Up Hill In The Snow For 5 Miles......

New Hope Ministry Team at Internet

Mummifying the kiddos!

Checkers competitions.  Yes that is my bandit boy on the end.

Joe & Sasha playing checkers

Awesome to see him smile!

Marko Polo on land!

More checkers......

The ladies getting their nails done!

Sergiy and Sasha playing a round

Sergiy and Papa...

Mom found her favorite squirrel at the mall!!!  Love this guy from Ice Age!

Frozen Dewberrys

Ok the joke you hear your parents say....I use to have to walk 5 miles up hill in the snow, through the trees....etc.  Well that was us today!

This morning we got to spend some time with some wonderful people from New Hope that is an outreach program here locally for the timing out kids and a month ago started working with the Vil'y 9th and 10th graders.  A good amount us packed out the centers van like a bunch of sardines and headed to the school this morning.  Today was a beautiful snow all day.  Not as cold today with the light snow all day.  Today Sergiy was a little more quiet and distant then yesterday.  We know this will go in waves so not anything abnormal.  I still hugged him non the less.  I could see he was tired.  He said he did not sleep last night.  I know he has a lot on his mind.  It was cool to watch the mission team in action.  The ladies painted the girls nails.  They brought in the 9th and 10th grade kiddos.  Then the boys learned to play strategy checkers by a competitive player.  Then also they toilet papered each other into mummies, played a mafia game and a type of marko polo game.  Then the lunch bell rang and the kids were gone before you could blink.  Not a one told the team thank you...they just bolted.  Then all the sudden one girl ran back in and came around and said thank you and hugged everyone.  That was awesome.  Then there was this little girl.....oh my goodness you just wanted to shove her in your suitcase.  She was a doll and after all the big kids left she came over and started to play checkers with some of the mission team.  She is 10 years old and has two brothers.  She is a real peach.  Oh my goodness.  The staff at the school once again was nothing short of kind to us and the mission team and VERY welcoming to them coming back to do more work with the kids.  It was great to take witness too.

Sergiy our kiddo was one of the heard of cattle that ran out without a word of anything.  They just ran like a bunch of Forrest Gumps!  LOL!  So Joe and I looked at each other and said OK, then let's join the team and head out.  We have no clue the school schedule and we don't know where Sergiy is at mentally with the adoption he has much to thank about and let's put the ball in his court for us to leave and he comes out from lunch and where not there.  Will he miss us or will he not?  Let's give him that to thank about should he come out and expect to see us sitting there.  Reverse physiology.  Sergiy is a very smart boy.  He is the type you only need to say something once and he will not forget.  He's a thinking man.  So we left with the team.  So we head out and we were told as a joke we are going to walk 5 miles in the snow through the woods.  Well.......the joke became reality!  One bus stop got passed because we missed the street to turn on when walking.  Then we got to another one that we thought was where one was and that was not the case.  So we ended up walking in the snow for about 2 miles looking for the bus stop.  So I got the real feel of Ukraine snow and cold.  Couldn't feel my lip, head, toes or hands.  It got hard to talk which is a good thing for me!  LOL!  Thank goodness I had my new handi dandi Ukraine scarf so I wrapped that sucker around my neck so I looked like I was being choked out by a Boa Constrictor.  LOL!  So we finally get to a train stop, go over the bridge and then wait for the bus.  We had good conversation,making jokes, talking about serving with the kiddos and I watched this dog board to death in a yard try to start eating the wood fencing.   Bus comes we hope on and get into the town of Zap, go to grab a bite to eat at this VERY good buffet cafe.  Killer Americano coffee!  We defrost so we can start to feel our limps!  We had a couple coffee and the second time I went back for a coffee this sweet girl handed me the coffee and looked me in the eye and said "God bless you" in English.  BLEW MY MIND.  I said thank you then walked to the cashier to pay.  Turned back around over to her and leaned over and said "God bless you too".  That really stuck with me.  No matter the outcome of this trip God wanted us here.  It just gave me a shot of joy to hear those words especially when you rarely hear them in our own country in the US.  So then Joe and I pocked around and found a killer knife store.  We bought the boys both their first pocket knives.  Mama found a couple two.  I am still working on Joe to let me get one.  I told him common I could be asking for diamonds and clothes but I ask for guns and knives.  You got a good deal right?  He just laughs at me.  I don't get it?  (:  So we pocked around in this cool mall and so far I have not found anything warm enough for my head that I brought from home.  So I got me a Ukrainian Beret and it is killer.  Thank goodness I got it because we found ourselves doing the whole repeat of 5 miles up hill in the snow and now add the dark!  Right before we left we needed to change currency and this adorable young lady was walking down the stairs and smiled really big and me and waved.  I smiled and waved back and thought she has got the wrong woman, I have not a clue who this girl was.  She then looked at me and pointed at the cafe.  I though the poo kid lost her marbles.  But it was me.  I stood there trying to figure it out then it dawned on me she was the girl from the cafe that said "God Bless You".  Joe and I went back to the cafe and she was heading home from work and we went in to get another coffee and say "Hi" to her.  She saw us and said "Americano".  I smiled and yes, thank you.  She talked to us a little bit and I took off my cross necklace I made before we went to adopt Kolya that was Ukraine colors and gave it to her.  She was very excited and I think I was more excited for her just knowing she is a ray of sunshine right when I needed it.  How awesome God is in his divine timing.  Before she left she found Joe and I am came and told us about herself and that she sings in the church choir.  She asked if I sang and I told her I break windows.  Her name was Lydia and she was so precious.  So we look forward and hope to see her more.  The food was very gooooooood to!!!!

We leave the mall in the dark and OOPS we head the wrong way home for about a miles and a half.  I told Joe ya know this just does not look right and it is dark and kinda creepy.  Everyone we asked did not even seem to know the "Billa" market we were talking about.  Finally this sweet older gal pointed us in the direction and turns out completely wrong and LONG way back.  So we high tailed it back knowing we had to keep moving to keep warm.  So we walked about 4 miles to finally arrive at our dear Billa market.  We walked around slow in the store so we could get the feeling in our feet back and lips.  I bought my pallet of small packages of handiwipes I can never find at home and my orange juice.  The clerks looked at me like I was nuts.  I love it!  Hey I love my handi wipes!  I always load up when I come here.

So we get home and relax and talk with Oksana our awesome in country translator.  I told Joe we should call our kiddo and put the ball in his court and ask him if he would like us to come tomorrow to his school.  Then we can get an idea where he is with us and the adoption.  Does he want us around or not.  Today Oksana talked to his teacher who again is very supportive of the adoption like all the other staff and said he has been talking about Joe and I non stop and how he is ready to go and has been counting down the days and now he is shell shocked.  Apparently Sergiy has a male mentor he talked to yesterday and he said the same thing and was shocked with the news that he didn't through out a "Yes" and run for the hills with us.  His teacher said they talked more yesterday he was tabling all the things I knew he would and was.  Not only leaving his friends but all his freedoms he has there at the school and the freedoms he will have on his own.  She said all the very smart kids this is very typical and always happens.  I have seen this pattern as well and I expected this prior to coming.  I knew this would be a lot for him and his whole world would be turned upside down and it is all happening so fast.  He is also popular at the school and very well liked.  He is one of the key players.  He likes that.  He will have to start over at home.  Granted you and I know he will have to do this again when he is on his own but he is in the now which is to be expected.  She said do you want to go home with them and he said yes I do and she said your yes yesterday was not too convincing even your mom was not convinced and that is why she wanted you to think it over.  He said he was ready and he told the social worker yes.  She laughed and said no one was convinced and she did not take it as a yes and that is why we are all meeting up again Monday.  She said Monday you got to let everyone know you are convinced with your yes.  She is a very good teacher and you can see he respects her.  She is also his PE coach and she loves him and cares about his well being.  He's a pretty blessed kid.  She said he is one of the very responsible kids in his class and helps teach with the other kids.  We saw that in him when we hosted him.  We asked if he would help Kolya with his math because we could see he is a brainac and he stepped up no problem.

So we make the call to ask if he wanted us to come tomorrow being his teachers told us we can come anytime and day we would like.  Joe talked with him for a minute and he was in very good spirits.  Then Oksana talked to him on our behalf and I could hear the energy of him on the other line.  The boy that we left at the airport and the boy that I talked to soon after he got back to Ukraine eagerly awaiting for us and openly telling us he loved us was on that phone.  I told her please tell him I love him.  And there were the precious words I did not expect to hear tell mama and papa I love them and can't wait to see them tomorrow.  Whew wee!  So I have not a clue nor expect anything for tomorrow and you never know what it will bring but we know he is battling this decision and it is a big one but we now know he wants us here right now no matter what he may show on the outside.  Oksana said there was a joy in him she had not heard yet, she said he was very excited.  So tomorrow at 2:30 we shall return to the school and love on this boy and let God do the work in our lives no matter the outcome.  To hear all his teachers and assistant director say he was a changed boy when he came back from you all.  He was respectful and had so much joy in him and just could not for you all to get here are words we will hang onto today, tomorrow and Monday.  We look back at our hosting photos and know what all we went through as a family and what all we came through as a family and we all left each other stronger and happier then when we started.  The joy in the boys was awesome. 

So please keep your prayers a coming!  They are felt and needed!  We have a long road ahead but we know we are focused on God and he is our grounding foundation in this and he know what is best for us all.  Many Blessings!