Home.

We have been home for a month now. They say the first month is the hardest. I sure hope so. God has definitely increased our fortitude, patience, mercy and grace toward all our children. Sometimes it has been hard to laugh or even to love. Every night we have gone to bed completely exhausted. I normally have a really hard time getting to sleep, but I have slept easily and completely this past month. Rick normally falls asleep the instant his head hits his pillow. I think lately, it's more like the instant his head starts reclining towards the pillow...by the time his head hits it, he's already long gone.

Yes, we've had a lot of ups and downs. We've had times of laughter and tears, discipline and grace, joy and anger. Trust has been gained and then lost. Times of anger have turned into times of joy; times of joy into times of tears; and times of tears into times of love. Decisions we made long ago have been altered, and many of the hopes we had have disappeared. But where old hopes have diminished, new hopes have formed, and we press on for the sake of God's glory. For what else do we have in this life, but for God? "For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God?" 2 Samuel 22:32

Language seems to be the largest barrier at this point. The fact that the boys have each other to speak to is definitely impeding their English-speaking abilities. Because Bodie has a swearing problem, we have had to take their language away at points. Taras doesn't seem to mind, but Bodie has a difficult time speaking only English. We just ate dinner with a couple the other night who adopted four children from Ukraine (3 separate adoptions), and who only allowed them to speak Russian and/or Ukrainian on Sundays. We liked that idea. For those who don't understand, this may sound cruel, but actually it is loving. Communication is critical right now, in ways hard to even explain or imagine, but the faster they learn our language, the sooner we will be able to love them fully.

Although we had intended to home school all four children, after a trial week we made the difficult decision to send Bodie and Taras to school. We really felt like this was the right thing to do. We are so glad we did, and we can totally see God's hand in it. They are making friends with other children their age and they were placed with teachers who really love them. And, their English improves by leaps and bounds every day. We couldn't be more pleased. We aren't sure how long they will be in school, but for now we are at peace.

Please continue to pray for us. This is a huge transition for our family, and will be for a long time to come. Taras and Bodie have a lot of history to overcome with our help and the healing hand of God. We are thankful for the provision God has already provided and for that which is still to come.

Coming Home...

We're finally coming home! Tomorrow is the big day. The boys and I are so excited (not to mention my Mom, who is also thrilled). Please pray for safe travel for us. We have a LONG trip, including a 6 hour drive home from DC in the middle of the night. Then, we'll have lots of adjustment once we get home, but for now we are excited to show the boys around our house and town. And, of course, we cannot wait for them to meet all our awesome friends and family!

On another note, I just want to say that I have an awesome, awesome husband. The poor guy has been home alone with Charlie and Andrew for 17 days, shuttling them all over town to friends' houses while also trying to work hard (especially after having missed 3 1/2 weeks of work while in Ukraine). He is exhausted. He has also fed them, clothed them, taken them to their evening activites, taken them out in the boat, camped in the backyard with them, taken care of the yard, and last (but DEFINITELY not least) he and the boys spent much of the weekend cleaning the house for me. God certainly blessed me with an awesome husband. What an awesome example he is going to set for all four of our boys. It brings tears to my eyes to think that Taras and Bohdan are going from being "fatherless" to having one of the best earthly fathers I know. Rick is truly a superb dad. All four of our boys are truly blessed beyond measure to have him in their life. As am I.

It's been a while...

I must apologize for my complacency in updating the blog. I will attribute it to my lack of sleep, though I'm not sure that accurately explains it. Regardless, I cannot wait to get home to my very comfortable bed!

Bohdan is back. He has been wonderful. Children are always challenging, but he has been no more challenging than any other child, and actually I would say he has been less challenging than most over this past week. He's been extremely helpful and kind. One of his best qualities is that he is extremely considerate. He gets up and makes tea for himself first thing every morning. He makes one glass and then offers it to everyone else before he takes a sip. Often Taras will say he would like the glass, so Bohdan graciously gives him the glass and then heads back into the kitchen to start the next glass. It's very cute. Also, he is extremely expressive! When he's angry you know it, but when he's happy you know it too, and it's very cute. He reminds me of an Italian man. (He actually resembles a southern Italian in many ways!) We are down to the three day countdown now, and he is getting very excited. He truly wants to come to America, and he can't wait to get there! I have drawn out our house a couple of times for him so he can see where he is sleeping, etc. They know our house is three stories, and they are very intrigued to understand exactly what rooms occupy each story. This morning, Bohdan came in and said (in not so many words) that he should have the "single" room, while Taras, Charlie and Andrew share the other room. I laughed. He smiled and said (in a very exagerrated manner), "Yes, Mommy, YES!!" Like I said, he's very cute.

Taras is acting more like a typical teenager (and man, in general). We went to the dentist a few days ago, and found out Taras has seven cavities that need filling while Bohdan needs 4 teeth extracted (none permanent) and had 4 cavities. Well, we went to the dentist a couple of days ago, and Bohdan had half of his work done, as did Taras. (As a side note, you are probably thinking, "YOU ARE TAKING THEM TO A DENTIST IN UKRAINE! ARE YOU INSANE?!" However, this is the dentist that the US Embassy workers and their children frequent. It looks exactly like an office in America, except for the fact that all the magazines lying around are written in Russian. Oh, and the price is 1/3 of an American dentist. For those of you who know my husband at all, you now completely understand why we are seeing a dentist our last week in Ukraine.) ; ) Anyway, one of Taras' cavities was rather large. The dentist said he might have slight pain for a couple of days. He did not even recommend Motrin or anything. Regardless, I started administering Motrin immediately. 600 mg every six hours. Regardless, he has been complaining NON-STOP about his tooth pain. MEN! You would think his mouth had been run over by a truck. Seriously. Anyway, I suppose he's feeling better this morning, because he is actually smiling. Little does he know that we return for the second half tomorrow. If I have realized nothing else on this trip, I have realized that sometimes it's very convenient to speak a different language than your children.

We are off to the US Embassy now to complete our Visa work. This is the last step in the adoption process. It's been a trip, and we are all finally ready for last leg - flying home!

Love to all and again, countless thanks for your amazing prayers and support!

Perseverance

I have not written much about Taras except that he is a great kid and he fits perfectly into our family. Truly, there is so much more to tell. I am inspired and in awe of Taras. I had no idea how hard his life had been until we met with the head caretaker at the orphanage who told us much about his past. Out of respect for Taras, I will not divulge the details at this time. There may be a day when they can be told, but it is his story, not mine, to tell. What I can tell you, is that he is a boy/man to be admired; he truly is "great". Greatness is born by perseverance in the face of adversity. As Calvin Coolidge wrote: "Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan "press on" has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race." Or as Paul wrote to the Philippians, "Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Jesus Christ." Taras has persevered in the face of much adversity. He is mature and able. He is courageous and kind. He is trustworthy and respectful. He is joyful and affectionate. He has overcome more than I could ever even imagine in this life, and yet, he has become much more than I could ever hope to become. Jesus Christ has strengthened him and equipped him and I have such great hopes for him. My hopes for him do not include success as defined by the world, but rather, succeeding in holiness, as defined by Christ. My prayer is that Rick and I may now be equipped to "let [Taras] live up to what [he] has already attained". (Phil 3:16)

Historic Church outside Kiev

Hard Day

This has certainly been an odd and emotional day to say the least. This morning, after a nice breakfast of pastries and tea at a local patisserie, Bohdan told me he did not want to go to America. After much conversation between Taras, Bohdan and I, he was insistent that he does not want to go. I think this was a test, because I have a child who tests me often already, so I am very familiar with being tested and having to stand firm, and I am 80% confident that was his motive. I asked him if he wanted to go back to Nikolai (the orphanage director) and he said "yes". So, I made a few phone calls, we drove for 1 1/2 hours and I left him at the orphanage with Nikolai. He will be there at least 5 days. Nikolai is having him to hard labor for those 5 days (the orphanage is on a farm, and so there is a LOT of manual labor to be done, and it is VERY hot here right now). According to our facilitator, it is Nikolai's plan to ask Bohdan, "Do you want to go to America where you can go to a University and earn your degree and work in an office, or do you want to stay in Ukraine where you will do labor like this for the rest of your life? It is your choice." Obviously, he is also going to talk to him about family and why it is best to have a family to support and love you. But, he knows Bohdan best, and he thinks the hard labor will make a strong point with him. I have no idea what is going to happen, but I am honestly not very worried.

Taras is adamant that he IS coming to America and he keeps telling me Bohdan is crazy/stupid. The fact that Taras is so adament and was so upset with Bohdan today definitely put me more at ease with the situation. Now I am just praying that God will guide Bohdan according to His will. I want what God wants, whatever that is. Please pray for Taras during these 5 days with just my Mom and I (kind of boring for an almost-14-year-old boy). We already decided to see a Ukrainian museum tomorrow that covers the history of Ukraine starting from 3,000 B.C. That should be fun. So, in three days, I have gone from 4 kids in the apartment to just one. Kind of weird and quiet.

Thank you God for giving me peace in the midst of turmoil. Please give Taras that same peace, and help us to have a fun and happy 5 days of bonding together. The good news is, Taras is going to learn English especially quickly now!

Love to all, and as always, thank you for your prayers...

Well, today as I said good-bye to 3/5 of my boys, tears flowed freely and heavily down my face. I am so thankful my Mom is coming today so I have that to look forward to. Not just her coming, but introducing her to our new boys and showing her around Kiev together.

Thanks to all who have been praying. Please pray especially now that our process would continue to go smoothly, but that also it would be extremely efficient. We all LONG to fly home July 30th.

Thank you, Lord, for this process. It has humbled and grown us. Thank you for increasing our family; for adding arrows to our quiver. We pray for safe and quick travel for Rick, Charlie and Andrew. We also pray that Mama's trip would continue to go smoothly and that she would get a lot of sleep on the planes. Lastly, for our time here, we pray that you would move among us, bonding us, and helping us to grow in faith and love. Please expedite our process, Lord, that we may be re-united as a family very soon.

Saying Good-bye

Today is the sad day that prefaces the very sad day, tomorrow, when I have to say good-bye to Rick, Charlie and Andrew. And, I won't be saying good-bye for a week or even two weeks, but rather anywhere between 17 and 23 days. My heart is burdened as I prepare to say good-bye. Please pray for me.

Also, today Charlie made an analogy to his new life that astounded me. He asked Rick and me, "Why do I now have to be your whipping boy?" If you know anything about fifteenth century England, you know about whipping boys. Unfortunately, Charlie's analogy rings partially true in our new life. Bohdan often does things to Charlie that should elicit punishment, but instead of punishing Bohdan (which we indubitably would do with either Charlie or Andrew), we have been trying to deal with him in love and understanding (as instructed by all of the adoption books I read before we came). Charlie, in his own understanding, takes this to mean he is bearing the punishment when Bohdan hits him, yells at him, etc. He is right. However, Jesus was the ultimate Whipping Boy, and are we not to follow His example? This will be a lesson in humility, sacrifice and depth-of-love for all of us. Please pray for all four boys and their relationship.

Our hope and prayer now is that the Lord would grant Rick, Charlie and Andrew safe passage to America, and that he would allow the rest of us to return July 30th. Thank you for supporting us in prayer, love and support.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CHARLIE!

I almost forgot, Happy Birthday to our now-eight-year-old son, Charlie! We love you SOOOO much and are so proud of the Godly boy you are turning out to be. We pray you would continue to grow in the love, grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. We pray we would be good examples to you, and that you would grow to love Him with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. May God bless you with many more years of life!

Much love from...Mommy and Daddy : )

Family of Six!

We are now officially (at least we think it's official -we were the receivers of many congratulatory handshakes!) a family of SIX! We went to court today, which was actually way more intense than I expected. It wasn't too bad for Rick and me, but it was intimidating for the boys. Taras did great, he didn't waver at all, and was very confident and relaxed. Poor Bohdan was a nervous wreck. His whole body was shaking as he tried to answer the judge's questions. In the end, it all worked out and we got a favorable decision!

Now we have a ten day waiting period, and then we will try our hardest to RUSH through the rest of the process in only 8 days! Please pray HARD for this, as it is unlikely that we will finish without help from God. According to our legal facilitator, the biggest obstacle will be getting the kid's ID numbers changed in a timely manner - something we have absolutely no control over. Our returning plane tickets are scheduled for July 30th, and our ten day waiting period ends July 20th. I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY want to get home on the 30th. REALLY, REALLY!!! We've already been here 3 weeks and we are ALL wanting to get home. On the upside, my Mom will arrive on the 14th of July, and I have a lot to show her. On the downside, Rick, Charlie and Andrew will return home and I will miss them all terribly. We all will. We covet your prayers!

With much love to ALL our followers, friends and family...
Rick, Erica, Taras, Bodie, Charlie and Andrew PENNY (!)

Andrew

Today was not a great day. U.S. Embassy in the morning went well, and then in the afternoon we went to visit the most beautiful "lavra" (monastery) Rick and I had ever seen. (Mom, it will be a definite, "must see". We will leave the boys at home.) However, neither Taras nor Bohdan were thrilled with being there, and complained practically the ENTIRE time to "go home". Currently "home" consists of an 800 square foot apartment, which with four boys, was clearly out of the question. Finally I called our legal facilitator to translate what we had been trying to get through to the two boys for at least TWO hours...we are NOT going home! It worked for Taras. He stopped complaining and cheered up immediately. Bohdan was another story...

Anyway, as many of you know, our little Andrew is one of the funniest children I have ever met. And, today, he made, perhaps, one of his all-time funniest comments:
Andrew: "Daddy, I hope I'm not dreaming"
Rick (looking around at the totally unsanitary bathroom): "No, I think this is pretty real, Andrew."
Andrew: "Because if I'm dreaming, I'm pooping in my bed right now."
Don't know if it was the day or what, but Rick and I were rolling around on the floor when he told me...we were laughing so hard. Andrew has truly been a blessing on this trip. He walks around the city humming and picking up coins. I think he has collected at least 20 gryvna in coins by now (a LOT of coins). He is such a joy. Please pray for Charlie and Andrew as Bohdan has been an "unexpected interruption" in their lives. He was "expected", but his attitude wasn't. It's been hard on them. Fortunately, Taras has showered them (particularly Andrew) with love. And, that has been a blessing to watch.

Charlie turns eight tomorrow. I ordered him a beautiful (and EXPENSIVE! - don't tell Rick!!) all chocolate cake from a wonderful "patisserie" around the corner. Happy birthday, Charlie! I'm sorry we'll have to spend the whole day in court... We love you very much and are so proud of the boy you are and are becoming.

Thanks again for all your prayers. I cannot overemphasize how important they are to us.

Amazing Grace

So, last night we got no sleep. Bohdan was coughing uncontrollably the entire night. I don't think any of us slept well, particularly Rick and me. First thing this morning, I told Rick we needed to ask someone at church if they knew of a doctor around who could check him out. Also, perhaps due to my tiredness or perhaps not, I was doubting everything this morning. Bohdan has continued to be hard, and I have been doubting my ability to care for two difficult children. (Taras has still been great.) Not only will I be parenting them, but home-schooling as well, and this morning it seemed that he answered "no" to EVERYTHING I asked him to do or "yes" to EVERYTHING I asked him NOT to do. My doubts and fears were running high. Then we went to church...

We arrived, made the usual greetings, then took our seat in the back near the English translator. Soon after we were seated an American missionary couple came in and sat in front of us. It didn't take us long to figure out we were all Americans. It also didn't take long to discover the husband is a pediatrician. One prayer answered, thank you God! But this was just the beginning of what God had in store for us today. The pastor prayed a LOT during the service (awesome!), but his first prayer was about the children. (Claiming people do not have a lot of children here is an understatement. Ukraine's birth rate is one of the lowest in Europe, and Europe has the lowest birth rates in the world. Those who do have children are often alcoholics; consequently their children end up either abused and neglected or sent to an orphanage or both.) I can't tell you how fitting it was to our new family. I wish I could have recorded it, because it was so Spirit led, and it touched both Rick and me deeply. The words perfectly captured, and reminded us of, our first sentiments: the reasons we were in Ukraine adopting and the reasons we had to persevere through all the ups and downs. Last, but definitely not least, came the sermon. We were blown away! It was based on Psalm 127:

"Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat - for he grants sleep to those he loves. Sons are a heritage from the Lord, the children a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate."

Need I say more? God truly spoke to us. He spoke loud and clear. My doubts have receded and my fears have subsided. Rick and I are not building this house, God is. He has given us a heritage, and we will not be put to shame.

Court Date

We got a court date - next Friday. Was hoping it would be early next week, but we got one nonetheless. Hoping and praying we will not have the full 10 day waiting period; that perhaps they will cut it short and give us 7 days or something. (Not sure if that is even an option, but with God anything is possible, so I'm still praying.) I just really, really, really want to be able to come home on or before our flight date of July 30th, and I'm a bit worried that having only two weeks after the 10 day waiting period to finish everything is not going to be enough. I think usually 2 1/2 weeks is standard. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE pray that we will be home by July 30th. The boys want to go home (all 4 of them), and I really want to go home to my shower, my bed, American food, and the luxury of living in my OWN HOME!!! Living in a tiny apartment with 4 boys is exhausting to say the least (not to mention the LONG days of paperwork when we've been sitting around waiting in a car for 8 long hours - thank goodness we brought a soccer ball with us!)! I can't wait to get home to our large yard and house where they can run around and expend all of the God-given-typical-boy-energy they have. Now I totally understand why people who live in a large city have only one or no kids!! Rick says he could stay much, much longer, but then he doesn't have to spend 6 weeks here like me, only 3 1/2... Not trying to complain, it really is beautiful here, and everything really has been going well for us. Just longing for home and our normal life together (and another bathroom so I don't have to share a toilet with FIVE boys - YUCK!).

On another note, there is a VERY, VERY cute boy in the orphanage who I would LOVE to see adopted. He is ten years old (kind of short for his age), smiles all the time, and is so friendly and kind. He is REALLY, REALLY sweet. He is also extremely good at soccer. If you know of anyone who might be interested, please let me know!

Prayer for Bohdan

Although we had another smooth (and very LONG) day of paperwork today, tonight was sort of sad. After we put the little ones to bed, Bohdan broke down and was sobbing uncontrollably. Of course, we cannot communicate with him, so we weren't sure what was wrong, but I was very proud of Charlie and Andrew who were extremely concerned and empathetic. While I embraced Bohdan, we discussed all the loss Bohdan is dealing with right now, and how hard this must be for him. Andrew kept compassionately saying, "but now he has a family", not truly understanding that Bohdan's sincere hope must have been for his birth mother to return to him, to stay in Ukraine, and to remain near his friends at the orphanage. As those who adopt know, there is a lot of loss involved for the adoptee. Some of his pain surfaced tonight, but we are sure this is just the tip of the iceburg. I know the questions I have brooding in my mind must mirror his, so I pray that when those questions arise, God will give me just the right answers for Bohdan and/or Taras. I trust He will. Until then, may he give each of us the strength and fortitude to move forward as a family who loves one another and who places God at the center of our love and our life. We have another long day of paperwork tomorrow. Please pray for our family, but please say a special prayer for Bohdan.

On a happy note, Mom, today Taras asked when you were coming. I got the calendar out and showed him and he went and found Bohdan and told them about the coming of their Babushka! ; )

First Round of Paperwork...

Well, I am VERY happy to report that our first round of paperwork was a huge success. We went to the orphanage, got the papers, then onto the Inspector (child protective services) where she asked Taras and Bohdan if they wanted to be in our family. Taras responded (he had to respond twice because they wanted to be sure he was definitive), "Yes, I REALLY want to go to America and be in their family." Bohdan also responded definitively, "Yes, I want to go live with my family." Then the Inspector asked, "And, who is your family", to which he replied (and pointed to us), "This is my family." Obviously, we were thrilled with their answers! : ) Then we had to get papers notarized while Taras and Bohdan wrote their letters of intent to be in our family to the SDA (Ukrainian government). Poor Bohdan was writing and writing. If Charlie had had to write as much as Bohdan, he would have been crying, I am sure. It took him about 30 minutes to finish the letter. Anyway, then we had to go back to the notary to sign more papers, and then back to the orphanage to submit a couple of papers. Tomorrow it is back to the village, to the orphanage first to have the Director (who is VERY, VERY nice) sign some more papers, then back to the Inspector to pick up papers and then back to Kiev. I believe Alla (our legal translator) will then have to do a bunch of work with this paperwork, and then we will submit the papers on Thursday to the SDA. The awesome news is that the Inspector knows these kids well, so she is expediting the paperwork for us, and she has a very good relationship with Nicolai (the director of the orphanage), so everything is working in our favor so far. We could not have asked for more...but then, God always gives us better gifts than we even ask for, right? Amen! Thank you, Jesus!! And, thank you friends for all your prayers. We can feel them more than you can imagine!

More great news...the director is letting us keep the kids with us indefinitely. Taras is VERY easy, and a great kid. He has been a huge help to us with helping us find our way around the city, and keeping the kids close at hand. He is also learning English very quickly, and can read many/most words already. Bohdan is VERY difficult (but VERY cute too). He talks back a LOT and is SO opinionated. He is going to be tough to parent, but we already have one of those, so it looks like now we'll just add one of each...another Charlie and another Andrew! It works for us. To all my homeschool friends, I am already thinking of sending Bohdan to school. I am not sure I will be able to handle him and still school the other three. We'll see if Rick and I can get him under our reign quickly...??? He was better about going to bed tonight after he did not get ice cream like the other kids today (we told him over and over last night, Niet spat, Niet Marozeneyah - translated, No sleep, No ice cream). Anyway, we could use your prayers that we quickly determine the best method of discipline with him.

Again, all is going great, and we are very thankful that everything has been so smooth and so easy thus far.

More Pictures...

Pictures, Kyiv

So much FUN!

We are having SO much fun in Kiev together. The boys are getting along great...wrestling and playing soccer a lot! Words cannot do justice to this city or our time here...so pictures are forthcoming!

Sweet Dreams

The boys are ALL here tonight...we just put them to bed and we will go to sleep together, as a family, for the first time. Everyone is still in great spirits, and both boys are trying to learn English. Taras has been trying very hard from day number one to learn, but Bohdan was not eager at all. Then alas, tonight he said, "Thank you!" - his first word in English - and then shortly after he said, "No". (We may have heard it for the first time tonight, but I know for CERTAIN it won't be the last - he is very opinionated!!) Our love to all and sweet dreams...

Let the craziness begin...

Well, today we were supposed to go to the SDA and pick up our referral and then go to the orphanage, get the boys to sign the papers, and then off to child protective services for an interview so that the ball could begin rolling towards our court date. We will still go to the SDA, but now we just found out we will NOT be able to go to child protective services today, and that Monday is a bank holiday (if you read all the blogs for Ukrainian adoption, you will see that this happens very often - random bank holidays - that postpone your process). So, now we cannot begin to "move" towards the court date until Tuesday...bummer. However, we will get to pick up the boys for the whole weekend, so that will be a huge blessing! Please pray for me, however, as I have a sore throat, stuffed nose and a headache. I am hoping it is just allergies or something, and not an actual sickness. I want to have a great weekend with the boys, and not be sick or sleeping the days away. (I slept all day today because I was feeling so terrible...praying it is not strep throat.) Thanks for your continued prayers - we need them!

SDA Appointment DONE!!

Yay! Thanks to all those who prayed for us...our SDA appointment was literally 5 minutes. Our kids were like, "What, we're done, that's it...we didn't even get to play our DS!" Although they were not thrilled with the brevity of the appointment, we were! ; ) They had the boys' pictures out and ready to go, we just had to answer maybe two or three questions! We are thrilled! Thank you God! So, tomorrow we will get the referral for the boys around 3:00 pm, we will drive to their village (1 1/2 hours) and then we will hopefully get all their signatures and paperwork done and will get to meet with the Child Protective Services person in their region. That will get the ball rolling for the court date. The orphanage director, Nicolai, said we could pick the boys up tomorrow and take them with us! YAY!!!! We get to spend the weekend with them here in our apartment in Kiev! We are thrilled! So far, so good. God has been very merciful to us, and we are truly thankful. May He receive all the glory.

Our Family

The Penny Family - here we ALL are! (This picture was taken in front of their orphanage.)

We are in LOVE!!

I am SO sorry it has taken me SO long to get on to the internet to post! We have been SO busy and SO tired these last couple of days. We got to meet Taras and Bohdan our second day here (Tuesday morning), and we immediately fell in love! They are so awesome! Taras is SO kind to our kids. He was already helping me by putting his hand on Charlie and Andrew's back to keep them walking with us, and calling back, "Andrew, come!" We told him he should get used to saying that because that is the Penny family mantra!! ; ) He is awesome and asked right away if he should call us Mom and Dad! : ) We exclaimed, "YES!" Bohdan is VERY athletic (just like Taras) and very energetic! They both smile a lot and laugh a lot with us. We are bonding as a family nicely, and all the boys are getting along great! Things could not be better, Praise the LORD!!!

Tomorrow we have our big day at the SDA. If you are reading this, PLEASE pray for us! This is an important day, and we are hoping and praying everything will work out well, and we will get our referral for Taras and Bohdan. The director of their orphanage (who is a VERY nice man), already told us that once we show him any paperwork, we can keep the boys with us for the weekend (which is very good news, not only because we want the boys with us all the time, but also because Rick is freaking out because it is $100 every day to drive to the orphanage - YIKES!) Konstantin said their is a VERY slight chance we could get the paperwork tomorrow (Thursday), but more likely Friday late afternoon. The earlier the better because we will not see the boys again until we have the paperwork in our hands. We covet your prayers!!

Our apartment is decent. The bathroom smells really bad, but other than that, it is okay. The food has been a little scary for Charlie and me, but Rick and Andrew are loving the cow tongue, and all the other odd delicacies! ; ) We ate at the orphanage today, and I have no idea what we ate, but it actually tasted pretty good.

Rick is beckoning for dinner. I should be able to post more often now that this is up and running in our apartment. I hope to get some pics up very soon. Let me know if you have any specific questions or if you want me to talk about anything in particular!

Thank you for all your love and prayers...

YAY!!!

We just got off the phone with Taras and Bodie and we had a GREAT conversation with both of them. Taras talked for a LONG time and asked a lot of questions. He sounded excited to come! Bohdan is counting down the days. He knew exactly the amount of days until we meet! Thank you for all the prayers that have gone out concerning Taras! We really appreciate them and we see them working. Roza likes both of the boys a lot. Now, it's just a matter of DAYS until we meet them! Please keep praying!!

ONE WEEK!

AHHH!!! Only one week left to go until we are on a plane headed for Kiev to meet our boys! Please continue to pray for the entire process. God is at work in MIGHTY ways, even now, and we can see His hand even in the smaller details! It's pretty awesome! Today our church prayed for us, and afterward our worship leader and his wife told me about a 22 year old named Andre who was adopted by a Wilmington family when he was 14! (Basically the same age as Taras and with a very similar background.) Long story short, 10 minutes later I was speaking to Andre and he was telling me how Taras would feel when he arrives AND that he would be glad to help him out when he gets here! He even said he would talk to him over the phone while we are in Ukraine if he needs prompting to come! How awesome is that! Praise the Lord! He totally orchestrated this, and we are already SO thankful for Andre! The continued blessings amaze us... Please continue your prayers...they are working wonders!

From 3 years to 3 weeks

Three and a half years ago Rick and I started praying about, and then working toward, this adoption. Three weeks to go, and all those prayers will culminate in the meeting of our two new sons, Taras and Bogdan. It's almost incomprehensible!

We spoke to the boys on the phone yesterday. Bogdan is ecstatic. Our facilitator told us that the director of the boys' "center" told him that Bogdan has asked him every day since our first phone call WHEN we are going to be there to get him. Now it is only a matter of a couple of weeks! You can hear the joy in his voice! I cannot wait to get my arms around that cutie!

Taras is more confused. He is 13, almost 14, and he is having his doubts. Not about us, but about leaving all his friends and everything he knows. Please pray with us for Taras. I cannot imagine how confusing and difficult this must be for him. That is a hard age anyway, and then to be put through a move to a country where you don't know anyone, nor do you speak the language...and with a new family whom you will have only known about a month...it's hard. I wrote him an empathetic letter this morning, that will hopefully reveal to him that we understand, and that it's okay for him to feel the way he does. I just pray God's comfort upon him, and that we will come up with some clever methods of communication together, that he might be able to keep up his friendships in Ukraine.

Speaking of friends...I am so thankful for our friends here. At the last minute, I had to pull together sitters for our kids once they come home with Rick (but I will still be in Ukraine - with my Mom), and my awesome friends came through big time. I was able to cover my kids immediately which eliminated a ton of stress. I was really worried about the whole thing, and wasn't sure what would be easiest on our kids. But now they will get to spend a couple of weeks with friends they love, and I couldn't be more thankful. It will make my time away from home that much easier.

June 24, 2010

YES!!!! That's right...that's the date we will meet with the SDA to get to go meet our sons to be forever!! We finally got it! Our Facilitator (capitalized for a reason!) was amazing...His timing is always perfect as it was today. My friend, Jen, and I had just finished praying together when my phone buzzed with the news! Our earthly facilitator was pretty awesome as well. We could not have done it without either one. We are thrilled for this news that has come after 10 long months of praying and waiting. The suffering was long, but definitely worth it. Rick, Charlie, Andrew and I have grown so much over these past months. We are definitely stronger than we were 10 months ago. We are now ready for Taras and Bogdan. We know God has been working in their lives too, to prepare us for each other. We can't wait to put our arms around them and love them....forever more! Thanks to all those who prayed for us. We are forever grateful to you for your prayers. Please keep them coming...the process has just begun...some of the hardest trials are yet to come...in Ukraine! Love to all...and, please, keep praying!

Bogdan

Today we talked with Bogdan on the phone. His first question, as usual, was "When are you coming to get me?" Of course, we then had to tell him we weren't sure, but we hoped in 4-6 weeks. His whole intonation changed. He became very sad. He asked Roza a lot of questions, but he remained sad. I tried to reassure him every way I knew how, but nothing helped. Please pray for Bogdan. Pray that his hope in God remains and that his trust in us would not falter. Pray that their government would finally give us a date, and that we could impart some good news to him, even as soon as next week. This poor child has so little, and now he is so dissappointed. All he has wanted is a family, and now that he knows we are the family, he just wants to be with us quickly. He doesn't understand bureaucracy or this horrible process. He only knows there is a family and a new life waiting for him in America, and he is so excited at this prospect. Please...pray for Bogdan.

More waiting...

Well, we heard from Konstantin this morning. Still no invitation date. We are supposed to find out next week, May 27 or 28, but I am doubtful. We have had this "promised" to us so many times... We will keep praying and keep pressing on. We truly covet your prayers.

Waiting, waiting and more...waiting...

Today, we sit and wait again. God is definitely working on our patience, fortitude and perseverance. He is also working on me to have joy in the midst of all this anxiety and pain.

It was supposed to be two Wednesdays ago that we were to get our travel date. Then last Wednesday, while Rick and I were in Berlin, again we awaited hearing of our travel date. Konstantin had to go to bat for us big time against the SDA, and is still going to bat for us to try to get our dossier approved. We have begged, we have pleaded, we have cried out to the Lord with all our hearts...we still have no answers. We were supposed to hear something today, although what, we do not know.

We pray that Taras and Bogdan have even more patience and strength than we, and that the days would go by quickly for them. Whenever we talk, the first thing they ask is, "When are you coming to get us?" Even though we have told them numerous times, they still always ask. We are to talk to them again on Friday. Let's pray we have an answer for them this time...

Dossier Submission Date

Good news, I hope! Our dossier is to be submitted next Wednesday, April 21st. We are PRAYING, PRAYING, PRAYING that our dossier is in perfect condition and is accepted by the SDA. The fact that we just had to re-do the entire thing should help since all the dates are fresh. We talk to Bogdan and Taras weekly and we already feel bonded to them and want to bring them home ASAP. We truly hope to be IN Ukraine in a couple of months. We leave this all in God's hands... I am operating in a bit of panic mode right now given what happened a few months ago. I want to be excited, but then fear breaks in and consumes my thoughts. The verse: "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you" repeatedly enters my mind. I'm trying, Lord, but I confess it's a struggle for me.