It has been a long hard wait for this ten days to be up. Actually, when all is said and done it will have been SEVENTEEN days, so that’s really why is has so been long. When you factor in the weekends and all the holidays our wait period will have beenk much longer than for most people. I know in my mind why we must wait for these places to be open, because if they are not open and some family member wants to come and file a dispute against you they could not. But then my heart says, if a child has been in the orphanage for a long time and no family has visited, then do they really want the child? Or is it that they don't want you to have the child? In either case, it is hard. We will get our court decree on May 5th. I am looking so forward to May 6th so we can go break Kristina out forever.

Alyona and I have had a good time together. I do wonder if she thinks her new mama may have lost it a few times along the way since Papa left. We have shopped and went to downtown to sightsee some more with a friend we made who is here from Sweden. She is 21, so it has been a little like having Christopher here with me. Well, kind of. She is a girl; and he is not, but they are the same age. I am sure people look at me like I have my family with me. A lot of people ask Alyona if I am her babushka, which is grandmother in Russian. I am not sure I ever heard anyone ask Tim that. It just gives me a push to get back home and lose the rest of this weight so I can go buy cute twenty-one year old clothes. Not!!! But it would be nice to be at a healthy weight and not carry the extra around on me.

We have friends from the states that are in Kiev right now doing their SDA appointment; and she said that one week at the YMCA was not enough to get ready for all these hills and walking. She is so right. So all of you out there who will be following in our footsteps start hitting the pavement now. Your feet will love you for life if they are in better shape.

On Tuesday we had quite the day. Alyona wanted to go to the park, which to her is the two swings just outside the flat, in the dirt. I said I had heard of a really cool park. We just needed to take the bus, as if we were going to church, but stay on it; and go to the end. She looked at me and said, “191, right?” “Yes, 191. It will be an adventure.” So we boarded the bus. I had not even gotten the door closed when the driver took off; and I almost became close friends with the pavement. Luckily the driver and Alyona caught me. So we ride almost an hour to get there, to get off; and all we see is trees, and trees, and more trees. Alyona says to me, “I don't want this park.” I told her it would be OK. We just needed to walk a ways to find the playground. So we start off on the path to the entrance. We walked about a mile before we finally found it. YEAH for me! She looks at me and says, “Army tanks... ugh!” I said, “Look, you can climb on them.” She responds, “OOH LA LA!” It is her new saying. I think she thinks she is going to Paris. Anyway, she climbs all over everything she could get onto, then we head back to where the bus dropped us off. As we’re walking I keep trying to explain to her we are going to go around the corner to see the Black Sea. So we start down this hill; and we walk, and we walk. There is a car coming up the hill, but it does not make it to the top, and then it goes backwards down the hill to try it again. After three tries it finally makes it to the top. We get to the bottom and look back up the hill and Alyona says, “We live here now. I NO go back up. I NO do it three times.” In America, if you live overlooking the water you will most likely live in million dollar homes. Not here. They may be HUNDRED dollar homes! I was quite shocked, to say the least. We enjoyed the view, then decided we needed to head back up. Now, I was thinking I am not sure I wanted to see the Black Sea that bad. We get to the top and get a drink.

At that point the adventure really does begin. The driver pulls up. We get on. I am still learning my way around on the buses so we sit right behind the driver, across from the door, as I know we need to see out on that side and did not want to have to make our way to the front of a crowded bus. We are sitting there; and this man gets on and has a funny look in his eyes. I will say, I was a little scared, but did not tell Alyona that. Then he starts making these funny noises and Alyona is moving closer to me. I am moving closer to the window, but the metal will not give, I can't get us away from him. Then he falls to the floor and has a full blown seizure. All I could do is sit there and pray for safety for this man. The bus driver and this other man who each weigh may be 130 pounds try to get this THREE HUNDRED pound man off the bus to the ground. I tried to tell the bus driver things he needed to do. It was like a weird game of charades. We wait for help to come. Thank God the man is fine. Then, next, this lady gets on the bus; and she has THIRTY-SEVEN kids with her. The bus only seats TWENTY-EIGHT, but this is no surprise. The passenger limits are only recommendations here anyways! So we ride on, and on, and on. At one point I think we had about close to FIFTY people on this bus. When it came time for us to get off the driver would not accept our fares. Instead, he said, “Thank you for your help.” I responded, “Have a blessed day.” He just smiled. Yeah! A smile. We don't see many of them around here, nor do we hear much English. We get back to our flat and Alyona asks go to a park with swings. All I really wanted to do was go take a nap, but how could I say no? So, off we go.

Yesterday we went to the market so we could get things to put in the bags for the girls’ “Gotcha party”. The kids love getting things from Americans as most never receive anything. Even just a bottle of shampoo; and they think you gave them the world. It makes you think about all the Christmases we have had, and how much we spent, and how little our kids appreciate what we got them. Last Saturday night Oles took us to a park down by the sea and he was talking to Alyona about Christmas and what she might like. He asked about a bike, a doll, clothes, or games. She said she already got what she would want: a family to love her and get her & Kristina back together. She did say to give money to a family so they could come get her friend who was nice and needed a family. WOW! She is so young, but knows what is truly important. I hope she will keep that perspective forever.

There is so much I would love to tell, but I need to go. I hope you all have good week.


Prayer needs:
1.) That nothing goes wrong in getting our court decree on May 5th.
2.) Everything goes fast with our passports, so we can leave to get out of here and on the plane on the 13th, as on the 14th summer rates go into effect and the cost of our tickets will go up significantly.
3.) Alyona starts eating better. She can't live on potatoes forever.
4.) A smooth transition for Kristina into her new family.


Prayer Requests: Please feel free to email us your prayer needs or put them in the comments so we can pray for you.
1.) Mrs. Doris - She fell and broke her nose and bruised up her face. For quick healing.
2.) Friends that are here from the States ready to adopt two girls, non-siblings.
3.) Friends in the States that will be starting their adoption process. That everything goes quick and smoothly.

Lynn