Day 35 - Cooking at Grad Camp - Saturday Oct. 22

So after sleeping fitfully, I got working on the breakfast that morning around 7:30am. I had a few people volunteer to peel potatoes the night before, so all I had to do was shred them and make the breakfast pizzas. I got enough shredded to start the first couple batches, so I started sauteing them on the stove top. I added in a few chopped onions and cooked the potatoes until they were soft. Then I spread them out on a tray and scrambled the eggs which went on top of the hash browns, last we put on some shredded cheese that I had shredded the night before. This all went into the oven to bake. By this time I had several people helping me out. So I was able to get 2 cookie sheet size pans and 3 skillets worth of the recipe prepared. Once it was ready, we served it out on the plates and waited for the kids to come in. It took longer than I thought, so some of the servings were cold by the time they ate, but I hope they liked it anyway. We made up some scrambled eggs as well, for those who were still hungry.

While the breakfast was in the oven baking, I was able to take a short break for devotions with the American team. It was so nice to be able to worship with others and be unified in purpose for loving these kids and showing them Jesus.

The team had many different activities planned for the day. I was in charge of lunch which was sandwiches and salad, so that was much easier. Although, we did have all the meat and cheese to slice on our own. So it was more than just setting it out. I also needed to cut up a huge head of cabbage. So after a short break of sitting in on the group morning worship, trying to sing in Russian and listen to a message I could not understand, I went back to the kitchen. There I had a few people come to help with the cutting, both Americans and some of the kids came in and out to help. Yarik ended up in with me finishing cutting the cabbage. It was sweet of him to come to help me. Quite a few times I saw him washing the dishes as well. I am so thankful that God has given us a son with such a servant's heart.

Lunch was set out and the kids soon arrived and devoured all that we set out. At each meal, there were many who came to me to say thank you. It was nice that they appreciated my cooking for them.

That night we were to make Kasha soup. I had no idea how to make it so I had to wait for one of the girls to lead that one.

Sergei making his bracelet

The afternoon activity was making bracelets, so since I was not sure what else to do, I sat with Sergei and learned to make a new style of bracelet. Both of the boys were quite good at catching on to the bracelet making and it will be fun to teach the kids at home. Sergei gave his first one to me and I gave mine to him. Although the one he gave me was better than the one I made for him. I also used some regular friendship bracelet threads to make a friendship bracelet for one of the girls who had given me a small ring. I had been trying to learn their names and interacted with her several times when she put one of those children's adjustable rings on my finger. It was a sweet gesture and I wanted to return the sentiment, but had nothing to offer at the time.

Kate and the girls making bracelets

Soon it was time to start the dinner. We peeled more potatoes and some carrots. Chopped onions and potatoes and shredded the carrots. Anika put buckwheat/kasha into two large pots of water to cook. I sauteed the carrots and onions until they were very well done. Anika added several seasoning packs to the buckwheat and put the potatoes in to cook with it as well. Once the carrots and onions were well cooked we added them to the pots.

Vitali, Galla and Ira making bracelets

As we were making dinner, the group was doing some games similar to the show, “A Minute to Win It.” Since the soup just had to be stirred every once in a while, Anika and I went back and forth to watch the games. The first one that we saw was the cookie game, where the participant had to move a cookie from their forehead to their mouth using only the muscles in their face. It was pretty hilarious. They had to do 3 cookies in one minute. The first kid I saw was able to succeed. The next one had much more trouble.

When I came back the next time the game was one where the participant had to blow a ping pong ball from one cup of water into the next one. Each set of two cups got farther apart as the moved down a row of three. Only one kid was able to get the ball into both the first and the second set of cups. It was fun to watch. Not sure what other games they did, but it was time for us to put the soup out to serve.

We put the soup into bowls and set it out on the tables with bread, which we put out at every meal. Soon the group came in and we ate the soup. It was really good. Hopefully I can recreate it at home. The kasha tasted a lot like barley in the soup.

For dessert that night the girls planned to bake cookies. They had made the dough ahead of time at home. We tried to get the oven just right, but it was an old gas oven with no actual settings on the dial. I was really tired, but wanted to keep helping. The girls did the first batch and the oven seemed to be burning the ones in the back and barely cooking the ones in the front, especially on top. I took over and did not have much luck with the next batch. Pretty much raw on top and charcoal on the bottom. I got one batch to turn out pretty well by rotating the pan. Anika came back and we tried to develop a new system. I had brought my laptop down to try to type up some blog entries while the cookies baked. Anika went ahead and took over and I went out to the table to type. Soon Sergei found me and wanted to play a game on the laptop with me. Even though I was exhausted and wanted to go sleep, I wanted even more to spend some time with Sergei. So I pushed through and we played the Garden Pond game. It ended up being a full contact sport with him. As we had to try to keep the other person from interfering with our boats. We were laughing like crazy and had a lot of fun. I was so happy to get this special time with him. We played a few more games and the girls were soon serving the cookies. Sergei brought some to me. Then I had to get to sleep. This time the other girls turned in early as well, so I was not the only one shivering trying to sleep. That afternoon, Annie and Melissa had gone back to get a few more supplies, and they brought the extra blankets that they had at the apartment. They gave one to me, but it was still not quite enough to keep me warm. I was so tired, that I still slept despite the cold.

Day 34 - Picking up Sergei!! - Friday Oct. 21

I had to pay the bill for the last 2 nights I had the smaller room. I was running short of grivna, so I wanted to get to the bank to exchange money before I left for the day. I also hoped to get a pair of sweatpants to wear that weekend, as my jeans had not been washed in almost a week and my other pants were pretty dressy to wear to a camp retreat. I waked down to the bank, which did not open until 9am, another 15 minutes. That would give me time to get to the open air market and find some sweats. I found a few potentials at one place, but not exactly what I wanted. Then another place had some gray ones that seemed pretty warm and I thought Ellie would like them when I got back home. I had been hoping to spend less money, but ended up spending about $24. At this point it was worth it, as I know I have a few more weeks of hanging around with not much to do.

I went back to the bank and had the same teller who has exchanged for me several times. I got out the passport and she waived it away in recognition, she had seen it enough times, I guess. I had no waiting this time and was able to get back to the hotel quickly. I stuffed the sweats into my back pack and brought my things downstairs. I paid and checked out. There was another American there who we had seen before and we chatted a few minutes. He offered to help me if I needed anything as he knew I was there without my husband now. I thanked him and wished him well, as he was there to try to find a wife. I had the clerk call a taxi for me to get to the train as I did not want to have to take the suitcase on the bus. The taxi got me there in plenty of time to get my ticket from the same girl as yesterday and I went back to the platform to find a place closer up front this time, hoping to get a seat.

No more sleeping in this bed for Sergei!

The crowd must have been smaller today, as I was able to get in and find a seat with space for my suitcase. Not so many people were left standing. This time I did not have a book or really anything to occupy my time. I had brought a muffin that I planned to eat for breakfast but had not had time to eat before, so I ate that about half way there. Otherwise, I just spent my time people watching. Not sure why but this time the train was faster. I texted Anika that I thought I would arrive a little after 12, she said the taxi would be waiting for me. We actually arrived before noon, and fortunately, the taxi was already there. I loaded up and he took me to the ophanage. I was not sure where to find Sergei. Some of his friends were working in the yard to the left as I entered the gate. They called out greetings and I greeted them in return. Sergei was not there, so I went toward the sport field. He was not there either. I went back to his friends that were near the gate after depositing my suitcase in the gazebo. I did not want to have to lug it all over. Dima (Deniss's brother) volunteered to help me find Sergei. He went to the main building first to check the class schedule. Then we went to the school building and checked in one classroom and then a second. He found Sergei and Sergei came out to me and then went back to let his teacher know that I was there. I thanked Dima and he went back outside. Sergei was again glad to see me. I asked if he had his things ready to go and we went back toward his sleeproom. As we were going I got my suitcase and Nina came out of the door and called Sergei. I was still concerned that she might change her mind and although Ksenia believed it would be fine, I still was unsure until I had him in the taxi with me. He came back out a minute later and said Nina just asked if we were leaving yet. He had told her that we were not leaving until later in the afternoon and she was fine with that. He said that the teacher who had the key to the clothes closet was not going to be back to the school until 3, so he would not be able to get some of his stuff until then. I texted Ksenia to let her know that we would not be able to leave until 3 and she let our taxi know. So we had a while to wait and spent most of the time in his sleeproom. We put in a movie to pass the time and just before it ended, his teacher arrived with the key to the closet. He got out his new shoes that I had given him. I had hoped he would bring most of his stuff with him, but he only packed a few things. We still had not gotten his camera back from the teacher that was keeping it for him. Evidently she got sick and had not been to school for a while. Once we had everything together, we went out to find Sergei and load both our things in the taxi. Then we went in to talk to Nina. She spoke with Sergei a bit and asked me how long we would be in Sumy. I was not sure if she was planning for me bring him back early, so I said I did not know, because we would have to wait there for passports. She wanted to make sure that I would be back on the 31^st to sign the documents. I assured her that I planned to do that. I was relieved that she did not expect me to bring him back before that. She gave Sergei back the phone that I had given him. She gave me the email address for the school and asked if Sergei could write to them, I said absolutely we would keep in touch. As we were saying good -bye I gave Nina an envelope with a donation for the school. Darren and I were not sure what to do, but we wanted to do a little something as a thank you for letting Sergei come with me earlier. We also hoped that it might do something to improve the chances of more children getting to their families.

I was so relieved, he was free to go!! As we were about to get in the taxi, he remembered the cell phone charger was still in the closet. He went back to his room quickly for it, but came back empty handed as it was locked again and no one was around with a key. He got in beside me and we left once more, this time I did not have to say good-bye! He was happy, he did not have any sense of sadness at leaving everything he had known the past 8 years. I think I was a little sad for him. I know that at some point in the future it will be hard for him. I hope that the photos and contact with his friends that are in America will help make it easier.

He was also happy that we would be going to camp with the Open Arms team and was anxious to see Anika, Annie and Melissa. But we still had several hours to get there. Taxi Sergei got us to the bus station on Oktyrka. I hated to have to take the bus again, but I did not want to wait for the 5:20pm train. Sergei found us the right bus and spoke to the driver to tell him that my Sergei spoke Russian, but that I did not and he let him know where we were going. This time the bus was only 20 grivna each. Al least it was a little cheaper than the other times. We waited a while and then around 4:15pm left the station. Before we even got out of Oktyrka, he pulled into a gas station and had everyone get out. All the passengers went over to the side of the road near the exit. Most had left their belongings on board, so we did the same. It was a little weird to me, but everyone else seemed like it was normal. After he filled up, he brought the bus over to us and we all loaded back in. Finally we were on our way to Sumy. As we rode, I texted Anika to figure out arrangements for getting Sergei and I to camp. Once we hit the city limits, we were able to come up with a plan. She had had to take a taxi back for a few things that they forgot and would meet us at Mcdonald's. As we neared McDonald's I had Sergei take his things to the front of the bus, I carried my stuff and we got off across the street from Mcdonald's. We walked over and I checked with Anika to see how soon she would be there. We were both hungry and I thought we might buy some burgers. She said she would only be 5 minutes and dinner would be ready when we got to camp. We decided to pass on the burgers and eat at camp. She was there shortly and we loaded our bags into the taxi. On the way out of town, he stopped for gas as well. At least this time we could stay in the car. Sergei was feeling a little car sick. I rolled his window down a little and he tried to lay his head back and sleep. We had at least another 20 or 30 minutes, so I hoped he would be able to sleep and feel better. It looked like he was able to rest okay and by the time we pulled into the camp, I had to wake him up.

Yarik and friends Playing Uno!!

We took our stuff upstairs to the bedrooms. Anika said that Yarik had saved Sergei a spot in his room and we took his stuff in and claimed a bed for him. She took me to the girls' room and I claimed my bed. Then we went down to eat. Sergei found some friends and ate with them. Katya saw me and gave me a hug and said she had missed me. She wanted me to sit with her. I saw Yarik in the back of the room, but could not get to him until after dinner. I was really happy for them to be able to get this chance to be with their friends one last time.

The team had some activities for the kids. Then later they had planned popcorn and a movie. I had volunteered to help and they asked if I could do the cooking so they would be more free to be with the kids. I was happy to do that, so my first task was to make popcorn and hot chocolate. I got the popcorn going while they did the activities with the kids. Then I heated the milk for the hot chocolate. I made three big tubs of popcorn the old fashioned way, on the stove top. Only one batch got a little burnt when one of the kids came to ask me to help him find something. I am so glad that Darren showed me how to make stove top popcorn recently! It was a big hit.

Sasha stirring the milk for hot chocolate

In between stirring the milk, I was able to come to the room where they were doing their last activity. They all were wearing some type of costume and had to improvise some type of situation. Most of it I could not understand, but it was still hilarious. Hopefully the pictures will explain, where words can not.

After the activity, Sergei was not feeling well. I gave him some Ibuprofen and he decided to go to sleep. He went up and put himself to bed. I gave him hugs and checked on him later. I can imagine that today was a pretty big day for him and that he had to be emotionally exhausted as well. I was pretty tired myself and tried to last a little longer, but ended up getting to bed earlier than everyone else as well. Unfortunately, the room was freezing and the one small blanket was not warm enough to help me get to sleep. I was still awake when the others came to bed. I did not sleep well, that night...no one really did. Finally by morning, it started to warm up and I slept a little, but not enough. Around 7:30am, I was awake and could not get back to sleep, so I went downstairs to start breakfast. I was making breakfast pizzas and needed to shred potatoes for the hash brown crust. But that is for the next day's blog....

Day 33 - On my Own Thursday Oct. 20

I got ready early and hoped to get to the store before I caught the train. But by the time I left the hotel, I was afraid I might not have had enough time to get the ticket, so I skipped going to the store. I caught the bus to the train station, went in and bought my train ticket. I recognized the cashier, she had sold tickets to us before, and she smiled with recognition at me as well.

I had plenty of time before the train departed, so I found a seat and read a book. When it was almost time for the train to arrive, I went out to the platform where a crowd was forming. It is always a push to get in the train and there are almost never enough seats for everyone. I had brought my backpack with the laptop and some other things to do while I was with Sergei and a gift bag for Snizhana, one of the girls who had been hosted and was having a birthday on the 22^nd. Her host family had asked me to give her a gift from them.

This time, I was not pushy enough to get a seat, so I stood in an opening by a window. I knew that it would only take a few stops to empty out enough for me to get a seat, so I did not mind. At least I had floor space to put my backpack. And as I figured, in a short time there were seats available, so I sat down and read some more to pass the time. The train had been late at arriving at the Sumy station and it was after noon until we pulled into the Kirikivka station as well. I had hoped the taxi would be sitting there when I arrived, but the only car that was there was one of the passenger's that he got in and drove off. I had thought that I still had the taxi number in my text messages, but when I looked, it was gone, it must have been erased to make space for new ones. So I tried calling Anika to see if she could call the taxi for me...no answer. I tried Yarik, hoping he had the number on his phone. He said he would check and call me back. No luck, he called back and did not have it either. Well, it was chilly, but not raining and the walk was not that far and would do me some good. So I set off with my heavy backpack and gift bag and walked. It only took a little over half an hour, and by the time I got there it was warming up. I walked through the gate and Zhennya saw me and came running. I gave him a hug and he asked about Darren, if he was on an airplane to America. I said he was, and he seemed a bit disappointed. He helped me find Sergei and then went back to his chores. 

My Happy Son

Sergei was in class and the teacher dismissed him. One of the first things he said to me was, “ Now I am your son.” I said yes and hugged him. I was so happy that it was important to him as well. I had translated a message for him on the laptop explaining that I was really proud of him for speaking so confidently in court and really excited to be his mom and excited that he was my son. I also had explained that Nina had called Ksenya and agreed to let me pick him up the next day. We walked down to the sport field and sat on a tire and I showed him the message. I had tried to tell him that Nina said I could come tomorrow and pick him up, but when he read the message his eyes really lit up. He was so happy that he could come with me sooner than we had expected.

We did the usual things, hang out at the sport field, go to his room and play cards, go to the store and get a snack, We also went and found Snizhana and gave her the gift bag from her family. She was with the nurse and was happy to receive it. I had also been able to save a translated message on my phone for her with greetings from her host family and that they loved her, but could not come to Ukraine for her. I also asked about her phone and if it was the same number and that maybe the family could call her with a translator to be able to talk to her without miscommunicating. I think she understood. I gave her a hug and she left.

Watching a movie and eating bacon flavored chips

Sergei talked to the nurse a few minutes and she gave him a pill. He said that his tooth was hurting him, so I guess we will have to make a trip to the dentist soon after we are home. We went back to his sleep room and watched a movie. A few of the guys came in and out of the room, but it was pretty much just the two of us most of the time. We saw Artium and he asked about Darren as well and was sad that he had not come back with me. I think he was more of a hit there than I was. But at least Sergei was happy to have me. Although he did say that he missed Dad, too. Back in his sleep room some kids came in with a bed. They moved several of the others and made room for this one. A new boy had arrived and they were adding him to this room. It was sad thinking that there was another child who had lost his family. He seemed like a nice kid, smiled easily, but looked a little lost. It was bittersweet knowing that I would soon be taking Sergei away, but before he even left, there was already someone to take his place.

While I was with Sergei, Anika called me back and I asked if she could check with having the taxi pick me up that evening to make the train back to Sumy. She arranged for him to be there at 4:50pm. Sergei and I had a nice afternoon together, but for the last time, I had to say good-bye and leave him there. It was so much easier knowing that the next day I would take him with me, Lord willing!

I took the taxi back to the train and waited, at least I had my book to help pass the time. It was weird being alone, but the routine helped make it easier. The train was due to arrive, so I went outside to the platform to wait with the other passengers. This was a much larger train and there were always seats, although the assigned ones usually were not were we ended up sitting. I found the right car and took a seat with another person. At the next stop a single seat opened up and I moved to that one. I read the rest of the book and then tried to relax as we made our way to Sumy. Yarik had called earlier and mentioned that he would wait for me at the train station. Then he called back and said he was at Anika's. When I was almost to Sumy, Anika called and said Yarik wanted to make sure that I knew he was with her and was not meeting me at the train station. I said that I had understood and would be there soon and go back to the hotel. She said he wanted to meet me at the hotel. I asked if I could bring my big suitcase to stay at their place while we were at the retreat and she said that we could bring it anytime. After that, we were at the train station and I caught the bus back to McDonald's and walked the short distance to the hotel.

Back in my room I got everything ready to take to Anika's. I would have to check out of the hotel early the next morning and take everything with me to pick up Sergei and then the two of us would come back to Sumy to get a taxi to join Yarik and the rest at camp. As I was sorting things out, Yarik arrived and I asked what he wanted out of the big suitcase, he chose a few things to take with him. We got the suitcase closed and packed the hotpot and “kitchen” stuff in another bag and were ready for the taxi. Yarik called and we took our stuff out to load up. Yarik was able to tell the taxi the address to get us to Anika's. I am so thankful that he is able to do so much to help me. Especially when we got to Anika's because the elevator was not working and we had to get the big suitcase up 10 flights of stairs!! I was already tired from walking out to the orphanage and being sick. So Yarik carried it up the whole way! He even beat me to the top, although I had stopped to give hugs to some of the guys who were on their way out from Anika's. At the apartment, it was fun and crazy. Another team member had arrived to help with the retreat and there were supplies everywhere. Anika was so thankful that Yarik had been a big help earlier. She said it was great to have the kids there to help especially since the elevator had not been working all afternoon. We prayed that it would work the next day when they had to take everything back out! Yarik had to get back to school, so we did not stay long. I asked Anika if she could arrange for the taxi to pick me up from the train the next day and she agreed. Yarik and I left and caught the bus back to downtown.

At my stop, I gave Yarik a hug and he stayed on to get back to school. I walked back to the hotel for my last night alone. I tried to make sure everything was ready for the next day and as I was very tired did not take long to get to sleep.

Day 32 - Darren leaves for Kiev - Wednesday October 19

Now that court was final, we were incredibly relieved, but also happy that Darren could return to the kids at home. We would not have to reschedule his flight again! Yarik left for school at 7am, Darren and I had to be out of the room before noon. Ksenia picked us up at 8:30am to go and sign a few more documents at the notary. After the notary, we stopped at the train station to pick up a hard copy of Darren's ticket to Kiev. His train did not leave until after 11am, so we went back to the hotel, and filled out some Embassy paperwork with Ksenia. Darren had everything already packed, so we said our good-byes and Ksenia drove him back to the train station.

I finished packing. We had found out that there was a single room available for me that night which had just came open that morning. So I did not have to leave the hotel, just move up to the next floor. That made it so much easier for me. I got all my suitcases moved up and spent the next few hours working online and getting things organized to take out to Sergei the next day. Since Nina had said we could not take him out of the orphanage early, I needed to get out to see him on Thursday or it would be a week between visits. I had already committed to helping the Open Arms team with their grad retreat that weekend and Yarik was really looking forward to going. Soon Yarik called and he came to the hotel to meet me. His psychologist had invited me to meet her and her daughter at McDonald's. So when Yarik got there, we walked down to McD's together.

Her daughter was very sweet and did her best to translate for her mother, who was impatient to have a conversation with me. She did very well, but, though she could understand most of what I was saying, she had trouble finding the words in English to ask questions of me, or give me answers easily. After they finished eating, they invited us to go down to one of the town museums. We walked to one and it was closing, then the next one was just about to close as well. So we went to an art exhibition in a small gallery in a different part of town and saw some lovely children's artwork and some paintings by local artists. I was still feeling the effects of a cold and my nose was running. I was pretty tired, but tried to communicate as best as I could. She was so very nice and as they were ready to head for home she invited Yarik and I to dinner at her house on Monday, and I was happy to accept.

Yarik and I decided to get some Pizza at Celentanos and were soon joined by Vitaly. While we were there I got a call from Ksenia. She said that Nina had changed her mind, and I could come and pick up Sergei anytime Friday afternoon. I was shocked, I had to double check and make sure I was hearing her right. The problem was that I had already committed to leaving Friday afternoon with the team for camp, so I was not sure how to work out the details. I told Ksenia I would see how to make it work and let her know.

By then, I had wifi on my phone and got a message from Darren. He had arrived in Kiev and wanted to try to check on the Yoders. As I was the only one with a phone, I called them and worked out the details for their dinner. Then we got our dinner and I was able to tell Darren the miracle that I could get Sergei early! I was so excited to tell everyone the good news that I barely touched me pizza. The guys had theirs finished and were waiting for me, so I had to put away my phone and eat fast.

I was really tired so I had told Yarik he could use the laptop back at the hotel, so he was eager to get back. Vitaly said good-bye and we parted ways.

Back at the hotel, I let Yarik use the computer, while I laid in bed to rest a bit. I told him after a little computer he had to do some English which he agreed to. I had him work on the alphabet, especially the vowels because he gets them confused with the Ukrainian vowels. I also had him write a few sentences.

Soon it was time for his shower and to head back to school. He was bummed that I only had one bed and he could not sleep at the hotel.

I got some more work done on the computer, and got my expenses documented. Then I was really tired and tried to get a decent night's sleep so I could go out to see Sergei the next day.

Day 31 - Court Day!!! - Tuesday Oct. 18

Wow! It is finally here! No one has called to cancel. We still needed to exchange some cash, because we knew we would have some big taxi fares to pay. We got ready and went down to the bank to change the money. As we walked outside, we were amazed that the snow was falling! It wasn't sticking yet, but it had been pretty cold the past few days, so we were pretty sure it could get white. Ksenia was scheduled to pick us up at 11:30. So we tried to be as quick as possible getting there and back.
As 11:30 drew near, we were more and more excited. But 11:40 and still no word from Ksenia. I called to see when to expect her, she said that they were waiting for the inspector to come down and they would be right over. Yarik had left his new outfit at our place and wanted to change. So I told Ksenia to send him in as soon as they arrived as I already had it laid out. We had an outfit for Sergei ready to take for him to change for court. As we waited, the power went out in the hotel. So no power, snow falling, late departure. Darren was getting pretty worried, he figured we would need to reschedule. I knew we still had time and it would be fine. He was only thinking about another fare change and the extra money and time it would cost us. Around noon, Yarik rushed in and changed his outfit. Within a few minutes we were out loading up in the car and on our way to the court.
Our driver tried to get the heat going and the defrost working, but the car only made scary sounds and she apologized. It was really cold!! The snow was falling steady and the roads were pretty wet. We sped along behind Ksenia who was driving with the inspector and social worker for Yarik and our translator. Yarik rode with us. It was about 90 minutes of really cold wet driving. But we finally arrived. Sergei was not there yet. He and Nina were being brought by taxi Sergei, as apparently Nina had no way to get there. (Even though we heard she had 3 cars.) Anyway, we were still about 20 minutes from our court time. I took Sergei to the restroom to change into the new clothes I had brought for him. Of course, it turned out to be kind of a waste, as there was also no heat in the court building, and we all had to pretty much stay bundled up. He did look very handsome in his dress shirt, though and was happy to change into nicer clothes. Ksenia came to check on us, as taxi Sergei was concerned that he might say no, as he thought Sergei seemed to have a scared look in his eyes on the way there. Sergei assured us that he was still going to say yes! I gave him hugs and we returned to the group.

Our new sons, Yarik Caleb and Sergei Michael

While I was with Sergei, the translator was briefing Darren on what to expect once we were inside. We were to stand when we addressed the judge and answered the questions. Once inside the court room, we were able to sit with both of our boys in the same bench along with our translator. Behind us were Ksenia, the social worker for Sergei, Sergei's director, Nina, the social worker for Yarik and his school psychologist. In the courtroom was a prosecutor on our right, and the judge and two witnesses in front of us. It was fairly formal proceedings. The judge addressed the boys and asked them questions. She sounded pretty harsh, but they both stated that they wanted to be adopted. They were also asked about how they knew us and what they did in our home, what they planned to do for school and for a trade. Sergei went first and was very sure of himself. He gave thorough answers with a strong voice. He told about the fun things he did while he was with us and his plans to work as a builder. I was so proud of his courage. I was praying for him especially when he was talking, as I thought he would be more nervous. When Yarik's turn came, he was very shy. He did not want to give wordy answers and they had to force it out of him. I knew he was nervous about the day, but I did not realize how much. I shot up a prayer for him as well.

The snow flakes falling in the hotel courtyard

Their questions for us were basic ones, like why we wanted to adopt, what our family was like, what our financial income and expenses were, what our children thought about the adoption. What our professions were. I guess they were satisfied with our answers. They asked if anyone had objections, and everyone said no. So the judge called a recess and we waited.
Yarik's school psychologist was very interested in asking us more questions. She had not been part of adoption proceedings, and I am not sure if she had met many Americans. She grilled us more than the judge, but in a friendly way. She seemed very happy with our answers, and genuinely happy for Yarik. I had shown our translator the album I had made for Yarik and she shared it with the psychologist. They were both impressed with how happy our family was in the photos and that one of Sergei's friends was also adopted into a family near us. In another part of the room, the procecuter was arguing with Ksenia about how Americans could want to adopt and how we could afford extra kids with a mortgage and why the kids would want to give up their pension. She tried to help him understand, but the differences in our societies are extreme. For example interest rates on mortgage credit are around 18% compared to our 3% loan. No wonder the guy could not understand. Of course, he was single and had no kids, so not being a dad, gives him a different perspective as well.
Soon the judge returned and gave her decision to approve the adoption. We were so happy! The boys were so relieved. It was a special moment for us and the hugs were so sweet. Those who were supportive of us came and shook our hands and congratulated us. We weren't really sure what to expect next. The judge left and we thought we would get a chance to take a photo with her, but she was unavailable. Nina was ready to go and wanted Sergei. I said we wanted photos first. We got several shots of the 4 of us. And then gave big hugs to our new son, Sergei before they took him from the room. We followed a few minutes later and found Sergei still waiting for Nina in the foyer. We got some more hugs and I promised to come as soon as I could to see him again. Ksenia had asked Nina if we could have Sergei come with us while the school was on break the next week, but she said no. She said that she did not believe adoptions were good and he didn't need to be with us yet. I was crushed. I knew it was a possibility that she would say no, but it made the sweetness of the day a little less. I tried to push it out of my mind and be thankful that both of the boys were now our sons. We loaded back into the car with no heat. This time Yarik's social worker rode with us. At least this time I was between Darren and Yarik and stayed a little warmer!! My toes were still feeling like ice cubes. Our driver was supposed to take us straight back to Sumy and Ksenia would come after us. Unfortunately, she was unsure of the way and we ended up on a little detour, which ended up putting us right behind Ksenia anyway. Ksenia had a detour to drop the judge off at her home, as they were personal friends of her family. So we took the long way home! Anyway, we finally made it back to Sumy and Darren called Ellie first. We talked to her and then called Bekka at Olivia's and finally TJ at Angie's. I also called my mom to let her know. Then Yarik wanted to tell his friends. We found 2 of them online on facebook and their dad worked with Darren to do a facebook video chat. The three were so happy to talk and share their stories. They had left Yarik's orphanage this past summer to come with a family in Iowa. They chatted until it was time for them to go to school for an art class. We made plans to call again on Monday.

We were all so happy. We made sandwiches and ate some salad we had purchased at the supermarket the day before. Not much of a fancy celebration dinner, but it just didn't seem right to go out without Sergei. And we were still freezing from the cold of the day, so we snuggled in blankets on the couch and drank hot drinks. Yarik still had to go to school the next day, so we tried to get to bed at a pretty decent time. Darren would be leaving the next day for Kiev and I found out that I would have to change rooms, and maybe even hotels the next morning, so Darren and I tried to get things organized for the next day. Ksenia said she would be there to pick us up at 8:30am to go to the notary, so we knew morning would come fast.

Day 30 -Anticipation - Monday Oct. 17

Melissa, Luba, Annie, Chelsea and Anika

Only one more day to wait until our court. But with all the bumps, we still felt uncertain that everything would work out. We were pretty lazy in the morning. I was getting allergies or a cold and felt lousy. We needed to change some more money to be able to pay the hotel. We had a very late breakfast/brunch. Then we got a call from Anika inviting us for dinner that evening. Of course, we were thrilled to be able to eat somewhere besides a restaurant or sandwiches, and the company was most welcome also. I wanted to try to get to the open air market and find some more gifts for our family, and for one of the kids at the orphanage whose birthday was this weekend. And we wanted to get some dessert and soda at the supermarket for the evening. I tried to catch up on the internet stuff before we went out and it took longer than I thought. Yarik was done early and called around 1pm, so we met him down by the supermarket and walked to the open air market hoping there would still be some vendors open. We were able to find a few things that we needed. Then went to the supermarket. We completely forgot to exchange the money! Well, we found our way back the hotel and organized the food. We did some English lessons and Yarik wanted to get on Facebook. We soon were ready to head over to the Open Arms place and walked down to the bus stop.

Yarik in the kitchen with Annie, Luba and Anika pose

Riding the bus is so much less intimidating now that we have used it frequently. We got off at their stop and walked right to their building, no problem! Up the elevator to the tenth floor and into a wonderful smelling, inviting atmosphere. By now the soup was almost ready and Annie was baking bread. We chatted and met one of Yarik's friends, Luba. She was on her way out and not staying for dinner. This time we did get some photos! Yeah! We had some soul-warming soup and absolutely delicious home made bread! Buttered with a "butterspoon" go figure...anyway. We both had more pieces of the bread than we should have, but it was fresh from the oven and that is always the best way to have bread.

The last of the yummy bread, the butter and the butterspoon

After dinner we talked about our plans for the weekend. Menus and other ideas. Yarik had to get back to school, so Darren walked him out to the bus stop. We got some good ideas on paper and then chatted a little. We were tired and knew we had a big day, so one of the guys had offered earlier to pray for us before we left, so we made our circle and everyone prayed for our court and our family. Darren and I prayed for the retreat and the kids and team. It was a sweet time of fellowship drawing near to the throne of grace at a crucial time in many of our lives.

Darren talking with Mike & Brett, two guys here to help with the retreat.

After prayer we walked back to catch the bus to the hotel. We were both pretty tired, but neither of us slept well. We both were very anxious about the next day!

Day 29 - Day with our boys - Sunday Oct.16

We got ready for the day and made our way to the train station. We took the bus there to save money and even though Darren was stressing about the time, we were able to get our tickets and still have time to wait for the train. Vitaly had planned to join us so the four of us found seats together and rode along. Darren listening to music, sharing with Vitaly, Yarik listening to his music and I started playing Angry Birds to pass the time. Darren was also watching a father and son playing some type of card game. He could not figure out what it was or how to play. Yarik said what it was called, but he did not know how to play and thought it was dumb. I shared the Angry Birds game with Vitaly and Yarik. It helped pass the time.

Kirikivka Train Station

When we got to the train station the taxi guy was not there, so we had to call him. Before we called, we purchased our return tickets. I am glad we did, because the 5:20pm ones were sold out. The only tickets left were at 9pm! We had to take them, as we had no other choice. After that we waited a bit in the cold and loaded up when the taxi arrived. Once we got to the orphanage, Vitaly headed over to his friend's house. The other three of us went to find Sergei. He was just inside the gate walking by, so it did not take us long! We decided to play some soccer to get us warmed up. Sergei went to his sleeping building to get the ball. The balls we brought as donations did not hold up well to orphanage play. The cover was peeling off after just a few days. At least it still held air.

Sergei with the tattered ball

We did have lots of fun with it anyway! We played in various team arrangements. Darren and Sergei with a couple other kiddos and then Sergei with me and a couple other kiddos, but this time Darren and I were always on opposing teams. Which handicapped both teams equally. These kids love to play and they don't care if you aren't that great. No one says, "get off the field, you are no good." They smile and give high fives and just love the game. Even though we were cold when we arrived, we sure warmed up running on that field. I shed several layers until I was down to my light sweater. The kids did the same. They were down to their t-shirts. We played for quite a while, until the younger kids had to go get their lunch.

Darren vs Sergei

Once we stopped playing we cooled down pretty fast. I had some snacks along, so we ate some of those. Later the kids came back and we played a little more. But the weather was pretty chilly, so we decided to move indoors. We brought the laptop this time and I had translated a letter for Sergei.We put in a movie, then I remembered the letter and showed him before we continued with the movie. We watched all of Fifth Element and then started Princess Bride until the battery died half way through. We had different kids come in and out and watch with us a while. After the battery died, we resorted to the old stand-by of Uno. We had one of Sergei's classmates, Boris, join us for a few rounds. He was hesitant at first, but I pretty much dealt him in and he took the cards. We had lots of fun with the kids that day, and we could hardly believe it was almost 8pm and soon time to say good-bye again. At least we would see him in court in 2 days! We could hardly wait. We were to meet Vitaly at 8:30pm when the taxi was to return to pick us up. We went outside and said our good-byes. Zhennya was out there, so we got to say good-bye to him and Boris snuck outside as well, so we gave him hugs. Then long hugs for Sergei and we were back on the way to the train station. We had a little time to wait, so we went into the little store to stay out of the cold. A few minutes before the train was scheduled, we went outside to join the others waiting on the platform. There was an announcement and everyone moved to the next platform.
When the train pulled up, we could not find our car. It was way down the line. We did not have time, so we went  into car number 2 and made our way through all the cars to number 14! That was an adventure, open a door, and another door, then wade through people sleeping and sitting on either side...feet sticking into the aisle. Then open and close two more doors to the next car and on and on as the train lumbered down the tracks. I felt like I was on a boat trying to get my sea legs. By the time we finally got to the right car, the train was about at the next stop! We found seats kind of close together. Yarik and Vitally laid out and slept, Darren and I sat in seats with a table in between and talked for a while. Then he listened to his music and I played Angry Birds. I am not nearly as good as TJ. He had most all the levels unlocked on my old phone. I had to start over with the new phone, and I am not getting too far!


We got into Sumy around 11pm, I was really tired. The guys were hungry. We took a taxi back to the hotel as there were not many bus options and the one that was there was completely packed. I stayed at the hotel and the guys made a run to McDonald's. They brought a cheeseburger back for me. I was not too impressed. The boys had to be at school in the morning, so they got to sleep pretty quickly on our couch. Darren and I crashed as well. It was a long, but very good day.