Heather here.  I am still in a hospital, but not one in the Ukraine.  Our littlest girl is in our local hospital getting some comprehensive care for her many needs.  We started at the pediatrician, asking for some help with her seizures to get us through to when they had an open appointment for a new patient.  Once her Dr. saw her he felt that she was dehydrated and that she needed some baseline evaluations (like bloodwork) as well as seizure control and admitted her to our local pediatric department.  What a contrast in hospitals.  Its a tough comparison, the one country with such limited resources really doing their best with her care, our gratitude to them that she is alive where in some places she would not be.  Here, there is a treatment for every little thing and the garbage piles high within hours with all things disposable.  Don't get me wrong, this is not a healthcare debate and I am so grateful that now, our child with a family has the access to so much more.  But how much we have and how much we assume is our right and how much is wasted is more obvious to me.

Katia is getting more and more anti seizure meds and Gord (who slept at the hospital last night and let me go home to sleep:)) and I are getting more rest than in the Ukraine.  We are grateful.  I got to go to church this am and it was wonderful to see friends and many who have been praying for us.  Because of this hospitalization though, we have not been in touch with as many as we had hoped, following up blog comments and more.

What does this have to do with the post title?  Nothing.

The title is to tell you how God cared for us yet again.

Once our flight was re-ticketed, the one change was that we would be traveling the distance over 2 days and not one.  When we knew originally that we would be traveling through Paris, daughter number 1 was dearly hoping to see something of it and have a crepe there.  Unfortunately, the layover was only 4 hours, enough time to tend to littlest girl's needs and change terminals and go through security again.  But with the change in tickets, we were to fly from Kiev to Paris Monday afternoon, arriving in the evening and not leaving again till 11:30 the next morning!  This meant that we could leave the airport, stay in a hotel and rest and then have some little time in the morning to "see Paris".

This was such a gracious gift of God to us.  Eldest daughter was enraptured by her hotel room window (opening out) overlooking the quaint courtyard, and the drizzly morning in the taxi, being driven past wonderful sights of the Louvre, Notre Dame Cathedral, Arc de Triomphe and the Champes Elysses and last but not least, the Eiffel Tower.  We missed out on the crepes but had those in Frankenmuth, MI in June!:)

The extra gift was of rest for us all.  The original flight would have meant setting off from our apartment at 3 am and from that time, it would have been 21 straight hours travel till home.  As it was, we left midday:) and had about 9 hours Monday, getting to Paris and then getting a Visa for Katia to leave the airport in Paris (Ukrainian citizens need a visa for France) then getting to our hotel.

Eldest daughter's foresight allowed us to have a breakfast together in the room, and saved us the $ 25 USD per person hotel sweet roll and coffee.

Tuesday's travel included an hour flight delay and about 14-15 hours of actual travel time till home.  We were met by my brother David who was the first to love on his sweet niece (he works in the control tower at the airport and was able to take an extended break to come and meet us:)), our friends who took half of our baggage and half of our family, had a meal at my niece's with more family and then were driven home (our vehicle and their's) as we all slept on the drive.

Once home, we were met with banners on the garage, balloons on the door, more balloons the next day, eager hands to take our children for some diversions and help for us to settle in.  Families in our church are going to be bringing some meals in for us a few days a week for a little bit to help us with the settling in.

We have been so loved on and supported.  Our little girl welcomed and us blessed.  Our dear friend shopping for us to have food in the house when we arrived, another dear friend coming from Chicago to help us with whatever needed for 3 days, a newly cleaned house awaiting our arrival with note and custom made photo and frame of Katia in sunflowers:)

We were immediately scooped up by our friends with children with special needs to help us begin to navigate the resources here in our area.

We continue to see God's hand providing for us as He first promised Gord in prayer and as He promises all of His children. 

Philippians 4:19
And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

I know you have all been waiting to hear what has been happening with us. Since we touched ground there has been one thing after another demanding our attention like food, water, sleep, visits from friends & family. Today Katia is in Sparrow Hospital getting evaluated by the specialists there but I will get to that later. Maybe in another post. I'll try to recap the whirlwind of events since the last post and even some of the neat things from the trip.

Having been re-ticketed, and obtaining a flight approved car seat, we were excited to return home. Brianna had been wanting to see a few more sights in Kiev before we left, so Sunday night I gave the approval for some early tourist stops IF we could be all packed and ready to go the night before. As she seems to thrive with clearly defined outlines, she went to work as soon as we got home. She finished in time as we were already working toward that end and we all went to bed.

Throughout our whole stay in the Ukraine we managed to stay perfectly healthy except for the first week when a few of us had some tummy trouble. Tonight though a number of us had sniffles and runny noses- the onset of a cold. Our usual response to this is raw garlic (I know what you're thinking, but it really does work) and honey, so we all dosed up and prepared for the day ahead.

We woke up with a list of places to go that was within walking distance of our apartment and after having some more garlic & honey and breakfast thanks to Brianna. Some of the pictures are below, and it was a beautiful day to tour.

We needed to be back at 11:40 to be picked up by our driver but we accomplished all that we set out to do in good time. As we ascended the steps of the underground mall/subway, we approached a young man that I had noticed many times before in the same place. A beggar. He was bent forward, leaning on crutches and holding out a paper cup for money. Maybe 30 yrs old? I had always been puzzled by him, thinking he's young... why doesn't he just go get some help & get a job somewhere? I walked past him almost with disdain, not like all the other begging people who I simply just tried to avoid eye contact with. To some of these we would drop some grivna into their cups as we traveled. He seemed different though.

I don't remember all the events that happened next, but as we came up those stairs by him I stopped right in front of him, reached into my pocket and gave him whatever came out. I don't even remember how much it was, and I'm kinda glad I don't. His eyes met mine and I said to him the only words of hope in his language I knew "Esoos tebja ochen Ljubet" meaning 'Jesus loves you a lot' (thank you so much for giving me these words Anja!). Words came out of him that I couldn't understand but what was felt was sincere thanks. Maybe he had seen me before as well as we have traveled by him many times, thinking "those rich Americans... can't even spare a dime for someone truly in need". I felt a wall come down wishing for more that I could tell him, but neither of us able to communicate past our abilities. I pray for him, this nameless man that he would truly know Jesus, and how much He loves him.

We arrived at our apartment, and began to load up the van, but not without saying good bye to some friends who live there, leaving our leftover food (it's not as bad as that sounds) and a Russian New Testament. We drove away to pick up Heather and Helen saying good byes to apartments, subways, buildings places that we sadly may well never see again.

After gathering the ladies and the accoutrements, we hurried on to the airport, saying goodbyes to other places and things we had been familiar with over the last 7.5 weeks. Just prior, Heather got to express thanks to some of the hospital staff with New Testaments, and we left the Hospital and orphanage a gift of a brand new suction unit. Kindly our driver took us through McDonalds for an ice cream cone to finish the last leg of our stay in the Ukraine. Strangely, I remember arriving in Kiev in a very similar way.

As we got to the airport and went up to the desk, we were met by the Air France supervisor, who almost seemed as if she was expecting us. She helped us check bags, get our boarding passes and wheel us down the hall to our security check point where we would be on our own to get to the gate. This is where we said good bye to our dear facilitator Helen who had become much more of a friend and champion to us and Katia. Not without tears, we thanked her for ALL her tireless help beyond what was expected, gave her some gifts and said good bye. I'm sure we were more than she had ever anticipated, and wished could give her more to express our thanks. We will be staying in touch with our now dear friend.

I stepped forward with all the passports and documents for travel and presented them to the border control officer. A middle aged Ukrainian woman (Irina something), she looked through everything thoroughly and when she came to Katia's passport paused a little. She asked for the medical documents and birth certificate for her and I handed her a stack of papers wrapped in plastic. After sorting and finding what she needed she sat down and read. Having crossed the Canada/US border many times, one of the things you come to dread is the officer that takes much longer to do his job; and she was taking a long time. There was a page of Katia's conditions and medicines we were traveling with that was written out by hand by one of her Ukrainian physicians that she was combing through in front of her. I started to get a little warm, knowing we were holding up the line of people behind us, and anticipating questions in another language I couldn't answer, our Helen being out of reach. She started rubbing her eye, put the papers down and put her head in her hands. I couldn't believe what I was seeing, but I think this lady was crying! She didn't make any sounds but would not look up for some time. Eventually she gathered all our documents together and handed them back to me. Anticipating we were getting released, I started looking for one of the extra New Testaments in Ukrainian I had been given. I handed it to her, and in english said "it is a gift for you". She took it willingly, and I pray now that she will read it.

So many times I beat myself up that I didn't say enough when telling someone about my faith, or that I wish I could say some great truth when sharing the gospel. I know that I will probably always feel this way to some degree, but I read recently about Christ himself giving a testimony, and what it entailed:

Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before[d] Pontius Pilate made the good confession 1Tim 6:13

He didn't give a pat witness, and to me seems a little incomplete in content (compared to what I might say)as I look over some of these words of Christ. But what the scriptures don't say is what was already going on in the heart of Pilate, that Jesus spoke directly to that and made him be amazed and earnestly desire to free this man... even by his silence!

14 But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed. Matt 27:14

When Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid. 9 He entered his headquarters again and said to Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. 10 So Pilate said to him, “You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?” 11 Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.” 12 From then on Pilate sought to release him. John 19

I don't know what has been going on in the hearts of the people we got a chance to meet and speak to, but I pray we can be a part that will lead them to a vivid faith in God. I must be faithful to bring Jesus to them and His Words in times when I am unable to share more. I pray for good, lasting fruit in the lives of the people in Kiev!

In our own beds tonight! Many people to thank, but mostly to our great God who delivered us safely home. Stories to come later.

Should I? Shouldn't I I was torn whether to tell anyone or not. Plus I was tired. Really tired. Didn't I just post a praise report? Do I drag everyone back down the mountain with me?

So forgive me, now that it has passed (and I have another praise report if you read to the end) and I'll recap the story for you.

Friday morning (yes the day after the Red Sea) I got this email:

Gordon,

I was advised by Air France this morning that if you board the aircraft in Kiev on Ukraine International, that you will indeed be denied boarding by Air France in Paris.

I am simply forwarding the email to you that was sent to me this morning as Air France is now aware of the new ticket as they check records and have found that Kataryna was ticketed by Delta.

Blessings,
Andrew

Katia had been blacklisted.

This was the first of a series of emails , voice mail and phone calls with Andrew and Air France detailing why our girl could not fly and they all hit me like a sucker punch. I didn't even get the emails till late in the day and had many conversations with Andrew. Even though he didn't sell the ticket to me (Matthew at Delta did), they knew I had worked with him and contacted him to be in touch with me. He hated being the bearer of bad news to me and advised me to leave Air France alone and that this was a final decision from them. Any other attempts to change this action originating from Kiev would only make matters worse.

As I arrived at the hospital to break the news to Heather, she simply said "I think this is more of the Red Sea Gord. This is what you called it, and I think we are meant to go through it (Air France)." I dont know how but I really think we should go forward."

We so need each other, and I found myself encouraged by these words from my wife. Prior to this, I was thinking about a lawyer I could call, maybe contacting some government officials and getting my backup when I should have remembered this:


13 And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. 14 The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”


The day continued with busyness sending messages, emails, faxes and due diligence but with peace. Brianna stayed the night with Heather so it was me & the boys trekking back to the apartment together, tired & hungry at night. The boys were full of energy having bought some toys they saved up for while (any of you 6-10 y olds know Hero Factory?). I got some food together and regained some energy. It wasn't hard resisting getting on the computer as I was just not looking forward to it at all. I was actually dreading it. Should I be calling people to pray? Should I post a prayer request? Yes Lord you parted the waters, but I hear the sound of chariots behind me, and they are real!

After putting the boys to bed though, I braved the laptop. I figured my first call should be to Air France as a voicemail was left to me requesting a reply. Bracing for another marathon at 9:40 pm, I called, finding at the other end (without being out on hold at that) was a person with a heavy french accent quite willing to make things work for me. Our conversation lasted 15 min. Bottom line was: find Katia an FAA approved carseat that is less than 44 cm wide and you can fly. All flags removed.

What a load that was lifted! Apparently there had been some mis-communication about how we would travel and word got to the top of Air France that we only could travel with Katia in our lap (as a developmental 1 yr old). Law states that she should be ticketed and in her own seat as a 7 year old and Air France put their foot down. The medical documents proving her handicaps were irrelevant, and some other factors inflamed the situation, but her seat was the issue. I called Heather with the good news and began my search for a car seat. How hard could that be?

Well, in a country that doesn't even require safety belts to be worn much less car seats, I found out how difficult that was. Let me fast forward to the day today (because it took that long- I did sleep that night though) at 6:10 pm we were the proud owners of an aircraft approved, 41 inch wide car seat. It is pictured above in the foreground on the right in plastic. This is a story in itself, but I'll just say it could not have been possible without the help of Helen, Anton (our driver), Daniella at Kiddy (who helped me from the US being "off duty" while the familiar sounds of her kids in the background filled our conversation), Andrew, Christine (ever willing and generous pastor at our church here-ICA), and our great God who weaves all these elements together and parts the seas.

Want to hear another blessing? I originally called Christine to send out an email blast to the church if anyone has a car seat not in use, and they blessed us with the purchase of the car seat in entirety! Thank you so much, and may you receive much fruit from your ministry to us and others(Eph4:14-20)!

From: mail.meda@airfrance.fr
Date: September 9, 2012 12:03:02 AM GMT+03:00
To: "gordon@nextleveldental.com" <gordon@nextleveldental.com>
Subject: APPROVED

Gordon,

I am glad to hear that great news, I wish you and Kataryna Elise a very good trip back in the USA !


The Song of Moses
Exodus 15
Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the Lord, and spoke, saying:

“I will sing to the Lord,
For He has triumphed gloriously!
The horse and its rider
He has thrown into the sea!
2 The Lord is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation;
He is my God, and I will praise Him;
My father’s God, and I will exalt Him.
3 The Lord is a man of war;
The Lord is His name.
4 Pharaoh’s chariots and his army He has cast into the sea;
His chosen captains also are drowned in the Red Sea.
5 The depths have covered them;
They sank to the bottom like a stone.

6 “Your right hand, O Lord, has become glorious in power;
Your right hand, O Lord, has dashed the enemy in pieces.
7 And in the greatness of Your excellence
You have overthrown those who rose against You;
You sent forth Your wrath;
It consumed them like stubble.
8 And with the blast of Your nostrils
The waters were gathered together;
The floods stood upright like a heap;
The depths congealed in the heart of the sea.
9 The enemy said, ‘I will pursue,
I will overtake,
I will divide the spoil;
My desire shall be satisfied on them.
I will draw my sword,
My hand shall destroy them.’
10 You blew with Your wind,
The sea covered them;
They sank like lead in the mighty waters.

11 “Who is like You, O Lord, among the gods?
Who is like You, glorious in holiness,
Fearful in praises, doing wonders?
12 You stretched out Your right hand;
The earth swallowed them.
13 You in Your mercy have led forth
The people whom You have redeemed;
You have guided them in Your strength
To Your holy habitation.

14 “The people will hear and be afraid;
Sorrow will take hold of the inhabitants of Philistia.
15 Then the chiefs of Edom will be dismayed;
The mighty men of Moab,
Trembling will take hold of them;
All the inhabitants of Canaan will melt away.
16 Fear and dread will fall on them;
By the greatness of Your arm
They will be as still as a stone,
Till Your people pass over, O Lord,
Till the people pass over
Whom You have purchased.
17 You will bring them in and plant them
In the mountain of Your inheritance,
In the place, O Lord, which You have made
For Your own dwelling,
The sanctuary, O Lord, which Your hands have established.

18 “The Lord shall reign forever and ever.”

Doors started closing for us today, which was one of our prayers yesterday. God knows how and when He wants us to travel, and will provide. Shadows of Heather's prayers earlier in our journey came back to me. That God would not allow shame to come to His name during this process.

Medical insurance option is out because we don't meet all the criteria. British Airways still an option, but no definite word at this point yet- Andrew's working hard. In the mean time, Helen works with the doctors for hours translating and filling out the documents for Ukrainian Air, for we still need to have the medical backup in case there are questions about her health. They finish, send documents to Ukrainian Air and Air France (Kiev) and get approval from both. Embassy gets faxed copies of the documents from both airlines and approve the visa. So far so good (believe me this was much harder than it looks on paper)!

We now need to pick up this visa, pack, say good byes and go to the airport for 3:00 am to catch our flight. So much still to do (medical supplies to get and maybe sleep sometime?). However, we cant reach our embassy officer, and it is near closing time. We also can't find a driver. Out of the three reliable people we have had in the past, strangely, none were available. We are then told we must wait for an email from the Embassy prior to picking up the visa. None came. We come to the realization that we're just not going to fly today. In one sense, we breathe a sigh of relief that we can slow down a little, but how and when will we travel? Will new tickets cost us a fortune (that we don't have)?

Realizing I need to contact Delta about the possibility of changing our flight, I begin my phone marathon, checking in with Andrew for how British Air is coming along, and long conversations with Delta. Felt like my ear was going to fall off. I'll spare the details (which are boring anyways- lots of numbing, nondescript music while on hold) I spoke to a supervisor at Delta who listened to my story. This was my second supervisor after I got cut off a couple of times using my phone. Matthew started off by telling me about how slim the possibility of an airline allowing you to carry a 7 year old on your lap as an infant would be. He checked into possible flights and found one that was the closest to the original return dates we had so far, and that we could all be on the same plane together; depart Monday aft., overnight in Paris, depart Tuesday aft. and arrive in Detroit Tuesday around 4:00 pm. We talked more about what it would cost. $850 to change all our existing tickets and $4000 for Katia. Gulp. I was about to thank him and hang up to see what Andrew came up with in the morning, hoping it was better, when Matt put me on hold and checked something else. He was gone for a long time, and when Matt came back, he told me this (paraphrased) "I can reduce your reticket fees to $500 total and Katia's ticket I found for $1160!" That's $1650 for all of us. I thanked him. I was about to say to "book it" but had to ask the next question... "I was told they won't fly Katia- why?" Matt then inqures about why they would say this, pulls up Delta's regulations about car seats, double checks Air France's and we decide together that it is simply a matter of her having her own seat that she can be belted into as a 7 yr old. Talked about car seats again and I decided to move ahead, feeling a confidence that this was of the Lord's doing.

Then come the words (again paraphrased) "In fact Gord, I'm not going to charge you at all for reticketing... you only have to pay for the new ticket". I am speechless. It is now my turn to ask the "Why?" question, and just like that I ask it. He says that we are good people and are doing a great thing for this little girl and it is his pleasure to help us out. I again am silent, but I sincerely thank him when I come to my senses. I begin to tell my story of how over a year ago this was the farthest thing from my thoughts, and how God convinced me about adoption was His idea from the start (Ephesians 1:3-6), and how very much like her I was crippled and worthless when God rescued me and brought me into His family as a Christian. We talk some more and he tells me of a similar struggle he and his wife faced 13 years ago when discovering their mew baby was diagnosed with Down's Syndrome.

After some more conversation, I hang up the phone and find myself laughing for joy with my head in my hands in disbelief of God's amazing goodness to us.

"Did not I say that if you believed you would see the glory of God?" was the reference from the devotion Heather read that came rushing into my head. "Yes You did, and I was beginning to lose faith... how foolish of me to begin to doubt You". Earlier, around midnight I was just wondering to myself while on hold for so long and many dropped calls prior to speaking to Matthew "why am I up so late doing this? Is it worth the struggle when I could be in bed right now"? There was a purpose. The Red Sea of futility, tiredness and roadblocks were before me and God wanted to part the waters so that we could go through on dry ground. The deliverance came in the morning, just like the Children of Israel (see the account in Exodus 14 and look at the detailed time markers!). Honestly I was a little disappointed I didn't have an answer to our flights yesterday when I woke. I even questioned myself for going out on a limb by saying so, but at 1:30 am Thursday morning, He did bring deliverance and joy. I just had the wrong morning for His answer.


Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee,
Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not,
As Thou hast been,Thou forever wilt be.

Refrain:
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon, and stars in their courses above;
Join with all nature in manifold witness,
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love.

(Refrain)

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thine own great presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today, and bright hope for tomorrow
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside.

(Refrain)

American soil! It felt good and strange all at the same time, knowing we were still miles away from "home". The picture is of the US Embassy we were at today. I had my interview and our kind officer came outside to see Heather and Katia and the rest of us in the gloomy weather. What was good was that the interview went well. What didn't go as expected was that she didn't issue the visa for Katia. It will be contingent on our approval for flight from the airlines we are traveling on. After starting this process today, we know that the airlines will not approve prior to some medical forms being filled out by her physician and stamped.

So... tomorrow morning we meet with a doctor at the hospital to fill out some paperwork and send it off to the embassy. The plot thickened later in the day however.

 I received a call tonight that the airlines will not fly Katia. None of them. She is 7 yr old and by FAA law she must have her own seat and be seatbelted even though she is the equivalent of a 1 yr old in weight and development. They will not accept our harness we purchased in the US since it is not FAA approved. Also none of the airlines like us because our tickets were purchased using air miles and we are not paying customers, and no one will take responsibility for us (Air France, Delta nor Ukraine Air). Andrew, our travel agent we met at church here in Kiev says that we are in a 'catch 22', being hurt in a way by trying to inform the airlines of these conditions in advance and not just showing up at the gate. Our "worst case scenario" from yesterday just got worse.

Some options were presented to us by Andrew that we are looking into, such as flying another airline (Andrew has better relations with British Airways), or using a medical insurance company to pay for the flight (complex to explain, but feasible). The simplest option would be to find a baby car seat that would fit Katia that could be strapped into her airplane seat for takeoff and landings, but she is longer than most that are available (she is 90 cm and even though she doesn't bend in the middle we could maybe make it work by putting pillows under her back). Even if all the t's are crossed and i's dotted, the flight crew still makes the final call and could deny our boarding.

All this is good, and I want to plow ahead and fix things (like us men like to do) but I also don't want to follow the sin of Saul (1Sam13:1-15) in not waiting for God and running ahead with my own ideas. Will you pray for Gods wisdom and direction for us tomorrow? I believe he will show His faithfulness to us in the morning (Lam 3:22,23).

This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope.  Through  the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not.  They are  new every morning; Great  is  Your faithfulness. “The Lord  is  my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!” The Lord  is  good to those who wait for Him, To the soul  who  seeks Him.  It is  good that  one  should hope and wait quietly For the salvation of the Lord.  It is  good for a man to bear The yoke in his youth. Let him sit alone and keep silent, Because  God  has laid  it  on him; Let him put his mouth in the dust— There may yet be hope. Let him give  his  cheek to the one who strikes him,  And  be full of reproach. For the Lord will not cast off forever. Though He causes grief, Yet He will show compassion According to the multitude of His mercies. For He does not afflict willingly, Nor grieve the children of men. To crush under one’s feet All the prisoners of the earth, To turn aside the justice  due  a man Before the face of the Most High, Or subvert a man in his cause— The Lord does not approve. Who  is  he  who  speaks and it comes to pass,  When  the Lord has not commanded  it?   Is it  not from the mouth of the Most High That woe and well-being proceed? (Lamentations 3:21-38 NKJV)


I also was challenged by the devotional Heather has been reading. This was today's pages and I will attach it below. It was so good for us to read and just what we needed.

Gord again. Heather was here at the apartment earlier today, but did not have time to post anything. The picture on the left is a list in Heather's own handwriting of things we need to do over the next few days before we leave. If any of you know Heather, she is a woman of lists! We accomplished a lot today, but alas you will have to make do with me still as she ran out of time before having to return to the hospital.

Apparently I had one detail wrong yesterday. The appointment with the Embassy official is tomorrow, where she will meet Katia in the car. The doctor appointment did happen today though, and thank the Lord she got approval to travel! Yay!

No time to celebrate though, as we now are on a mission to book her ticket to travel home. Should be easy enough you might think, but advice from our travel agent and the embassy official is that we should advise  the airlines of Katia's conditions and accoutrements before boarding the plane. Someone told us that the last thing you want to do is present the airline staff with a problem (or perceived problem) prior to takeoff. So, we are contacting the airlines now with a full list of her conditions and necessary equipment and doctor's notes of explanation. Worst case scenario is that we have to have a doctor travel with us (and pay for his ticket plus $500). I pray it wont come to that. The travel agent says it really depends on the staff on the airplane, and they may deny boarding. In contrast, Heather was saying today that there is nothing that will stop her from being on that plane if God wills it. (I love that woman!)

So, after tomorrow's meeting at the embassy(Lord willing), we will have the visa for Katia to travel. We will be making these arrangements for the airlines and packing up our things and beginning our good byes to friends here. Health wise, Katia is now off the antibiotics, as well as the steroid to "calm things down", so please pray that they get good rest, and that we have favor in these remaining plans before leaving.

Blessings to you all.


Isaiah 40:31New King James Version (NKJV)

31 But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.

It's Gord again. Don't worry, I'm not taking over. Heather will be back when she gets some free time and internet.

Here's a quick update from yesterday:

The girls got decent rest last night, although Katia continued to have seizures throughout the day today. The doctor that has been seeing her has probably been one of the best to evaluate her, and has been very efficient and knowledgeable. Tonight though she went back on that same med to calm things down and they are hopefully resting peacefully by now. Heather got another visit from Helen & R (one of Katia's nurses- both of them off duty) and brought food and treats for her. What a blessing!

Tomorrow starts off with a bang, and at 8:30 am Heather, Helen and Katia head to the US Embassy to have a face to face meeting with the officer. This needed to be an in person visit to prove that she really does exist. There has been grace in it though, as the officer (knowing Katia's fragile condition) permitted the brief meeting to take place in the car rather than having to traipse through the building.

After returning to the hospital, the trio meets with the doctor who is in charge of Katia's care. He will go over x-rays and evaluate her to see if she is fit to travel. A lot hinges on this, as we won't book her ticket till she is well enough to fly and this doctor is the one the Embassy has authorized to make this call.

Please keep us in your prayers. We have already seen much favor that is no doubt in response to your many requests. We will let you know the outcome of tomorrow.


44 Nevertheless He regarded their affliction,
When He heard their cry;
45 And for their sake He remembered His covenant,
And relented according to the multitude of His mercies.
46 He also made them to be pitied
By all those who carried them away captive.

47 Save us, O Lord our God,
And gather us from among the Gentiles,
To give thanks to Your holy name,
To triumph in Your praise.

48 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel
From everlasting to everlasting!
And let all the people say, “Amen!”

Praise the Lord!

Psalm 106:44-48

So it's Gordon posting again. Heather is still in the hospital with Katia, and I with the children. Thought I'd give a little update from our first visit today.

The night yesterday didn't go as well as planned, as Katia had a lot of seizures during the night. The nurses pulled her feeding tube(not sure why) and as a result we think Katia got dehydrated. Neither of them slept well. In the morning, the tube was put in and Heather went on a rigorous schedule to rehydrate and feed her. This restored her fluid levels and nutrition, but she still had multiple seizures throughout the day. A doctor was called in tonight to evaluate her, and being a neurologist, saw the activity, prescribing a steroid that calms her down (don't remember the drug name). Worked like a charm, and allowed rest for both the girls somewhat (Heather still wakes for feeds and at the slightest strange noise her children make). We won't be able to get any meds changed till our appointment with the cardiologist on Monday, so we are praying for grace and rest till then.

Some answers to prayer that we are so grateful for are that both last night and tonight Heather was able to speak English to these doctors (I can't express how wonderful this is), answering the "why Katia?" question with the gospel each time.

Heather also got a wonderful gift of home cooked Ukrainian food (and it was still hot) brought by Helen to the hospital today. What a tasty blessing (had some myself)! Much more than a great facilitator, she is a good friend and Ukrainian mama to us.

Thank you for your prayers for all the above, for God's glory.

Tomorrow, I enter the hospital as mother of a child to stay with my young one as other mothers with a child in the hospital.  Kataryna leaves the area of orphans and enters a private room with me.  I am now her caregiver for all but treatments and medications.  These I will also be learning and start doing.  I will be getting to know my 7 year old daughter.  Weird thought.

This is a bittersweet time on many levels.  My girl has parents and has privileges and a parent to care for her...so sweet.  And she leaves the area of orphans at the one end of the hall for the other.  But the bitter is that there are still orphans down at the far end of the hall.  And today, as if to replace Viktor, there was Yuri!  He didn't smile but he did watch us wave and speak his name.  He threw the toy he had out onto the floor. 

It is bitter to leave my husband and other three children to enter this time of sweetness with Katia.  It is bitter to be unable to communicate with the staff or anyone for the most part but sweet to always be able to communicate with my Lord and have lots of time alone...a mini retreat with Him.  I want to hear from Him and worship Him and communicate with others by showing Christ through showing respect for them, kindness and sympathy where I can and love for Katia.   And I can do some reading that I haven't been able to get to.

Tomorrow we carry a bag of soft toys that make music and sounds to give to the children of Vorzel that remain at the other end of the hall.  I am grateful for the hands that did the collecting of these things for us.  I will represent you tomorrow as we give these to the children and put them on and in their beds.  And the two dino sleepers can be put on the boys that sit in pink sleepers due to the shortage of appropriate clothes.:)  Katia is cozy now in several sleepers that can be changed as she needs and she looks so sweet and girly in them instead of the mismatched, ill fitting and not warm enough clothes.

This weekend, our family will be winding up a long stay here.  There are some goodbyes and final visits, church, our favorite Ukrainian cafeteria, some of the sights around us.  They will come to visit Katia and I in the hospital.  We will be planning thank you gifts for staff.

Katia was better today but then spit up milk and we don't know how much was aspirated.  She was suctioned.  The first best thing that can happen for her now that she is getting fed is to get a g-tube going directly into her stomach and get rid of the ng tube in her nose where so much can happen to compromise her breathing.

We are in the home stretch.  We want to post more about this beautiful area and the experiences we've had, so we shall see if the other Russell's manage to do this before we travel or if they are having more experiences!  Stay tuned and God bless you for your continued prayers for us and for His glory.