as we have been for him. Maybe more so!
Sadly, after Church was over, the boys (our V. and the W.’s E.) had to return to their orphanage for the week. A driver picked them up outside of the Church, and fortunately the Dads were the ones who walked them to the car. It had already been an emotional morning for me, so to see them drive away would have been hard for me. Watching them walk down the path toward the road with their new Dads was a little easier to handle. These sweet resilient boys are agreeable and obedient. Although the strange process must be confusing for them (here a few days, there a few days) they roll with it all and rarely complain. We are blessed.
After our oasis of Church, we stopped off for some affordable Italian, then some shopping at the amazing, delicious, Ukrainian Chocolate factory (Roshen). There was an area of loose candies where you bag your own candy and then it is weighed by the cashier. Typically these type places in the States are outrageous. Especially the “buy it by the pound”. We have learned our lesson on the pay for what you weigh the hard way (shortly after we were married we tried to beat the movie theater candy prices by getting the pay by the pound candy next door and ended up spending $20 on it!!). But after Weej got a bag of candy for all of us at Roshen today, about half full, and it was only ~$ 0.75 (!!) he told us we could each get one! J Wow! Again, the prices here are amazing. J. said, “I like it here, I feel like a rich person.” And according to their standards we are.
One of our funniest moments today was when P. pointed at a sign advertizing a band/concert and asked Sa. “What does this say?” . She saw him pointing to a particular Cyrillic letter which looks like an X with an I through the middle and she said, “Jgzh” (not sure how to write…sounds like the J in Jacques.) Almost like a car sound a little boy would make! P. said, “no, not that letter, this word!” So we continued to laugh about that and P. teasingly showed her how to pronounce several English letters as we went along. “See this B….it says “Buh.” Hahaha!
Oh, and even more hilarious,( sadly P & J missed this part) was when Sl. turned to tell me something on the bus (to the seat where I had been sitting just a few minutes prior, back to back with her) and thought she saw a handsome Ukrainian man planting a HUGE kiss on me! Ha! In the short time between when she had turned to talk to me last and when she saw that shocking sight, the bus had filled up some more people so I had scooted over to the window seat, placing Anna on my lap, and gave that man’s girlfriend my seat. Her hair was similar in color to mine, so boy was Sl. SHOCKED when she turned to smile at me as she was listening to Weej’s story about how easily I laugh at him, and saw a strange man kissing the woman sitting behind her!!! HAHAHAHA!! We laughed and laughed and laughed. I saw her face as she looked at the back of that woman’s head and the man in their liplock and said, “I’m over here!” HA! Weej said, “Oh, Deb always kisses handsome Ukrainian men on busses.” HA! I wish I had a picture!!:D Sadly, we don't have a photo!:)
After the Chocolate factory, we simply meandered along the main street, which is closed to car traffic during the weekend. SO, we walked on the street… because we could! That area of town is really quite amazing and beautiful.
So in conclusion, the day was grand; worshipping our Heavenly Father, then enjoying perfect weather, changing leaves, much laughter, love and new lifelong friends.
I am just absolutely loving all these stories from all of you! What a joy to see how the Lord is blessing you and showing you guys so much in this journey! Praise His Holy Name!
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