We walked down the street, blocked off to traffic on Saturdays and Sundays to a grocery store to pick up a few things. It was raining briskly but was fun to be out in together. Tomorrow, the process really begins.
Fighting jet lag after waking at noon here, we walked down the hill to the main square we had seen the night before. We looked at shops and walked under the roads to cross them. Under these very wide roads are many, many stalls selling all things Ukrainian as well as convenience items. We saw people with cups for donations, mostly older women, probably widows. They made no noise and had no signs and one was doubled over with her face to the floor on a little mat.
We walked down the street, blocked off to traffic on Saturdays and Sundays to a grocery store to pick up a few things. It was raining briskly but was fun to be out in together. Tomorrow, the process really begins.
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Our day of arrival was long, being jetlagged and losing luggage, waiting in a line for an hour to be able to report lost luggage after finding our patiently waiting facilitator/translator and the driver brought to pick us up. Then to the hospital in the heavy rain and getting to see the interesting driving practices of another country. Our facilitator brought candy with a toy inside for each child which won their hearts immediately. There are no seatbelt laws here and 5 of us sat in a row for 3. After our hospital visit attempt, we were driven to a grocery store where we had to try and make a quick purchase for who knows how many days to store in who knows how big a fridge in packages whose contents I could only guess without our Helen. Did you weigh that and get it marked? No? Take it back there and that man will mark it. Do you need oil? That is Russian cheese. The herring plain is better I think. This bread is good bread. We were so tired and overly hungry, and emotionally taxed at our almost visit to see our little girl, but hurried as best as we could back to the car with the very patient driver who spoke no English. On the way to our apartment which is by the city square, we heard fireworks and then saw them, going off over the dome of a great building there. Helen didn't know what they were for so contemplated that Kiev was saying "The Russells are here, The Russells are here" We all found this to be quite funny, we were so tired. It was beautiful and soothing and we pulled up to our apartment. After climbing 78 steps with our luggage (Gord took 2 trips), we quickly opened the deli food we had bought at the market and ate on auto pilot and dropped into beds. How grateful we are for our Ukrainian guide, translator, apartment finder, driver arranger and for the fireworks to welcome us to the Ukraine:) Thanks to God for His strength and help on our flights and arrival here in Ukaine! 1 suitcase and our gatechecked precious stroller/transport for our little girl did not arrive with our flight. But they did arrive at our apartment the next day all safe and sound:)
Our facilitator is a gem! From the airport she offered to take us right to the hospital and so we eagerly went. As we pulled up, it was a very unlikely looking hospital when we compare with what we are used to. Inside it looked more like a warehouse from the early 1900's. Big and old clanging metal doors on the manned elevators, stern faced women looking like they were from some old movies of Soviet days. Very old, very closed doors to wards. Helen talked her way through all but the Dr. who came to the door of the locked ward. Sorry, you may not see her without paperwork that proves we are in the process to adopt her. No information about her condition. Okay, he relented to say that she is no worse and is still alive and yes, we may leave something for her from us. We rushed back through the clanging doors to the car to get the small soft pink blanket that we had rubbed all on our necks to get our smell on to it so she could have it in her bed and we sent prayers that God would give her hope. By the time we left, the women were smiling at us all and I think they are happy that Katia will have someone. One of the women called up to the ward when we arrived and said "Katia's mamma and poppa are here!" In the words of someone famous..."We'll be back!" Today is our appointment at the Ministry of Social Policy. Tomorrow we get our paperwork late in the day and Wednesday we can see our girl. As we plan to fly on Friday to the Ukraine, we were informed late today that our little girl is in the ICU and not doing very well. I wonder if she knew we were on the way, would she would want to live. Not that her life has been delightful living as she has been.
We are told that she is on strong antibiotics and has a weak heart. It didn't sound good from a human perspective. I am torn. I want her to be free, well and whole and see Jesus face to face. But now I find I love her and am not as willing to let her go as I would have been when I first knew of her. I realize that God loves her more than I do, more than Gord does. Whatever He has planned for her little life and for ours is what we want. It will be perfect, it will be glorious. But it will hurt. This sinful, fallen world brings hurt here but Jesus has set us free from the law of sin and death and it will not hurt forever. In my flesh, I want her to know the love of a mommy and daddy here on earth. And now, we want to be them. But we want what the One who first loved us wants, more. Your will be done, Lord. Our little girl is 7. But so is our little boy...the one that already lives in our home.
Today he came up to me with a fist full of dollar bills held out. "Here" he said. "This is for K" (He just spoke the initial). "Do you mean for K........?" (the full name she is called in Ukraine) "Yes" he said. "Is this your ice cream money you earned last night at practice" (all 4 dollars) "Yes", he said again, "And when I earn some more money, I'm going to give it all for her because I'd rather get a girl than a lego." This, from my youngest who hoards and scrimps for legos and would spend his last penny on them. I marvelled and blessed and thanked God. He is transforming us all in this. Dear Heather! You have appointment at the ministry on 23-rd July. Welcome to Kiev. Let me know about your flight, I will meet you at the airport and find apartment for you. With love Helen This afternoon, in my inbox. What more can I say except "that's a lot sooner than I was expecting!" The mad rush has begun:) I admit it. I was discouraged. And didn't want to post because financially, unrelated to the adoption, things were very rough. And I was sensing the caution of people who cared about us...the questions about moving forward when things looked so bleak.
I know we are supposed to do this and do it now. So, I needed to keep following my husband and trust my God. We purposed to keep walking one day at a time. To let you know where I was in my preparation; I had wanted to make some cloth diapers for our girl because fitted cloth diapers and covers are very expensive. I talked with a friend about a little sewing party where I would get the fabric and pattern and pre cut and we could all sew. (I know, most of you are thinking, "you call that fun?", but I do). Then I thought "I don't even have the money for the fabric but nice try". I had also been realizing that I was bringing home a very fragile child with lots of needs to an area I had only recently moved to and didn't know any medical resources. I had read an article in an adoption magazine one morning about a family who had started finding dimes on the sidewalk throughout their adoption journey and they realized the blessing of little signs that God was providing all that they would need. He did and then for another one where a dime again became a sign needed for a changed heart. I thought that was sweet and went about my day. The next day, I drove to the grocery store with my daughter and as I got out of the car, there was a dime at my feet. I know, coincidence. But no, it could have been a penny or a nickel but it was a dime and I have a Father who knew that it would get my attention and let me know that He was aware of my discouragement and was providing. Later that same day, I was checking my homeschool facebook group and saw a post from a homeschool mom for...not just cloth diapers but the cut out pieces for several along with several finished ones. My eyes filled with tears and I thought "that is not coincidence!" I could have found an ad for cloth diapers and I would have thought that was great but here was a mom giving away these and they were ready for sewing, gratis! I was thanking God for His provision and communicated with this homeschool mom about the diapers. I assumed that she was a mom of a baby/toddler that had outgrown the diapers or she had decided not to cloth diaper after all. When we started talking and she asked questions about my "baby's" size and age, it came out that she is a mom to 2 disabled children and involved in 2 support groups within a mile of our house for both cerebral palsy and tube fed children, 2 of our little one's conditions! That was it! I bowed my heart and thanked God for His care for her and for us and for His encouragement to keep going forward and trusting His timing and His provision. He showed me in that day that He did have adoption of a little one for us, He would provide for all of our needs, He saw my heart and loves to give good gifts and it WAS her He had for us. Those support groups and that connection were because He has us bringing THIS little girl into our family. His mercy for us all is so great! Late last night we got the word that our dossier (and us) has been accepted and we are officially candidates for adoption with the country of Ukraine. It means, so our facilitator tells us, that all of our documents are in order and the Ministry also told her that we should be given an offical appointment date in about a week. So, she thinks we will travel end of July! For my part, I will wait till we actually have the appointment before I guess when we are going. I thought we'd be traveling in February!
Our wonderful facilitator has been to the orphanage recently with another family and said that she had seen our little girl there and stable. I wonder how she will respond to us. I'm sure that she has no idea that we are working so hard to come for her? Does she know what family is? Does she know that she can be held and stroked and sung to and read to and talked to and kissed and prayed for and have a full belly, everyday? And then again the next day? And the next? By the same mommy and daddy and brothers and sister who smell the same way each day and sound the same way and speak those words that she doesn't know yet. And are committed to her life as family should be? Does she have any idea that her little life, as long as God gives her, will change so much? At the same time, I think of meeting her for the first time and the nervousness I'll feel. Will I be repelled at the sight of her emaciated condition? Will she like us? Will we overwhelm her? Pray that our Lord will prepare her for this life change and strengthen her for all of the travel and environment changes that she will be going through and then keep us all well and strong. Our dossier got submitted May 17 to the Ukrainian government! And then, that ominous email. One of our documents was the wrong one.
I knew that our facilitator had been very unsure about that one since early on and kept asking questions about it. But it was what our homestudy agency had required and sounded like the State clearance that we needed. But alas, when submitted, it was discovered that we needed a State police clearance with hard copy fingerprints. The government of Ukraine was giving our facilitator 2 weeks to get the correct document submitted. Problem...the State informed me that it would be 2-3 weeks for our results to be processed and returned to US, let alone get across the Atlantic Ocean AND it was late Thursday afternoon before Memorial Day weekend! We ran to the police station, they were great as was the State giving me the information. We felt as though everyone was trying to help us. The State informed us though that they couldn't expedite this but process in the order received. So we took it to the top. We prayed. We prayed that it would be miraculously fast and if not, then the government of Ukraine would accept it late. We overnighted the prints Thursday to arrive at the State processing on Friday. Then we went into the long weekend, Sat, Sun, Monday. The following Saturday, they arrived in our mailbox. Less than 9 days INCLUDING the holiday weekend! We were so excited and thankful for God's mercies to us. We sent the documents Federal Express, but they arrived late in the day Thursday, the day they had to be turned in. The offices were closed. They were submitted by our super facilitator:) the next morning and accepted God answered both prayers! Isn't He wonderful?! Awesome!! Dossier is all complete BUT one of the documents is dated over 6 months ago. Of course it is, we started this a long time ago it seems. However, our daughter's country wants all documents submitted with dates less than 6 months as our adoption isn't complete yet and it must be finalized before the documents are 12 months old.
So, back to the township for another police clearance letter and a couple more passport copies. If we can get it sent by Friday, our facilitator can submit it by the 17th and we won't have to redo our medicals! |
AuthorThe Russell family Archives
December 2019
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