And This One Matters......: December 2012

Saturday, December 1, 2012

CATCHING UP SINCE WE GOT HOME! VIDEOS, PHOTOS AND SOME CHA CHA TO KICK OFF THE CHRISTMAS SEASON!

STOPHAS HOMECOMING!

Tania running to Papa once more!!!

EVERYONE NEEDS TO KNOW HOW TO CHA-CHA!

A DAY AT THE ZOO!

PAPA & FUN TIME!!

A DEER HAS BEEN SPOTTED!

STOPHA LIKES FOOD!!!

(

TIME TO DECORATE......NOTHING LIKE ELVES HELPING EVEN IF THEY LOOK A BIT ANGRY.....(:

KOLYA TAKING HIS BRO FOR A STROLL.....

STOPHA GLASSES TIME!!!!

STOPHAS DENTAL!!! CLEAN TEETH AND OH HOW HE LOVES THEM!

A VISIT TO THE TOBACCO TRAIL WATERFALL

GRANDMA GOING IN FOR SURGERY AND THE KIDS HELPING HER......

Stopha walking with Grandma to check in for surgery.

Tania walking holding Grandmas hand before she goes in for surgery.

Catching Up On Stopha!!!

Today -

Sorry folks been out of the loop for a bit! We have been literally in doctor appointments the following day after returning from Ukraine with Stopha to make sure his heart and HIV are all ok. Meanwhile getting dentals, ear checks, eye che
cks etc. God has been goog, Stopha has been a champ and we got so much covered in such a short amount of time. God is watching over our little man. Stop's is a very picky eater (he was at his school as well and I was warned) and has gone from refusing to eat to powering down the food. You see energy and life in him I did not even see at the school. He just had to come to the terms with this is your meal and it is good and when your ready to eat it, it's there. We cannot cater to you only and fix you special meals and you cannot live on bananas, bread and OJ alone. And now the boy would eat in his sleep if he could. I swear he has already grown! So as you all know the blessing is he does not need heart surgery BUT just found out he now needs to have eye surgery. That one never crossed my mind. So everyday little man has been asking for glasses well he is getting them. So we are doing eye patching and glasses should be in next week. He is thrilled! He ordered the thick military stock glasses. He would not accept any other. So he looks stinking nerdy cute. Gotta love it. So now we are just awaiting his glasses to arrive, see how he does with 8 weeks of eye patching, waiting his genetic testing and his HIV viral load results to make sure he is where he needs to be. So again we thank you for all your prayers and support. On a side not prayers for my mother would be much appreciated. The last day of tests for Stopha we took my mother to the hospital for spine surgery. She is still in the hospital and healing and in much pain with more surgeries ahead. The kids truly lifted her spirits and they love her dearly. So the timing of us being home to help her has been a blessing.

If you would like to see more photos of our adventures since we have been home like our day off and a trip the zoo please visit:

https://www.facebook.com/BringingStevenHome?ref=ts&fref=ts

Photo: Sorry folks been out of the loop for a bit! We have been literally in doctor appointments the following day after returning from Ukraine with Stopha to make sure his heart and HIV are all ok. Meanwhile getting dentals, ear checks, eye checks etc. God has been goog, Stopha has been a champ and we got so much covered in such a short amount of time. God is watching over our little man. Stop's is a very picky eater (he was at his school as well and I was warned) and has gone from refusing to eat to powering down the food. You see energy and life in him I did not even see at the school. He just had to come to the terms with this is your meal and it is good and when your ready to eat it, it's there. We cannot cater to you only and fix you special meals and you cannot live on bananas, bread and OJ alone. And now the boy would eat in his sleep if he could. I swear he has already grown! So as you all know the blessing is he does not need heart surgery BUT just found out he now needs to have eye surgery. That one never crossed my mind. So everyday little man has been asking for glasses well he is getting them. So we are doing eye patching and glasses should be in next week. He is thrilled! He ordered the thick military stock glasses. He would not accept any other. So he looks stinking nerdy cute. Gotta love it. So now we are just awaiting his glasses to arrive, see how he does with 8 weeks of eye patching, waiting his genetic testing and his HIV viral load results to make sure he is where he needs to be. So again we thank you for all your prayers and support. On a side not prayers for my mother would be much appreciated. The last day of tests for Stopha we took my mother to the hospital for spine surgery. She is still in the hospital and healing and in much pain with more surgeries ahead. The kids truly lifted her spirits and they love her dearly. So the timing of us being home to help her has been a blessing.

November 24th - Alright folks been very behind on blogging but Stophas FB page has most of the news since we got home. But here as some posts to get you up to par......

Hello Folks! I am so sorry I have not written in a while like I have fallen off the face of the earth. Once we arrived home we hit the ground running the next day with the severity of Stopha-mans unknown heart condition. We have been so
blessed not only with incredible team of doctors here waiting to see him but also appts that would normally take 3 weeks to 6 months to get into that we did not know we would have to go into got us all in this past week. It has been a whirlwind of medical appts but incredible. The blessing is our boys does not have to have heart surgery as anticipated! He does have a hole in his heart and aorta but it is clear they have both closed a great degree by the scar tissue but also appear to still be closing so with that and the diameter there is no need for surgery but to keep and eye on him and a good chance as he gets stronger and grows they will close. The doctors said it is not effecting his health at this point so we are keeping a close eye on him just to monitor. He has other un-diagnosed medical concerns besides his HIV and heart that is getting further testing. So we should no more in the next 2 to 3 weeks the results. So God is not letting our little guy waste anytime and letting him fall to the wayside. Again I want to thank you all again for your prayers and support in bringing him home and staying in touch with us as we get him all the care he needs and deserves. Next week him and Ms. T go in for HIV testing so we can make sure Stopha viral load is doing ok as wel as Ms. T. Stopha has vision issues and he has been asking when he can get glasses. HEHE! So next week he gets his eyes looked at to make sure all is OK and he can get his glasses he so badly wants. Too cute!!

Photo: Hello Folks! I am so sorry I have not written in a while like I have fallen off the face of the earth. Once we arrived home we hit the ground running the next day with the severity of Stopha-mans unknown heart condition. We have been so blessed not only with incredible team of doctors here waiting to see him but also appts that would normally take 3 weeks to 6 months to get into that we did not know we would have to go into got us all in this past week. It has been a whirlwind of medical appts but incredible. The blessing is our boys does not have to have heart surgery as anticipated! He does have a hole in his heart and aorta but it is clear they have both closed a great degree by the scar tissue but also appear to still be closing so with that and the diameter there is no need for surgery but to keep and eye on him and a good chance as he gets stronger and grows they will close. The doctors said it is not effecting his health at this point so we are keeping a close eye on him just to monitor. He has other un-diagnosed medical concerns besides his HIV and heart that is getting further testing. So we should no more in the next 2 to 3 weeks the results. So God is not letting our little guy waste anytime and letting him fall to the wayside. Again I want to thank you all again for your prayers and support in bringing him home and staying in touch with us as we get him all the care he needs and deserves. Next week him and Ms. T go in for HIV testing so we can make sure Stopha viral load is doing ok as wel as Ms. T. Stopha has vision issues and he has been asking when he can get glasses. HEHE! So next week he gets his eyes looked at to make sure all is OK and he can get his glasses he so badly wants. Too cute!!

What Does Nicole Mean By Advocating For Orphans?

So glad you asked! In Ukraine many hosting programs are shutting down. The reason being is boarding schools (orphanages) are being condensed the more the foster care system grows in Ukraine. This leaves the school Directors in fear of losing their jobs if they do not hold a specific number of children in their boarding school. Then the threat of shut down looms over their heads. The second reason is with hosting programs that means many children will find their forever families which means again the number of children falls under what is required for the school to remain open. It is a double edge sword. You have many Directors that want their children adopted but then they know if they loose their job they cannot support their family. It is not easy in Eastern Europe to find a job in a couple days. Especially with the current climate Ukraine is in with war at hand.

5 years ago Nicole started to notice the decline in hosting programs being allowed to continue to bring children over to America. With the adoption of their children, especially their 2 littles ones Nicole & Joe knew they did not have the allotted time needed to dedicate to volunteer with NHFC and not be able to give it their all like they had done in the past. They did not want to fail the NHFC team. So they resigned and Nicole went freelancing in Ukraine. On Gods timing, when she was able, wherever God lead and with the team God put together. On these trips Nicole, her son Kolya and/or the team would teach children English, teach them about Jesus, love on them and then fight for them. Meaning if a child or boarding school staff came to Nicole and said this child wanted a family Nicole would interview them and spend as much time with them as possible to get to know them personally. Nicole would do this in an effort to learn as much as possible to help advocate for the child in hopes their forever family would come forward. Nicole would learn the good and bad in an effort to be upfront and honest with a potential adoptive family.

Nicole is not an adoption agency, a hosting agency, nor a professional and she does not work for anyone accept God. She is a gal after God's heart and children, a stay at home Mama that has worked with teens for 20 years and this is her heart and passion.

Why Ukraine Nicole?

In Eastern Europe it is very different then America. In America if a child is in the foster care system they can remain with their family for care until they are 18 years old. In America there is opportunity for just about everyone even if it is working at McDonalds. You are not labeled as an "Orphan". In Eastern Europe an orphaned children is basically wearing a stamp his/her their forehead that says "Orphan". It is like a permanent tattoo that is with them for life and never washes off not only in their mind but to others. They are not wanted or welcomed in many cases. On a trip to Ukraine a sign was spotted that stated "No orphans allowed" that was posted up on the door of a store. At the age of 16 these children age out of their boarding schools and have a choice of trade school or the streets. Most of them have no family to turn to. So just imagine a 16 year old child left to their own with NO accountability. With the economic crises and war in Eastern Europe the children that have extended family like Grandpa, Grandma, a sister or a brother cannot afford to take in the child so they only visit. If the child should choose to go to trade school it generally consists of coal mining, hair dressing, etc. Even with that in school the kids again are accountable to themselves and if they do not hold up their grades they are on the streets. If they graduate they still are stamped "Orphaned". So should they apply for a job with many other folks they will be the ones tossed because of this label. So their chances of graduating trade school and then getting a job are slim to known unless they are one determined child. The trade school housing for the kids is old hospitals that are now used as dorms. If a child is not back to their dorm by 10PM they are locked out for the night and they will call the streets then bedroom. Many children have been noted to say that they are scared to be in the trade school dorms because of the violence, rap, prostitution, drugs and alcohol. One child was noted to say that he would find kids shooting up drugs in the hallway and passed out. He bought a gun illegally in order to be able to protect himself of the unknown there. Then you have the rebels that take the world on by themselves that either at this point in their life want to live independently and not report to anyone or just cannot handle the trade school life and want nothing to do with it. So they take the streets to make it. They generally fall into becoming thieves, go into prostitution or commit suicide in order to survive. No matter how you flip this coin the statistics are grim from these children. They are all survivors doing just that.......surviving.

There is such a significant need all over the world even in America. Joe and I were foster parents and have served with youth in the US for our entire marriage and Nicole prior to marriage. God steered Joe and Nicole on a different path when they were introduced to NHFC and adopted their first son, Kolya from Ukraine. God has continued to call them to Ukraine in an effort to reach the voiceless and give them a voice, hope and love. God calls each of us to a specific place, time and season to do His work as Christians. God has shifted their call to Ukraine.....for the time being. Again they go where God leads where ever it may be.

Meet The Dewberrys

The Dewberrys came together as a family after hosting their now 18 year old now son, Kolya from Ukraine during Christmas 2010 through an International hosting program called New Horizons For Children, Inc.

In the midst of hosting Kolya, Joe and Nicole felt the Lord was going to lead them through more then just hosting in Ukraine. Nicole and Joe was were blessed to work with NHFC as a volunteer Regional Directors in North Carolina for the orphan hosting program. Nicole realized that in time there seemed to be a decline to host children from Ukraine with all the politics that was abounding in Ukraine. So she felt a lead to break away from hosting and go where God leads to travel to Ukraine and be wide open to God to lead her to orphanages to met children that could no longer be hosted and advocate to find them forever families that were aging out. For the last 6 years Nicole has been traveling to Ukraine several times a year to teach English in orphanages, teach the children about Jesus, show them the love of Christ and advocate for true orphans that want a forever family. Nicole brings aid to the Ukraine military, visiting the military in the hospitals as well as meeting active duty and on the field military and serving with mission teams the local folks that remain in regions that are devastated by war with her oldest son Misha. The Dewberrrys children have returned with Nicole to Ukraine on many occasions to serve the people of their country.

Kids are Joe and Nicole's love and passion. Nicole has worked with teens for 22 years. Joe and Nicole together have done mission work with youth and have specifically worked with at-risk youth and in church youth ministry for 17 years. The Dewberrys arms are wide open to show the love they have for the lost and forgotten youth.

The Lord lead them back to Ukraine in 2012 to adopt Tania, 10 years old & Stopha who is 8 years old and are HIV+. In 2014 the Lord lead the Dewberrys back to Ukraine to adopt Bogdan 12 years old who is HIV+ and Angelica 19 years old and Kristjan 16 years old. Then in 2015 the Dewberry's returned for Vova 16 years old and Viktor 12 years old. None of the Dewberrys children would not be home without the prayers and the hands of feet of Christ of folks coming alongside their family to see their children home and also all the mission trips Nicole has been on.

Nicole and her children continue to return to Ukraine to do mission work advocating for orphans that want forever families, teaching them about Jesus, teaching them English as well as doing doing mission work with the military and regions of devastation by serving those left behind.

With the greater increase in adoptions which is amazing there is also a greater need for support for adopted children and their families. Nicole is now working with Hope Connection International holding classes and support groups to teach pre-adoption classes, connect families that have adopted within the US and abroad and work with families in crises to help prevent disruption.

Our family prayer is to go where God leads.

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. - James 1:27

About This Blog

This blog is dedicated to our heart and soul, the orphans that cannot speak out of Eastern Europe. This blog is about our journey of the adoption of our children, the mission work we do in Eastern Europe, advocating for orphans and wherever God leads our family.

This blog is also about the trials and tribulations we have faced with hosting, adopting, missions work already and yet to come. The grace, mercies and restorations of our hearts and minds. The incredible friendships God has provided along the way. About our missions trips to Ukraine working with orphans. The blessings of when Nicole volunteered with New Horizons For Children as Regional Director. All our crazy stories & adventures we have had along the way here in America and in Ukraine. And oh how we have adventures and stories! This blog is a dedication to our Lord and Savior encompassing the one thing he treasures more then anything, His children.....the orphans.