Well, it has been an interesting day. We decided to try and find our way to church this morning by ourselves. So, we leave before Laura. We get down to the street; and Tim & I discuss which bus we are to take. I said #191. Tim said #197. (Me) “No, I am sure it is #191.” (Tim) “No, remember you said it was #131 yesterday to go downtown; and it was really #133? (Me) “I know I was wrong, but I know one of them had a “1” at the end.” Had we taken 131, I have no idea where we might have ended up. We got onto #197 and it follows the same route as the bus for #191 for quite a way. I am thinking I will hate to tell Tim he was right. I am not good at that. I very much like to be right. Then… it all goes wrong. #191 goes straight; and our bus turns. I don't remember turning before. I am pretty sure Tim is thinking the same thing. As we had only been on that bus two previous times, and last week was somewhat unfair as it was an overly crowded day on the bus. Well, it finally comes to the end of the line. The bus driver turns the bus off and looks at us like, “Well, are you going to get off, or what?” Now, for those of you who don't remember, we are in Ukraine; and they speak Russian. Tim goes up to the driver and in the best English he can says, “We got on the wrong bus.” I mean I cannot hold it together. He says this so perfect; and the driver just looks, “What?” So he gets the phone out and calls someone who at least speaks a little bit of English. Tim, the driver, and the person on the phone pass the phone back & forth until I was wanting to roll around laughing. Then, Alyona looks at me with the cutest face she could have and says, “Papa got us lost?” And of course I said, “Yes!” She laughs and says, “191, right”. (Me) “Yes, sweetheart, #191.” Then, I do lose it! So, we ride the bus back home and get off right at the same place where we started the morning at. So, this is why I thought today would be a great time to post the following. I had seen it several months ago and kept the link. I had no idea why, but I do now. I will say, we saw a lot more of the city this morning than we would have if we had not made this little mistake. I think we may have to do this again! :-)

Hope you enjoy; and for those of you who are following us soon, start studying now!

Lynn

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I am by no means an expert, but I have learned a few basics of reading Russian that have helped us tremendously on our journey. Continuing the caveat, I also cannot claim any of this to be 100% accurate, but understanding these simple basics (right or wrong) have helped us read street signs and business names, and most importantly food labels and menus.

Consonants are the key to basic understanding. If you can identify even half of the Cyrillic consonants, you’ll do just fine.

Learn Your Child’s Name

Learn to recognize a Russian stop sign

First of all, the most important advice I have is to learn to spell your child’s first name in Russian. If you memorize something simple that is dear to your heart, you are almost guaranteed to learn at least two Cyrillic consonants and at least one vowel. If you can’t or won’t learn to spell your own child’s name in Cyrillic, I believe you seriously have no chance to learn any Russian because you clearly aren’t motivated enough.

Examples: Anastasia = Анастасия; Anya = Аня; Marie = Мари; Masha = Маша; Vladimir = Владимир.

It certainly wouldn’t hurt to learn how to write your own name and your spouse’s name in Cyrillic. If nothing else, you can then sign your names onto the letters you will write to your daughter while she’s waiting for you at the orphanage. While you’re at it, practice writing out her current family name in Cyrillic so that the packages you send end up with the correct girl.

Common English first names: James = Джеймс; John = Джон; Michael = Майкл; Mary = Мэри; Jennifer = Дженифер or Дженнифер (more common); Helen = Хелен.

In just getting familiar with several easy consonants and vowels. Here are just a few:
-- Л = L, as seen at the beginning of Léna/Лена. Caution: the lowercase L in Cyrillic can be represented a few ways: λ, л, л, or an upside-down v.
-- Н = N, as seen within Léna/Лена.
-- Р = R, as at the beginning of Richard/Ричард.
-- И = the short I sound (‘ih’), seen in the middle of both Richard/Ричард and Kim/Ким. Just to confuse you, other similar short I sounds can be represented in Russian as ы or ы (single characters that look a bit like the number “61″), while Ukrainian is kind enough to sometimes use the standard Latin ‘i’. Technically, these all aren’t the same letters of the alphabet as they differ phonemically, but for our purposes it’s close enough to just accept them all as the short I sound.
-- Д = D, as in Richard/Ричард. Caution: a lowercase Cyrillic D looks familiar (or not!): д or g.

This All Looks Like Greek to Me!

Well, it should! The Cyrillic alphabet is based on the early Greek alphabet and still shares a few common letters. Here are just a few of the most useful to remember:
-- Г = G, the Greek letter “gamma”. Caution: a lowercase Cyrillic G is often displayed as one of the following: г or г.
-- Λ or λ = L, the Greek letter “lambda”. But you’ll see the capital L most often as Л, as mentioned above.
-- П = P, the Greek letter “pi”. Caution: a lowercase Cyrillic P can look like: п or п.
-- Ρ = R, the Greek letter “rho”
-- Φ, ф, or ф = F, the Greek letter “phi”.

Learn a Few Simple Words

There are a few common words you will see over and over that, once you understand them letter by letter, you will soon understand much more than you realize!
-- Ukraine = Украина (Russian) and Україна (Ukrainian) — oo-k-r-ay-ih-n-ah.
-- Kiev = Киев (Russian) and Київ (Ukrainian) — k-ih-ye-v.
-- bank = банк — b-ah-n-k.
-- stop = стоп, a sign seen at almost every street intersection — s-t-ah-p
With just being familiar with those few words, you’ll easily grasp the following Cyrillic letters:
-- У = the “oo” sound, as in “crew” or “Lou”, not like “book” or “cook”.
-- Р = R, just like at the beginning of Richard/Ричард.
-- Н = N, just like in Léna/Лена, so it’s reinforcing the recognition for us!
-- В = V, like at the beginning of Vladimir/Владимир.
-- Б = B, like inKimberly/Кимберли. Caution: a lowercase Cyrillic B can look like the number 6, б, or δ
-- C = S, just like the soft C’s in “race”, “mice”, and “Cyrillic”

A Few More Odd Characters

You’re just going to have to remember these:
-- Ж = sounds like “zh”, as in “massage”. If it helps to remember, the letter looks like a bug, and it makes a buzzing sound like a bug.
-- Я = sounds like “yah”, like the end of “Maria” or “Katya”
-- Ш = sounds like “sh”, like in “shoe” or “fish”
-- Ц = usually sounds like “ts”, as in “pizza”, or sometimes like “ch”, as in Richard/Ричард.
-- Щ = combines the two sounds above into something like “shch” or “sht”, as in “borscht” or almost as in the phrase “fresh cheese.”

Are We Done? Not Nearly!

In no way have I finished covering all the letters in the Cyrillic alphabet, but the few you’ve learned will help you figure out many Russian words. For practice, try reading the following common words or phrases using only what’ve you’ve learned above. A couple of the words below contain new letters not mentioned above, but you should be able to extrapolate the word from the letters you already know with just a little guessing.
-- минимаркет (seen on many non-residential buildings)
-- интернет клуб (many similar phrases seen on non-residential buildings in the city)
-- ресторан (very common on non-residential buildings)
-- аэропорт (you might notice this while traveling)
-- багаж (you’ll have some of this with you, hopefully physical and not mental! For another hint, if the English word was spelled phonetically, it would be more like “багадж”)
-- бульвар (seen very frequently on street signs. If you’re stuck, pretend to add a “д” onto the end.)
-- кальмары (on some menus)
-- пицца (surprisingly good.)
-- станция метро (the first word is a bit harder to figure out, but this is something often found in the most populous cities, most useful before and after work. For another hint, trying swapping the word order to see if that makes more sense.)

Yeah! We heard today that we have a court date. It is scheduled for Monday, April 19th, at 3:00pm. Praise you, Jesus! Let it all go smoothly...

Well, I have lots to tell, but at the moment I cannot. So I decided y’all need to know some important things when you come here. I hope you enjoy; and if you have any questions feel free to place them in the comment box and I will get them answered if I can.

Lynn


Ukraine (pronounced /juːˈkreɪn/)

Ukraine is the second largest country in Europe. It is located between Poland and Russia. It is slightly smaller than the state of Texas. Much of the southeastern part of the country borders the Black Sea.

Most of Ukraine's land is made up of fertile plains, or steppes, and plateaus. Mountains are found only in the west and extreme south in the Crimean Peninsula. This area's climate is subtropical. Winters vary from cool along the Black Sea to cold farther inland. The temperature inland ranges from 66°F in July, to 21°F in January. Northern and western Ukraine average 27 inches of rainfall a year. This temperate climate is ideal for growing crops. In fact, more than 57 percent of the Ukraine's fertile soil is suitable for growing such crops as sugar beets, wheat, and potatoes.

Territory http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukrain
- Area - 603,700 square kilometers(233,090 square miles)
- Land use - 56% cropland, 14% permanent pasture, 30% other (mostly urban)
- Coastline - 1,729 miles

Electricity - The standard electric voltage in Ukraine is 220 volts. Make sure to take a plug adapter as well as a converter, if you bring electric appliances.

Transportation - Public City TransportRuns from 6 am to 1 am. Bus, trolley bus and tram system is rather slow, but is a cheap way to travel within cities. Prices range from 60 kopecks to 2 hryvna.

Taxi - Taxi is comparatively cheap for Ukrainian/Russian speaking passengers. Probably everywhere situation with taxi is like this – if one speaks a foreign language price for a taxi immediately goes up. There are numerous taxi services, orders are taken via phone. There can be hired a taxi right on the street simply by putting out your hand. Be wary of taking a car having more than one passenger. Price is to be agreed upon beforehand.

Trains - Extensive network of railroad connects Ukraine with many European and Asian countries. Trains are cheap though slow and not very comfortable. First class compartments are mostly air-conditioned (very important in summertime) and have 2 berths (some trains do not have 1st class option), second class has 4 berths. It is advisable to buy tickets for the whole compartment, especially when traveling alone. Prices for foreign citizens and Ukrainians are the same. Trains are the most popular and easy way to make intercity trips in Ukraine.

Air - Most cities of Ukraine have air connection with Kiev, tickets for non-Ukrainians are more expensive than for Ukrainians for domestic flights. Best air connection with other countries goes via Kiev. Some domestic flights are not very reliable in terms of schedule - it is never too much to make sure that the flight you have chosen is made on a regular basis. Please, note most domestic train/air tickets can be obtained only in Ukraine


Things to do in Odessa
1.) Potemkinskaya Staircase with a statue of Duke De Richelien on the top. - It's the main meeting point of Odessa and vital part of the strolling route. Construction of the 193 Stairs was completed in 1837; the Potemkin Steps are the best place in the city to view the bay and busy harbors. The peculiarity of the staircase is that the length of the steps at the bottom is 10 meters wider than the ones on top, thus making the rising perspective more vivid.

2.) Odessa Theatre of Opera and Ballet - The Odessa Theater of Opera and Ballet, second best theater in Europe after the one in Vienna, heard the singing of Shalyapin and Sobinov, saw performances of Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov.

3.) Interior of Odessa Theatre - Very beautiful from inside, absolutely fabulous acoustics and the stage is seen from any row, any seat!!!

4.) The Statue of Laocoon - The Statue of Laocoon located in front of the Odessa Archaeological Museum. This marble statue is a unique copy from the Rodoss artists.

5.) Arcadia district - It's a very nice district in Odessa: good sandy beaches, a huge park - Victory Park, green and tranquil.If you visiting Odessa, it's better to stay in that district, it's very close to the center of the city, just a few stops by tram, it has a lot of hotels and sea resorts, so it won't be a problem to find one.6.) Deribasovskaya StreetIt can be called the main street in Odessa. Shops and gardens located in the center of Deribasovskaya Street. Each year the Street gets more beautiful and of course, more crowded with tourists. There are many open-air shops, vendors as well as many fine shops.

7.) Belvedere of Vorontsov's Palace - The Colonnade gives Odessa, named after an ancient Greek colony, a look and feel of Athens.

8.) The Mother-in-Law Bridge.

9.) The Odessa Privoz is one of the biggest farmers' markets in the world and rivals those in Istanbul and Mexico City. As the saying goes, you can find anything up to and including nuclear devices at the Privoz, but a better description is everything that is edible and in season in the ClS, plus a whole lot more. Although lanes are devoted to construction materials, clothes and consumer goods, the Privoz is best shopped for food. Beware of pickpockets. Haggling is expected, but a lower-stress approach is to comparison shop.

10.) More than 400km of catacombs are buried beneath Odessa. Both partisans and smugglers have used them over the years, and the part of the catacombs which resistance fighters used in 1941 is open to the public. Located some 35km outside of town, the partisan catacomb bus leaves daily from the bus kiosk across Volzhynskij street from the train station at 10:00am, except weekends. An easier way to find the bus is to ask at the information window in the train station. The trip takes half a day and costs 5 hryvnas for the Russian-language version.


Things to do Kiev
1.) See St Sophia’s Cathedral: The oldest church in Kiev, St Sophia was built in 1037 by Prince Yaroslav the Wise, a majestic 13-cupola cathedral with golden domes, a turquoise bell tower and an interior adorned with elaborate frescoes and mosaics. A UNESCO heritage site, there’s also a museum inside the 18th century refectory full of archaeological artifacts. It costs just 2Hr to enter the grounds next to the bell tower, and 5HR for the Bell Tower itself.

2.) Go Underground in Kievo-Pecherska Lavra: This vast, sprawling monastic complex is home to a huge network of eerie 11th century caves, some of which are lined by the mummified bodies of monks. Buy a candle, descend into the depths, and see how the monk’s bodies have been perfectly preserved to this day. Admission is 16 HR, and English speaking tours can be arranged if you’re too afraid to navigate the caves solo! Women must wear scarves, which are provided at the entrance if you don’t have your own.

3.) The Mother Motherland statue is a memorial of the Great Patriotic War in Kiev. The statue itself is 62m tall of the whole 102m with the pedestal (450t!). It's similar to ones located in Kaliningrad and Volgograd. It's a beautiful socio-realistic relic and I recommend it to every amateur of Soviet gems. ;) It's located in the Pechers'ky Landshaftny Park (which is a bit Soviet itself), behind the Kyiv Pechers'k Lavra. Take the trolleybus #20 or a tube (to Dnipro) and walk south. It is not far from Independence Square, so if you are in shape take the walk and enjoy all the old buildings. Also be sure to and see the other sites while there. There are a lot of good gems hidden under her. Check them out for yourself.

4.) Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square) is the central square of Kiev. It is located on the Khreschatyk Street. The square got its name after the Ukrainian independence and the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Thousands of protesters gathered in the square during the Orange Revolution of 2004.

5.) Take a walk in the evening downtown, especially in Khreshchatyk and Independence Square and enjoy the views. - The fountains look beautiful and so does the 62-meters-high Independence Column. - The central square is full of people in the evening, too. - The square has an interesting history of development. It had several different names within its history. - The area used to be vacant land two hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages in was called Perevessishche ("hunting grounds"). - The area became a market square in the 19th century and was called Khrashchatyk Square. - In 1851 the first stone edifice was erected here. It was the Nobility House designed by architect A.V.Beretti. - In 1876 the square was renamed into Dumskaya Square ("City Council Square"). - The Bolsheviks renamed the square into Soviet Square in 1919. - In 1935 they renamed it into Kalinin Square. - From 1977 to 1991 it was called October Revolution Square.

6.) The street Yaroslaviv Val is famous for its architecture and beautiful buildings. This street was not destroyed during the Second World War. Prepare for a steep walk up from the main street, Khreshchatyk Street.

7.) Vladimirskaya Gorka is a green park on the bank of the Dnipro River. It's a kind of romantic place where just married couples arrive. It's also a place where people celebrate graduation from school.Kievo-Pecherskaya Lavra topped with gilded domes is situated here.

8.) National Opera building has been built in 1897-1901 and it's still in use. It's not 'a must', but it's just a nice building to pay the attention to, if you are strolling around this area. Check the performances in the Kiev Opera House

9.) Park Vichnoyi Slavy (Eternal Glory Park) is located near the Kiev-Pecherska Lavra. Inside you can see the Monument to the Unknown Soldier. It's a nice place for a walk, with a fabulous view of the Left Bank and Lavra.

10.) In 1961 Kiev was the select place for making of a movie that became famous all over the former Soviet Union. "In Pursuit of Two Hares" is a comedy by an Ukrainian writer who uses the set of Kiev for a story that plays in 1913


Packing Tips
1.) A bag with wheels is helpful because Kiev involves a lot of walking. The Metro stations and train stations don't have lifts usually, so you will have to walk a long way carrying a lot of stuff if you don't use something with wheels.

In summer, Ukraine can be very hot, so be sure to bring lightweight clothing that can be washed at night and dries quickly. In winter, be sure to bring very, very warm clothes because no matter what you bring it will never be warm enough. My most prized possessions in Ukrainian winter were my gloves, scarf, and then the boots I purchased there. I had brought very warm boots from the USA, but they just weren't warm enough. I don't really believe in wearing fur, but if you do, this is the place to wear it.

Public toilets don't have toilet paper, so be sure to bring little tissue packages or you will be stuck using a newspaper or something worse. Pack all prescription medications you may need. Things like band-aids and antiseptics can be purchased here, but it is very hard for them to understand you, and can be very expensive.

Film, batteries, cameras, all things can be purchased here at local photo shops.

2.) It's advisable that you take all important belongings in your carry-on bag. It will help in case your luggage is lost in the airport or on a train. Pack passport, tickets, itineraries, money, wallets and insurance cars in your carry-on bag.

If you're arriving in winter note: -5-+5C, in spring: +5-+20C, in summer: +18-+32C, in autumn: +23C-+7C

If you are taking shampoos, soaps, laundry kits, shaving creams and other things like that, take travel size products. Note also that such products can be purchased in Ukrainian stores or markets.

Are you digitalized already?!! Batteries, CDs, Internet cafes are easily available, and the rates are better 1.5-2 times than in other places; the same for photo-prints! Wish you excellent sunny weather! :)

Obviously you check your documents, visas, money and other important things prior to leaving home. Bring a good mood and positive curiosity :)

3.) Remember to pack only as much as you can carry for a mile, by yourself. Don't plan on anyone else to carry any of your bags. After you first pack everything, then, take out at least a third! After a couple of trips, you'll get it right first time! When the airport says 50# they do mean it. If it is 50.1# that will be an extra $250.

4.) There's a lot to see and do in Kiev and walking is the best way to get there, so bring some comfortable and sturdy walking shoes.

ELECTRICAL SUPPLIES
- Voltage converters
- European electrical adapters
- Surge protectors
- U.S. 3 prong to 2 prong outlet adapters
- Travel wind up clock
- Flashlights

CLOTHING
- Interchangeable
- Comfortable
- Coats and sweaters (loop sewn in neck)
- Swiss army knife (to be put in luggage)
- Bathrobe - Sewing kit
- Slippers
- Hat, gloves, and scarf
- Boots
- Swim suit (if in the summer)

TOILETRIES
- Bath towel
- Hand towel
- Dual voltage hair dryer
- Band Aids
- Chap stick
- Toilet paper
- Antibacterial hand gel (lots of it most bathroom do not have any soap)
- Rope or cord to secure train compartment door

MISC.
- English dictionaries
- Stamps
- MP3 player and charger
- Prescription meds (at least 3 months, you just never know)
- Non-prescription meds
- Aspirin
- Diarrhea meds
- Laxatives
- Antibiotic ointment

Hey, all. We're requesting your concerted prayers for us regarding the adoption for the next 24-48 hours. We can't put details on facebook, nor the blog, so feel free to email me, or leave your address via a comment, if you desire more info. Thanks!

Tim

Luke 11:33 -- "No one lights a lamp and then hides it or puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where its light can be seen by all who enter the house. "Your eye is a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is good, your whole body is filled with light. But when it is bad, your body is filled with darkness. Make sure that the light you think you have is not actually darkness. If you are filled with light, with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant, as though a floodlight were filling you with light."

As I read this verse today it reminds me that we are currently in a dark place. They have religion, but not a relationship with the One True Living GOD. They don't know the joy of having JESUS in their life. They do everything at the church because that is what they were taught, not because from reverent desire. I am learning to be the light and to shine for Jesus. Tim & I had to go to the store to buy a gift one day. As we were going across the street my prayer had been for GOD to lead us to where he wanted us to make the most impact on someone that night. We walked through all the little kiosks there and ended up going back to buy some cologne. The lady was very nice to us. She worked very hard to understand us. Now, whenever we go by her “shop” she always smiles. The other day she saw me in line and came out to meet me and to say, “Hi!” to her American friend. She had the biggest smile of anyone I have seen here. I want to be the light to shine for Jesus. I hope you can find someone today to be a light for.

Again, I am sorry I have not updated as often as I would like. It is a crazy life one leads when going through the adoption process. I have read many blogs (My family teases me that I am addicted to them!) so that I would have an idea of what to expect, but nothing will prepare you for this journey. Not a single blog I have read is the same, so that leads me to tell you that ours is not in any way the same as others. It is like reading a new book, only each time the ending is the same. You go home changed, with an addition to your family, and you have a deeper walk with the Lord, as there is really no way to accomplish this without HIM. I know there are some families who do it without depending on God, but I am not sure how they have not gone crazy.

Let me fill y'all in on some of what has happened over the week. On Thursday last week we only had to go to the notary's office to sign some paperwork. After that we had lunch; and then went to some friends’ flat. They are also from Mississippi, and are here adopting from Balta, so Alyona and Yura knew each other. It made for a fun day. We laughed and played. After that, we got to take our first bus ride here. I will tell you, if you don't do well in small places, you will not do well on the bus. The people pack in until there is no room for anyone to move. Luckily we got on the back row so it was not so bad.

On Friday, we got up at the crack of dawn and headed for Kiliya. It is a day I will never forget. Alyona and Kristina would get to see each other for the first time in over two years. Kristina saw Alyona from across the courtyard; and she came running as fast as her legs would carry her. Alyona just stood there with her arms full and me telling her put the stuff down and to go meet Kristina, but of course Alyona had no real idea what I was saying. At last Kristina was up the steps and into Alyona’s arms. Hugs, kisses, crying, it was amazing. It all happened so fast that Tim nor I were really ready for much of the hoped for “photo moment”. We did a get couple of shots. The girls spent most of the day walking, talking, and playing together. They had so much to get caught up on. I was afraid when we went to leave that Alyona might possibly have a meltdown, but she walked out like a big girl. I am the one who had a small meltdown. It was so hard to go off and leave Kristina there.

On Saturday, we slept in for a little while. Then we all got our showers and headed downtown on the bus again. We went and bought a stuffed kitten for Alyona. Then we went to lunch. We went to a Ukrainian cafeteria, similar to Picadilly, as we thought Alyona could find something to eat she might like. Some she did, and some not so much. Papa got to eat half of her food. I will say, I thought I might not like the food here, but it is very good. I have not been as adventurous as Tim, but I am trying. I have gotten a few things I thought was one thing, but turned out to be something totally different. It has all ended up okay, though. After lunch we walked around the downtown letting Alyona pictures. Before we left home, we had invested in a camera for the girls to use while we are here, so they can take pictures, and we can see life through their eyes. Alyona is actually a lot like Papa in taking pictures. She knows what she wants and will work to get them just right.

Sunday, we got up and went to church with a friend from here. It was a neat church, as it was conducted in both English and Russian. Praise and worship was great, but then it is always great when you are with other believers. After church, we went and had lunch with our friend, and did some last minute shopping for Easter dinner. We were at another friends’ place for dinner. There were thirteen of us. We had a blast, ate way too much, played games, and did the Resurrection eggs for the kids. It was in English and in Russian as we had some of both. I am thankful for the friends we have made here as it was strange not being with our family back home, but we did get to Skype with them; and that was good.

As good as Sunday was, it was also sad. We were supposed to go to visit Kristina that day, but we were unsuccessful arranging transportation. We tried the bus, but all the tickets were sold out. We had reservations to get home. We just couldn’t get there! We looked into taking a taxi, but that was 2000 grivna, $250. Not a chance! Then we checked into renting a car, which was also out of the question. So we decided we would call the director to ask about rescheduling for Monday. I am not sure he fully understood how much it would cost and that we weren’t prepared to spend that kind of money for a three to four hour visit. So, we went on Monday. We spent about 3 1/2 hours there playing ball with the girls. Papa and I decided we are much too old to join a soccer team! Hehehe!

We went back to Kiliya again on Tuesday. Wow! What a ride. I would like to take a moment and thank Sasha our other driver. I am not sure I could do this trip without him. We had to rent a taxi driver, on Tuesday, which cost more than Sasha and was not near as nice as Sasha. It was okay, but we could we could definitely tell we were in a taxi, not Sasha’s newer car, as we felt every bump; and there are many, many, many of them! There are quite possibly more potholes than road. We spent all day there with the girls. We left Odessa about 7:15 am and got there about 11:45 am, then we did not leave Kiliya until 6:00pm. It was very cold and windy that day. We had spent most of the time outside as we were not sure if we were allowed to go inside the buildings. Oles was in town all day doing paperwork. When he did finally come back to the orphanage to check on us, we asked him to see if we could go inside. They did allow us to go sit in the lobby at the dorms. Warmth, it was good! We got out some flash cards and worked with Alyona on numbers and colors. A lot of the kids wanted to learn also, along with one of the workers. These kids want so bad for someone to come and take them home. Just to love them and give them a good home. One of my new friends there came and asked me if she could go to America and me be her mama. Oh, how I could scoop them all up and bring them home, but I know I cannot. I am not sure now when we will go back to visit Kristina, and that hurts to know she is there in limbo, wondering when we will come back.

We thought we had a free day on Wednesday, but that only lasted until 10:00am. Oles called and said we needed to meet him downtown and for Alyona to rewrite her petition to be adopted, as he was concerned the SDA might not accept the format of her first one. So we all scrambled to get cleaned up and we were off on the bus again. I had a bad headache and slept most of the bus ride. While we were waiting for Oles our friends came walking down the street toward us, We ended up going and having lunch with them. It was a lot of fun again. Later, we came home, did some shopping, then I took a nap to see if the headache would go away. Nope! It didn't work, but thank goodness for nighttime, as the sun went down the headache went away. Alyona helped make dinner with one of our friends. We had hoped that by helping to make it she would want to eat it. At the last minute, our friend had put some seasoning in; and Alyona then would not even try it. Too bad for her. It was good. Alyona left the table hungry. We explained to her we would be having ice cream & strawberries for dessert; and she would not get any until she ate her dinner. She still choose not to eat. Our friend speaks Russian, so we know it was not that Alyona didn't understand. She was just being stubborn. We tried to get her to eat a few times throughout the evening, but no luck. Finally, at about 8:20pm, I told her that if she ate one bite before 9:00pm she could still have ice cream. I showed her on the clock when it would be too late to get ice cream. Well, she consciously waited until 8:59pm to put the bite into her mouth. She did get her ice cream, but we also learned a little more of how much she understands and how she is going to try to manipulate us!

Poor Tim. He has been lost for the almost two days we were without Internet access. Okay, not just poor Tim, poor me, too! We were both lost without contact to the outside world, but we called Oles this afternoon. He called the Internet provider and within a half hour we were back on line. Oh, happy days are here again!

Well, you are all caught back up on the life of adoption and the things that can go on. Oh, yeah, one important part of the story… all the initial paperwork is compete and is on the train to Kiev for submission to the SDA office. We now wait to learn of their approval so that we can schedule a court date. YEAH! I wanted to save the best for last.

Y'all have a good day. I will write more once I know more as we will now be in a holding pattern for at least a few days. Love y'all; and remember to keep the SDA in your prayers. We need a speedy report so we can set a court date.

Lynn

Here are links to several more photo albums:

Balta
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=168318&id=732820665&l=0b85a82536

Kiliya
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=168323&id=732820665&l=f3f1f28a1d

Odessa
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=168334&id=732820665&l=5c6d514ea5

Fun with the McNeills
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=168330&id=732820665&l=6adc1e8f28

Kristina & Alyona
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=168332&id=732820665&l=a070515c32

I've not had time to annotate the photos, yet, but at least you can start looking at them!

Tim

Wow! What an Easter! Praise JESUS! HE IS ALIVE!!!

First, we got up and went to church with our friend, Laura. It was a church plant, here in Odessa, focused primarily toward university students, and conducted in Russian & English. We had a really sweet time worshiping with our Ukrainian brothers & sisters in Christ. They sang contemporary worship songs in English & Russian, then the pastor led a Bible study. He spoke in English and had a Russian translator.

Afterwards, we went to lunch at a very nice cafeteria, on the second floor of a large grocery store. Lynn & I have both really enjoyed the Ukrainian foods. Lynn has not been near as adventurous as I, but she definitely has gotten outside her normal box. Following lunch, we shopped for a few last items for evening dinner; and looked for some new shoes for Alyona.

Once we arrived back at our flat, we had the pleasure of watching our home church service, LIVE, via Internet streaming. It was so absolutely awesome to be more than 4500 miles from home, yet we were able to participate in celebrating resurrection Sunday with our dear friends at home, in Brandon, MS!!

Later on, we enjoyed Easter dinner with several Americans who live here in Odessa. It was so fun to dine & fellowship & play games together.

One other incredible "event" occurred today. We had heard a few days ago about a change to the tax laws regarding adoptions. Today, we learned more specific details regarding the changes. For at least the last few years, adoptive parents have been eligible for an ~$12,000 tax credit for each adopted child. While that in itself is good, it is of little benefit to families which normally already receive income tax refunds. Well... just recently, Congress just revised the tax credit in three very important ways. 1st) They extended the credit for another year. It now is valid for adoptions finalized by Dec 31st, 2011. 2nd) They increased the credit amount from ~$12,000 to $13,170. And 3rd) They changed it from a plain ol’ "tax credit" to a "refundable tax credit". This is a very significant change. What this means is that, “if your tax liability for the year of your adoption is less than the amount of credit you are applying for, the IRS will refund the portion of the unused credit. This means you could receive some or all of the balance as a refund on your federal taxes.”

This news regarding the tax credit is especially significant to me because not only was it was an answer to prayer regarding financial provision, it also was an amazing demonstration of God’s sovereignty and divine timing. See, when we started down this road of adoption, not only did I feel God’s calling to adopt. I also felt His prompting to truly trust Him to provide the finances to accomplish it. He kept impressing on me that we would not have to pay for the expenses from our own funds. Some may say, “OK, so what?” But as we started looking at the details it quickly became apparent the total adoption was going to cost us northwards of $30,000; and THIRTY THOUSAND DOLLARS is a whole lot of money for this humble Network Operations Supervisor. We had absolutely no clue where we would ever come up with that kind of green stuff. As the months progressed, our human side continually wanted to rise up and “help” God with various fundraising activities. We even had a few friends offer to plan & coordinate fundraisers for us. While I still couldn’t see how the funds would come in, I definitely did not have a peace about pursuing these various activities. So, we waited. As we completed all the paperwork and submitted our dossier, and the date for travel approached, our human logic absolutely insisted we needed to be doing “something” to raise funds. Still, I felt Him asking us to trust Him. Because significant money was not arriving prior us leaving, I was really, really questioning if I had truly been hearing from God at all. The Spirit within me, though, kept saying, “Wait… Wait… Wait…” A few weeks before we left I even mentioned to Lynn that I felt we were being challenged to demonstrate our faith by figuratively “stepping into the river Jordan”. In other words, we were being asked to purchase the tickets and actually leave for Ukraine before the funds would become available. Now, with the donations received to date and this information regarding the newly refundable tax credit, it appears that all of our anticipated adoption expenses will be covered!!! Praise JESUS!! When I realized the significance of this I literally broke into tears. God so wants to work in our lives and bless us. If only we will allow Him to work through us to share those blessing with others...

Tim

Deuteronomy 15:10-11 -- Give generously to the poor, not grudgingly, for the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do. There will always be some in the land who are poor. That is why I am commanding you to share freely with the poor.

Sorry I was longer in getting this post done than I had intended.

We have seen some very poor areas in the last couple of days; and I so wish I could do more to help them, but as of now all I can do is pray and ask for you to pray also. We will get some pictures out soon.

Sunday we went with Oles to downtown area; and he showed us all around. He was very cute. He said that sometimes it is a good thing to not have a car as then you walk around and see things you would not normally have noticed by car. With us he getting to see some of the beauty God has made for us. We just walked all around Odessa, then went to have lunch and meet up with a friend. From there we went to church with them. It was nice to be able to worship with other believers. We came back to the flat and relaxed that evening in preparation for a big day, Monday.

We got up early Monday morning, as Oles was to be here to pick us up at 6:00am. I’m not so sure the chickens were even up yet! I think we may have awakened them! Well, off we head to Balta. I was very nervous. I am not sure why. Everyone told me it would be a somewhat easy day. The people at the Inspector’s office and at the Orphanage were very nice, but I think it was just “the unknown” of it all. We got to Balta and the day quickly became one that I may never forget. You know how you think in your mind how things should go, but you are soooo wrong? It was that kind of day. The Notary's office was closed, so we headed over to the Inspector’s office. When we walked into their office they immediately informed us they were short of time that day because they had to leave at 11:00am for the Balta Freedom Day Parade. (Side note: Monday was the anniversary of the liberation of Balta during WW II.) They said they would start on our paperwork, but then they would have to leave. They asked us a few questions about why we wanted to adopt; and we answered them to the best of our ability. Then, they started the paperwork. About that time they said they needed to go to the parade. Oles was not feeling well, and he said he needed to go have some copies made, so he told us to go with them to the parade. Well I will tell you, what came next was so great. We got down to the parade and the next thing we know we are actually in the parade. We thought we were going down to stand and watch the parade. Instead, the local government workers were to walk in the parade so they told us to walk with them. How cool is that? Well it might have been even more cool if I was in black like almost everyone else, but, no, I am wearing, you guessed it, the white jacket. It was like, “Look at me. I am an American.” WOW... The news people were there, so we were filmed by at least three different camera crews. We never did hear if we actually were on the local news. After the parade we went back to the office to finish up the paperwork. The next thing you know, one of the girls starts boiling water. No big deal, right? It was cold out; and they wanted to warm up. There are five workers in this tiny office. When they brought out seven cups, though, I knew we could possibly be in trouble. You see, when you arrive here in Ukraine everyone warns you to only drink bottled water. Well, the water the girl used did come from a bottle, but I am sure it was a bottle they had refilled as the water was yellowish in color. And for those of you who know me you know, I don't do coffee, at all. One of the lady's motioned for me to come over and make a cup of instant coffee. I put about a half of teaspoon of coffee to two teaspoons of sugar. Then, I prayed, “Please don't make us sick!” In the midst of this, one of the ladies had put on her coat and walked out. When she came back she brought in two bags of cookies and invited us eat them with them. As it is usually considered rude to turn things down when in a foreign country, we immediately accepted their offer. They actually turned out to be some of the best cookies I have ever had, anywhere. I drank the whole cup of coffee and had two cookies. And for the person who doesn't like coffee, it was good! Thank you, God, for getting me through that. We then finished up the paperwork and headed to the orphanage. I was so excited I couldn't stand it. We will get to see Alyona for the first time since we arrived here in Ukraine. Once at the orphanage, we sat and listened to Oles and the Director talk back and forth, not having a clue what was being said. Through that time, God showed me glimpse what the girls’ lives will be like after they come home. Finally, the big moment arrived; and she came in the room with a big smile on her face. It was clear she was happy to see us. The Director and the social worker asked her some questions, then released her to get a medical exam. We left to find another Notary, but they, too, are closed. We then went back to the orphanage to finish up some more paperwork. Alyona came back in the room and she has to write a letter saying she wants to come and be a part of our family and than we are off. To take the long ride back to our flat. It was so hard to leave her. I know it is for only a short while, but it is still so hard.

We didn't get back to Odessa until about 7:00pm that night, so a quick trip to the store, ate, called home for a few minutes, then off to bed we went. The next morning we got up at 5:00am to be ready when Oles and Sasha came to get us. A side note: Oles' car is broken down so we have a friend of his driving us around. I really could get used to be chauffeured! We got almost all the way to Kiliya when the Director called to say he had an emergency and would be gone until 3:00pm. That was okay, though, as we had to go the Inspector’s office and do that paperwork. Then we went to the park and had a picnic. It was such fun with our new friends. We laughed and laughed. At a few minutes before 3:00pm we stopped by the Inspector’s office to pick up the social worker, then we headed out to the orphanage to meet Kristina for the first time. We got there and Oles and the Director talked for a few minutes; and the Director asked us a few questions. He wanted to know why we want to adopt Kristina. I guess he liked our answer because a few minutes later a beautiful young lady walked through the door. She was somewhat shy. She went over to the Director and answered his questions; and then she came over to sit with us. We had brought her a gift; and she loved it. We sat and hugged each other, then they allowed us to go outside with her. She was very proud to show off her new mama and papa. We were just as proud of our new daughter. I wish our sons were here to get to experience this with us. You could see that all of her friends were happy for her, also, but you know in the deep corners of their hearts they were asking, “Why not me? Why has no one come for me? Am I not good enough?” We learned today that in the time that specific orphanage has been open they have only had TWO children adopted. People come looking for perfect kids, and some of these kids so have learning problems, but with work they can get through it. I just wish I could take them all home with me. I can't, though, and that is what is so hard. So all I can do is pray for them.

Finally, we had to leave to come back to Odessa as it is a 3 1/2 hour drive. I thought the roads going to Balta were bad. They were good compared to the roads to Kiliya. We will go back to see her on Friday, then Sunday, and Tuesday. I can't wait. We are hoping to do some fun things with as many kids as would like to on Sunday as it is Easter. It should be fun.

Today will be spent doing more paperwork, then lunch with some friends from the states, and who knows what else. I am looking forward to see what God has for us.

Lynn

After the SDA appointment on Thursday we spent the afternoon with Oles. He took us back down to the Dnipro River to show us around. We had seen it the day before, but he was able to fill us in on some things we did not know or had not been able to figure out. He took us down into the catacombs at a church where the monks lived and died hundreds of years ago and are now laid to rest on display. The bodies were covered, but on some of them they left one of the hands visible. It was very different. I would tell anyone who came here that they need take time to go see it. Ladies, make sure you bring a hat or scarf as you will have to purchase one there if you don't already have one. And make sure you don't go in with toothpicks in your mouth! :-) Oles and the lady who took care of us had words. I had picked up the scarf I wanted; and she snatched it away from me. Then she yelled at Tim for his toothpick. Of course we had no idea what was going on. We just stood there like deer caught in headlights. The exchange only lasted a couple minutes, yet seemed like an eternity. In response to her harshness toward Tim & I, Oles was trying to get her to see the inconsistency between Jesus’ love and the Orthodox insistence on formality & ceremony. The churches here are so beautiful, but it is so sad to see how run down some of them are. Several are starting to be restored. Also, it breaks my heart to see all the poor people at the gates of the church begging for food or money, when these big, beautiful, ornate churches sit there. Tim & I discussed this the other day. I feel they should be taking care of the poor, instead of spending so much money on the buildings, but he says they spend the money to give their best to God. Somewhere there just needs to be a happy medium.

Once we were done looking around down near the river, we took a cab back to our flat; and Oles left to go to a meeting. Tim & I wanted to see Kiev after dark so off we went again. We stopped at the underground mall to eat at the food court. Then, we went out to take some pictures of Independence Square. It is very pretty at night. It was too cold to go walk very far, but I will tell you we could have gotten ourselves into a little trouble. Tim was taking some pictures; and the next thing I know, a young guy came up to me, and grabbed my hand, and put a white pigeon on it. I called to Tim, who turned around and took a picture of me. Then, the young man put a second bird on my other hand. He asked Tim for the camera and took a couple of pictures of me. Then he handed Tim a bird and took a few more picture of both of us together. Then a couple of only Tim with both birds. We knew there had to be some catch to this whole thing. When he took the birds back, he said we owed him 650 grivna ($80) for the SEVEN photos!! At that, Tim laughed and said we weren’t carrying that much money. The guy next tried to get us to pay 350 grivna. Again Tim laughed and pulled out his pockets to show him we only had 12 grivna, or $1.50. This went on for a couple minutes. Finally, he said, “I took 7 pictures. I guess they are for free.” Tim said, “I told you we have 12 grivna. We’ll happily give you it.” The guy took it, but wasn’t very pleased. Lesson learned: walk away from those kind of guys. I am just glad it worked out okay. After that, we went back to our flat for some fun on the Internet and talking to family and friends.

Friday, we got up; and I started to pack, as we were not sure what the day would hold. Tim did some work in the morning; and I played on the computer. We headed out about 11:00 that morning to go see some more sights. Oles called with great news early afternoon. He had been able to obtain us train tickets for the 10:00pm train; and the owner of the flat said we could stay in it until 7:00pm. We have had such had a great time with each other. We went to the SDA office at 3:00pm and met Yulia to get our referral papers. YEAH! We were the first in line. Everyone there is so nice and helpful. We waited a few minutes for them to open, but once inside were less than FIVE minutes signing receipt of our paperwork, then we were done. We did a little more sightseeing on the way back to the flat. By the time we got back to the flat my feet were killing me, but about an hour later we decided to go eat real quick so we would be ready when Oles came to get us. Everywhere you go in Kiev you are going up a hill or down a hill, but it seems like you are always on a hill. I wish I had known that ahead of time. I would have used the stair stepper more, at the gym. Oles came to pick us up in a cab. He told the driver to be careful, but the driver jokingly responded that he would drive like all Americans in the movies. Honestly, I thought he did real good. The train station is very beautiful architecturally, but the restrooms are not so aromatically lovely. It was the first time I had ever used a Turkish-style. With sore legs, it was quite interesting. I also had to use the bathroom on the train. MUCH harder than a plane. By the way, for those of you who are on the way here, the blue “WC” signs mean “water closet”, or bathroom for us Americans. I walked around for TWO whole days thinking I can't believe there is nowhere to go to the bathroom in this town. But there was. The other thing is you have to pay to use restrooms, anywhere from 2-4 grivna. If you want toilet paper, that is extra. So make sure you carry some with you. Theirs here is very rough.

We have made it to Odessa this morning. Oles’ friend picked us up at the train station and brought us to our flat, our new home until we leave to go back home. It is very nice. We will post some pictures soon. We took our first much needed nap this morning. I died! Well, there is no more news for now. We will post when we have some more news.

As always, please keep praying for the court system to move quickly and for safe travel for us as we will be doing a lot of that on back roads. Also, for Oles’ car, as at the moment it is broken down. Post any comments or questions you may have and we will try to respond to them if we know the answer.

Lynn

Here are a few photos from Wednesday, the 24th. We have many more on Tim's Facebook page, with descriptions. The link to see them is:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=166149&id=732820665&l=9848f1c591

And, no, you do NOT have to be a Facebooker to view them. The album is set for open viewing. Enjoy!!

Deuteronomy 2:7 – ‘For the Lord your God has blessed you in everything you have done. He has watched your every step through this great wilderness. During these forty years, the Lord your God has been with you, and you have lacked nothing.’

God has been so good to us throughout this journey. When we arrived at the SDA offices this morning, Yulia indicated they were ready for us to go right in. We walked in, exchanged introductions, read the paperwork regarding the girls’ background, showed the SDA worker several photos of our family and of the time Alyona was visiting over the holidays, and we were done. We were in & out of there in LESS THAN TEN MINUTES!! We can go back tomorrow, Friday afternoon, between 3:00 & 4:00pm to pick up our referral to go see the girls!

What does that mean? 1) We will leave by train on Friday night and arrive in Odessa on Saturday morning. 2) On Monday we will check in with the regional SDA office, then head to Balta to complete whatever local paperwork is necessary to see Alyona. Our prayers are that the director will allow Alyona to stay with us from that point on. 3) We will then travel to Kiliya and complete the same process to meet Kristina for the first time. (I so cannot wait to see her! I hope she will allow us to hug her, and show her we love her, and have since the first time we first saw her picture.) Please pray that she, too, can stay with us. 4) Then, we will have to make the decision of where to file the paperwork for court. There has been some question of whether it will be better to work through the Balta or the Kiliya court. Then, we wait until whatever date court gets scheduled. We will be staying in Odessa for most of the remainder of our stay in Ukraine. There will be periodic day trips out to whichever city we have court. Otherwise, we will get to do some traveling on the country roads and get to see some more of Ukraine. YEAH for us.

We have had a great time while in Kiev. Oles took us around yesterday for about four hours and showed us some beautiful sites. Then he had to go to the office to do some work. He left us alone in a foreign town. What was he ever thinking? He does not know us very well. (Joking!!!!) We came back to our flat for a few minutes, regrouped, then off we went, map in hand and sights to see. We wanted to go down to the Dnipro river. So we walked, and walked, and walked some more. Finally, we came around a corner and there was the start of what turned out to be some of the most beautiful churches and sites we have seen. We went in some places I am sure most tourists don't ever go, but we like to see what lies in those hidden places. You can find some great gems. After hours of walking & looking, it was turning dark, so we needed to head back toward our flat. Don’t know how far we walked yesterday, but it seemed like ten miles. So, let’s see. We walked: Sunday=6 Monday=10 Tuesday=6 Wednesday=10. Wow! That's 32 miles in four days. I am not sure Tim, or my feet, knew we were coming to train for a marathon. Hehehe!!

Please keep praying for safe travel, and a smooth process.

Lynn

Deuteronomy 1:6-7 -- "When we were at Mount Sinai, the Lord our God said to us, 'You have stayed at this mountain long enough. It is time to break camp and move on.

Well, the day finally arrived for us to move on in this journey. We got up early Saturday morning to finish all the last minute things which had to be done. (It is now Wednesday; and I am amazed. At this moment I have not come up with anything I forgot to do, or left at home. I am sure I will come across something.) I had taken our suitcases to the airport on Saturday morning to weigh them, to make sure we were OK on weight. It was a good thing because both had to go back home and quickly lose some weight. Tim’s needed to lose 1.8 pounds and mine needed to lose 1.6 pounds. In the overall scheme of life 3.4 pounds doesn't sound like much, but when struggling to fit in everything one might need for six weeks, well... When I got back home my parents were waiting for me to take us to breakfast, then to the airport. We finished up the last few things, then as we were going to get in the car my mom said she wanted to take a picture of us. Next thing you know, she pulled out a sign she had made that said “GO GET OUR GIRLS”. So, we took a picture of all of us with our stuff; and then off we went to breakfast. Later, when we got to the airport, we went to check in and weigh the suitcases again. This time Tim’s was 50.0 pounds on the nose; and mine was under by 1.3 pounds. We let out a big hoot. After all our goodbyes we were off to go through security. What an experience that was. We had a good flight from Jackson to Charlotte, NC. When we got there we found an outlet to plug in our laptops and got on line for a little while. That was a good thing. Our flight from North Carolina to Munich was okay. We did not get to sit next to each other, which was not good, but I made it. For those of you who have prayed for me for the plane ride I THANK YOU. It worked! Lufthansa is the only way to fly. The service was great, and for the food was awesome. When we got to Munich we went right through customs, found our way to the Subway, and to the hotel.

I now have a new appreciation for what the girls will feel like. When we got off the plane and everything was in German, which of course we can't read or speak, it really highlighted what the girls’ life will be like. We had a good time, though, and never got lost. They have good maps that are easy to read.

After we checked into our hotel we were off again. We took the subway out to Olympic Park and BMW Welt (World). They have some real cute BMW's there that we don't have at home. From there we went all over the park. The Olympics were held there back in summer of 1972; and Munich has put in a bid for the winter of 2018. They were doing a lot of work on the buildings to start getting ready. We hiked up to the top off the high hill overlooking the park and all of Munich. The view was out of this world. One thing that amazed me is how many bikes and walkers there are there. You don't see many heavy people around. After we finished that we got back on the subway and went back to the hotel so we could go and eat. We had authentic German food in a cute little place down the hill from the hotel. Tim was so tired after we ate, but I had a new burst of energy. So we were going to walk across the street to get a couple of pictures of a church. Well, that walk ended up into about a THREE mile hike through the park and streets. When we got back to the hotel we discovered Internet access was NOT included. We had to pay separate for it. €20 (Euros), or THIRTY DOLLARS, a day!! At that, Tim decided to just lay down on the bed. I went in to wash my face; and he was right about being tired. In less than two minutes I heard him snoring. He slept great all night. Me, on the other hand, not so good.

The next morning we got up and took the subway again, but this time we went and got on a “hop on/hop off” bus tour. You ride around as they describe the famous and/or interesting sites throughout the city. Whenever you want, you can hop off to go investigate something more closely. Then you can go back around as many times as you would like and get on and off at different stops. That was a fun day. The last stop dropped us off “somewhat” close to the hotel. So we just walked back to the room that night. We also had some good German food that day, but I can honestly say we did not over eat any. The food is very costly there. In fact, everything seemed costly. We could not figure out how people can afford to live there. The salaries have to be high. By the time we were back to the hotel we figure we walked about ten miles that day. Then, on Tuesday morning I got up went for my three mile walk. Then, back to the hotel to pack, so we could continue on with the adventure. The flight from Munich to Kiev was good. The service at the Munich airport ticket counter was outstanding. We Americans sure could take some lessons from them. Even with literally hundreds of people attempting to get boarding passes and turn in luggage, our total wait in line was less than TEN minutes. Chalk one up for German organization & efficiency!!

Deuteronomy 1:30-33 -- The Lord your God is going ahead of you. He will fight for you, just as you saw him do in Egypt. And you saw how the Lord your God cared for you all along the way as you traveled through the wilderness, just as a father cares for his child. Now he has brought you to this place.' "But even after all he did, you refused to trust the Lord your God, who goes before you looking for the best places to camp, guiding you with a pillar of fire by night and a pillar of cloud by day.

When we got to Ukraine we got off the plane and there was a gentleman waiting for us to take us through customs. We went right on through. While he was doing our paperwork another man took us to go get our bags. We finished at about the same time. All told, less than ten minutes; and we were done! God keeps showing me over and over how He has it all under control. I just need to trust Him. It was nice to come around the corner and see a smiling face we recognized. Oles and Julia were waiting for us. Oles had car trouble getting to Kiev, so he had to fly in from Odessa to meet us. Then, we were off to our flat which will be home for the next few days. We had looked at some places online. Some were nice; and some were not so nice, but where we are is nice. (Thank you, Oles! You did good!) We will get pictures posted soon. We sent the evening with Oles. He showed us around Independence Square and the underground mall. We went for authentic Ukrainian food. It really was good. Then, back to the room and onto the internet. It’s amazing, nowadays, how disconnected you can feel without Internet access. I would not have wanted to go through this ten years ago without Internet availability and mobile phones. Later in the evening we Skyped with my mom & dad, and Christopher. Then we called my best friend Vicky. It is something to think you can call around the world and it cost nothing.

Well, we have a busy day of sightseeing planned for today and whatever else we can find to do.

Lynn

Joshua 4:1 -- Now when all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the LORD spoke to Joshua…

After the people safely crossed the river what would be next? Conquering the land? Not yet. First God directed them to build a memorial of stones drawn from the river. It may not have seemed important in their mission, but God did not want His people to plunge into a task unprepared. They were to focus on Him and remember who was guiding them. As we are busy going about our day doing our God given tasks, set aside quiet moments, times to build our own memorial to God's power. Too much activity may shift your focus away from God.

I cannot believe how faithful God has been in this whole adventure. When I can't see it working, He comes in and shows me who is in control. And I am learning to “leave it at the cross”. When I submitted to God on doing this, I thought GOD was crazy. I am too old. I can't afford this. Why me? My kids are grown and out of the house. And the list can go on and on. But while I cannot do it on my own. I can with God.

Tim and I mailed out some fundraising letters several weeks ago to family, friends, and co-workers; and we waited, most of the time patiently, but not always trusting God. In just the last few days, though, GOD provided more than $1000. We still have not reached the goal for what we need, but I can see how God is bringing us closer to it. Tim reminded me several weeks ago that the Israelites had to step into the Jordan for the water to stop flowing, and that we quite probably would need to step on the plane for the rest of the funds we needed to come in. So we wait on the Lord, and He IS providing. It is THREE hours until our plane leaves; and I sit here at peace. I am not worrying about anything. GOD is working over there, as I sit here.

I am not sure of how much Internet access we will have once we are in Ukraine, but I will post as often as I can. Thank you again for all the prayers you all have said for us. We now are going to bring the girls home to the “promised land”, a land of milk and honey, a nation which is clearly the richest on earth. Let them shine bright for the LORD. Let them learn their plan that God wants them to take; and let no man stand between them and God. Talk to you all when we get over the BIG pond.

Lynn

Exodus 13:21 -- The LORD was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and a pillar of fire by night to give them light, that they may travel by day and by night.

God gave the Hebrews pillars of cloud and fire so they would know day and night that GOD was with them on their journey to the promised land. God has given me the same assurance of this morning. The Bible was not something the Israelites had, but we need to look at it for GOD’s direction in our life. We can look at God’s Word as a map on how we are to live out the life He calls us to. I have been struggling the last week with hear what I was not sure was not God, but after much prayer I have settled it. I was hearing, “Are you sure you heard right?” “Are you really supposed to adopt?” See, at first, everything went so fast and smoothly, but then there were some bumps. It has been difficult to remain confident that God’s timing is always the best. I am so looking forward to going and bring the girls home, to show them God’s love for them.

We are down to just 1 1/2 days before we leave. It seems surreal. We have waited a long time for this to come. I had a friend say, ”It is just like being pregnant, but only on paper. You still go through all the hormone changes, and the nesting, wanting everything to be perfect when you bring the baby home. Then, you have the papa who does not get it. We want the house clean, their room done just right.” (I think they say the first 15 seconds is the best impression; and I want to make the best one I can.) The thing is, I can leave the house clean, but I am not coming home with Tim. He will be here for 3-4 weeks by himself. Not that he is not clean. It is just he does not run the vacuum and dust. But he will be busy with work, getting the pool ready for the summer, and hopefully putting in my new cook top. Hint, hint! So in the scheme of life is it a big deal? NO. That is why I am not going to let it get to me. Or at least try not to.

I feel ready to go. Both boys are taken care of. Parents have new phone, TV & Internet. It may have been too much to give them all at one time, but my mom is doing great. We will be able to Skype with them and make phone calls as long as we have Internet, so that made her happy, and me, too! Cats have someone to come and feed them every day. Everything is pulled together, just waiting to close and zip the suitcase shut. And, then, we will be off, and the next part of this Journey begins. So make sure you follow along.

Thanks again for the prayers. I can feel them all as I am sure Tim can, too.

Lynn

Colossians 1:16-17: For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

I have been thinking of this verse all week. With so much going on in our lives, so many changes over the horizon, and so much weakness on my part, I find peace and courage in this verse. I feel so overwhelmed and fearful at times, uncertain of my calling, then I remember that I do not have to hold it all together. He does. I have had a few moments the past few days when I think, “I can't do this,” or, “Why me, God?” Then, He reminds me that I cannot do it, but He can. Sometimes am so selfish. I want to put my flesh before Him and others. I guess it was like when I was pregnant… I could not see how much joy my children would bring into my life. Now, I can't imagine my life without them. Thank you, JESUS, for giving them to me.

I had a friend from church post something on Facebook the other night about not being able to adopt because of her age, but she said she would like to help with some funding as she was sure it cost a lot. Then, she said if everyone we knew gave a little it would add up to a lot. Well, yes, it would. By the time we all get home we will have spent about $30,000. That is a mind blowing number. Then I sat down and did some math. I figured out how many days we would have each girl until they turn eighteen and divided that number by the total adoption expense. It came to $5.75 per child per day to change their lives forever. That seems like so little when compared to the life they would have if they stay where they are at. We are going to change their eternity. I am so thankful helping with that. We live in such a blessed world and yet take it so for granted.

Prayers:
- I have a plan which includes cooperation by judges and other Ukrainian officials. My plan may fail, but that is OK, for every authority in Ukraine was created by Him and for Him. Thus, I can be at peace, knowing His timing will be perfect.

- Travel to and from Ukraine. Tim will be staying three to four weeks, then I will be in a foreign country by myself. For those of you who know me, that could be scary for all involved! :-)

- God’s direction on where we are to stay while there. Tim needs the best Internet access he can get in order to be able to work while over there.

- The rest of the funds to come in. We have purchased the tickets, believing in faith.

Lynn

Well... the call I have been waiting for came in today at 10:03a.m. I was upstairs at a customer’s house when I heard the cell phone ring downstairs. Off I ran. I definitely was not going to miss it. We had expected the call would come in on March 2nd. Then, we were told to expect it on March 4th, but it took until today, March 9th. Every evening, for the last five weeks, I have asked my Tim, “Did you hear from Oles today?” Some days the answer would be, “Yes,” but not with the information I was so waiting to hear. Our SDA appointment will be March 25th at noon. I almost cannot believe it. It was like being told when you are going to give birth, only with no diapers and bottles! I have had to keep pinching myself all day to confirm I was not dreaming. I cannot believe we will be leaving in less than two weeks. I have most of my stuff ready to go. Or at least I hope I do. I will need to repack a few things, as we will have warmer weather than we had first anticipate. I hear Ukraine is beautiful in the spring time. I am so looking forward to learning more about the country our girls come from. I want them to be able to see a little of it while we are there. We have some friends who are over there adopting right now; and they went to see the Nutcracker the other night. They said it was fantastic. I would love to get to take the girls while we’re in Odessa.

On a sad note, we will not be here for Easter this year. We will also miss the 21st birthday of our youngest son. Somehow we will find a way to make it up to him. I am not sure telling we are giving him two sisters would be much of a gift! I know he understands, or at least that is what I am telling myself. Hehehe!!

Please continue to pray for us. Safe travel, finances, sleep, and always seeking Him...

Lynn

I received this verse a couple weeks ago, as a devotional. It reminded me of two points. First, as believers, we are ALL adopted into the family of God. Second, God has demonstrated His love for us by sending His own Son for us. We demonstrate our love for Him by loving those the world considers unlovable, or unworthy...

Tim


VERSE: This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. -- 1 John 4:9

THOUGHT: Love is an action. The Bible stresses this truth again and again. Love must not only be spoken, it must also be shown. The beginning of love is God. He showed his love in the most sacrificial of ways so we could know our incredible value to him. The price of our adoption was the emptying of heaven of its greatest treasure, God the Son, who is our Savior.

PRAYER: Loving Father, thank you for adopting me into your family. I can never thank you enough or repay you for your kindness, but please receive the service of my life as my ongoing thanksgiving for your grace and my small way of trying to share the love you have given me. Through my Brother and my Ransom I pray. Amen.

I want to thank everyone who has prayed with us over the last seven months. Last night I put a post out on Facebook for all my friends to pray; and it worked! When I went to bed last night, I laid there and prayed for about a half hour, then fell asleep. Our paperwork was to be submitted this morning in Ukraine. Tim awoke, with a start, at 4:00am; and said he immediately felt he needed to pray, so he did. Well, it must have been about the time the SDA was reviewing everything. When they were finished, they said everything looked good; and nothing needed to be redone. YEAH!!! I think last night was the best night sleep I have had in weeks. I guess I knew GOD was going to do a miracle. When our translator (Oles) called Tim with the news, we also learned that next week we should receive notification of our SDA appointment. As well, we were informed that both of the girls are in the system and are officially eligible to be adopted! Tim mentioned to Oles how neat it was that our friends who are there, and adopting from the same orphanage, got to take their son stay with them during the 10-day wait period. Oles went on to say the director has already told him that when we get there we will be able to have Alyona stay with us. As a result, she will get to see Kristina even more quickly than I had thought. If all goes well, we are hoping to travel the second week of March. I can't believe we are almost ready to go. It would be so cool if we get a call this week with the travel date, but it is all in God’s timing. I have so much to do in such a short period of time, but I would find a way to be ready if they said, “Be here next week.” Who needs sleep anyway?!?! Well, I am going to get started packing. I will post again as soon as we have our appointment date. Again, thank you for the prayers; and please keep them coming.

Lynn

Life may throw a constant stream of hardships our way, but how often do we stop to consider that because of God's perfect love for us, these hardships could actually be part of His perfect plan for our lives? Our task is neither to embrace these hardships, nor to necessarily seek more of them. Rather, our task is simply to rely on God and know His love for us in the midst of those hardships. In difficult times, our invitation is to press closer to the Lord.

It seems strange to think it has been only been twenty-nine (29) weeks since we started the process officially. God has brought us so far in this journey; and I know He is not done yet. He is trying to teach me to be patient—to wait on Him, as His ways are always the best. I find myself laying it down at the cross, then sometimes, when I am not thinking about it, I have ran back and picked it back up again. I get so mad at myself for doing that, but someday I may learn that lesson. Until then, God just keeps reminding me to let Him have it.

It amazes me how many times the same people will ask me, “Why did you decide to adopt when your children are grown and out of the house?” We did not choose when and where to adopt from. God decided this for us. In God's eyes children and love have no boundaries. All of us are His children. He doesn't differentiate between countries, laws, and nor man made rules. We found out about the girls from a friend who has been to Ukraine, and how they will have a very dismal life and little hope for a happy future. That day a seed was planted in us and began to take root. We asked, “Lord do you want us to pursue this adoption?” We are open to what God has in store for us. We received our answer, and so began our journey.

We have a heart for young people. I want to make sure you know we are not saints, we are everyday people. We are not a perfect family. We have not been perfect parents. We have made mistakes and will continue to. I am sure the kids won't arrive here and fit in perfectly, but neither did our biological children. I am sure my kids thought, sarcastically, “Wow! More kids to share Mom & Dad and our resources with! That’s a great idea!” (But after Alyona being here I think their initial opinions are dramatically changing.) I am sure there will be times when the girls will think we are not overjoyed, either, even though they know the future for the kids that remain behind. They have seen firsthand the life the older kids have when put out on the street.

We have learned that Grandma does know Alyona came to our house for the holidays. Also, while the girls must each express to the court their desire to be adopted, should Grandma actually follow through with pursuing guardianship their opinions will not even be taken into consideration. The government will not care one iota that the girls really don’t want to go with Grandma. Not that it is a race to see who gets done first, nor are we trying to steal her granddaughters. We just want them to have so much more than will be available to them in Ukraine or in Russia. Plus, we don’t want to terminate their family ties. We would love for them to keep in touch; and hopefully someday we can take a family trip back to see them.

For those of you that are self-employed, be advised, it is a pain to go through this process. We have not historically used a CPA for our taxes, just a tax preparer; and I am the only employee. So the SDA will not accept my tax returns, nor a letter from me regarding my income. Instead, we have had to have the last six months of my deposits looked over by a CPA and sworn to be true, and notarized, and, yes, Apostilled, to submit with the dossier. All said, though, we do have a submission date: February 23rd. I am so excited!! Hopefully, after that, we get an appointment for the first part of March. Then the travel planning begins. I can't wait for the next part of the journey. I used to refer to this as a roller coaster ride, but journey sounds more peaceful to those who are faint at heart. :-)

Please keep praying; and I hope you all have a great Valentine’s Day!

Lynn

But Moses said to the people "Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the LORD which He will accomplish for you today for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see again forever. The LORD will fight for you while you keep silent." -- Exodus 14:13-14

The Lord showed a couple things during my reading this morning…

It has not been the day I had prayed for, but overall it will be OK. There have been times in this journey GOD has taken us on the shortest route He could in bringing the girls home. Then, there have been times we have hit some road block, or ended up on a detour, or have sat on the side of the road, stopped, waiting patiently, to see what He had for us, as we waited with "Expecting Faith". Today was an especially hard day. We thought all our paperwork would be submitted. As it turns out, that is not how things worked out. Out translator instead suggested we submit it almost in phases, over a period of a few days. I don't fully understand the specifics, but do trust his judgment. None-the-less, it was not what I expected to hear this morning. After that news, we then found out that Grandma has been to Balta again to visit Alyona. She apparently informed the Balta director that the girls are not to be adopted because she is working on filing papers to get custody of them (which we basically already knew). We just did not expect her to visit again so soon. We also do not know what, or if, she knows anything about Alyona visiting us at Christmas. And we do not know if the girls have any choice whether or not they want to go live with her. The director has apparently asked the grandmother for contact information, but she did not, or possibly would not, leave it.

With all that said, please be in prayer for Tim and I. We both feel weary from this journey. I know this is just one more attack from Satan. He is trying to make me doubt myself whether I really did hear GOD. YES, Satan, I did hear from Him. God does not want any kids to stay in a place like that. I do know we must stay prayed up and prepared for any battle which might come our way. I feel trapped, though, like we will never get them home... Like all the governments hearts are hardened towards the children all around the world, not just in Ukraine. With GOD on our side, though, and our eyes on the prize, HE will accomplish getting them home. He does not need my help. We need to continue praying... waiting... expecting to His glory shine from heaven... when HE is finished. And whenever we feel overtaken we must cry out to the LORD, as He is there for us. The Israelites had to step out, in faith, into the Jordan River before the water would stop. We, too, must keep taking steps of faith to follow God. I have read many blogs where people take TWO to THREE YEARS to get their children. We even know some of them personally. It has only six months for us, though, so GOD has already done great and mighty things for us.

I would just like to take this opportunity to thank all of our families and friends for their continued support. For those of you who have helped us financially... THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! Every little bit helps!! And thanks to those who have been faithful to pray for us and who will continue as we go on our way!!

Lynn