Adopting Children in Ukraine

2010-06-24T11:56:00.000-07:00

Friday evening we took the metro (subway) to the Stoddard's apartment and they fed us. Suzie is an excellent cook. We talked and then we all took the subway back up to Krashadik street - we thought it was blocked off on Friday night but it wasn't. So they walked us to the apartment and I showed them the view from the balcony - it was worth it!!!!

Nicoli showed up at 1130 and we were off to Boryspill where the airport is.

We were booked on the 1400 flight via Lufthansa to Frankfort and then a 1700 flight from Frankfort to DC. Then a 2209 to Richmond. As I checked my bag - I was overweight by 2 KG!!! That's cause Cody doesn't have a bag himself - so I stuffed some clothes in the backpack and we were off! I decided to have one last Piva at the airport (and use up some grivna) and as luck would have it I had to use the facilities before we took off but couldn't cause of the seatbelt!!! I used the facilities on the plane as soon as we were airborne.

When we got to Frankfort, we had one hour to find United and board the plane. We landed at one end of the terminal and took a shuttle to the other end because we were told to. Then we went through security again and then ran like the wind back to the other end and boarded the flight as they were closing the door. The United flight was a Boeing 757 and had wide seats and little tvs in each headrest. They served us food and wine and it was a nice 8 hour flight.

Then we got to DC and went through customs. No problem - took no more time than anyone else. Then we got our luggage and got to the ticket counter to check the bag to Richmond and we had no seat assignment - plus I was still 2 pounds over on weight so I stuffed some more stuff in the backpack ( it's getting heavy now!!!) We went through security again (took three times as long as customs) and finally got to the gate to find out they were overbooked. We finally did get the last two seats and arrived in Richmond at 2300 - 17 hours after we flew out of Kiev!

Went to church on Sunday but fell asleep around 5 for an hour or so! Went to work on Monday which would have been my first unpaid day had I not gotten home!

Medical, Embassy for Visa

2010-06-18T00:54:00.000-07:00

Notice the view - from the seventh floor balcony. I'm almost afraid to drink a piva on the balcony cause if I dropped it, it could kill someone. I did say "almost"!!

It has been cooler here - upper 50's but absolutely beautiful!! Ate at McDonalds three times yesterday - not for the food - it's just convenient! It is the only place open before 8 AM.

Took a cab to the Embassy first thing this morning and had the Visa in hand by 9:30. We took the Metro (subway) back to the apartment. Now we just wait for Kathie to do her majic with Golden Rule travel to get us back. Please pray for a Delta opening!! That is a better itinerary.

Just chillin at Double Coffee on Krashadic street. Large ritzy area by Independence Square. Eating chocolate cake for breakfast - Cody had 2 milkshakes - can't remember the word for no!!!

Tuesday/Wednesday Zaporozhya

2010-06-17T02:27:00.000-07:00

After all the running around we had to pay a fee at a bank and although it was open and there was one person there, they were not doing business – so it was time to call it a day at about 6:30. We went to eat at a restaurant that we all ate at in the park when we were in Zaporozha the last time when we were getting the separation agreement approved. We were all frazelled from the heat, the lack of food and the running around. Oles deserves an atta-boy for almost getting us on our way in one day!!!!

Oles made a call and we had an apartment for the night. It is about three blocks from the hotel we stayed at while waiting for the separation hearing. I was watching where the nearest Coffee Life was and come to find out there is a small one one block up the street from our apartment.

The apartment is on the second floor and has two bedrooms, air conditioning, and a great bathroom with a shower that has a kazillion nozzles in it – spent 20 minutes figuring out how that works!!! Unfortunately, they don't have enough water pressure to make it work right – but in Ukraine it's the thought that counts!!!

I showered and got all cleaned up and then headed for Coffee Life to communicate with the outside world. Cody was watching World Cup soccer on TV. I blogged and chatted with a few folks and headed back to the apartment. I had to do a load of laundry as Cody has nothing clean to wear. I picked up a piva at the corner kiosk and watched soccer with Cody. Brazil was playing Korea got to see Brazil make a goal from the right side – great play!!

Got up at about 7:30 and packed and walked to Coffee Life to blog. Sat out front reading E-Mail till they opened at 8. Had a fruit tart with ice cream (gonna miss this when I leave) and skyped with Tobi, Tommy, and Diane.

Today we had to find a Notary that would process a petition for Cody to get his passport and then to pick up the passport. Finding a Notary that would do it without an existing passport was challenging. We found one about 2:30 PM and we were able to pick up the passport around 4 PM. Unfortunately his name is now Codi instead of Cody because we could wait another two days for the correction. As we learned with Elliott – you pretty much live with whatever ends up on the passport.

We got tickets for the train (a compartment to ourselves) ate supper and boarded the train. Fortunately it is air conditioned (in the Ukrainian way – that means you get a hind of coolness coming from some place). I am waiting on my cold Piva to arrive. We should wake up refreshed in Kyiv at about 6 AM.

Here we are in Kyiv – arrived right on time at 6 AM. Nicoli picked us up and carried our bags to the car where Yulia was waiting. She says that we may be able to fly Saturday – depending on the Embassy and the Visa.

They took us to a beautiful apartment – very close to the one we had when we first got here. It is right across the street from the McDonalds on Independence Square. We are on the 7^th floor and there is an elevator (2 regular folks and maybe 3 thin folks can fit in it). The apartment is small but is very nice. Great bathroom!!

Sunday, Monday, Tuesday (June 13-15)

2010-06-15T11:09:00.000-07:00

We walked along the promenade and along the boardwalk on Sunday afternoon but not much was going on. There we quite a few people swimming as it was hot. A couple of trains went through. It is interesting that they have a freight track running to the docks along the boardwalk – imagine that at Virginia beach – a freight train running down the middle of the boardwalk!!! I understand that the track was there long before the tourist buildup but it is interesting.

Nicky told us why there are locks on the railing – when couples are married they engrave a lock and put it there. Interesting because I took a picture in that same gazebo in 2006 and there were no locks. But that does make sense – kinda like the American ball and chain thing!!!!

We headed back to the apartment to cool off and get cleaned up for supper. We decided to go toClub 89 because it is by the sea and we had heard good things about it. We took a cab. There were loads of folks down on the promenade now – about 6:30 PM. They were selling ballons and there were artists and vendors – just like Virginia beach!! The restaurant was crowded but we got a table outside (too hot inside) and we ordered. Cody and I wanted fish but they were out of fish – I understand this is typical. So I had Cody order anything with chicken and he ordered the same for himself. Katia ordered a salad.

We had a good time while we waited for our food. There was sooooo much going on. Most of the couples were all dressed up and there were lots of kids roller blading and riding electric 4 wheelers around.

They brought our food and I don't know exactly what it was but it was extremely delicious!!!! It was like a slice of chicken breast that had egg and some flour and spices and was maybe half

baked and half fried – it was very tender, moist and delicious. We had katushka fri (fried

potatoes) also. Katia loved her salad but when she tried our chicken she wanted some also (probably cause Cody and I were making a lot of food loving noises) so we each shared a piece with her – the portion was fairly large.

After we ate, we went for a walk on the boardwalk. A train went by – (see the pic)!! The little carnival was in full swing in the evening. I got tickets for the kids to ride the bumper cars – they had the bestest time ever!!!. Then we walked along and decided to ride the Ferris Wheel. I was thinking that wasn't such a hot idea when I saw the cars you rode in but it was too late. It is about 80 or 90 feet tall!

On the way back to the apartment, I took a picture of a guy with a lizard – he was showing it to some young ladies who were laughing at him. Then he started yelling at me cause evidently that is how he makes his living – having people pay him to photograph his lizard. It's not the first Ukrainian to not be happy with me!!!

We took a taxi back to the apartment and skyped with Kathie and the boys.

Monday we got up early and headed for breakfast at the hotel. We were taking Katia back to

Huliaipole today and it was already a scorcher!!! Found out the schedule is the same as Saturday – 11 AM Bus to Huliaipole and then a 3:20 PM back to Berdyansk. I bought three tickets and we started our 75 minute wait. Then I got a call from Oles saying that Cody needed to head back to the Orphanage to take a test – so I sent him on his way. I escorted Katia and prayed that God would once again give me traveling mercies.

The whole weekend had been out of my comfort zone but God had been doing a work in all of us!! I was not happy when I found out that Katia was staying with me instead of the Orphanage and then God worked that out by allowing Cody to stay with us. That was a miracle all into itself!! If

Katia hand Cody had stayed at the Orphanage – they really wouldn't have had time to bond and neither would I. As a result, the weekend was perfect – a great experience with lasting memories for all of us. And now, it would be just Katia and I on the trip back.

I was a little nervous again – traveling asnd not speaking the language is daunting but Huliaipole is not a big city!!! Katia and I had plenty of time to communicate and by the time we got to thew orphanage, she was hitting me in the arm just like Cody does. In Huliaipole, the same cab driver was waiting that we used two days before – so it was a no brainer to get him to wait while I walked Katia to the office. When I got back to the bus station I knew I had to wait till 2:30 before I could purchase my ticket. I did ask what time the bus for Bredyansk left and they told me at 3:20 – which is what I expected. I also knew it would be the same bus that brought us up there.

The only down side was – it was hot and it looked like a storm was brewing. It was a deluge before the bus got there and the driver had closed the roof vents – so much for air. By the time I got back to Berdyansk, the sun was shining and I was about to pass out from the heat. Definitely a 2 piva night at the hotel!!!

Oles had driven in early that morning and I gave him my bed and I got up to catch up on paperwork. Since he had his car – it would be an easy trip to Zaporozhya when we go. I went back to the apartment and got my stuff together so I could pack in a moments notice and went to bed. At 7:30 Tuesday, I got that notice we were leaving!!!! Lots of running around to do. Evidently Oles had worked out a deal with the Orphanage Director to get them a copy of the birth certificate after we have it changed. We got on the road to Zap about 1100 and arrived at 1:30.

Got Cody's new birth certificate in about an hour and now we are waiting while Oles sees what we need at the passport office. I hope those prayer's I asked for are working!!!

Well, it seems that Oles may have worked a deal to get the passport very soon!! We ran to a Notary to get copies of the Birth Certificate and to find a place to do passport photos. All that is done and we are back at the passport office - we still haven't had lunch at it is 5 PM but if we can work a deal here – we may be on our way to Kyiv soon!!!

Looks like it will be tomorrow before we blow this town – looking for another Notary and then supper and find a room for the night.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday

2010-06-13T05:37:00.000-07:00

On Friday, Cody and I went to the water park. I gues that this is where the long Marshriutka ride paid off cause I already knew which one to take and how to get back. It took almost an hour to get there and I was hoping to run into the Steen's. I was expecting Water Country USA and it was actually a lot nicer is some ways. It cost 175 rph to get in (about $23). First of all – it wasn't crowded as I thought it might be considering how hot it was. There is only one dressing room full of lockers. There are booths around the perimeter to change in. The rest rooms are separate at the end of the building and are nice if you ignore the fact that the door is wide open and you can see down the row of urinals!!! There are two huge free form pools – one is a little more family

oriented and the other has a huge bar (not in the pool but along one side). The family oriented

pool has huge mushrroms with water flowing over the top of them like water country.

The water rides are much more I wish I had pictures – maybe I can find some on Google Earth.

The platforms and areas around the pool had the same slick tile they use in all the bathrooms here. It has sharp edges and I cut a toe on it. I also about fell a dozen times. They have no

liability laws here evidently!

Modesty is not a priority either. There were no one piece suits for the women and there were an abundance of thongs. There was some topless sunbathing by the family pool and I was the only

male wearing a suit to my knees. Every other male had a rather small speedo. Glad I left my camera at the apartment. A bunch of small kids with speers kept following me around and saying “Thar she blows!” in Russian!

Overall, it was great!

Then we went to the Rio Restaurant for supper. They misunderstood Cody's order (the same as mine) and it took two hours to get it!! My patience was wearing thin! The food was good though!

On Saturday, we left for Huliaipole to get Katia. We went to the bus station about 10 AM and caught the 10:20 to Huliaipole. It arrived at 1330 and we took the only available cab to the orphanage. I had him wait while we wrote out and signed a petition to take Katia with us. We got back to the Bus Station and had to wait 15 minutes before they could tell us when the next bus to Berdyansk was – it was in 50 minutes.

It was hot before we left Berdyansk. The buses are not air conditioned and the only window that opened was the driver's door window. There were three vents on the roof that supplied air when the bus was moving – but at three stops where we waited for 15 minutes each, we baked.

There are only three trees in Huliaipole and none of them are near the bus station. It reminded

me of one of those stage stops in the old west where the only shade was inside the building but the air wasn't moving there. I had to use the toilet and it was a metal outhouse behind the station. I can hold my breath for about 180 seconds!!! Then we were on the bus back at 1620. It was the same bus we took up!!! Got back in just an hour and a half and headed straight for the hotel to eat cause it was air conditioned and the food is good. Katia only had strawberry crepes – I on the other hand, was starving and had fried salmon and fries and a nice cold piva!!!

I called Oles to see what arrangements he had made for Katia to stay at the orphanage – Cody is staying there and Katia cannot stay with me alone at the apartment. He made a quick call to Galena Anatoliva and viola – Cody is staying at the apartment too!!

On Sunday, we got up and took the Marshriutka to the Hotel for breakfast – what? You thought I was gonna cook? Get real!!! Cody had the same american breakfast I had including the coffee and Katia had american fries and orange fanta. Then we walked down to the sea.

I bought Katia a pair of sunglasses and it was a hoot watching her try them all on and the two salesmen trying to convince her which pair she needed. She definitely got a good pair – here are some pictures.

Friday, June 11

2010-06-11T00:14:00.000-07:00

Monday is June 14 - it is the 10th day and it is also an anniversary for me - 39 years ago, I left my parent's home and started my active duty with the US Navy. I remember that I was excited and somewhat apprehensive because I didn't really know what was going to happen. I wonder if that is the way that Cody feels about going to America? Elliott and Nicky had experiences that were very different from each other - Nicky is always just on to the next thing in his life and Elliott was depressed about leaving his friends and family behind. I think that Cody will be somewhere in between.

I have been very pleased that Cody just wants to hang!! He has played some soccer in the mornings when he hasn't had exams but when I pick him up we just go do whatever I want (hear that kath? He's spoiling me!!).

Last night we went to the Rio restaurant to eat again. The do not have an English menu so I had Cody order me fish. I was wondering what they were doing because it took about an hour to get our food - but it was great! I had Pelangas - whatever that is - it is a teder white fish and I had mashed potatoes. Cody had Dihruni (again) and then we took the #5 Marshriutka to the orphanage.

This Marshriutka was more like an old bus with a door in the front and the back on the side and was taller so you could stand up straight although there were plenty of seats. They also gave receipts! A guy came back and collected the 2 rph and gave you a small ticket from a roll that was numbered. All the other Marshriutka's that I have taken - you just pass the money to the driver and tell whoever you give it to how many it is for (udeen, duva, tree...) and then they pass back your change.

Two older boys from the orphanage got on the bus and Cody talked with them while we traveled to our destination. We got off at the corner by the orphanage and I walked him to the gate. We used to pass through the fence where it was bent next to a pole but they welded a piece of steel there so you can't get through! They must have seen me squeezing through and decided that they needed to keep the old fat men out!!!

It was another nice night out so I walked back to the apartment. There are a lot of folks outside at night, walking and riding their bikes - this is around 8:30 to 9:30 and it is not quite dark yet.

I am at the hotel again - having my favorite breakfast. When it was served today, I was surprised as it looked different - the cheese was shredded on the top and there were other spices sprinkled on the edge of the plate and some garnish. It looked alot like the Caesar Salad except it was missing the mayo. It actually tasted better than yesterday's eggs! Must be another chef today!!! I wonder how I would ask for them done like this again???

Not sure what Cody and I will do today - I may try to get him early and head for the water park - I know how to get there - take the #17 till you hear the banjo music!! I wonder if they have ever seen a great white whale in the Azov sea? I read the Steen's blog and they are going there with a group from the Zaporozhya orphanage and it would be nice to see them.

Thursday, June 10

2010-06-10T00:19:00.000-07:00

Cody and I went down by the sea yesterday afternoon. It was pretty warm and we had not brought our suits so we didn't go swimming – but we will probably do that today – because it is already warmer than yesterday and it is only 9:30. In the picture of Cody, he is standing in a cupola with columns thet have a metal railing and all over the railing are padlocks – some huge

and some tiny – most have something written on them, engraved on them and some have something welded on them! If anyone knows what this is all about – I'm dying to know!!!

We had some ice cream and then we headed for the apartment. We took the Marshriutka which

was extremely hot. Although the body odor was intense I was the only one visibly sweating. We

got out at our stop and headed straight for the apartment where the a/c was running good!

About 5:30, Cody and I headed to the little market with the tables in the shade on the Boulevard (the little park about a block from the apartment. There were only three or four tables set out in

the past and maybe ten people sitting there. Today there were eight tables and about 20 folks sitting at them. I had a bottle of Slavutich piva and Cody had a Fanta Lemon Lime. We got the table closest to the boulevard under the tree. I noticed thet there were these two guys about 10 feet from us and one was definitely slurring his words – he was a pretty good sized feller too! Also noticed there was a bug or two walking up the side of his face and he didn't seem to mind – probably kinda numb. In Ukraine, they sell beer in 2 liter plastic bottles – somewhat larger than the 40's I've seen in the states. This feller was sucking the last few drops from his bottle.

So, Cody and I have been enjoying about 30 minutes of near solitude and I am almost done with my beer when the guy at a table next to the intoxicated guy decides that he is kinda unhappy with some thing. The both stand – well the one guy stands and the intoxicated feller stumbles to his feet and staggers, then the other guy hits him and he comes flying back at Cody and I's table and falls on it collapsing the table – by this time Cody and I are on our feet backing up on the boulevard. The intoxicated guy ain't moving much and the other guy comes over and starts kicking him in the head – this is where I grab Cody's hand and point to the apartment. As we leave we turn to see what is going on and about 10 guys are attending to the drunk feller and the attacker is wa;llking the opposite way down the boulevard.

Here I thought the boulevard was a safe family gathering place! The only times I have seen a drunk here was once or twice along the road as they were sleeping it off or once or twice along the promenade as they begged. I definitely have not seen any violence anywhere; the Ukrainians

seem to be very gracious overall if not mostly quiet and private.

So we headed back to the apartment and watched a kung fu movie that the boys left here – definitely did not need to know English to understand this one – in fact I though t about turning the sound off as it was detracting from the movie!!

At 8:30, I walked Cody back to the Orphanage – we were karate chopping each other the entire way – with a few ninja moves thrown in. Ukrainians probably think that Americans are pretty juvenile – I don't care – it was fun!!!!

Here is a photo I found interesting. They are putting a two story porch on the front of the Atlantis night club. I have been watching the progress trying to figure it out. They have put a

stairway on each side. The other side is done and here they are welding in the landing between the two sections of stairs. Notice that the landing is being supported by the crane. After they welded in the lower section of stairs, they put a support under the landing and remover the temporary supports. Should it have been done from the ground up?

am at the Hotel having breakfast again – my new favorite place. I took the Marshriutka again and it was the most packed I have seen! I didn't worry about pickpockets cause I couldn't even get my own hand in my pocket. It was mostly a bunch of older women in their late fifty's – wait a minute – I'm in my late fifties! At least there wasn't any body odor that I could detect and I didn't smack any babuska's.

OK - here it is - new sunglasses - my idea not Cody's but he likes them! Cody just pointed out that I have not posted a pic of his new tennies - there are in the photo with the sunglasses and this was taken last week last week

when we got them.

Learning More

2010-06-09T01:08:00.000-07:00

Well...I wasn't too far wrong about going to Siberia!! I picked up the Marshriutka (according to Cody, I have been pronouncing it wrong!) where I left it at the park. Logic told me that it made a big circle and I just had to stay with it. BTW – logic doesn't always pan out! We turned left at the train station and headed east (toward Siberia). The existing passengers slowly exited, two or three at a time, until I was left. We were way out past the water slide, where the sand dunes start. The Driver asked me where I was headed ( I really couldn't tell...but what else was he going to say?) I told him pidiotset – tree pioneerska (53 pioneerska street) and he shook his head. I shrugged my shoulders – international sign that I am a dumb american and he laughed and smiled! He pulled into a parking lot with other smaller Marshriutka's and talked to the driver who nodded and I got on that bus, paid my 2 grivna and we headed west. After about 45 minutes, we stopped at pioneerska and I got out, stooped down and kissed the ground. The folks at the stop looked at me a little funny and then parted so I could walk down the sidewalk.

After I dropped my stuff at the apartment, I walked to the orphanage – Marshriutka #5 goes there and I didn't know where to catch it – who knows – I might have been gone a few days!! I told Cody about the experience and he laughed his butt off. We took a cab to the Hotel Berdyansk for lunch and then headed to the Del Mar Building on the promenade to shoot pool. The third floor has about twenty tables – most are huge by american standards – Oles said they are Russian regulation size. We chose one of the two american sized tables and I proceeded to teach Cody to play. He is a quick learner and he wasn't intimidated cause I am not all that good (I lost the first game cause I scratched on the 8 ball) and he was doing as well as I by the third game!

Then we headed back to the apartment. We walked the five blocks to the market and caught the #17 to go back to the apartment. It was the exact same driver and bus that I rode to the far end. It was packed and it was hot (like 85 degrees) so Cody and I squeezed in the back door. I paid the 4 grivna and hung on with one hand. There is no personal space concept in Ukraine – this is considered “pressing the flesh” Ukrainian style, according to Don Norton!

There was a babushka (grandma) sitting in the seat to my left and as we rounded the turn at the bottom of the hill by the bus station and hit a huge pothole I was thrown to the left and reached for the overhead pole to get my balance and I hit the babushka in the side of her head – not very hard – but I did get her attention! I said excuse me (esvenitcha) but and tried to look apologetic but I don't think it did any good. Thankfully the bus bounced all the way up the hill and kinda rearranged all the passengers that were standing and I ended up closer to the door with someone else between me and the babushka. We finally got to the apartment and we exited.

Cody and I spent the rest of the afternoon watching the last half of “Blind Side” then we took a cab and went to the Rio restaurant for supper. After supper we took a cab to the orphanage and I walked the mile to the apartment. It was an absolutely gorgeous night out – slight breeze and like 75 degrees.

This morning I took the Marshriutka (I am a slow learner) downtown to drop off some more laundry from Cody. My laundry wasn't supposed to be done till tomorrow but it was ready now so I picked it up and headed the two blocks to the hotel for breakfast – then I'm gonna have Oles call me a cab back to the apartment.

I had scrambled eggs with cheese and tomato and coffee americana – It was absolutely the best!! Guess where I'm going to breakfast from now on? The coffee had no grounds in it and they warm the milk so it doesn't cool the coffee down. I would be in heaven if they had International Delight French Vanilla creamers (le moo).

I am back at the apartment – but I didn't call Oles for the cab – I left my phone back at the apartment. I walked the two blocks to the bust stop and the first one was fairly empty so I sat down with my pile of clothes ans acted Ukrainian (No smile, confident, and mean looking). I was in a seat that faced the rear and I felt as though they were all looking at me knowing that I hit the babuska yesterday. Fear started to well up in me – I thought they might gang up on me on one of the backroads seein' as I had an armload of clean clothes. I decided that if they attacked, I would fling my underwear at them and run for cover!!!

None of my fears were realized and I got off at the stop out front and managed to not trip or stumble as I exited.

Having Fun

2010-06-08T00:44:00.000-07:00

Now that I am over the hump (court and trip to Kyiv) I am settling back and enjoying my time. I really wish Kath was here to share it with - this is the time we really enjoyed together on our last trip.

I picked up Cody at the orphanage yesterday at about 2:30 - after classes are out. I am not sure if they are really having classes but I know he still has a few tests to take. He had to write a petition and get it approved and then we headed to the Hotel for lunch. We both had Veraneke - kinda like ravioli with some kind of meat in them (didn't see any cats around!) They were delicious. We topped it off with a chocolate cake for me and ice cream with bananas for Cody. Oh yeah - I had a piva and Cody had a fanta.

We took a cab back to the apartment and i ran into Don Norton. We started talking and before I knew it I had been at it for about 30 minutes - Don has that effect on you - he is soooo interesting. I started asking him about the Matriushka (the van like buses that circle the city) and then we got into cars (one of my favorite subjects!!!). Cody is so well behaved!! he started playing solitaire on the computer and never once said anything!! Not like some of my other children!!

Then we made our way to the grocery store to get some stuff for supper. We got some chicken shish-ka-bobs and some potatoes and lotsa other stuff (bananas!) and headed home. We talked, ate and then watched the first half of the "Blind Side" - then it was time for Cody to walk back to the orphanage. I was going to go too but I had to wait for Brittany to get back so I could get my laundry out of her washer. Cody and I will watch the other half tonight. Cody understands alot of the movie - he was explaining it to me and I've seen it!!!

Today I needed to take a load of laundry to get washed - might be my last load! I decided to take the Matriushka, it cost 2 rph and #17 goes past our apartment. I had a packed backpack and my netbook and went to the stop to wait. There were several other folks there and when the first #17 arrived, is was full and so only three more squeezed on - I decided to wait because of my load. About 5 minutes later, the next one stopped and it had 2 seats available. I got on with one other guy an he passed his 2 rph up so I did the same just like I been doin' this for years!!! All the while I pray I'm not headed to a gulag in Siberia (but I do have a lot of clothes if necessary!!!). It finnally loops downtown and stops at the "head in the park" (statue where the Rio Restaurant is) which is just one block from the laundry and it only cost 2 rph!!

Dropped off the laundry, went to the bank to get more rph and now I'm relaxing with a coffee americana. Oh yeah, the difference between Coffee and Cafe is КОФЕ and КАФЕ - Cody pointed it out during my Russian lesson yesterday! See how observant I am!!! I am learning how to recognize certain words like Zaporozhya. I would have thought that there would have been two Z's in it but they are really two different sounds the Z is a З like the English Z and the ZHYA is a Ж and Zaporozhya has two of them in a row!!! So I guess it is really Zaporozhzhya! If you can sound out the letters - many times it is basically the english word with a Russian accent (Simon would like to know that!!!)- video and computer are examples. So much for today's Russian lesson.

I am hopping to meet up with the Steens when we get to Zaporozhya. They should be there by then but I am not sure how much time we will have there. After the ten day waiting period is up (on Monday, June 14) we have to change the birth certificate and get a passport. Since Cody was born in Zap, I thought we would get him and go there anget it done on our way to Kyiv. Well... I can't get him from the orphanage until the Birth Certificate is changed cause the court order says Cody Aleksander Schweickert and his birth certificate says Aleksander Soss... (can't spell it). I am praying that Galena will let us take him before the change so I don't have to go back and forth.

Then the next issue is how long will it take to get a new passport for him. last time we were here it was done while you wait - now it can take up to 10 days. Oles thinks 3 days and I am praying for less than that - I need to get back to work before they realize I'm gone!!!! So I covet all your prayers for that .

After Zap we go to Kyiv for a physical and a visa from the embassy - maybe another 3 days. Then we fly! Cody has never been on a plane!!! Told him that it was about 11 hours - he thought that was cool!

Back in Berdyansk

2010-06-07T00:37:00.000-07:00

Boy what an awesome trip. And let me start by giving God the glory for it!!!

Doug Stoddard picked me up about 3:30 and took me to the Smile House that is his ministry. There are constructing a halfway house for kids that age out of the orphanage and a dentist office out of an existing duplex outside Kyiv in an area where huge homes are being built. I can see that this will be a ministry above and beyond just the orphans. He was explaining the Ukrainian construction methods and now I am beginning to understand why the concrete flakes here - they don't know how to mix it!!!

WE picked up some fresh salad fixins and headed to his house where Suzie already had supper waiting. Doug and Suzie really know how to make you feel welcome!!! After and awesome dinner, Doug took me to the train station. Along the way we passed the Schweickert's favorite restaurant - Da Mario's. We did not get the chance to eat there yet - but Cody and I will be in Kyiv for three days at least and we may get the opportunity.

The first blessing I encountered at the train station - I really thought that I would have trouble finding the train. No problem!!! There is a huge board with the train numbers and the tracks they are on and I studied my Russian Book so I would recognize "To the Trains". They have about 30 tracks and each platform entry is numbered. Found the Track - found my car and I was there 30 minutes early!

Now the second blessing - I had bought a first class ticket cause they were out of regular tickets. First class is two to a compartment with no upper berths and the lowers are already made up with a nice beadspread to sit on. There is also a silver tray with two glasses on it (whoopee!). Here's the blessing - no one bought the other berth!!! I had it to myself!!! The train up from mariopal was actually nicer but I enjoyed it!!!!

When I arrived in Zaporozhya, I had cosidered walking to the bus - but there are three bus stations - two kinda close and on several KM's away. So I called Oles and he got me a taxi. The station was the close one - six blocks and it cost me 20 rph (5 rph is what I expected but 20 is only $2.50) I was getting nervous about buying my ticket so I called Oles just in case - here's the third blessing - the cashier spoke English! and the fourth blessing - the bus left in 5 minutes and I made it!!!

The bus was packed so it was an actual miracle that I was on it. There was on guy that had to sit on the engine cover next to the driver - I got the seat cause I purchased my ticket inside - if you purchase from the driver it's like standby!!!

Got back to Berdyansk at 10:07 AM and am eating breakfast. I have to stop at the Bank and then I am on my way to the apartment.

I learned two new phrases while I was waiting on Doug yesterday, "Where is the bus to Berdyansk?" and "I want a cold piva!" I used the second one twice on the train and and didn't need the first one!!!

In Kyiv - Alone

2010-06-05T23:37:00.000-07:00

I just put Kathie in a car with Nicholi to take her to the airport. I didn't go as it would cost more to go and return and I wouldn't be able to get into the building too far anyway. Nicholi knows some English and will be a big help without me. He is also taking me to the train station tonight to head back to Zaporozhya.

Yesterday afternoon we met Karen Springs and had lunch at a nice outdoor cafe and got all caught up. Karen has been such a big help, she got us the room at the mission both times we were here. I am hoping that she can get Cody and I a room when we come back to Kyiv next week. We loved talking to her - she has one of those personalities that make you feel like she is totally absorbed in everything you say. When you have teenagers at home, you don't experience that too often!!!

Kathie and I walked to Olivia's to eat last night. The food was excellent but they only had one chardonnay and you had to buy a bottle. I had a pinot griggio and Kath had a Bonjormi ( water with gas!!! I don't need to tell you why I don't drink that!!).

I am at the Coffee House (КОФЕ ХАУЗ) ; I think the first word is cafe not coffee but it sounds the same! They have free wi-fi and great breakfast food.

Oles said for me to call him if I need a cab in Zap to get to the bus or need help purchasing a bus ticket. I may need to do that!! I really like God has been giving us a lot of grace during this trip - He has put many, many fine folks in our path to help guide us and I have no doubt that He will continue - I just need to give Him the glory!!!

Court and the Weekend

2010-06-05T23:17:00.000-07:00

Friday (June 4) was a whirlwind! It was court day at 1 PM! We also discovered that we needed to go to a notary to get a petition for a passport for Cody so that Kathie could sign it before she left. It cannot be done before court and had Kathie left before signing it – well... only God knows what we would have had to do. Kathie and I were then going to take the evening train from Militopal to Kiev so that she can catchy her Sunday flight back to the US.

We packed in the morning and then went downtown by the sea to get lunch – the restaurant with the statue of a ship out front. The day was a little windy but it was good because it was a little on the warm side – about 82 degrees I would guess. We ate and then walked to the court building. We sent a cab for the Inspector, Cody and the orphanage representative and they met us at the court building.

The hearing was in the judges office and there were 10 folks in there, the judge, two witnesses, the recorder, the prosecuting attorney, the Inspector, the orphanage representative, Oles, Kathie and I. The room was not very big and there was a small window open, but the door was shut and with all the tension, it got a little warm in there. Neither the judge nor the other folks cracked any kind of facial expression. We were told our rights and then asked some questions, like how we came to know Cody and if we were able to take care of him. Next they called in Cody to testify on his behalf and it was a miracle...the judge smiled and so did every one else when Cody walked in!!! This 15 year old transformed the mood in two seconds and he hadn't said anything yet!! They asked him some questions that Oles translated for us and from that point on I knew we had it in the bag!!!

After Cody was dismissed, the judge pretty much read all 96 pages of our dossier!!!! She didn't look up once. Then we were asked if we had any further questions and were dismissed while the judge decided Cody's fate.

About 15 minutes later we were called in and we had to state what we were there for (i.e., Name change, change the birth certificate and to become Cody's parents... as if they didn't know!!!) and then we were told that they decided in our favor – Yeahhhhhhhh – I was smiling – definitely not the typical Ukrainian reaction.

Then we went to the notary and did the petition in about 45 minutes and headed back to the apartment. Our friend, Don Norton, a missionary that teaches English at the World Mission complex had agreed to take us to meet the train in Militopal. I just love Don! He is one of the most interesting folks to talk to. He just blesses folks all day long. He never travels without a translator in case he gets stopped by the police or gets lost so he had Igor go with us – keep in mind this is a 90 minute drive – one way!!! The drive to Militopal is along the coast and is very beautiful this time of year with all the wild flowers growing in the fields and the sea in the distance – just can't compare it to anything I have seen!!!

Militopal is about three times the size of Berdyansk and is where Elliott's sister lives. We said our goodbyes and thanked Don for being the saint that he is and thanked Igor for his assistance and headed to the station to figure out how to catch the train – we had about an hour to wait.

Then we got on the train and found our compartment – we paid for all 4 seats so we could be alone – it was a great trip (except for the jerky stopping and starting all night!!). Yulia had called Nicholi to meet us at the train station – he is great and carried our luggage and took us to the church complex that we stayed at before. The weather is at least 10 degrees cooler – just absolutely ideal. I love this part of Kyiv – lots of restaurants and coffee shops. I am having a piva moment now at a sidewalk cafe and watching the traffic and people – I don't want to leave!!!! But... I gotta go back tomorrow to spend time some quality time with Cody.

Cody is the easiest one of the three to be with on a one on one basis considering the language barrier. He just wants to be with you – no matter what you are doing. So... I have some ideas for what we can do – there is a big pool hall in the Del Marr shopping center on the third floor – thought we would try that and also got some great ideas for some food we can make at the apartment. I also want to go to the orphanage and watch him play soccer – he is very good!!!

Also – he seems to like to poke me in the stomach (could it be the size...naaaaahhhhhh – must be the muscle tone of the abs!!!!) and laugh!

Reflections from Kathie

2010-06-05T23:13:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I'm back in Kiev. We left the US 4 weeks ago today. I fly out tomorrow. By myself. Wow. What an adventure!

A recap of the past few days, or maybe more..

It was hard seeing the boys letting the boys back home by themselves, but I see the beauty in being able to have Cody to ourselves for a few days. We just hung out. We walked, tried to talk to one another (using as few words as possible), laughed at Pap and shared a lot of food! We were afraid he was bored a few times and called Oles and had him translate that it was okay if he wanted to return to the orphanage and play with his friends, we wouldn't be upset. Every time he said he did not want to go back to the orphanage but wanted to stay with us. Sometimes it was awkwardly quiet but he seemed content. One day we bought him shoes at the market. I am sure it was the first time anyone had ever bought him anything there. I was sure he would pick out a pair of skateboard looking shoes, like Nicky and Ty's, but he didn't. He had a definite idea in mind and we walked around until we found them. We were happy he had his own ideas and didn't seem to be influenced by those American brothers of his!

We've had a great time getting to know our new (& not so new)English speaking friends, Doug & Suzie, Karen Springs in Kiev. Bill & Oksana, Dima, Frank & Chris, Don, Inna, Sara and Brittany. They are all involved in ministry, some long term and some short term. A definite gift from God for the Schweickert's!! Dave and I were reflecting today about how awesome it has been to have so many wonderful people to connect with here who have geniunely been interested in helping us. A definite blessing from God for the Schweickert's. I can't imagine getting the boys home without Stoddards or Karen setting up our housing at the church in Kiev. Then there was Bill who came to our rescue with the apartment at the center in Berdyansk. Oksana came to our rescue and translated for TV interview when Oles and Elliott were out of town. Inna bought our train tickets when we couldn't and Don got us to Melitolpol after court to catch the overnight train to Kiev. JUST TO NAME A FEW.

Then there was our fearless facilitator Oles. He is the man who can get the job done! We Americans may think we know how to do something and do it better but he understands the culture, system and people. I wouldn't hesitate on recommending him for adoption to anyone who asks. We will miss him terribly. His project manager, Yulia has been very dependable and helpful with the adoption maze while in Kiev.

Is it really this quiet?

2010-06-01T01:13:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I am actually posting to the blog. No hubby looking over my shoulder, no loud boys, no distractions...except maybe my growling stomach! I really enjoy writing/journaling if I have time without interruption but up until now that has not happened. I am at a loss as where to begin. Maybe I will just write what comes to mind, what I want to remember when everyone who reads this one time doesn't need or want to re-read it in the future.

First I want to talk about Cody. I simply cannot wait to talk to him. I remember feeling that way about Elliott. Not so much Nicky because somehow he was communicating just fine before he mastered the English language! (Imagine that) Cody doesn't seemed to be interested in learning English here, he is too caught up in the boys and the excitement of being adopted and coming to America! The funny thing is he told Nicky shortly after we got here that he was going to be able to speak English better than he did! El got a kick out of that! If our family is engaged in a conversation in English, he doesn't want to be left out. He is always saying "Show Show?" (what..what?) He also has a sense of humor and also seems to be able to take teasing, which is good if he is going to be able to hang in our family! The other day Elliott was singing passionately directly to him (not at his request), kind of an American Idol performance you could say. After a while, Cody said something to him in Russian and Nicky started laughing. I ask Nicky what he said and he told me Cody said "I'll buy you some ice-cream if you quit!" Of course, Elliott didn't. Cody just shook his head and smiled!

When our family was squeezed around the dinner table the other night I had Elliott ask Cody about life before the orphanage. Cody said he doesn't remember life before the orphanage. I have thought about that a lot since then. He has been in the orphanage for 10 years, since the age of 5. Wow. No memory of life before a government facilitated institution. I don't think I can wrap my brain around it. Actually, this whole adoption thing is over my head. C'mon...if I really stop and think about it...at my age, limited finances, 4 teenage boys. What in the world? BUT, we know the answer don't we...WITH GOD ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE! He gives hope to the hopeless. When I am weak, He is strong. He has my back and my front. I am hemmed in. He covers me with the shadow of His wings. I can't BUT he can, because He is in me and I am in Him. He gives Peace when I should have none. To know HIM...the ultimate gift. The giver and the gift. The God of second chances. The kinsmen redeemer. The great I AM. Ahhhh.

Okay more Cody stuff. This is like snippets of my Cody baby book so bear with me, please.

He has a lisp. It's so cute. Alright, I know it is not suppose to be cute, but it is! I thought some kids were making fun of it the other day and I was seriously ready for a fight! The other night he took a shower at the apartment. Can you imagine it being the first shower he took in an actual home/apartment? Anyway, afterwards he came out squeaky clean with wet hair. It was wavy and standing up all over the place. It was sooo cute (there's that word again)! Also, I checked out his feet. They are kind of wide like mine. I felt like I did right after Tobi & Spencer were born and I was checking out all of their features! Oh and his face gets really red, really quick and he has this little white spot right in the middle of it. Ty actually noticed it first. I have so many things yet to discover. My friend Kim McCormack, who just adopted 15 year old Kai (from Ukraine)just discovered he was ticklish. She never knew. The wonder of it all.

Now, some funny Ty stuff I want to remember. So, as some of you know Nicky's bio family started coming out of the woodwork. No money was given by us and they finally disappeared. Ty and I were a little creeped out over it though. One day (kind of in the middle of all this drama)I ask Ty if he wanted to go to the market with me and he said yes. Dave ended up wanting to go with us at the last minute. Right before we left Ty slipped into the kitchen and opened one of the drawers. I ask what he was doing and he said he was putting the butter knife back. I ask why he had the butter knife and he said "A butter knife has many uses, you never know when it might come in handy!" :-) That's our Ty! One day Dave were walking down the street with Tyler and I commented on how cute looked. He said "that makes me want to take this off right now and barf!". I said "what?" He told me "CUTE wasn't the look he was going for!" I said "Okay, what should I say?" "Nothing, just say nothing" I said "How about when I think something like that again I will just look at you and say NO COMMENT" and we will have an understanding. He smiled...dimple and all. Gotta love that boy! (No comment)

Nicky had way more fun here than he expected to have. A little of his Russian back, female classmates swooning over him, playing soccer and hanging out with his brothers! He had a little bump in the road about the bio family thing but Nicky is like the everready bunny..just keeps on ticking. It concerns me some...BUT GOD. He heals and restores.

Elliott seems to be glad to be going home. As I think I stated before, re-kindling relationships were both good and hard. He saw many needs and is processing what he can and cannot do about it. Watching him journey through this trip was not easy for me. He was excited, sad, exhausted and reflective. His sister, Ruslana ask me why he is so sad. I wish I could have talked to her without him being the translator. I tried to tell her that he is not sad at home, but sometimes it may appear that way because in his relationships he carries the wisdom and the burden of the Lord. She said that she knows he is younger than her but most of the time he seems older than she does. I regret not being able to really communicate well with her.

So the TV interview. What a whirlwind! Oles calls us the day before telling us that we are being ask to be interviewed for Children's Protection Day on the local news. The inspector evidently set this up. The inspector was also the same inspector for our adoption in 2006. When we first saw her then, she told us she remembered very vividly Nicky's story. She remembered that he lived on the streets, begged for money, and paided his paid his parents bills as well as other things. She was involved in taking the parental rights away in 2003. It made an impact on her. She was interested in him and us. Why would we do this again? The interview took place in a park. Dave, Nicky and I were ask a few questions each. Dave went first. I'll tell you what I remember. Dave's questions: Why did you adopt this child? Was it a hard process? Dave talked about the kids coming over as part of a choir and us meeting Nicky through that and falling in love with him. He said it wasn't a hard process, but a very long process. They didn't seem to want to expound on that. Next...me. They ask me how why I would want to do it again. I thought about saying "I DON'T HAVE A CLUE!" :-) I told him how we met Sasha when we adopted in 06 and spent a lot of time with him and how we had been praying for him ever since. We felt led to come back and adopt him. Let me tell you that talking through an interpreter and trying to look ino the interviewer's face was not easy! Then he ask me what Children's day meant to me? Okay, well now I was at a loss for words. What was he looking for? I just heard of children's day a few days ago. As far as I knew it was a celebration for kids. Then, they through in a word like "protection of children". I just smiled and said "adoption...hope". He seemed to be okay with it, or he at least smiled. A rarity in Ukrainian adults, especially strangers. But..he was a TV personality. Okay, last but not least...Nicky. He could understand what the guy was asking but wasn't comfortable answering in Russian, so he responded in English with a translator. He basically said he loved America and loved having the support of a family and the opportunities available to him in America, especially since he was living on the streets before. I was proud of how he handled himself!

Court on Friday and hoping to come home Sunday or Monday!

The Boys Leave

2010-05-31T23:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday (Monday), Elliott, Nicky and Tyler packed and headed off on the bus to Zaporozhya where they caught the overnight train to Kyiv. They fly out of Kyiv on Wednesday morning. Thank God for Doug and Suzie Stoddard. They are really making the trip easy. Doug picked the boys up at the train station at o dark thirty in the morning and will take them to the airport tomorrow.

Here is a picture I've been wanting to post but couldn't find

until recently - our first family

photo:

Kathie and I called Elliott to call us a cab to go to eat last night and had to call him a couple of times to get supper ordered. Now we are realizing how much help he was while he was here. We had him get us a cab home while they were boarding the train. We are going to run up a large phone bill if we don't figure this out in the next day!

Kathie is making plans to for her trip home. We would like to travel up to Kyiv on Friday night but with court in the afternoon, I don't know if we'll make it - I may have to spring for a cab to Mariopal - I will definitely be stressed if we don't!

I am having a coffee american at the sidewalk cafe with the wi-fi. I looks like mud and tastes gritty - but it does have a kick! I normally have decaf so I'm probably in for a quick walk home!

I dropped off another load of laundry - that process is pretty much in auto although I was able to ask for softener this time.

At our favorite restaurant - the bavarian looking one in the park about a block from the hotel - likes to play an american '80s rock and roll radio station. They also have very good Moldovian chardonnay (although it is not chilled).

I am really looking forward to this week with Kathie without the boys (although we will have Cody in the afternoons) to have a little chill time like we did the last time we were here. Cody is a joy to have around - he is low maintenance and appears to be a happy boy. I am also looking forward to my time with him after Kathie leaves - look out Berdyansk - party time!

Holidays in Berdyansk

2010-05-29T04:20:00.000-07:00

Today (Sunday 5/30) is our 23rd wedding anniversary!!!

Cody's school had the "Last Bell" ceremony Saturday. Nicky and Tyler spent Friday night there again. We were told that it was at 9 AM, then we got a call at 8:15 and said it starts at 8:30! We were about 15 minutes late but we got there. The Rahn's attended the ceremony last year when they were here. We saw Natasha (The Rahn's new daughter) at the ceremony and talked to her. She and Cody will be in the same grade and school in Williamsburg! It is a small world!

After the ceremony, I gave Nick and Cody some money and they were told to be home by 8 PM. Cody ended up staying with us at the apartment on Saturday night. See them? They are crashed!!! We walked to the grocery to get them breakfast this morning and they ate it all!!

Last Monday was definitely a holiday. I am not sure which one it was though. We thought it was Children's Day but we now know that Children's day is Tuesday, June 1. We know that because we were interviewed by Berdyansk TV yesterday in conjunction with Children's Day. Oles had called and said that the Inspector had called him asking if we would allow an interview for Children's Day. He thought that Elliott could translate for us - they wanted to interview us on Monday with Elliott and Nicky but we told them the boys were headed to Kyiv on Monday. So we rescheduled for Friday afternoon at 2 PM. Elliott just missed the interview - he was on his way back from Militopal and arrived at the apartment as we were headed out. Bill's wife Oksana was kind enough to be our translator. They interviewed us in the park outside the Inspector's office - they only asked each of us three questions - naturally, Kathie got the tough one, "What does Children's Day mean to you? " (Never heard of Children's Day before this!!)

So what holiday was last Monday? I asked Oksana what holiday was last Monday and she said it was Penticost - since it falls on a Sunday they celebrate on Monday.

Also the anxiety is over as of Saturday night - Oles called and said he will pick up the papers in Zap so I am off the hook to go there. We already got the boy's ticket's for the Zap train so now we are trying to change them to the Militopal train (don't have to ride the bus as far). The kids will be leaving Berdyansk at around noon on Monday - they will get to Kyiv on Tuesday morning and our friend Doug Stoddard will meet them there and they will stay with the Stoddard's on Tuesday night. Doug also said he will get them to the airport on Wednesday to catch their flight. This is such a big help!!!

Found out that Kath and I will not be leaving Berdyansk until Saturday because court is in the afternoon and could last as long as two hours - leaving later Friday is out of the question so Kath is now looking for a Monday flight to the states. Kinda keeps you on your toes!!!

Today 4:45 PM Oles called and said he was sending a cab to pick me up and take me to the bus station to send a document to Yulia on the Kyiv bus. The bus leaves at 5 PM! The cab drove 70 down the hill to the bus station and we ran and caught the bus just before they closed the doors. Then Oles called me and said that I had to do the same thing for the 9 PM bus to Odessa!!! Thank God the bus station is just five blocks from the restaurant!!

The Anxiety is Setting In!

2010-05-27T02:29:00.000-07:00

Oles left for Odessa on Tuesday so we are on our own! We have gotten laundry dropped off, picked up and I have had to take a taxi to the courthouse to drop off documents. Now Oles needs me to go to Zaporozhya and pick up a document for court. It doesn't have to be done right away so I am going to try to work it in with dropping the boys off to catch the train. I also want to minimize my costs. So.... do I take the bus to Zap or hire a cab? It would have to be a huge cab to take all the luggage...Then when I get to Zap we have to get the boys to the train, I have to get the documents and then find the bus back to Berdyansk. Then I will have to do it all over again after court to take Kathie to Kyiv - only then I will also take the train up and back. I'm up for an adventure but also somewhat perplexed about what to do. I really need your prayers for this adventure!!

Elliott will be a big help on the first trip. The train to Kyiv leaves in the late afternoon or evening so he can ride the cab with me to get the document and get me back on the bus before they head up on the train. I'll have to be focused on what he does so I can guide Kathie up there.

That will happen on Monday so I have three days to plan it. Kathie gonna call some folks in Zap and Kyiv to see what else we can work out.

It is another very nice day in Berdyansk. Some clouds - mostly sunny about 71 degrees - slight breeze, low humidity. I checked the weather and it is supposed to heat up next week to the low 80's. Until now we haven't had to use the air conditioner at the apartment.

We dropped off Steve at the bus station in the early evening yesterday - he was headed to see friends in Militopal. Then I took the boys to eat at the Hotel. Kath was feeling tired - keep her in your prayers as she is wiped out from all the walking and organizing and she might have some little bug also - she was coughing this morning.

We were woke up by loud music blaring from a PA system across the street at the school - it appears that today was graduation. all the girls had on black skirts and whdite bouses and the guys had on black slacks and white shirts. The all had a red banner over their shoulder. the music was blaring for about an hour and there were lats of adults milling about.

I am down on the promenade now and I see there are also lots of girls wearing what looks like maid outfits with a white stockings and a white banner and these guys have on black sport coats and the white banner also - maybe another school???? Lots of folks out also - I wonder if it's another holiday??? I hate it when they have holidays and don't tell me about it - guess I'll have a piva to celbrate whatever it is.....

As I am sitting here observing people I need to vocalize an observation - the man purse. Here in Ukraine, most of the guys have them. These aren't the small backpack like Paul Copeman uses - these are... well... purses! Some look like a camera bag on a long strap but some have a handle and are... well... purses! What do they put in there? Mascara? Lip gloss? Their billfold? Comb? Change purse? Should I get one to fit in? Maybe I'll get Nick one first to try it out. If he doesn't use it, I'll forget it. I asked Oles about them and he said they originated when the iron curtain fell and all the Russian mafia had them - that kinda worries me cause you could only put a small gun in there ( kinda feminine... maybe a 25 caliber)... not like the violin cases of the twenty's in the US - those were real gangster's....

Visiting Relatives

2010-05-25T22:07:00.000-07:00

First I would like to thank all of you who are leaving comments, especially Nancy Hathaway - Kherson - got it!! I have been confused over the Huliaipole pronunciation for some time. I thought is was two words until I found it on Google Earth.

We have a relative from the US here with us for a day - Steve Huff - Kathie's cousin. He was in Germany and decided to head on down. He came in on the 3 PM train. This is the guy who did the engraving on the Browning Hi-Power that I inherited from Kathie's dad.

After we visited for several hours we decided to take a cab to the Potato House for supper. We had never been there before but we had been to the pizza parlor next door. We walked into the Potato House and the decor is somewhat puzzling - there are pictures of cowboys and Indians super imposed on urban (New York, I believe) pictures. This is not just framed pictures - It is the wall paper - more like a mural. There is one picture of several Indian chief on motorcycles (Indian motorcycles I presume!!). On the ceiling is a huge photo of skyscrapers oriented like you were looking up through them. Also the waiters and cashiers have a pseudo cowboy hat on and western shirts and jeans. So my curiosity got the best of me and I had Elliott ask what gives. He immediately started to roll over in laughter. The cashier said that the food they serve is Mexican in nature (Buffalo wings?) and that is what they depict - not knowing that Mexicans are not Indians. She said that Ukrainians never ask.

The food and wine was great and inexpensive. I had the Chicken steak (Sliced like a steak and very tender!) - the boys finished off the last of their supply of buffalow wings and they said they were tasty.

Another interesting observation to show you that the Ukrainians are getting more western in their orientation - please see the SUV. This is the premier SUV in Ukraine made by the reliable LADA corporation. High ground clearance so that you can climb out of those potholes without bottoming out!!!

Tuesday, May 25

2010-05-25T05:14:00.001-07:00

We are very fortunate to have a washer in our apartment. The first few days we were here, when we had both apartments, we were running them continuously. Since last Friday, the one in our apartmen t won't spin. These are side loading washers that use very little water but they spin the clothes almost dry – a cycle takes about an hour and a half and you still have to hang the clothes up to completely dry but they are easier than using the tub and ringing the clothes out. So the wash has piled up.

Kathie and I loaded it into two backpacks and took it to the laundromat where they do it for you this morning at 8 am. The weather was great – about 70, sunny with a slight breeze so we didn't sweat too much! When we got to the laundry (Gary – same one we used last time – by the hotel) there was a guy there that spoke as much English as I speak Russian!! kathie started by trying to explain that we had used this laundry in 2006 – I was trying to explain two loads all on the same bill. That's Kath – trying to get the relationship down! I just wanted the laundry done. It is supposed to be done tomorrow – we'll see!!! Ten bucks says that the woman that did our laundry in 2006 recognizes Kathie and does it for free!!!

We exchanged some money and got some breakfast food from a street vendor (I wish this would catch on in America – the food is great!!!!)) headed back to the apartment. We are trying to get Elliott packed up – he is headed to Keersan (can't find it on Google Earth so the spelling is questionable!) to visit Mel's House – a christian outreach to orphans that have aged out of the orphanage and then to Mariupol to visit his sister. Elliott is the greatest kid on earth but he isn't real organized!!! He has a heart as big as Texas but he wouldn't pack underwear without us!!!

Oles had us sign some documents to get the court thing going. He is headed out to Odessa after he applies for a court date – we are praying for June 3!! Oles tells us that even if they give us June 3 that that is not a sure bet – the SDA paperwork may take longer – so everyone on their knees now - lift this up – I love Ukraine but want to get Cody and get back!!!

I took the cab with Oles to the court building so I could head to my favorite wi-fi hotspot to blog on the main drag and watch the people go by.

The Weekend -Saturday, Sunday and Monday

2010-05-24T10:40:00.000-07:00

Saturday, a day off!!! Kath and I got up around 8 and headed to the big supermarket to have coffee. While there we decided to get some groceries. I'm always kidding Kathie that she can runn into people she knows wherever she goes - so we run into the inspector that handled our last adoption and was the inspector for this one also and we ran into the Orphanage director, Galena Anatoliva!!!

In the afternoon, Bill from the complex here was having a youth gathering and we went to the rec area and played foosball and and ping pong.

About 7 ish we got cleaned up and took the boys to a restaurant in the park by the hotel. It is a bavarian looking place and the food is excellent and they have a good wine selection. This is where we found the moldovian chardonnay the last time we were here. We all ate till we were about to burst and then headed back to the apartment.

Sunday we woke up early because Nick and I were going to get Cody in Huliaipole. We had reserved tickets on Saturday and the bus was leaving at 7:00 AM, the cab would be here at 6:40. The cab driver, Roman, has been very helpful and helped us get to the right window to get the tickets. It took about an hour and a half and I recognized the bus station as the one we stopped at for a break when we came back fro Zaporozhya. We hired a cab to get to the orphanage. It was going to be more expensive than I thought and I thought we were being taken. It should only be 4 miles to the orphanage. I learned quickly that we got off the bus in Polohy instead of Huliaipole. Evidently it is a major stop on between Zaporozhya and Berdyansk, and it is about 12 miles from Huliaipole - so we had to take the cab there and back (since I already contracted the guy!) He stopped at the bus station in Huliaipole to ask directions, so at least I know what the right stop is now!!!!!

We picked up Cody and got back to Polohy, and bought three tickets on the bus to Berdyansk - it was leaving in ten minutes! Guess what - same bus we rode to Polohy on!!! We were back in Berdyansk by noon!

The boys and I went to the hotel for lunch (cause they have an English menu). I was starving, the boys had snacks at Polohy. I had a Caesar Salad (the best ever!!!) and Diruny (potatoe pancake with mushrooms) and a piva! I was stuffed. We called Roman to take us back to the apartment.

The kids are all going to spend the night at the orphanage tonight (even Tyler). Elliott rented some movies. and they are gonna party because tomorrow is a holiday - children's day!!

Oles, Kathie and I went back to the bavarian restaurant in the park for supper - afterwards Oles went for a walk and Kath and I headed back to the apartment alone for the first time in two weeks!!!

Kathie starts writing here....
Monday, May 24

Today is a national holiday in Ukraine, Children's Day. I think it is a great holiday to have, just not on my time! :-) Every holiday keeps us another day further from completing our adoption and coming home with Cody. The next holiday is Monday, June 1st. Not sure what that one is all about yet, but everything official will be closed that day too.

Yesterday, Elliott & I went to church here at the center. The music was awesome and I so wished I understood Russian to appreciate it even more. The church last about 2 to 2 ½ hours so it felt like home! I miss our church but so awesome to know there is brothers and sisters in Christ wherever you go.

Dave & Nicky took Cody to Huliaipole (I'll never be able to spell or say it correctly) on Friday by taxi and had to go get him Sunday by bus. They got off one town to early yesterday and had to find a taxi to go the last 12 miles. Cody was glad to come back. He wasn't very excited about going, as he didn't really know anyone, barely his sister. Of course, he is all about hanging with his new brothers now. I'm wondering if he will really bond with Dave & I because of the boys. Oles encouraged me by saying he would. He said Cody has many boys in his life, what he doesn't have is parents and a family. We will have our moments and it will happen. I liked hearing that.

Yesterday when the boys returned they all wanted to stay all night together in the orphanage...even Ty! I wasn't concerned about E & N but I was Ty. I thought “what if he doesn't like it, what if everyone ignores him, what will he eat, etc...” Dave assured me that it was Ty's idea and it would be an experience for him whether he liked it or not. Nan Nan's get a little overprotective sometimes. Long story short...he had a great time! (however, the only thing he ate was candy because the other food looked to weird!)

Dave & I have been walking about 5 blocks most mornings to get coffee. We found a place where the coffee is tolerable. I doubt if it is decaf but I don't seem to be wired from it. Hopefully, I won't have a terrible headache coming off of it when I return home!

Earlier today be bought fruit at the market. Bananas, strawberries, orange, apples & kiwi. It is 4 p.m. And we have NONE left. Cody himself ate 5 bananas in a row! Fruit is a rare treat in the orphanage.

Elliott is here chillin for the afternoon and has lost his voice. I hope he gets it back soon because he is going to Kherson (3/12 – 4 hr drive)to visit “Joshua's House”. Joshua's house is a home for boys sponsored by Heart for Orphans (www.heartfororphans.com). God is doing an amazing work there and he is anxious to see it! Then he is off to Melitopol for a final visit with his sister, Ruslana before coming back to Berdyansk.

It is a beautiful day out again, so Dave & I are headed out for a stroll before I have to rattle some pots & pans. (notice I'm trying NOT to complain about it!)

Back to Dave composing...

I love to go exploring whenever I'm in a place I'm not familiar with. When we moved into the Baptist mission house in Kyiv, I wasn't happy till I walked around and figured out where it was on the map. I use Google Earth a lot because it is easy to see the landmarks. I also get the spelling of the namer of the towns from Google Earth – they have both the Russian (Cyrillic) and the English form of the name. From the apartment we are in now, I have been north – to the big grocery store, east – to the hotel Berdyansk and downtown, and south to the orphanage.

So this afternoon, while Kathie started supper, I decided to walk west from the apartment. The area we are in has several five story apartment buildings that are very long – maybe a large city block long (150 yards). When I went one block south and then west, there was a park-like place about 5 blocks long (west from the apartment) with a wide paved walkway through it. It is about 200 yards wide and was absolutely filled with people today (cause of the holiday). At the west end there is a small mopen air market but it was closed today. There are a couple of restaurants (bars) that have tables outside at the end of the park – I'm gonna go have a piva there tomorrow!!!

Kathie cooked a fabulous meal while I was gone and all the boys are back from roaming the town so it's time to eat!!!!

More Travelling

2010-05-21T10:17:00.000-07:00

Woke up Thursday, May 20, (I'm forgetting what day it is!!) and Kathie and I walked to a shopping center about 4 blocks from the apartment. It seems to be a new place with a large grocery (reminds me of a small version of a WaMart Supercenter cause they have everything in there from drills and grills to books and groceries). They have a coffee kiosk in the center so you can see what's going on. There is an appliance store, a couple of shoe stores and a drug store. There are several empty stores too. The coffee was great! We shopped and took the groceries back and late in the morning, Ty, Kath and I walked to the hotel for lunch.

We walked down those big stairs by the open market and noticed that they had redone them since we were here last. They used to be in horrible shape and now they are rather picturesque! Even have roman columns at the top. The Market has changed also. They have a lot of booths that have like a hurricane shutter over it in the front so it can be locked up rather than just the metal frame for a canvas cover. But the market was closing up by 3 PM when we got there.

Elliott and Nicky had gone to the orphanage to get Cody about 3 PM also. We headed back to the apartment about 4 pm. We then decided to try to meet up with the boys for supper but by the time we worked that out Cody had to be back at the orphanage so Elliott got him something quick to eat. We all went downtown about 9 PM and met Oles and Elliott and Nicky for supper.

The boys had a good time with the camera after we ate and were walking on the promenade. The we went back to the apartment and crashed.

Friday, Oles had to go to Zaporizhzhya to get our separation agreement and I had to take Cody to Huliaipole to spend the weekend with Katia. We were both gonna take the bus, Nick was going with me to translate. We picked up Cody, signed a petition and left about 11 AM. By the time we got to the bus station, the Huliaipole bus was sold out. We could rent bikes (my idea), walk or take a cab – so we opted for the cab. We had a great trip up there and got back around 5PM. Cody wanted Nicky to stay with him but we decided against that at the last minute. Not sure of the politics in that orphanage and the purpose of the trip was for Cody and Katia to spend time together. I have to get him Sunday so pray that I will get the right bus and not end up in Siberia!!!

We went back to the big supermarket to get more groceries – you can spend a fortune there just on cookies and candy!!!! Tomorrow is a day off!!!

2010-05-20T13:19:00.001-07:00

Tuesday, May 18th. I have been in Ukraine for 9 days and this is my first time posting to the blog. Dave & I are sitting outside the Notaries office while Oles is taking care of business. I'm a little foggy so bear with me...
This trip is certainly different than our first trip. Let me say that I was somewhat aware that there are ALWAYS issues that arise when traveling to Ukraine to adopt. I was prepared (somewhat) for that but traveling & maintaining a group of 5, plus Cody, Oles and now Ruslana & Deeana (Elliott's sister & her daughter)is definitely a challenge! Last trip there was some down time but I haven't found it yet!

I actually haven't read what Dave has posted yet (too busy)but I hear you all have been well informed on our itinerary, food and his piva and wi-fi finds! I will just tell you some interesting observations and some heart stuff and details about the boys reactions and happenings.

Cody Aleksander (still trying to get use to his name)is dreamy. Yes, we changed his name (he wanted an American name) and it had to be done in Kiev before traveling to Berdyansk. This was so I could sign off on Dave bringing him home without me. We are traveling back a few weeks before him so the boys can get back in school. Seeing him for the first time in 3 ½ years was sureal. All these thoughts swimming through my head, remembering all the prayers for him over the past 3 years, wondering what he is thinking, feeling, what is he going to be like. He walked through the door and my heart leaped and melted at the same time. He was totally overwhelmed, nervous and excited and could barely speak. His bottom lip was quivering but his eyes were glistening! Cody is REALLY tiny for his age. He is 15 ½ but looks 12. He has GREAT hair...sandy blonde, nice texture and a nice wave. Plush eyelashes just like his sister, Tobi and his eyes are a beautiful green in color. His cheeks flush easily and has a smile that lights up a room. Yep, he's pretty much perfect!

I'm back...it's now Thursday, May 20th. Had to stop a few days ago because we were on the move to Zaporizhzha and then Dave & Oles stayed in Zap and sent me home in a taxi by myself.

I'm going to try to stay away from all the details of itinerary and food (however crazy & good) and get to the emotional/relationship stuff. As I write this I am sighing. Too much to tell without enough time. Three boys from Ukraine. Three boys with a past. Three boys who have left/leaving family behind.

Elliott bears the burden of a sister who is just surviving (his words) as a single Mother who because of her heritage (gypsy)most Ukranians choose to ignore. His emotions are high because of the plight of his family & friends. He is spread thin between his sister, his homework, his friends, his new brother and doing ministry. I think he will collapse when he gets back to the US!

On Monday Nicky 30-year-old half brother shows up that he forgot he had, AND Wednesday his biological Mother shows up with tons of drama and tears. (LONG STORY) Nicky showed her affection because she extremely emotional. He said he felt sorry for her but felt no love, that it was like hugging a stranger. Nicky told us that when you hug your Mom you are suppose to feel comfort, but he felt no comfort like he does with me. He said that I am his real Mom. Not sure he has really processed it all. I know I haven't.

Then there is Cody. It took 5 hours for his sister to sign the document allowing for him to be adopted without her. He was so relieved when it was over, we all were! She even came out smiling, which was truly a miracle and an answer to many prayers! Cody has only seen her once since she moved to another orphanage 8 years ago. My heart went out to her, she is afraid we will disappear with him and she will never see or hear from him again. We tried to console her, explaining that we have kept in contact with Elliott and Nicky's sisters. Some of you have ask why we are separating them. He has a strong desire to be adopted. I have carried a burden for him over 3 years. We were not approved by our homestudy to adopt more than one child, a boy. There will be two boys to a room. As much as I would like to see her get adopted, it just won't work for our family. He doesn't really have a relationship as brother/sister as we who have grown up with siblings have. He went to the orphanage at age 5 and she was at the same orphanage for two years. Children in the orphanage are separated by their sex and their age. They lived under the same roof at the orphanage for two years but not as a family. We will pray for Katya and do the best we can to keep the two in communication with each other. We have agreed to take Cody back to her orphanage for this weekend. Dave will take a bus (two hours)& drop him off tomorrow and come back. Sunday he will go get him. She has ask for two weekends before he leaves. It is inconvenient, but necessary.

Tyler is a joy to have here. He has been a real trooper. He is enjoying the different culture & food and making lots of observations. He said Berdyansk was much different than he thought. He is anxious to be able to talk to Cody, as are we! He told me today he was ready to hear some English and when he gets home he was going to pay attention to conversations that even other people were having (like at a restaurant). His new favorite thing is hot tea (black). He wants it 3-4 times a day, but I am holding him down to two! Tyler & Nicky watch an episode of McGyver at night before bed and love it! They are so funny!

So much more to tell. Maybe another day. Time to gather the troop and go eat! Feeding this family is a daily issue! I know, I know what you are thinking...GET USED TO IT!! :-)

Separation Agreement

2010-05-20T02:29:00.000-07:00

The rest of Sunday and Monday were a blur. Sunday was rainy and we mostly stayed in the apartment. We ate at the Hotel Berdyansk which took forever (remember that Gary and Bev?) so we were late getting Cody back to the orphanage. I stayed at the hotel to meet Dima because we forgot our electrical adapters at the apartment. Dima gave me a ride back to the new place.

Monday we got up bright and early and went to the orphanage to get Cody. We have to go to Huliaipole (about 2 and a half hour drive) to get Cody's sister (Katia) to sign a separation agreement. First we had to go to the admin office and get some papers prepared and then take them to the courthouse so we didn't get on the road until about 12:30. Then we drove on some of the worst roads (it seams) in Ukraine. When we got to Huliaipole (Goo-Ley Pool-ley; sounds like the song Wooley Bulley with a Russian accent) we had trouble finding the orphanage – we had to ask directions about 10 times. It is outside the other side of the city in the country. It is a nice setting but very old buildings from the outside. The inside was very very nice – almost looked new. This orphanage is for kids that have mental issues. Most of them appeared to be “normal” to me.

We discovered that Katia was in town on a field trip. After about 45 minutes, the director sent a group by taxi to get her. The director gave us a tour of the facilities and showed us the work they had done. They are not allowed to use child labor to fix stuff up so the director got around this by using it as a training program for the kids. They would teach them how to tile and then have them tile the bathrooms as training. They did an awesome job.

The next two hours were the roughest we have had to endure so far. Katia showed up and hugged Cody and Kathie and I and we had a tearful trip to the director's office Then the talking started. Kathie and I were clueless (found out later I was clueless – Kathie was tracking pretty good). Oles and the director talked a lot – Cody spoke very little. As the discussion heated up, after an hour, Kathie got upset and walked out and I followed. I asked her what the problem was and she told me what was going on. Katia was going back and forth. She wanted to be adopted also. They explained to her that we could not take her because we were only approved for Cody. Our house cannot accommodate a girl – no separate bedroom. So we were stuck. Cody alone or no adoption!

Cody and his sister were placed in the orphanage in Berdyansk in 2000 and she was transferred to Huliaipole in 2002. Since then they had seen each other once. I can understand that she was concerned about never seeing or hearing from her brother again. She finally relented and signed the papers. We agreed to get them together twice before we leave Ukraine and promised to keep in touch after we get to the USA. We explained that both Elliott and Nicky have sisters (although older) and we had kept in touch with them.

About 7 PM we headed back to Berdyansk. Elliott's sister and her daughter were supposed to arrive in Berdyansk and we wanted to meet her. We got to the compound at 10:00 and every one was still up. We met Ruslana and Deeanna – Deeanna is the cutest little 4 year old I have ever seen!! She looks amazingly similar to Lilly Ponder, whose family donated a suitcase full of clothes for Deeanna. We showed Deeanna Lilly's picture. Deeanna then proceeded to model all the clothes and stuffed animals!

Elliott's sister is absolutely beautiful. She is tiny, tiny (like Elliott) and is just a doll. They both will be staying with us for a few days.

Tuesday we had to go to Zaporizhzhya to get the separation agreement approved. We spent the morning getting paperwork done in Berdyansk and headed out about 11 AM. We got to Zap about 1 PM. We found the office eventually and found that we have to attend a committee meeting on Wednesday at 4 PM where our case will be discussed. We just got our case registered before they closed. Oles said that at least one of us (Kath or I ) need to attend. So we went to lunch. As we ate, Oles and I decided to spend the night in Zap and send Kathie back to the kids in Berdyansk. Kath and I argued about who had to go back to the kids and I won because Oles and I could share a room!!!

We found a decent hotel about two miles down the main drag from the Intourist. The rooms were nice, breakfast was included and they had Wi-Fi (1 MB download for 12 rph). We went past the Coffee Life (Coffee as Lifestyle) made famous by Kim and Kevin McCormack. Unfortunately it was too far a walk for me to get there the next morning.

Wednesday I woke up and went for breakfast – It was two crepes filled with shredded chicken with melted butter and bread and cheese – was very tasty. I had an American coffee which was actually a double cappuccino - I normally have decaf – so about 10 minutes later I was bouncing off the walls.

I walked around a bit and then Oles and I went to lunch. We ate at a nice cafe with huge roman pillars that was outside just off the main drag across from a large park. The food was great – small portions though – must have been gourmet food! Then we took a cab to the committee meeting. We were last on the docket and were called in at about ten after four PM. They asked who I was and what did I want. They seemed to approve the request right off the bat, which was a miracle according to Oles, but then they started to discuss it. We were told to leave and then called back in twice and you could hear them arguing loudly (but that is the Ukrainian culture). They finally approved and said we could pick up the decree on Friday.

By now it was storming fiercely outside. I thought we were gonna spend another night and wait on the decree but the next thing I know we are at the bus station and on the bus to Berdyansk. The bus is about a 21 passenger bus and seemed to hold up well on the rough roads but I could not blog on it as my fingers would always hit the wrong keys so I just tried to enjoy the scenery. We got back about 8 PM and I was very happy to see Kath and the kids.

Found out that Nicky's brother found the apartment and brought his mother there. I'll let Kathie blog about that.

First Weekend in Berdyansk

2010-05-16T06:19:00.000-07:00

We called around about getting another apartment and finally talked to Bill at the church that the Rhan's referred us to. We made arrangements to go there at 9PM after we ate and took Cody back to the orphanage. Bill was so nice – he offered to come get us in a van and drop Cody off! What a nice guy – extremely personable – from Montana.

Originally we were to have Cody back at the orphanage at 7 pm and there wasn't enough time so Elliott offered to call Galena and ask to keep him till 9 and she said OK. Oles said that Galena had offered to let us keep him overnight originally but we really don't have the space here.

We went to the apartment – it was fabulous – large rooms but only one bedroom and a living room. It has a storage room with a desk in it so we are going to get some foam mattresses for Oles and Elliott to use there. Also there is a second apartment that has an attached door that is available through Wednesday, so we are taking that. We will move after service tomorrow. Gonna get two cabs and pack up.

Kath and I got up by 8 and they boys slept in (naturally). We walked up to find a coffee house and couldn't find one. We ended up at the bar I was at yesterday afternoon with the free Wi-Fi. I got a cappuccino cause I could point to it and Kath just drank her bottle of water. We blogged and updated my Quicken accounts and then we went looking for brunch to take bake to the kids. We got the same potato filled pastries that we got yesterday and then went to a bakery. We got a couple of bear claws and other jelly filled thingies and headed back.

At 12:30 we ordered three cabs and started the move. By 1:30 we were all moved in and started laundry. This really feels like home!!! Security is great - it is in a compound and has locks on the entry door and the door to the appartment. We are now trying to figure out what to do for lunch/dinner.

We had Nick get Cody at the orphanage and he is with us now.

The lost post from Thursday

2010-05-15T05:43:00.000-07:00

Karen Spring from CBN told us that there was a great restaurant not too far from our room. So we showered and all of us except Elliott headed out. Elliott was with his friend (Maxim) from the orphanage that is going to college in Kyiv now. We walked to where we thought the restaurant was and Kath changed from her sneakers into dress shoes. We walked up to the door and realized it was an Irish place not the Italian one we were looking for. So we headed up the street and called Karen and realized we were about 3 blocks from it so we headed in that direction. The name of the place is Olivia's and it is in a green building on the main drag.

We still couldn't find it!! and now it started to rain a little. We wanted Nick to ask where it was but he would have nothing to do with it (embarrassed that he might not remember his Russian). So Kathie askee – just went up and asked – the lady understood a little english but could speak any so she responded in Russian and Nick listened but didn't speak (wish he did that more!!!) We took off and headed in that direction – still raining. After four more blocks it quit raining but we still hadn't found Olivia's.

We called Karen again and discovered we were a block away – headed a little further and there it was. We walked in and there was no room – It would be about 20 minutes. We walked to a coffe shop about a half block down and dried out.

After 20 minutes we headed to the restaurant and they had our table ready – we ordered and Karen arrived. The food was excellent and we had a great time with Karen. After dinner we went across the street to a desert shop and further stuffed ourselves with cheesecake and eclairs. We finally decided it was time to head back and Kath changed into her sneakers – I knew I was in for a foot rub when we got to the room.

On Thursday, we woke up and got the kids up at 8 to go to the embassy to fill out the paperwork needed for Kathie to sign so she can leave after court. We headed on the Metro, the Blue Line, to the intersection with the Green Line. We got off and headed three stops up the green line. Miraculously, we got off at the right place and walked about ¾ mile and there it was. We were in and out in 30 minutes! We headed back to the Metro and headed back to the Blue line intersection. The idea was to head 3 stops further south to CBN. Wellllll, guess what? We were back at the room!!! So Elliott and Nick decided to take a cab and Kathie and I decided to stay and eat with Oles who arrived while we were gone.

Oles was our Facilitator when we got Elliott and Nicky and we wanted him again this time. So we ate and talked while we were waiting to go to the SDA and get our referral at 4 PM. I took Ty to lunch about 2 PM and then we took a cab to the SDA. Traffic was heavy and we were late!! No problem – they we backed up so we waited outside for about 30 minutes.

We met Lynn Locher who just adopted two adorable girls. David and Amanda, the couple from Texas that we me yesterday was also there. We enjoyed talking to them all! Then we were wisked in and given our papers. Lynn and the girls were going to go with us to supper.

So we started walking thinking Oles was gonna get us a cab – after a mile I figured Oles gave up and we walked to three or four miles to the room – Kath had her dressy shoes on and I knew I would be rubbing those feet again real soon!! We went to the UNO Pizza place again and ate and called two cabs to get us to the train. Oles also got word that we had an appointment with the Inspector (social worker) to go to the orphanage tomorrow morning!!!

We got to the train and we were able to get one compartmenonly one nightt and two additional tickets but were sharing that compartment with other folks – Oles and Elliott offered to take those seats as they speak the language. The train is old – It is air conditioned and the piva is warm – but it is only one night.

Well, it was kinda air conditioned. The halls had ventilation – the compartments didn't and they got stuffy. We played cards and read and then it was lights out. I woke up at 4 to use the john and it was locked – I assumed someone was in there. After about 45 minutes I went to the next car. I found out later that they lock the johns at night – evidently Ukrainians don't have a tiny bladder like me!!!!

A lady in Elliott's compartment snored all night and he came in our compartment at 5. I switched with him so he could sleep – I was reading. We pulled into Zaporizhzha at 6:30 and caught a cab van to take us to Berdyansk

In Berdyansk

2010-05-15T04:28:00.000-07:00

We arrived yesterday. I am missing the last post from Kyiv - can't figure out how to copy and past into blogger with this computer. So I'll post it later.

It seems like we have been here a week! We wnt to a lot of diffeent places yesterday. We started by taking two cabs to some administrative office after we dumped our bags at our new apartment - more on the apartment later! The boys took off toward the hotel and we went to the court building to meet with the inspector. We got in after a short wait and the two ladies were the same ones we had last time. They agreed to go to the orphanage with us in about an hour. So we took off by the hotel to get some food! We bought these pastry sandwiches - Kath got one with potatoes corn and peas and I got one with meat - not sure what kind but there weren't any dogs around (sorry shak)! The boys showed up and we wen't and got two taxis. We all went to the orphanage - Inspectors and all.

As soon as we arrived, it went nuts! Everyone noticed Elliott and Nicky and started yelling and talking. It was old home week. Galea Anitoliva ( the director) was in tears! It took a godd half hour or more to get the show on the road and meet Sasha. We finally got the business done. The inspectors would not sign off immediately but said we could pick up the paper on Monday. I thing they were unhappy that they weren't the main show! Galena said that we could pick up Sasha both Saturday and Sunday.

Oles, Kathie and I went to a Notary to get some petitions done. I fell asleed in the waiting room and Kath kept waking me up cause I was snoring rather loudly. Then we went to the hotel to get some supper - I was famished. Then back to the orphanage to watch Elliott play soccer.

About 7 PM we walked back to the appartment - Tyler, Nicky, Kathie and I. We took the same path back that we did when we were here the last time - about a mile or so. I took a shower and fell asleep.

The apartment! What can I say? It is very old. The front door is at the back and it is an 8 plex. We are on the second floor in the front and have three rooms, a kitchen and bath. The size is nice - the beds are not comfortable - but if you are tired enough - you can sleep! As you enter from the back you can smell sewage - evidently a pipe is brken in the crawl space - you have to hold your breath. Also as you walk around the side - there are openings to the crawl space and they stink also. The price is good and it is withing walking distance to the orphanage which is important to Kathie and I. We are looking at other places but we are not sure we are going to move. We might be able to get wireless at another apartment but I found this place I am at now thet is on the main shopping street and has free internet and cheap piva. I'll have to consider that!!! A post of this size is a two piva deal!!!

We picked up Cody this morning - we were supposed to be there at 9 but we got up at 8 and it took us till 9:15 to walk there. It is an absolutely beautiful day out - about 73 sunny and a breeze. We went to Galena's office and asked for Cody. She got him and had him fill out a petition we all had to sign saying he would be back by 7 PM. We walked back to the apartment - got Ty and Nick and headed out for lunch. Between Nick and Cody we had no trouble ordering from Russian Menu.

We walked up to the Azov Sea - Some folks were swimming. Ty took off his shoes and waded - he said it wasn't too bad. Afterward, the boys went off one way and Kath and I went to shop for a camera - I left the last one in a cab in Kyiv on the way to the SDA. Then I walked Kath back to the apartment for a nap - I went to look for Wi-Fi and I found it!!!

We Got our referral

2010-05-13T04:22:00.000-07:00

Kathie and I woke up and went to a place called the coffee house that was three blocks from our room. There are several coffee places that show a cup of coffee and then some have an english sign that says “Double Coffee” and some say “Coffee House” in Russian. I thought they were all the same until Yulia explained it to me. The all have free wi-fi. So I got the apple cinnamon pancakes again and Kathie got a pastry. We both got a latte and then skyped with Tobi and Tommy – the only people up at 1:00 AM Eastern time!

We then went back to the room and showered and got ready for our meeting at noon with the SDA. The cab arrived at 11:20 and we were told we could walk – so I wasn't worried about getting there on time. The traffic was horrible!! By 11:45 I was worried!! We got there at 11:55 only to find out they were have a retirement party for one of the ladies and we were told to stand by. We talked to a couple from Texas that are adopting a brother and sister from south eastern Ukraine – close to the Russian border. They had already adopted one boy from Latvia last year – that took three trips – one for a court proceeding that took 35 minutes!

At about 12:15 we (both groups) were told to hurry in. The lady told us his stats – birthday, entered the orphanage, etc. He has been in the orphanage for ten years. Then she told us that we were approved and could pick up our referral at 4 PM tomorrow!!! We left the office and made plans to get tickets on the 7 PM train to Berdyansk Thursday. We will get up and tour CBN in Kyiv in the morning. Yulia will make our reservations.

We had the cab take us back to the Baptist Missions Home and got the boys up, changed our clothes and at at the kitchen here. We had vegetable soup bread and spaghetti and sauce with kielbasa – both were great. Then we all went out exploring so I could figure out where we were on the map. We walked about 10 blocks from here to find out were pretty close to where we were before – just down closed to the river. This is the older part of Kyiv and is really nice – they are tearing the old buidings down and putting up new ones. We found a Metro station close by so we won't have to use cabs anymore except to get to the train. We got the boys some sodas and some candy at one of the kiosks. We also decided where we were gonna eat tonight – an Italian place with another place to get desert across the street. Both are close to the Chernobyl museum (hope they don't have any radioactive exhibits!).

Tyler and Nick went back to the room and Kath and I stopped to get a beer (well, I got a beer and Kath got a Bitter Lemon, Ty's new favorite soda!) at a market that had a couple of tables out front in the shade. We sat there and watched the folks walk by – definitely not in Kansas anymore.

Third Day

2010-05-11T08:47:00.000-07:00

We got up to a cloudy day – kinda raining in spurts – mainly just misting. Kathie, Elliott and I walked up to the restaurant with the wireless for breakfast but it was not open so we walked another two blocks to a coffee shop that had wireless and ...cinnamon apple pancakes!! Coffee, a latte, pancakes and a pastry cost 87 rph ( 11.04 US)! And free wi-fi!

Then walked back to the apartment to wake up Ty and Nick cause we are moving to the Baptist Dormitory. The kids and Oles will share a large bunk room and Kathie and I have a smaller room with a private bath like what we had at the hotel Berdyansk the last time we were here. It is in a older section of Kyiv down by the river.

After moving in, Kath took a nap and the boys and I sent to look for a restaurant. We settled on an UNO Pizzaria (Not like the UNO's in Williamsburg!!!) We got a pizza and two orders of Sushi. I ordered a piva and the waitress wanted to know if that would be for four. Evidently they don't care if a 13 year old drinks a beer with his lunch! I told Nicky and Tyler, "No way, Jose."

We went to a basketball game after that while a friend of Elliott's was playing and then we went to Doug and Suzie Stoddard's for supper!! Great food and lotsa catching up to do with them. We haven't seen them in a long time.

Tomorrow - we go to our SDA appointment at noon - Please pray for us!!!!!

Second Day in Ukraine

2010-05-11T00:15:00.001-07:00

We slept very well last night! The boys didn't stir till noon. Kath and I went for a walk and bought some cherry bear claws, a jug of water and some piva for me! Not too many folks out as it was a holiday here - the day after Victory day! We carried it all back to the apartment.

The bear claws were still warm and very good!!! The boys got up around noon and we all went up the street to get lunch around 1 PM. The restaurant had free wi-fi and we sent Elliott's homework and checked email. The food was great but a little pricey - about $50 for five of us but well worth the price. Nick and Ty left to go back to the apartment on their own so they could go skateboarding. Elliott, Kathie and I all waited and left about a half hour later.

We have tickets to the Passion: Kyiv, Chris Tomlin and Matt Redman concert tonight at 6PM so I went down to the metro to check out where we had to go and to get some headphones for my mp3 player. Could not figure out if it was one stop or 3. It appears there is a transfer involved - Elliott will have to read the signs - Don't know why they dont have signs indicating the color - all the subways are color coded - we need to go to the intersection of the Blue and Green line - the Palates Sportu (Sports Complex).

Well it was one stop and then you walk over to the Green line section and come up and there we were - a few minutes late but we weren't lost!! We walked in and we were right by the stag. What an awesome concert!!!!

Afterward we took the subway back to Victory square and went to the McDonald's to get something to eat - they closed as we walked up the steps. So we went down in the Metro and there was a McDonalds at the food court - so we were able to get something there. Then we went back to the apartment and the kids watched some 24 episodes and Kath and I went to bed.

Arrived in Ukraine

2010-05-11T00:11:00.000-07:00

Well, we made it to Kiev!!!! What a journey! We flew out of Richmond on time but what a ride. It was a roller coaster getting up to altitude because of the winds and it was a rough ride all the way. Nobody got sick but we were mighty green!!.

The flight to Kiev started out promising - the departure moved from 4:20 when we arrived at JFK to 4:15 as we started to board. The plane wasn't full so Kathie commandeered another row of middle seats so we could lay out a little. Hen we got the bad news – the volcanic ash was requiring Delta to refile another fight plan south to miss the cloud – down to North Africa and then up over Spain. That took two hours – when we pushed out we were 21st in line to take off on the one runway they could use also due to high winds. So we were delayed getting off the ground for three and a half hours and then the flight time was ten and a half hours versus nine and a half cause of the detour – we got in at 1 PM instead of 9:10 AM.

All of our luggage got there with us and we breezed thru customs. Yulia met us with a nice Mercedes Van – leather seats and plenty of room for the luggage and the crew. We first went to a phone store to get a battery and some minutes but were disappointed to find out that we had no money to pay with (didn't do the exchange thing yet). So we had Yulia drop us at the apartment.

We get there and the elevator isn't working and the apartment is on the fourth floor – so we all trudge on up there to find out we are at the wrong building!!! So we trudge down again and walk another half block to the right building. The elevator works here but it won't go to the fourth floor. Nicky and I took it to the third and walked up- the smart ones went to the fifth and walked down.

It is Victory Day in Kiev and the roads are blocked off – Victory Square is a half block from the apartment so we head on down to the square to find a money exchange and a phone store. We found both and then went to Micky D's for lunch (Kathie's favorite especially on mother's day!!! - She got a Sunday cause it was!!!) It was just gorgeous outside! 75 degrees – no humidity.

We are sitting outside on the balcony watching the detoured traffic pass by – the kids have gone to find a market to buy some snacks – I had gotten water and piva (Russian for brewsky!) earlier. The balcony is about 3 feet wide with a wrought iron railing that you don't want to rely on and there is linoleum on the concrete floor. We brought the kitchen chairs out to sit on and I'm polishing off the piva. The street is narrow and the fact that a black Mercedes is not quite all the way on the sidewalk means that only one lane of traffic can get through. The cars are honking for the right of way and some are very animated. Also you can see all the other balcony's – kinda like that Jimmie Stewart move – A Room With A View.

Got the Phone all set up and found that the number was different than what was on the back of the phone. The correct number is: 80684003720.

2010-04-29T04:34:00.001-07:00

Well....we are at it again. We have an appointment with the State Department For Adoptions in Kiev on May 12, 2010. We are taking Elliott, Nicky and Tyler with us. More to follow - soon!

Happy New Year

2007-01-01T07:46:00.000-08:00

After a very very long trip with gate changes and delays we finally arrived home at 1:30 AM on Friday. Kathie and Nicky met us at the airport and it was a wonderful reunion between us all. Nicky and Elliott stayed awake and talked for hours. Nicky has been translating between Elliott and us. His English in six short weeks is amazing! We celebrated Christmas on Saturday with some VERY excited boys! They both told us that this was the FIRST Christmas either of them had ever received a present. We told them that they were our Christmas present! Thank you Jesus, for with you...ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE!

Many many thanks to all you who have prayed and sent encouraging words throughout this journey. We still covet your prayers as we attempt to raise these three boys in the ways of the Lord. We will be posting updates to the blog on Elliott, Nicky and Ty's progress. HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

December 28, 2006

2006-12-28T16:39:00.000-08:00

The fight back to the United States makes for what seems like the longest day that could possibly be. We flew on AeroSvit at noon to JFK. The flight takes about 10 and a half hours and there is a 7 hour time change so you get in at about 4:00 PM New York time. Then we have a layover till our flight out to Richmond at 9:35 PM. We will get hom at about midnight.

Immigration started better than the last time - Elliott's entry was in the US Computer system. Unfortunately about 30 other folks needed to be fingerprinted at the same time so it took a couple of hours before we got to the Jet Blue Terminal. The layover is going fast - they have free wireless and plug ins for the laptop!!!

Elliott and I are both just beat!! Can't wait to get home and shower and sleep!

Thanks to all who prayed for us!! God is awesome!!!

December 27, Again

2006-12-27T10:22:00.000-08:00

The crisis is over!! God is soooo good!! All afternoon I was concerned that we weren't going to make the flight but I KNEW that God had come through so many times! It's like I tell Nicky all the time "Trust Papa!" I called the embassy at 3:30 and they told me that there was a problem. I thought to my self - keep your cool! But find out what is going on - I will need to know the entire story! So I asked to talk to someone who was familiar with what the situation was. I was put on hold for about 20 minutes - all the while I was trying to pray - more for my anger than for a solution to the problem. After the hold, the lady came back on and apologized for the wait and said I could come down and pick it up!!!! I thought for a nano second that I wanted to know what was going on but then I had a divine revelation - Ignorance is bliss!!!! So we are outta here at noon tomorrow.

To cap it off - we met Olas for supper. I was sooo happy to see him. The evening just flew by - I would still bethere laughing and talking but he had to catch a plane. Here is a picture of all of us!!! Thank you, Lord for Olas!! He makes you want to adopt more kids just so you can spend time with him!!!

Next stop - JFK and US Citizenship for Elliott!

December 27, 2006

2006-12-27T03:50:00.000-08:00

Got up early and went to the US Embassy at 8:30 AM. It was nice because only a few people have been given appointments over the holidays. We were expected and all went well until our interview. I was told that since Elliott was 16, a check with the Department of Homeland Security was needed. the Embassy had initiated the check last week and they still have not received the results. This is not the Ukraine Police Check that they require - Yuri had gotten that completed last week. The embassy official said that they had put an urgent trace on it yesterday and told me to call back at 4 PM. If it isn't there then we can check at 8 AM. Please pray that this is received as our flight is at noon tomorrow.

Elliott has been practicing his English using the Rosetta Stone software that his sister Tobi and brother-in-law Tommy bought for him. His pronunciation of all words except those with a 'th' in them is great!

Had lunch at McDonalds for a second day in a row!! Had supper at Da Mario's last night - I really love that restaurant!! The grilled salmon is to die for.

December 24 & 25, 2006

2006-12-26T03:51:00.000-08:00

December 24 and 25, 2006
I left Richmond, Virginia, at 2:35 PM on Christmas Eve day. I arrived at JFK at 4:00, got my luggage and went to the AeroSvit ticket counter in terminal 4. I was through security and at the gate by 5:15. I thought the airport was crowded for Christmas Eve! The Flight to Kiev was packed. I had a middle seat in the last section - between two Ukrainians. I felt really crowded - they slept and I had a hard time sleeping! I think I got about an hour's sleep. I arrived in Kiev at noon on Christmas day which is actually just another business day in Ukraine! It took about 45 minutes to get through customs and Nicholi met me at the arrival area.

Nickoli took me to Steve Weber's home at the CBN complex where Elliott had been staying for the last four days. He had been in Kiev for about a week. I met Steve's wife and their six children (three natural and three adopted). Their kids are beautiful, very friendly and just a lot of fun. Their littlest one is Andre and he is three and a half - he is soooo cute! They made me feel so welcome that I forgot Nicholi was waiting for me! I was kinda punchy anyway from being up so long. Yuri called me and told me that we had an appointment at 8:30 AM for the medical.

This is a picture of a hotel across the street from our apartment. It was snowing lightly all night and it felt very Christmassy for being away from home probably cause I was with my son!

December 26, 2006
Elliott and I woke up at 7:30 and got dressed and went looking for a placed to have breakfast. I forgot all about the appointment - probably because of the jet lag. I figured I had my phone and they would call me if they needed me. When Elliott and I got back to the apartment, Yuri called and said we were late!!! He didn't have my cell phone number. Yuri got us in for the medical even though we were late and we completed that at noon.

We had lunch at McDonald's (See the picture) - different from the one I had been to before and Nicholi will pick us up at 2:30 PM to get the medical results. Embassy tomorrow and then we're outa here Thursday

Elliott is in Kiev

2006-12-18T05:53:00.000-08:00

We received an E-Mail Saturday night from Steve Weber in which he said that Elliott was now in Kiev. That was such exciting news. I (Dave) was concerned that someone was going to have to take a copy of the Birth Certificate to Berdyansk before he could leave. I am sure we will have to ensure that a copy gets to the orphanage but there won't be a time constraint on it. I have E-mailed Yuri (Project Manager from SENSE) with my itinerary and things should go smoothly.

Praise God for his provision!!

Plans Made for Return Trip

2006-12-06T04:49:00.000-08:00

We heard from Oles and made arrangements to return to Kiev to get Elliott. Unfortunately we won't return before Christmas but we know that God's timing is always perfect! Dave will fly to Kiev - leaving the 24th of December and arrive Christmas day. We will get the embassy and medical done on the 26th and have a grace day on the 27th. Our return flights are on the 28th! Kathie and Nicky are going to celebrate Christmas in Illinois. We are making the necessary arrangements to get Elliott to Kiev so that this will be a quick trip. Please pray that all goes smoothly!!!

Good News on Thanksgiving Day

2006-11-27T11:15:00.000-08:00

We heard from Oles on Thanksgiving day. He was able to get the Moldovan court to process an order to change Elliott's birth certificate. Now we are in the 20 day waiting period which will end on December 13th! We are now working on the schedule of events fro my return to Ukraine to get Elliott. I should be able to pick him up in Kiev and do the Medical and Embassy visits in just a few days and then fly home with him before Christmas. We are soooo excited!

I have gotten Nicky and Elliott added to my medical insurance and we got a SSN for Nicky - all you need for the SSN is your ID (driver's license or passport) and the child's passport. We went to the SSN Administration office so we wouldn't have to mail the original passport. Nicky got a physical for school last week and started in the fifth grade today!!

Please keep us in your prayers as we make arrangements to get Elliott - God has been so good to meet all of our needs this far that we know he will do an awesome job in this last step to get Elliott!

Nov 17, THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE HOME…

2006-11-19T17:12:00.000-08:00

We made it!!!!!!!! After an 11 hour flight from Kiev to JFK we will thrilled to be off the plane onto American soil! I can’t believe how excited I was when the immigration guy spoke English and welcomed us back! People were actually saying “excuse me and sorry” if they entered into your personal space and the highway and loving American restrooms! Customs and immigration was a breeze. We rented a car and drove the 7-hour trip to Williamsburg arriving exhausted and exhilarated at 1:30 p.m. (8:30 a.m. in Ukraine). Nicky slept the entire time in the car and we woke him up about 15 minutes before we got to the house. He was so excited! Dave went straight to bed so he could get a few hours in before going to work (I know, he is a crazy man). Nicky and I stayed up for a few hours. I just reveled in being home and Nicky explored. He kept saying “Wow”! As we have said before, he has a very curious nature. I’ve decided that could be to our advantage and we are getting older and keep forgetting where we put things!

Nicky couldn’t wait to see Tyler and neither could we. He got off the bus and came running from down the street. Nicky yelled “Tyler” and Tyler yelled “Nicky”. They ran into each other’s arms and hugged what seemed to be a long time (especially for Ty). It was so good to see him. They immediately started playing, going from one thing to another and haven’t stopped since!

We prayerfully wait with hope to hear from Olas next week. He will be meeting with Moldova Vital statistics and possibly some judges on Tuesday.

Nov 15, CBN Visit

2006-11-19T17:09:00.000-08:00

Today we were invited to go to the CBN offices. Karen Springs invited us but then she called this morning and said she was ill. Natalia called and said she would meet us there and to not tell Nicky – she wanted to surprise him. Karen gave us directions to take the subway and we were off! The subway is very crowded and busy all day long. It was easy to find the CBN offices and Nicky was very excited. He was here last year for practice prior to going to the states. He was very surprised to see Natalia and it was like old home night as he talked to everyone. Natasha (the narrator from the Old Russian Shoemaker) kept him while we met with Steve Weber. Steve was very interested in our experience and asked what was going on with Elliott. He offered to get Elliott from the orphanage and he or someone from CBN would keep him till we returned. He even called the orphanage director to pave the way. We went back to the apartment via the subway and got the court decree and headed back to CBN. When we went to the notary – she said we needed some Ukrainian tax ID number to complete the Power of Attorney and we were all stumped. We were late for a meeting with the SENSE people to get a power of attorney for Olas to go to Moldova and get the BC. So we asked if they could also do the Power of Attorney for Elliott to go to CBN. They did it and the P of A is at Sense’s office and Steve will pick it up tomorrow. God is good!!!

Nov 14, Tickets to Fly Home!

2006-11-14T04:37:00.000-08:00

We have tickets to fly home!! We will be flying on Thursday 11/16. It is a direct flight from Kiev to JFK. We leave at noon and arrive in the USA at 3:30 p.m. We will rent a car and drive to Williamsburg. While getting the tickets, Nicky was right next to the agent and asking her questions and following her around as she processed our request. The next thing you know she was pulling out travel brochures of Finland and Alaska. Before we left, he asked for her business card. I think he swung a deal for his summer vacation next year! We have decided that he talks more than Grandma Snoz and Tyler combined! As much as we want him to learn English, we have our concerns!

Went to dinner with Karen Springs who works for CBN, Kiev with adoptions. She wanted to meet us and hear our adoption story. She is an American but speaks Russian so Nicky had a great time with her. When we departed he warned her about going back to her apartment by herself. He gave her some martial arts moves in case she was assaulted! Needless to say, she was entertained by him the entire night! See the picture!

We went to the US Embassy this morning to get a permanent Visa for Nicky. After submitting the forms and being interviewed by a consular, they kept Nicky’s passport until the process is complete at 4 PM. Nicky was not happy to leave without his passport. There was a lot of traffic around the embassy and the streets are narrow. The accepted protocol is to drive with one set of wheels on the sidewalk (see picture)! Great for the cars; not so great for pedestrians!
We are getting tickets for the Opera tonight – Don Quihote! If I can find the ticket office! I’m sure Nicky will help!

Nov. 13, Medical Approval Granted

2006-11-13T05:04:00.000-08:00

Yuri (The project manager for our adoption agency) picked us up and took us to the Medical Center to get Nicky’s physical. Nicky had to have a Hepatitus B shot. Evidently, it is a new law for children over the age of 10. The Doctor said he will need to get 2 more Hep B booster shots when in America to complete the series. Hopefully, tomorrow Olas will arrive with the new birth certificate, we will go to the American Embassy and obtain a visa for Nicky. We have made a decision to all come home this week (hopefully) and Dave will return as soon as possible to get Elliott.

Here are two pictures, one is Nicky cooking yaitzak (eggs) for him and me and in the other I am teaching him to floss (I never did it much at that age!!). Nicky is soo good - he cooks, does the laundry and vacuums!

Once again, thank you so much for all your encouraging words and your prayers. We know God is at work and his ways are perfect. We may not understand His plan, but we know we can trust it to be better for us than anything we could devise for ourselves.

Hebrews 11:1 says “What is faith? It is the confident assurance that something we want is going to happen. It is the certainty that what we hope for is waiting for us, even though we cannot see it up ahead.
Until tomorrow…

Nov 12, In Kyiv

2006-11-13T05:01:00.000-08:00

After an overnight train ride we arrived in Kiev at 6 a.m. We were greeted by a driver and taken to an apartment. It is so nice to have some room! It is very cold here and snowed today (but no accumulation). We spent the day getting settled, going to the grocery store, internet café and McDonalds! Nicky was very happy because he loves french fries! He has ordered them for every meal we have had with him since we got here! We can’t seem to talk him out of ordering them especially with the language barrier! For dinner we went to the Italian restaurant, DaMario’s that we enjoyed so much when first arriving in Kiev. The waitresses were all entertained by Nicky and WHATEVER he was saying to them. He had them teaching him fancy folds with the dinner napkins!

Nicky gets a Passport

2006-11-12T03:21:00.000-08:00

Well, Olas got the Ukraine passport for Nicholas David Schweickert today. He still has to get the BC authenticated Monday and then he will carry it to Kiev. We got tickets for tonight’s train to Kiev (we left Olas behind to finish BC) and are headed there to get Nicky’s medical and get a VISA for him from the US Embassy. Olas will come to Kiev on Monday with the BC and go to Moldova on Tuesday and see what is up there. If he can get Elliott’s BC done in a few days we may all wait. It is a possibility that Kathie and Nicky will come home later this week.

Nov. 10, Nicky says "Goodbye Berdyansk!"

2006-11-12T03:13:00.000-08:00

What a day!! I have to start with what Olas did last night. He searched out a cab that would take us to Zaporozhye, back to Berdyansk, and then a final trip to Zaporozhye. The cab had to be reliable and big for all us and our luggage. Here is the proposed itinerary: (keep in mind that it normally takes 2 ½-3 hours to get to Zaporozhye!) Olas and I would embark on this journey at 6 am to go to the Birth Certificate (BC) lady in Zaporozhye to get her written approval to make a new BC for Nicky. Go Berdyansk to court house, vital statistics and get Nicky out of the orphanage in time to make a 2nd trip to Zaporozhye to finalize Nicky’s passport and make the 7 p.m. train to Kiev.

Olas found the perfect cab, so we all headed to bed to rest for our big day. At 0600, Olas and I went out of the hotel to find two different cabs there. Evidently the guy from the night before couldn’t make it. Instead there were two “not so nice cabs” (I’m being gracious) there. After talking to the drivers, I found out these weren’t the second or third choice either!! We ended up in a LADA (wonderful little cars that they are!!) that only ran on propane. We got to Zaporozhye at 9:30 got the paperwork done and Olas hired Berdyansk in 2 hours flat, hightailed it to court and then ran to the hall of records had just closed for lunch! We did not get Nicky and the luggage till 2 PM. But should be no problem getting back to Zaporozhye by 4 PM with the cab driver we had. Well, not exactly – The engine started to overheat as we left Berdyansk. After 5 stops to fill the radiator we realized that the water pump was shot. This guy still drove the car all the way to Zaporozhye with the temp gauge pegged although he could only get it up to 10 MPH. Not too mention that he also took a wrong turn and we went 100 kilometers out of the way! The cab driver finally gave up and order us another cab on the outskirts of the city. Needless to say, the BC authentication is on hold till Monday. We arrived at 7 p.m. and waited 30 minutes to get our room at the “Hotel Intertourist”.

Leaving Elliott was very sad. We all tried to be brave but it wasn’t easy. We are still trusting God to bring it to fruition and are thankful he we were able to go to court and adopt before his 16th birthday.

We met American families (in hotel lobby)from Indiana & Ohio in process of adoption. They are still waiting on paperwork and they came just to visit their soon to be adopted children.
Nicky has been so excited since he left the orphanage he can hardly stand it. The 3 of us were in a half of the back seat in the taxi to Zap for 5 hours and he didn’t even care. He kept saying “Hello America” with tons of hugs, kisses and smiles! Our first night in the hotel with him was priceless. When it came time for bed, he got out his Bible and read for about 15 minutes, knelt by the bed and folded his hands and prayed. God was smiling and so were we.

Nov. 9, Miss Autumn Contest

2006-11-12T03:05:00.000-08:00

Today was a fun day at the orphanage. We went to the auditorium to watch the crowning of “Miss Autumn”. There were many performances and forms of entertainment. The ballet performed (Olga was beautiful), a solo from their beloved “Tolek” (Elliott), volunteers from the audience who came up and spoke, not sure what they said. It was a lot of fun to watch but Olas wasn’t there so I’m not sure I have the big picture! The boys also got their passport pictures taken today and were excited. Nicky has been asking when we are we going to America all the time now and Elliott ask today for the first time. I shrugged my shoulders and he shook his head to say he understood. It is heartbreaking. The passport issued was resolved FINALLY after Olas spent 3 hours with the notary. He is working hard all of our behalf. Tomorrow, we try to finalize paperwork in Zaporoshe and get Nicky out of the orphanage. It doesn’t look like Elliott will be leaving with us.

A BEND IN THE ROAD

2006-11-08T02:42:00.000-08:00

Yesterday when went to the Notary to sign a petition. When verifying our passports the notary found a discrepancy. FYI: Our old passports expired Nov 4, 2006, so we renewed them over the summer. We didn’t want to worry about not having them updated when we received an appointment to travel over here. When we started the adoption process in December 2005, we used our old passports for all the legal documents we had to complete and a copy of the old passports was included in our dossier. When the Notary was verifying our passports she found that we had renewed them. The Ukrainian law says that the passports have to match. Olas is trying to get around this today by creating and translating a petition with a copy of our new passports and running it though the legal system so that everyone is aware. Please pray for favor, that the new petition is accepted on every level and does not take us back to square one. The phone calls to Moldova continue.

The good news is that the Bruce’s were able to take their daughter from the orphanage last night! They left Berdyansk early this morning and are onto the final steps in Zaporozhye and Kiev and then home! We will really miss them and loved watching God’s hand at work in the adoption of Erin Taylor Bruce!

Included are some pictures of some children at the orphanage. I don’t think our suitcases are big enough to bring them all back but we would love to!

November 6, 2006, Happy 16th Birthday Elliott!!

2006-11-07T00:43:00.000-08:00

One day, when we walked into the restaurant for breakfast, a guy heard us talking and said in perfect english, "where are you from?" We were surprised so we invited him to sit at our table. His name is Yaroslav Ovsienko and he is actually a native Ukrainian!! He has a home in Washington state and Britian. Now get this – he is an interpreter for Scientech – a nuclear consulting company!! He has to translate terms like "Probabalistic Risk Assessment" and "HPSI"! How interesting that we run into someone from the nuclear industry in Berdyansk! He and his wife took Kathie and I to get a present for Elliott for his birthday, to get Kathie’s hair done (color & cut for $30) and to order pizzas for Elliott’s party at the orphanage.

Elliott had a great birthday! We got him couple of DVD’s and he wore his new coat and shoes back to the orphanage for his pizza party. (Can you tell he really loved his new clothes?) His classmates gathered for the celebration with, of course Nicky, who thinks he is as old as the others! You could tell the kids all loved each other a lot as they ate, talked and joked around. They gave Elliott a hand-made booklet. Each page was an outpouring of their love for him, including pictures, words of encouragement and past memories together. It will be a sad day for many when he leaves the orphanage.

These children, even though they are older, still long to have their own Mama and Papa and they all dream of coming to America. Unfortunately, in America you cannot be adopted from a foreign country after you reach the age of 16.

Olas called Moldova again and was told to call back tomorrow….

November 4, 2006, Lunch with the Orphan Director

2006-11-07T00:40:00.000-08:00

Galina the orphage director invited Olas, the Bruce’s and us for dinner. We ate together is a tiny room and some were not able to put their legs under the table. Tons of food was displayed on the table and the cook kept bringing more! Dave, being the good eater that he is, ate and ate and ate, accompanied by all the correct moaning noises. Galina watched in amazement, but with great approval! I really thought she liked me before the luncheon, but when she found out I was vegetarian and didn’t eat nearly as much as my husband she was concerned. Olas assured her that the boys would be able to eat meat and everything would be fine! (No smart comments back on the blog about my cooking or lack of it!)

Tobi has had trouble calling us and discovered that the phone number I posted ealier was missing a 3. The correct number is 38 (095) 849-91-70.

Fall Break Continues...

2006-11-04T23:29:00.000-08:00

November 3, 2006

The days are getting colder as we walk to and from the orphanage. Once again, we retrieved the boys and brought them back to the hotel for the day. When I was going over English words with them I had to lie between them on the bed because they would not quit wrestling and teasing each other! They also love to TRY to teach me Russian words as I am teaching them English. They say the word, I try to repeat the word. They fall out laughing! They repeat it slowly syllable by syllable, I repeat it again slowly syllable by syllable. Now, they are howling!! The picture is of Olas with the boys on our walk back from the orphanage. He really loves them and told us that they are such good boys he would have adopted them if we wouldn’t have!

The birth certificate issue is still an ISSUE that Olas continues to work on. He has called Moldova two days in a row and keeps getting the run around and told to call back tomorrow. He will call back once again on Monday. It continues to be a concern and a prayer request as we stand in faith and trust God.

As we walk through the orphanage each day we occasionally run into the toddlers. There are about 68 of them and they are in a section of the orphanage on the first floor. They are so adorable – they walk up to you and smile and grab your hand and call you mama and papa. Here is a picture of their lunchroom as they were setting it up.

When we shop for bananas and oranges for the kids, we found this indoor market not far from the hotel. They set up tables in the aisles and sell tea, candy, nuts, and all manner of commodities. On the far side they sell fish – we stay away from there because it smells a little rank. Here is a picture of Kathie’s favorite section!!

Day 2 of 10

2006-11-02T05:52:00.000-08:00

We have settled into a routine now in the city of Berdyansk, which is starting to feel like home. We picked up the laundry, had breakfast, shopped at the market and did our usual walk to the orphanage. We brought the boys back to the hotel spent the day just hanging out together. Every night we have dinner with the Bruce’s, Olas and all the kids. The cook’s specialty is a Caesar sald (different than in the States) but pretty good and a killer banana cake (with small cubes of ice cream and raspberry sauce). It is hard for any of us to pass on it. The size of the portion is the same as for ordering wine – either 100 or 200 (grams for cake, ml for wine). I’ll let you guess what size of cake Dave orders.

Transportation in Ukraine:
No Pickup trucks - only old little cars that have seen better days (like the hearse in the picture). There seems to be two kinds of busses – large busses like city buses and overgrown vans that appear to be private ventures. I have seen one or two large buses like tour busses but there were no markings on them. Many of the busses and cars run on LNG – you can see the cylinders attached to the top of the busses, the cylinders in the taxis are in the trunk. Vehicles have the right of way unless you are in a crosswalk – always look both ways before venturing out on the street. Twice I have been a few feet from the curb when the light changed and the car waiting on me honked and started moving toward me – one of the two actually ran into me before stopping with the horn going all the time (it is a little unnerving!!). They will hit you with their car but they don’t want to harm you – that is against the law! I have only seen one cop since I’ve been here. If they stop you for speeding, you give them 10 grivnas ($2) and you’re on your way again. No one parks on the sidewalk in Berdyansk, they only do that in Kiev (pronounced "keve"). Many people walk or ride these very old bikes. It seems to me that all the bikes have about half the tire pressure they really need (maybe because the roads are so bad). Many of the manholes are missing the covers – in these situations, someone has placed some tree limbs or long boards in them sticking up so they are noticeable.

Day 1 of 10

2006-11-01T01:06:00.000-08:00

We went to the orphanage around 1100. We needed to fill out a petition that would allow us to get the boys each day this week – it is fall break for school! We picked up the boys and walked back to the hotel. We found out that the boys can go to town whenever they want to. If they are going to be gone for a meal they need to let the caretakers know. So they have walked this route many times – I thought we were giving them a new experience!!!

We taught the boys to play Rumikub – a tile rummy game. Olas helped us – he has a great sense of humor and he is very competitive. The boys loved the game and we didn't need to speak the same language to play!

Elliott had to leave a little early because he had a league basketball game. So he left about 40 minutes before we had to take Nicky back. Elliott wanted to walk back alone – he knew the way and he had done it many times. Kathie stayed at the hotel and I walked Nicky home around 5:30. He wanted to lead and show me the way he goes to the orphanage. He is so independent!!! I’ll bet he feels like he is adopting us!!! I guess it is all in your point of view.

SUCCESSFUL COURT DATE!

2006-10-30T23:18:00.000-08:00

This picture was taken waiting outside the courtroom. After a tedious and very interesting court hearing the judge deemed us fit parents and granted the adoption of Elliott Andre Schweickert and Nicholas David Schweickert! We are all thrilled! We still do not know how the birth certificate situation for Elliott is going to play out. It is too complicated to journal but we are standing in faith that it will work out for the good of our entire new family and for the glory of God, who IS in control! Our facilitator, Olas will start making inquiries to Moldova today. He told Elliott that it is possible that he could have to stay here for a while why the birth certificate issue gets straightened out. I ask Elliott how how he felt about that and he said he has waited 15 years, he can wait a few more months if he has to. I love that kid! While we wait…we have peace. I know that probably seems crazy…but that’s God for you! Giving you peace when you shouldn’t have any. Please continue to stand in faith with us and believe that God is going to finish what he started.

Happy 10th Birthday Tyler!!!

2006-10-29T23:01:00.000-08:00

Hi Tyler!!

The picture is of the boys holding a sign that says "Happy Birthday Tyler" in Russian. Notice the boys have the hats on that you picked out for them! We love you so much Ty and are sorry we are not there to help you celebrate your birthday! God has truly blessed us with the BEST grandson in the world!! We will all celebrate when we get home and I’ll make you fudge.
Love,
Nan Nan and Papa

October 28, 2006

2006-10-29T03:03:00.000-08:00

The children spent the day with us took them to the waterfront, as the sea is a big tourist attraction in the summer. It is the first time we have ventured there. It is the upscale section of the city (you wouldn’t know you were in Berdyansk) with shops, restaurants and monuments. As we walked past the Vital Statistic Office, we saw several wedding couples coming and going. Olas informed us that in the Ukraine you have to go to Vital Statistic and do a legal wedding ceremony first, then if you choose you can have a church ceremony afterwards. The first wedding ceremony is not optional.

We got our pictures taken in the "wishing chair." The idea is to sit in the chair and touch a place (that is marked) that is about where your shoulders would be. I was just wishing I could get my hand back there!

We tried a couple of restaurants at the waterfront but couldn’t get in because of preparing for big parties, probably the weddings we saw earlier so we went back to our safe haven – the hotel restaurant!! It was the first time we had ate a meal with Elliott and were interested to see what he liked and how much he ate. Remember he is a very active teenage boy! He ordered 4 courses and we watched as he enjoyed it all! Nicky is not quite as big of eater but really enjoys his food. They ate until they were stuffed! Olas translated to us that he told them that they ate like horses and they laughed. I had them tell them that Mama was worried, and that really made them laugh! They really thought that was funny. We went back to our tiny abode that we now know as home and hung out together. We looked at pictures, played music, watched soccer and worked with beginner flashcards in English. It was really fun just relaxing together.

We walked the boys back to the orphanage around 5. Elliott showed us a few more short cuts – they both seem pretty familiar with the area. We all four held hands all the way back, the boys between us and and they sang the whole way! I raced Nicky up to the top of the bluff – I’m not fast but I have more brute force in the short haul – I even beat him (not by much though). There are acting like true siblings…teasing each other. They were calling each other Blondeska and Brunetteski (I’ll let you figure out which was which). As we got close to the orphanage, we came upon two of their friends. They wanted to show us their talents! It was dusk out but that did not keep these boys from performing all kinds of acrobats on the roofs of some very old & rusty metal garages! The finale was when one of them dismounted with a back flip from the roof! It scared us to death!

A little more about Berdyansk:
There are stores everywhere. They all consist of small shops that deal in one type of commodity except there are some small stores that sell a variety of items – like a 7-11 only much, much smaller. Even the mall consists of small shops. The marketplace opens at 7 so they set up starting at 5 or 6 and then they close shop at 2. Since the marketplace is huge and each booth has to set up, it is pandemonium while that is going on – all the proprietors are pushing these carts to their cars/houses/storage areas. You can get really good deals on clothes – a coat for the boys cost about $20 US and a leather woman’s coat cost about $80. The women’s coats are absolutely gorgeous and a huge variety to choose from. They have vendors on the street that sell these gorgeous flowers – roses and several others that I cannot name. They sell parakeets and other pets along the roads also. Old women sell baked goods (mostly large cakes that look like carrot cakes) and they sit at the same place every day and probably have for years. I wonder what would happen if someone new would try to move into their territory!

October 27, 2006

2006-10-28T00:11:00.000-07:00

Today all of us (the Bruce’s and the Schweickert’s) walked to the orphanage through the cemetery. Olas explained to us the significance of the tables in the plots. Around Easter each year, the families of the deceased bring food and vodka to the plot. They set a place for the deceased and then they eat and drink. Then they leave food and a drink for the deceased when they leave. Kinda like leaving cookies for Santa but I wonder who ultimately drinks the "wodka"???

There is no place to sit on the playground so when we sit with the boys we sit on a pipe that is mounted about 6 inches above the ground (see pic). Yesterday we spent the majority of our time at the orphanage sitting on the pipe trying to communicate with the boys through our Russian/English dictionary one word at a time! It will be so good when we speak the same language!

Today we spent our day at the orphanage on the playground in the gym with the boys. A group of boys (around Nicky’s age) hang out with us everyday and we are getting better acquainted with them. They all are calling us Mama and Papa and one of them gave us a hand written card with all four of our names and the words love, family and happiness. They really are happy for the boys and dream that someday it will be their turn.

PLEASE pray for God’s favor for court on Monday. Olas is going to ask for "immediate execution" so he can proceed with the birth certificate issue during the 10 day waiting period. Many thanks and blessing to all for BELIEVING GOD with us in this!

Just a little info about the Hotel Berdyansk:
They haven’t turned on the heat (hot water) in the hotel yet (still mild outside – 45 to 70). I heard they were working on it yesterday. To compensate, they have these neat sheets that are like an envelope and a blanket fits in them – they are very warm but you don’t want to get out of bed in the morning! The hotel room is the size of a cruise ship room except there is no place to put your clothes. There is a small wardrobe that barely holds the coats. We are getting the room for about $28 a night and that includes breakfast. They have laundry service but it is expensive so I do the underwear and hang it to dry and send out the pants and shirts. It appears that all the rooms on this floor (11th) have been remodeled recently. They have two elevators but the operating mechanism has no intelligence – when you press the call button only that elevator will come and if it is in use, you may have to press it again! We have a TV that gets 30 channels; mostly US reruns dubbed in Russian. They do have Discovery and Animal Planet – Its funny to see Orange County Choppers with the characters speaking Russian!!! There is an Internet area in the lobby with 5 computers. It is slow – about the speed of dialup, but it is cheap – about one dollar per hour. They also have wireless set up on the 10th floor. I can pick up the signal by the elevator but if I walk down to the 10th I get 52 mbs. It is more expensive - about five dollars per hour. The restaurant in the lobby is good – just need to order at least an hour before you want to eat and they have it already to go – if you wait till you want to eat it takes a long time – they only have a four burner stove. There are many good restaurants in Berdyansk. Dinner with a glass of wine costs us about $20 to $30 with tip. Tips of 10% are huge!!

COURT HAS BEEN DELAYED

2006-10-26T00:49:00.000-07:00

Our court date has been delayed until Monday, October 30th. Unfortunately, the SDA could not read the Moldovian birth certificate of Elliott’s. It is neither in Russian nor Ukrainian. After jumping through some hoops, it was submitted correctly this past Monday. It takes one week from the time submitted, so hopefully it will arrive by train next Monday. We are disappointed, as this delays the process at least 3 more days. We haven’t told the boys yet and we are not looking forward to it as they are so anxious to go! We believe God’s hand will be moved as we pray about the completion of this birth certificate issue. Please join us.

We found a short cut to the orphanage through the cemetery. It only cut off about 5 minutes but Kathie didn’t have to look down the entire time for potholes and broken sidewalks and their cemetery is very interesting. The bigger plots (10’ X 10’) have a little table and bench in them – I guess so you can have lunch with your deceased relative or friend. Some of the smaller ones don’t include the bench but a high (bar) table – maybe for just sharing a beer and shot of vodka (very ukrainian)! I don’t know how they get to some of the plots as other plots surround them and most of them have fences. Most of the monuments are made of metal and many of them have pictures of the deceased on the monument. The picture makes the cemetery look nicer than it really is – most of the plots are overgrown with weeds and the monuments are rusty. The entire cemetery is surrounded by metal garages. Since most people live in apartments, this is where they park their cars.

These girls were watching on the playground as Kathie hung out with Nicky and Elliott’s friends. As soon as all the boys went off to play soccer she motioned for them to come over and they came running. As with the boys, they just wanted to be show love.
The girls are all 11 years old.

October 23

2006-10-24T10:00:00.000-07:00

When adopting boys from the orphanage your days as you wait tend to be centered around physical activity! It was a nice day so we spent our time again outside on the playground!
Many of the boys hung out with us. The average age was 11 years. They want smiles, hugs and just to be noticed. They saw Dave give me a Listerine Breath Strip and the next thing you know they all wanted one. It was hysterical watching their reaction as they let it dissolve in their mouths! It was a big hit and Nicky pleaded with us to bring more with us tomorrow.

I was starting to get concerned because Elliott was still not back yet from going to see his sister, Roslanna. Then, out of nowhere, someone was tapping on my shoulder from behind and I turned around to see Elliott with a big smile! I screamed and he laughed! We were so happy that he returned safely. Nicky was like an appendage to his side, jumping on him and talking a mile a minute, telling him everything that had happened since he left! Elliott told us his sister signed a paper saying she had no objection to him being adopted, which made me feel both happy and sad. Roslanna is 4 years older than Elliott which is the same age difference between Tobi and Spencer. I think of how sad Tobi has been without her brother around. Elliott’s Mother died from a blow to the head when he was only 4 years old. Roslanna was taking care of him because the Father wasn’t. They both ended up in the orphanage (the Father has since passed away). Roslanna is now married with a baby girl but not able to take care of her little brother. Even if you have not been orphaned, it is very difficult to survive here. His sister would not object, because she knows there is no hope for him here, but how hard it must have been to say Goodbye.

The picture is of Sasha, Nicky’s best friend at the orphanage. He is also 12 years old. He has been in the orphanage since he was 3. He is as sweet as he looks. Please pray for a family for him. May God in His great mercy rescue them all.

Until tomorrow…
We love hearing from everyone and asking the Lord to bless those who are praying so diligently for us.

2006-10-22T08:51:00.000-07:00

October 21, 2006
We had a grand time today. We took Nicky out of the orphanage for the first time! We arrived at the orphanage with Victor and the Bruces at 10 AM and met with the orphanage director, Galina. She had us fill out a petition to take the children Saturday and Sunday. The Ukrainians seem to have a thing about these petitions – and they have to be hand written. I would have thought they would have a standard form as each couple that comes to adopt has to complete one. After many instructions we were finally free to take them with us for the day!
We all went shopping at the market. The open-air market is huge but very cramped. There are several hundred individual, small, tented shops (10 ft square) in the market and they sell everything from clothes to building materials. There are a few small buildings in the middle that were heated. Nicky told us he knew the market (when he was on the streets) like the back of his hand . We were on a quest to get him some shoes to wear home. He was VERY particular (not surprising after the whole Leonardo thing) and ended up at the end of the day with a pair of "Puma" tennis shoes for 60 grivna (12 bucks) and absolutely thrilled! He put them on immediately and could not stop grinning from ear to ear!
All of us had lunch together at the hotel café. There were 8 of us in all and it took about 2 hours to complete. No one eats together as the food comes out as it is individually prepared… and there was only one cook!

Testosterone

2006-10-20T03:16:00.000-07:00

October 20, 2006 We have a Court Date!

It’s me, Kathie. Praise be to God we will go to court on Friday, October 27th at 4 p.m.
The 10 day waiting period following will be up on November 7th. Elliott’s 16th birthday is November 6th! We did not expect to be able to get the court date until Monday, October 30th, so once again God’s timing is perfect and He has granted us favor!

My prayer request today concerns my husband. He is trying to keep up with the boys and behaving like he was 16 again. So far he has played soccer, basketball, did cartwheels in the orphanage hallways and climbed a rope 20 feet up straight up! I realize we are not yet “Abraham and Sarah” but neither are we TARZAN and Jane!

Yesterday we walked to the orphanage (45 minutes) and played with the boys. Elliott left last night to go to Mariupol (1 hour away) to visit his sister at her request. He went with our facilitator, Olas by cab, as Olas was leaving on the train to Kiev (with our paperwork). I was immediately concerned about this trip. Has he ever done this before? How would he get back to the orphanage, would he know phone numbers to call if he got lost, etc. It is not that we aren’t happy for him to go but the “Mama” thing kicked in! Then I remembered that God knew exactly where he was going and how he would get back and I just needed to pray and TRUST. Will I ever really grasp that concept?

Medicals

2006-10-18T01:46:00.000-07:00

October 18, 2006 Yesterday was a great day. I (Dave) went with Olas to get the boys their medical exams. The picture is of the boys as I waited with them at the hospital. We spent the better part of the day going different places for different signoffs. The picture of the little girl was in the morning at the orphanage dispensary after she got a shot. She was crying a little. I wanted to pick her up and comfort her but I didn’t know if that was allowed. After I took her picture, she walked down the hall by herself to another room. It was so sad to see her so alone. As we were leaving a group of three-year-olds was going down the hall to another room. The little boys had shorts on with leggings on under them (it is rather chilly in the orphanage as they haven’t turned the heat on yet). They were all smiling and they were so cute!!! I can see why they say to fill out the paperwork for one more than you think you’re going to get! I’d have a half a dozen by now if it weren’t for the fact that I wouldn’t leave until March!

We found out this morning that our paperwork will not make it to Kiev until Friday, which could delay our court date until Monday (10-30) instead of Friday (10-27). Please pray that the judge will grant us favor to have court on October 27th, as well as the birth certificate issue for Andre….oops, I mean Elliott! By the way, Nick wants to be called “Nicky”, not Nicholas or Nick. Kathie says she doesn’t care what he is called as long as it isn’t Leonardo! By the way, Leonardo isn’t the Decaprio or Devinci Leonardo; it’s the teenage mutant ninja turtle Leonardo!! Just wanted to set the record straight.

We can receive e-mails through our cox accounts. Thanks for your comments and prayers!

Time with the Boys!

2006-10-16T07:11:00.000-07:00

We got to see the boys!! We were taken to the orphanage about 2 PM and we met with the orphanage director. We went over the boys files. The director (Galena) started to cry when she opened Andrey's file (she was very happy he was being adopted. She has a real heart for getting the boys adopted. Then they brought the boys in and they were shocked!! I hugged Andrey so hard I thought his head would explode!! Then the boys had to write a document stating that they wanted to be adopted in their own handwriting. They also had to pick a name cause the name had to be in the document. Kolya wanted "Leonardo" but we talked him into "Nick". Andrey liked Elliott so... from now on they are Nicholas David and Elliott Andre Schweickert!! We are so happy we haven't stopped smiling all afternoon!

Tomorrow will be Medicals for the boys.!!

Praise God for the joy we've had today!!!!!

Berdyansk

2006-10-15T23:51:00.000-07:00

This morning we went to the Inspector's office with the Bruces. The inspector took the Bruces to the orphanage and said we had to wait till they get back - about 11 AM. Our facilitator went to the orphanage to get some paperwork that needs to be notorized and will meet ua back at the hotel around 10. We should be able to see the boys today!! They still don't know we are here!

Here are a few pictures. The view of Berdyansk is taken from our room on the 11th floor and the Restaurant is in Kiev were we ate supper all three nights (they had an english menu and lots of vegetarian selections!).

Please pray that we find a notory this morning and that we get to see the boys today! God is great!!

In Berdyansk

2006-10-15T06:58:00.000-07:00

October 15, 2006 We arrived in Berdyansk at about 10 AM. We can't believe we are so close to the boys! We won't be able to see them until tomorrow because we have to see the Inspector\Social Worker\Lawyer. It's a real taese being this close. We may go check out the orphanage and maybe we'll see them!

We took the train from Kiev to Mariupol and then took a car to Berdyansk. The train was different from any train I rode in the US. The room had two bench seats and two bunks up above. There were rolled up mattresses and pillows and we rented bed linens and towels. The real kicker was the restroom. The toilet dumps right on the track and you are not supposed to use it while stopped at the station. Because the train bounces all over the place, it appears that most folks have a hard time hitting the stool - in other words the floor is always wet and stinks!! You have to hold onto the bars on the window to maintain your balance.

The car to Berdyansk was a real introduction to Ukrainian driving. To pass you get right behind the car in front of you and that person moves to the edge of the road and then you zip around him - if a car or bus is coming in the other direction then they also move to the edge. Then you floor the peddle and see how fast you can go. We road in an old VW rabbit that didn't quite have enough room for our luggage and the facilitator. So we had to pack luggage in the back seat with Kathie and I. It was an intimate ride. If we were gonna die, we were going together for sure!! Speed limit signs are mere suggestions and this guy was going double + the limit. It took less than an hour to go the 62 miles and that included stopping to get directions to the hotel.
The Hotel is fairly nice. We are on the 11th floor and have a stunning view of the sea of Azov. It is a sunny day and the bay that Berdyansk is on is beautiful!. The Bruces are right next door and it is a blessing to have them so close!

We can only praise God that we made it this far and are this close to meeting with the boys!

Going to Berdyansk

2006-10-14T02:52:00.000-07:00

We are waiting for the 3 pm train to berdyansk. We will arrive there about 11 am Sunday. We are praying that we can see the boys right away! Normally you have to get permission from an official on a working day. Praise God either way - He has gotten us this far He will complete the good work He has started!

In Kiev

2006-10-13T06:04:00.000-07:00

October 11, 2006
We arrived in Kiev on time as well as our luggage! We did not use the VIP service from the airport and yet we zipped in and out of the airport within an hour! After going to the SRC and meet Yuri and the gang we got settled in our apartment, which is fairly nice and spacious but have to agree with the Bruce’s…the elevator was interesting to say the least! We met the Bruce’s for dinner at a Italian restaurant (with an English menu) that met our dietary issues! We went to bed exhausted but amazed at the favor God has given us! Thank you for your prayers!!
October 12, 2006
We had our appointment with the SDA today. The good news is both boys ARE available for adoption now. The bad news is Andre does have a birth certificate from Moldova. We covet your prayers on this issue. A family adopting a girl from Russia found out today that her birth certificate may delay her coming to the states for up to 8 months. In the meantime she has already been adopted but unable to go home with her new parents until this birth certificate matter is taken care of. The Mother is coming back to the states tomorrow without her. We do not know if Moldova will have the same issue as Russia, but covet your prayers on this matter. We are praying there are NO hindrances and delays because of Andre’s birth certificate. Please join with us in prayer. Tomorrow we take the overnight train and hopefully will get to see the boys on Sunday afternoon!.
We had our cell phone activated. Our number here is 8 (095) 849-91-70. There is no charge to us for incoming calls. Please be mindful of the time change (7 hours) – call between 2 am and 2 PM your time!

In Vienna

2006-10-10T23:59:00.000-07:00

Here we are in Vienna! Seems like we flew all night but it was just 8 hours! It is 3 am in Virginia and 9 am here! The flight was great - good food, great service, lotsa movies and not much sleep. It is easy navigating the airport as all the signs are in English. Feels like we are home! One more flight at 10:30 and we will be in Kiev. Can't wait! Please pray for sleep for both of us - I feel like we will crash hard and soon!

On the road Tomorrow!

2006-10-09T05:55:00.000-07:00

We spent the weekend packing our suitcases. We still aren't finished but we have a very good start at it! What to take? That is the real question. We have food, clothes for the boys and some games that will help them with their English. Also, lots of books to read in our spare time. We hope to be able to spend time in Berdyansk with Gary and Beverly Bruce who left on Saturday. It is a special blessing to have someone we know there to share with. The Timmers let us borrow the cell phone they had purchased in Ukraine last year. When I get the simm card and know the phone number I will post it. Incoming calls are free for us!

Our church prayed for us at Sunday Services and we were really blessed by it.

We leave from Richmond at 2:30 PM Tuesday - Please pray for traveling mercies!! I understand that getting through customs is going to be a two hour ordeal!!

Continuing Preparations

2006-09-28T05:12:00.000-07:00

We are packing and planning! Thank God we know people that have been through this already! We bought a 29" Samsonite hardshell suitcase only to find out it won't fit into the taxis in Ukraine! We are returning that and borrowing some large duffles to take.

Food is also a concern. We have been told not to eat fresh vegetables while we are in Kiev because of the Chernoybl contamination. Kathie is a vegan and the only meat I eat is fish. We are taking energy bars and some freeze dried meals. I don't think we will starve!

We will be flying from from Richmond to dulles to Vienna to Kiev.

The unknown schedule of events is driving me nuts! Kathie keeps telling me that God has answered all of our prayers up to this point, there is no reason to believe that he won't continue to bless us as we travel. His timing for all the events to this point as been perfect! We were able to focus on the wedding without being bothered with the adoption and as soon as the wedding was over we received our appointment! I was concerned about the amount of time I needed to be off work and my supervisor and managers have been very supportive. I just need to calm down and know that God is in charge (Psalm 46:10, Be still, and know that I am God)

We Received An Appointment

2006-09-21T13:31:00.000-07:00

Kathie and I have been waiting since the end of March 2006 to receive an appointment from the Adoption Agency in Ukraine to start the adoption process. We have prayed for this opportunity every day! On September 19th, 2006, God answered our prayers and we were given an October 12 date. We will be setting out to adopt Kolya (age 12) and Andrey (age 15) on October 10th. We made our flight arrangements today and will be very busy for the next three weeks getting ready to go. Keep us in your prayers! Please pray specifically that we will be given an early court date and that the judge gives us favor.