Day 48 - Party at the Rhoads - Friday, Nov. 4

Wahoo, a day to sleep in. Ksenia was going to her sisters for the weekend to celebrate Nastia's birthday. All of our paperwork was done that we could do at the present. Now we just had to hang around and wait. We had wanted to get Vitalli a warm coat for the winter, so we made plans with him to go to the open air market. He was hoping his teacher would let him out of school early to meet us, but he said no. So instead of meeting him at 11, we met him closer to 1pm.
At the open air market we walked around. He tried on a couple different coats and finally decided on a black one. The first one he tried was a more light weight jacket. I am glad he did not choose that one, because it would not be very warm for the cold winters here. We also found a scarf for Yarik and one for me that matched my jacket.
The temperatures are definitely dropping! It was a brisk day to be out walking about, but I am glad that the weather is still nice enough to be outside. Yarik wanted to go to McDonald's so we stopped there for a quick bite to eat. Then we went to the EcoMarket to get a few groceries.
Back at the apartment the boys wanted to go online to check out facebook and try to chat with friends. I started reading a book about Corrie ten Boon, "Tramp for the Lord" it was a really interesting book about how she was faithful to follow God's leading and tell her story all over the world.

Yarik took this photo of Vitali, Mom, Alina, Sasha, Sergei and Katya

Yarik had invited several friends to come for dinner and I had invited Vitali's sister, so once back to the apartment, I started cooking dinner. Katya and Sasha arrived first, while Yarik and Vitali were on their way to get Alina. The boys also stopped and got some juice and water for dinner.
When they were all back, we had Thai chicken soup and sandwiches. Then cookies, tea and coffee for dessert. We had lots of fun. I had no idea what they were talking about most of the time, but they did try to include me now and then. We got out photos that I had sent to the boys so they could see our family and we were trying to find a picture of our house. I finally resorted to going to Frodo's page where there was the only photo of our house that I could find!

Sweet little Katya with Erica

Yarik and Sasha

Yarik, Vitali, Sasha, Katya, Erica, Alina and Sergei

After everyone left, Sergei watched some skate videos and Yarik and Vitali listened to music to go to sleep. Then I turned off the computer and the other two of us went to sleep as well.

Day 47 - Final Details - Thursday, Nov. 3

This morning we left for the orphanage for the last time. Ksenia picked up the boys and I and drove us to the orphanage. On the way, I realized that I had forgotten to bring the remainder of the cash donation. I guess it was a subconscious way of saying I did not really want to give her any more money. But I did plan to give a small amount yet, so I asked Ksenia if we could stop at an ATM to get some additional cash out. While we were in Oktyrka to stop at an ATM the director called wondering why we were not there yet. She had expected us at 9am, (it was 8:45am) and wanted to be ready for an inspection she had scheduled at 10am. We were only about 30 minutes from the orphanage, so we were not running that far behind. Ksenia was not worried, and I figured it could not take that long. We had already gotten everything that he wanted to bring with him and said good byes, now we just had to sign him out.
We got there and took about 5 minutes for me to sign about 6 copies of a couple documents and then we left again. We collected Sergei's file and found out that he had a significant amount of money in the bank that we could try to withdraw. The trouble was, we were not sure where the bank was or which bank had the money. We asked around town to find out where the bank was located. After several tries we finally found the bank. But the bank official was not there, so we had to try a branch in the next town. We were hoping we could withdraw the money there, but no such luck. We did get a phone number to arrange to make the withdraw later, but we would have to go back to the town near the orphanage on Monday and hope it would work out to get the money. It is a large enough amount to make it worth going the 2 hours back there, although it would have been really nice if we could have gotten it while we were already there!
So the town with the bank was also the town where we did the paperwork for Sergei's passport. I have felt like I was back in our military days where the motto was "hurry up and wait!" At the passport office, we sat and waited. Ksenia started filling out paperwork and soon the gentleman took the papers and began the process. It would take a while, so while Ksenia went to make more copies, the boys and I went to the little store and got some food for lunch. Yarik got pizza, Sergei and I ordered hot dogs....although it was not really appetizing. It was more like mush than a hot dog. I wished I had gotten the pizza. Oh well, the bread was good, so I ate most of the bread and left the mush.
Then we went back to the passport office to wait for the signatures. Before too long, the guy came back with the file and we were ready to go. We drove back to Sumy to the bigger passport office to turn in the paperwork for both boys to get their traveling passports. We are praying that nothing goes wrong and we will be able to pick them up on Tuesday, or even Monday if that is possible. It is supposed to take 3 working days, which supposedly include Saturday, so we are hoping for a miracle! Once we have the passports in hand, we can travel to Kiev and get their Visas and medical paperwork for our final approval to get home to America!

The passport office was not far from our apartment, so since we were done for the day, we walked back to the apartment. We walked past the soccer stadium. It was huge, I wish we could have seen a game there during our stay, but we never figured out when we could go. And now it was so cold, I was not sure I would want to sit out there and watch one.
Back at the apartment we had a quiet evening. We ate some dinner, and went online, watched some videos and got to sleep fairly early again after another long day.

Day 46 -Early morning wake up call! - Wednesday, Nov. 2

So this morning started really early! The alarm went off at 4:40am. I had gotten my shower the night before so I could sleep as long as possible. Before I woke Sergei, I got a text from Ksenia that she was running a little late. So I waited a little longer to wake him. After I got dressed and ready, I woke Sergei and got some food put in the backpack for later. I gave him a Dramamine and he ate some bread with ketchup. By the time he was ready Ksenia called that she was downstairs. She had a different driver, as well as our translator and herself that went with us to the region where Sergei was born. She had planned for a four hour drive and thought it may take us all day and we may not even return until 10pm. Because of this, I had left the keys for the apartment with Yarik, who would have to go to school that day.
Sergei and I slept on and off most of the way there. We actually arrived in the town in around 3 hours and the office we needed was still not open. Ksenia needed some copies, so we drove around looking for a place to make copies. Then we went to the office to get the new birth certificate and waited. Once they took Ksenia in to start the paperwork, we were warned that it could be another 3 or more hours until the birth certificate was ready. But, within 2 hours, they called us in and we received the new birth certificate with Sergei's new name and Darren and I listed as parents. Step one completed in record time. To do the next step we had to go to a different town and do the social security thing for Sergei. When we got there, there was only a short line and once Ksenia submitted the paperwork, he requested a few copies of our originals. There was a shop behind the office building where we could make copies, so we went in and made the requested copies. When we got back to the office building, there was a line of people waiting for the man we had started working with. We figured we would have to wait again, but instead he called to Ksenia and took the paperwork right away. Within a short amount of time we completed that task as well. So with those things done, we were ready to go back to Sumy where we had to sign some forms at the notary and we would be done for the day already! We dropped the translator off at her house and Ksenia was about to have the driver take Sergei and I to the apartment, but I reminded her that Yarik had our keys, so we would need to get him first.
So the driver took us to Ksenia's apartment, where she changed shoes and we took her car to Yarik's school to arrange for paperwork for him and pick him up. Yarik was more than happy to get out of school early. Especially since he had hoped his last day would have been the previous Friday. Ksenia had some paperwork to do downtown, so we parked downtown and she went to do the paperwork and the boys and I walked back to the apartment.

On the walk back home. It is a Sumy landmark.

The boys would not pose for me at the landmark.

Later we went over to Billa to get groceries to make dinner. I made some borscht and we had that for dinner. After dinner, Vitalli's sister Alena asked us to come to her apartment to visit. Sergei did not want to join us, so he stayed at the apartment. Yarik and I walked with Vitalli to his sister's. She made us tea and served some chocolate cake. We looked at photos and we met her roommate, Oksana and her little baby. He was such a cutie and looked just like his mom. It was nice of her to invite us. We said good-byes and walked back home.
The plans for the next day were to go out to the orphanage to officially sign Sergei out and then go start the paperwork for Sergei's passport. We did not have to leave nearly so early, but still had to be ready by 7:15am. With the early mornings, the boys were usually more than ready to get to sleep early. So we chatted with family at home and then turned in again to get a good night's sleep.

Day 45 - Paper chase - Tuesday Nov. 1

Ksenia was running late, so she picked us up a few minutes before 9am. Although, it seemed like it did not make much difference because, the places we went did not have the documents ready anyway. We walked around Sumy and then went to get the boys photos taken for their passports. Since the paperwork would not be ready for several hours, Ksenia took us back to the apartment and we waited not doing really much of anything. Then she called again just after 1pm and we went back out to get things done this time. We went to get the new birth certificate for Yarik. The look on his face was priceless. I wish I had my camera. His smile was from ear to ear when he saw the new name on the certificate. He was one very happy boy! Next we went back to the social security office to apply for the name change on his social security number. The office was not open yet, so we waited about 20 minutes til we could go in and get in line. That was a much longer wait, although, not too bad. After that, we went to the passport office and had to change the name on his domestic passport. Again there was a wait for that. Once we had that done, Ksenia took as back to the apartment. We were all hungry by then, since we had not eaten lunch before Ksenia picked us up the second time. There was a sushi place right by where she dropped us off near our apartment. I kind of joked that we should go for sushi, since Yarik does not like fish or rice, but both boys thought it was a good idea. I figured we had pretty good reason to celebrate, so we went in. They also served pizza, so Sergei and I chose some sushi to try and both boys also ordered a pizza. They brought the sushi first and Sergei really liked it. Then the pizzas came and the boys had a hard time finishing them. Even with Katya and I helping. Katya had arrived just after they brought the sushi and had planned to hang out with us at the apartment for a while. But they did finish the last pieces and we paid the bill and went back to the apartment.
The three kids visited while I called home and talked to my mom and then my sister. I also did a video chat with Darren who greeted Katya as well. It was good to catch up with them a little. I got to visit with Katya a little before she had to go back to school. Vitali had also come over, so Yarik and Vitali walked Katya back to downtown to catch her bus. Sergei played angry birds and Darren and I did our devotions over video chat.
When the boys got back we all got ready for bed. Sergei and I had to be out of the house by 5 am. Another melatonin helped Sergei fall asleep fast. I was so happy to be on the home stretch with our paperwork. Only a few more days of signing documents and we hope to soon have passports in hand to go to Kiev.

Day 44 - Saying Goodbyes - Monday, October 31

Once again we planned to go to the orphanage to bring gifts and say good-byes. We found out that the train had not been running on Saturday to the stop we needed, so it did not matter that we did not make it that day. But today, we were hoping that it would be running so we could go see their friends one last time. We tried to get out the door early and head down to the center to buy a pair of gloves for one of the kids. But when we got there the vendor where we bought Yarik's gloves was not open yet. We found another pair, but not what we really wanted. We were trying to find the right bus, but the number we needed never came so we decided to not chance it and we took a taxi. We got to the train station just in time to get our 3 tickets and walk to the platform as the train was pulling in. Today was far less crowded and we all had seats, though at first I had to sit a few rows away from the boys. After a few stops, the seats near me opened and the boys moved by me. I had my phone, so Sergei and I played angry birds while Yarik listened to his mp3.
Once we got to our stop, we did not see a taxi waiting, and Sergei wanted to walk so we took advantage of the beautiful day and walked to the orphanage. The kids would all still be in class, so there was no hurry to get there. We truly have had the most amazing weather during our time here. I think there was only one or two days when we had to walk in a drizzle. The days that it was nasty weather, we could either stay in or we were driven around. When we got to the town where the orphanage is located, Yarik wanted to take a gift to one of his teachers who was at home. So we went to meet her first. She liked her gift and agreed to give a second gift to another teacher who was in Sumy that day. We went to another home to give the third gift, but she was not home, so he signed his name on the package and left it there.

Kids opening their gifts

Next we stopped at the small store on the way back to the orphanage and bought some juice to go with the cookies and treats we had brought for the kids. Once we got to the orphanage, one of the older boys saw us out the window and knocked to get our attention. It was Vitaly who had been to America and his family had asked us to get him a phone. He was in the English class, so we gave him the phone and gave his English teacher her gift as well. We visited with the teacher and kids a bit.

Teacher, Svetlana with her flower

Then, Sergei went to his main classroom and gave out the gifts to the teacher and the kids. All of his roommates pretty much go together to all of their classes from what I can tell. So everyone was there. They all liked their gifts and were happy to show each other what Sergei had chosen for them. Next they had to leave for another class, so we went to some other teachers to give out gifts. Once we had all the gifts given, we went out to the sport field to play some soccer. I watched for a bit and then joined in a while. The boys wanted to go back to the store for a snack, so when the other kids left the field again, we wandered back to the store for some chips and juice.

Boris trying out his new goalie gloves

Sergei and Vitaly

After the snack, Sergei and a few others were back playing soccer again. They played for quite a while and then a couple boys wanted Sergei to go with them. He went and Yarik and I headed over to the sleeping building. Later Sergei joined back up with us and we found some friends and took more photos. Several times the boys wanted Sergei to go with them for a minute or two. It was good that he got the chance to say good bye. At one point he said he kind of felt like he did not want to go back to Sumy. I think the realization of leaving everything he has known for the last 8 years was hitting him a little bit. I was glad that he was feeling something. I know that in time it will hit him and I hope that if it happens a little at a time it will be easier for him to deal with it. He is still very happy to go to America and wants to go soon. Every other time we talked about it, he was happy to leave and seemed like he never wanted to look back.

Sergei one last time playing basketball with friends

For a short time nearly all the kids went to the dining hall. I had never seen them all go at the same time, so I am not sure what it was about. But we sat and talked a little bit. Soon though, the boys were back and told Sergei they were going to the gym to play basketball. Sergei wanted to go watch, so we all went with him. We did not have much time before we had to get the taxi  back to the train station, but we watched for a few minutes. Then one of the kids had to leave and they asked Sergei to take his place. Sergei got to play for about 10 minutes before we had to leave for the taxi. The guys gave one more quick good-bye and we left. I so wish more of those kids had families that could come for them, but that is not to be at the present time.
When we got to the train station, one of the boys who had been to the grad retreat was also there waiting to take the train to Sumy. We ended up with space in our compartment, so he came and sat with us. I still had a deck of cards in my backpack, so we played cards for nearly the whole trip back to Sumy. It sure made the time pass much more quickly. Once back to Sumy, the boys convinced me to take a taxi back to the apartment. I had him drop us at the grocery store so we could get some food for dinner.
 The evening was much of the same. We ate dinner, checked out facebook, tried to Skype with Sergei Spiker, but they had a death in the family, so it did not work out. I talked to Darren and soon got ready for bed. Ksenia had said that she would pick us up at 8:30am to start picking up documents. I gave Sergei a melatonin tablet which seemed to help him get to sleep much faster than usual.

Day 43 - Great Fellowship - Sunday, Oct. 30

We had the extra hour to sleep, but I woke up early anyway. I let the guys sleep a little longer, well, Sergei anyway. The other two were up on their own before too long. I wanted to work on our dinner preparations. I had bought lots of chicken and wanted to let it marinade while we were at church. So I got it out and cut it all into strips and put it in some oil, garlic and lime juice. Once the boys were ready for church, we headed out. We had not gone to church from the apartment, so we had to go downtown and walk from the direction we were used to going. It took more time than we anticipated and by the time we got there, they were already singing. Oh well, we joined the Open Arms team near the back and I tried to sing along. This week we had mostly slow songs, so I could almost read fast enough to sing a few words. I can always pick out the Jesus. I am learning some other words too, but still feel so inept at the language.
I had no clue what the message was about, but I was able to follow the verses as they were put up on the screen. Mostly from Peter and 1, 2 Corinthians...which sounded pretty close to the English pronunciations. At least the boys were paying attention and seemed to be getting the message. There was a guest speaker this week, one of the men who had been at the grad retreat. So it was nice that the boys were already familiar with him. Hopefully, it made the message seem more personal.
After service the gals planned to get a quick bite to eat, then run errands and come late afternoon to our place. So we took them up on the offer to grab some lunch. We walked a few blocks to a "Chicago Pizza" place. The girls ordered some pizzas for everyone. When they came, they were not anything close to a Chicago style pizza, more like Napoli style, thin crust and thin toppings. They were still pretty tasty and we had a big dinner planned so better to not get too full.
They needed to go to the open air market for one of their errands, so we walked that way with them as well. I needed a grater for my cheese and some other things I have been hoping to make, so it worked to get it there. After I got the grater, my boys and I walked back to the apartment to get some rest and finish dinner preparations. They were going to call when they were ready to come over. Since I had most of the stuff done that I could do ahead of time, we had some time to just relax.
They called around 5 and were headed our way. I had the boys help with grating cheese,smashing avocado and cooking the chicken. I prepared some other stuff and tried to get a little more organized. By the time they arrived there was not much to do, but use the garlic press they brought to put garlic in the guacamole and set everything out. It was all pretty tasty. The chicken needed more seasoning, but the salsa turned out pretty good. A little too spicy for Anika, but okay for everyone else. The team had brought some soda and cookies to share. After eating we sat around and chatted sometimes in Russian and sometimes in English. At one point, Annie made up a fairytale, which Anika translated from Russian for us. It was very cute and everyone in the room had a part in the story. We got out the cookies and I heated water for tea and hot chocolate. The girls had not yet tried the hot chocolate that I found at the Billa market, so they wanted to see if they liked it. I think it is pretty close to American hot chocolate. It was a lovely evening and so nice to entertain a bit.
Sergei had been pretty worn out from the early morning wake ups and had gone over to my room and crashed on the bed. By the time the team left, he was completely asleep and we were not able to wake him. We had planned for him to do a Skype call with his best friend Sergei in PA, but I could not even get him awake for that. So Yarik and Vitalli and I talked to Sergei a bit. I was pretty tired too, so shortly after that, I got myself to bed as well. I had to move Sergei, but he was awake enough to at least give me back my spot!
After the team had left I realized I had forgotten to take pictures again. I guess we were enjoying ourselves too much! Maybe next time!

Day 42 - Taking the wrong bus - Saturday, Oct. 29

So we got up early, Yarik took forever in the shower and Sergei and I got breakfast. We got all of our stuff together and got out the door. Yarik called Vitalli to see which bus would take us to the train station. He said bus number 2. We waited and waited, no bus number 2! So it was getting closer and closer to the time we would have to get on the train, so I suggested we take a different bus downtown and then catch one from there to the train station. I thought that bus 4 took us downtown. Well, it did go downtown, but then turned before it got where I wanted to get off. I did not notice that it turned off until things were looking really unfamiliar. I was not sure which way we were going, so I figured we would just take the ride and maybe get lucky. Well, not this time...we ended up in an unfamiliar part of town and decided to get off and take another bus going back to town. By this time it was too late to catch the train. I apologized to the guys and Yarik choose the bus this time, which did take us back to the center where we could walk back to the apartment. We went back to the apartment and dropped off the gifts. We had a snack and then headed back to the open air market. Since we had some extra time, we wanted to see if we could find any other good deals for gifts.
We got a few more things for friends and some gifts for family back in the US. We went back to the apartment again and then went to get groceries. The team from Open Arms were planning to come for dinner on Sunday, so I started preparing things for the next day. They were hungry for Mexican food, so I made the salsa. It sure smelled good, I hoped it tasted good. I had even found some cilantro to use, which was good for me, because I like cilantro, but Darren does not. So I got to use it and enjoy it without him disliking it.
Darren and I got some time to have a "date" online and then we all got to bed at a fairly decent time so we would be ready for church the next morning. Fortunately, we also got the extra hour of sleep, since they change the time a week earlier here.