I'm baaaaaaaaack!!!

I am finally able to post again. I have not been able to get online since last Wed. Ugh! I miss more modern technology.

So much to write about yet I don't know where to start. T.C. mentioned our outing this weekend to the castles. I will add that it was in the 90+ temp. and it was a WALKING tour! Ummm...we were all dying of heat. I have a hard time with long periods of time in the heat anyway..so needless to say I experienced heat exhaustion and was really sick when it was all said and done. I get major headaches in the heat and other things...which I will spare you details. Needless to say my prayer on the way back in the van was "oh God please don't let me get sick in the van...please"!!!!! :) I know we have mentioned the driving around here...so being sick with these drivers isn't a pleasant experience. Oh well, after about a 1/2 gallon of water and some Excedrin...I felt better after a couple of hours. I was glad that I made the trip when all was said and done. The castles were amazing, beautiful churches, wonderful scenery, etc.

Ruslan Clark's going away party was yesterday. It was crazy. The kids were so wound up. We brought them chocolates, juice, and cookies. (give them sugar and then let the caretakers suffer the consequences...) Today was day 11 for us after the court hearing. I will remove Ruslan from the orphanage in the morning. I am so excited about that. Ali and I have been in Ukraine for 3 weeks today. Just ask me how homesick I am! I have enjoyed Ukraine and all....but there is nothing like home. I miss so many things....especially my husband.

The party yesterday was such an amazing experience, despite the sugar levels. All of those children are so in need of human touch. They all want to be held, touched, loved on, etc. Mom sat on a couch and several children wanted their turn to sit on her lap. One little boy wanted to sit as close as he could to her...it was precious....but heart breaking at the same time. I want to take them all home. There are so many children at the orphanage that are so full of life, smiles, and love....but they don't have anyone to love them back...wow! To think about their futures is a sobering thought!

Please pray for our passport situation...well, not OUR passports, but Ruslan's passport. (and the other American family) See, recently the passports have changed and the new passports are taking longer to process. We were originally told we could wait an extra 10 days for his passport. Ummmm.....didn't make me happy! But our facilitators have worked SO hard for us and are trying to get that changed. In fact, in the morning one facilitator is waiting to hear if SOMEHOW we can get them in the same day. Please pray for that. If that could happen, we could drive to Kiev tomorrow or the next day to start our Embassy meetings to get the heck out here. That means we could possibly fly out this weekend...if we could find flights available. I will keep you guys posted....or T.C. will.

I will close for now. I need to go and pack our bags JUST IN CASE we leave for Kiev tomorrow. We get such short notice around here...better to be safe than sorry.

Anyway...again...tomorrow is freedom day for our son! YIPPY!

And on the tenth day...

...the children had a party! Today marked the tenth day since our adoption was ratified in court and so now is officially complete! No one came forward to object to the unpublished verdict of the judge, surprise, surprise--but we're not complaining. The kids at the orphanage had a party today for Ruslan, Artoom, and Katia, hosted by Rachel/Ali and Don/Jackie. Some chocolate and milk for the kids--champagne for the caregivers--and it sounds like everyone had a great time. When I talked to Rachel this morning (mid-afternoon for her), she wasn't sure whether or not young Clark would have to spend one more night at the orphanage or be able to come back to the hotel with her today. Either way, tomorrow begins the process of picking up birth certificates, applying for passports, requesting visas, and preparing to COME HOME!!!

While I don't have any pictures of the party to share with you (Rach's internet connection is still down), I did manage to find some pictures of the girls' weekend to show everyone. As you know on Saturday, all three families in Khmelnetsky took a castle-hunting tour to the towns of Kamyanets-Podilsky and Chernivtsi, which are about 25km from the Romanian border. Here are some pictures I found online of the region and the castles they visted:

Castle in Kamyanets-Podilsky

Another picture of the castle...

Chernivtsi

BTW, all of these pictures are © by the US-Ukraine Foundation (i.e., I'm not stealing them!) and can be viewed here with lots of other great photographs. I highly recommend this site to everyone to get a taste of what a beautiful and diverse country Ukraine is We didn't get to all the regions with photos, but I can vouch for every picture of Kyiv that is shown...absolutely wonderful! These will have to suffice until the girls' internet connection is back up at the hotel or they get home, whichever comes first.

Rachel and Ali say to tell everyone hello and that they miss you and being able to read your comments here on the blog! They continue to be adventurous and find new places to eat, shop, and enjoy what little time they have away from the orphanage. At a Greek restaurant they wandered into to a few nights ago, they were getting stuck on the Ukrainian-only menu (i.e., no English), when they ran into our wonderful, somewhat-English speaking cab driver, Gnadi, who so faithfully drove us around town until someone rear ended his 26 year-old Mercedes two weeks ago...anyway, he stepped up and ordered for them and saved the day! Everybody enjoyed seeing him there as well as he quickly became our friend right after getting to town. His English, which is pretty good for someone who has never left continental Europe, the pride he took in his city (as evidenced by driving us by every WWII monument, cemetery, and memorial in town!), and the great gifts from all over Europe he and his wife sell at the local bazaar each Sunday (we bought a beautiful bronze crucifix from Germany), endeared him to us right from the start. He's really a pretty cool guy with a great sense of humor, and we're all praying his car gets fixed soon since driving is his livelihood.

Enough rambling for today. I won't leave you with any strange Ukrainian pop star videos today (though I do have a really funny Ukrainian Army recruiting video on my blog over here). Just some great pictures of castles I've never seen and some second-hand tales of children's parties and new friends...can you sense my jealousy at having to come home? Ahhh...Хорошо (it's ok).

Foreign Frivolity

Well, the girls haven't had an internet connection at the hotel for the past few days, so I figured I'd write a short blurb to fill everyone in on there news from our short phone calls each day (11pm in Houston / 7am in Kiev)...Rachel's mom arrived without incident on Thursday evening after two long flights and one harrowing van ride from Kyiv to Khelmetsky. Little Russie has thankfully not had any more quirky, ugly toddler days since Wednesday, which is good for Rachel et al since they have enough to deal with without a moody three year-old! Other than that, Rach reports more of the same--good times playing with and loving on Ruslan Clark, Ali being the hit of the orphanage, still not understanding exactly what they're eating all the time, and enjoying every minute of it all. As I just got off the phone with her (Saturday AM there), Rachel, Ali, and Alice (Rach's mom) are getting ready to head off for the day to visit castles in the southwestern part of the country...I'm totally jealous!

With most of my jet lag behind me now, I've had some time to post some videos from our trip...both of them comedies, of course. The first is Ali's YouTube debut (she's so totally impressed that she's on YouTube, grin) and is the direct result of long days in the heat, too much sugar, some strange French can-can influence, a bit of gangsta rap (huh?), and...of course...some Elvis thrown in for effect. [BTW, I had to rotate this video 90 degrees because I took it in 'portrait' mode, which YouTube didn't know how to handle...hence Ali looks a bit short and stout, sorry kiddo!] Enjoy...



This second video is all three of 'our' orphans (Russie [in blue] as well as Don and Jackie's two, Artoomie [in red] and Katia) being introduced to bubbles! It's really funny to watch them but at the same time points out a lot of the observations we've been writing about for days, like:

1. Ruslan's little giggle (he's the quiet laugh here and Artoomie is the loud one)
2. Boys acting like boys...trying to stomp, pop, and otherwise squash bubbles
3. All three of them pretty amazed by the novelty of everything
4. Boys getting clocked in the head and not missing a beat
   
5. The 'orphan toy swap'...actually an attempt by Artoom that fails and ends up in a great display of toddlerhood, kids are the same around the world

Anyway, enjoy this one too...



This last clip doesn't feature any of our clan or have anything to do with us except that it is Ukraine's entry in the 2007 Eurovision music competition. The singer Вєрка Сердючка (Verka Serduchka) is actually, ahem, a guy who started this 'Boy George meets Richard Simmons' act in college...frat boys are the same around the world too...just like toddlers. Anyway, this guy is on TV all the time and this song is wildly popular, in a sort of Russo-Germanic, pop-polka sort of way. I think the act is hilarious...and come to think of it, we did see a crew of cross-dressing types in Khelmetsky on a Monday afternoon, so maybe this does have something to do with our trip...anyway, Хорошо (it's ok!).

Chasing the sun...thoughts on travelling home

Well, I have made it home to TX, safe and sound, after a 100 mph cab ride across Ukraine, a jostling car tour through Kiev, two flights on Air France (the best airline food ever!), and a long night sleeping less than soundly in CDG airport in Paris on a huge couch with a bunch of other vagabonds. I've never spent any time in this house without the girls, but even with two completely neurotic cats here that won't let me out of there sight, it doesn't feel like home--three-fourths of my family is 6000 miles away!

Anyway, let me echo Rachel's humorous observations from Tuesday and make a few of my own titled, "Things I didn't miss while I was gone..."

1. Houston's weather...I guess I forgot how humid it was here, ugh!
2. American food...aside from the few moments we weren't sure what we were eating, the food in Ukraine is outstanding and inexpensive. Fast food? Didn't miss it.
   
3. Coffee...the guidebooks are wrong, good coffee is not hard to find in Ukraine. Good espresso costs about $0.40, can be found everywhere, and (get this) comes in a real cup...you actually must slow down and enjoy your coffee. None of that nonsensical four dollar StarBUCK$ in a paper cup!
4. Toilet paper...guidebooks were wrong here, the toilet paper in Ukraine is fine...if you can find it
5. American drivers...sure they're better than most drivers elsewhere in the world, except Germany (no, really, we do drive pretty well here compared to other nations), where else can driving 100 mph on the highway, passing people on the sidewalk, and driving the wrong way down a one-way street be considered 'good driving'? How exciting! The taxis should charge more and call it a 'thrill ride.'
6. Cable TV...who cares if I can't understand what's on? It mostly sounds like Charlie Brown's teacher here at home anyway!

As I was sitting in the airport this morning (Paris), I did think of one thing I missed about the States. You're going to think me a total redneck to saying this, but...uhm...I missed country music. Yep, it's official, I can write this and own it, right? I missed country music. Every nation I've ever visited recognizes good classical music, no problem. Every nation listens to U2, Avril Lavigne, and Maroon 5, for better or worse depending on your taste. Every nation has their own pop/club music, which really sounds all alike whether or not you understand the words. But nobody else, and I mean nobody, has country music.

One example will suffice, and then I must tend to these crazy cats...As soon as I got home I ran to Wal-Mart to get an international calling card (which has atrociously high rates, BTW, got a much better rate from the phone company). I started the car and dialed up the country station I listen to most just in time to hear, "She thinks my tractor's sexy, it really turns her on..." Ahhhh, home, sweet, home.

Friendship is not bound by language

I have come to a realization lately that friendship isn't bound by language. Isn't that amazing? Ali has had the greatest experience at the orphanage with a few children from Ruslan's group. There are a couple of boys that look to be maybe 5 years old that totally took to Ali. They will daily come to her for hugs, wanting her to pick them up, and they try talking to her. Well, today we were playing outside with Ruslan and his group came walking by and they ended up playing near us. Ali likes to "spy" on them and watch the children from a distance. Today their caregivers allowed these 2 boys to come play with Ali. They played together for at least an hour. First it was looking for snails, then climbed on the jungle gym, slid down the slide, etc. They just had the best time...the kids new she didn't understand them...but somehow they still managed to communicate. We have had a similar experience with another family that is adopting from the same orphange. They are from Israel, speak very little English, but through hand gestures we manage to get our points across. They are a precious couple becoming a family of 3 with a beautiful 2 1/2 year old boy. What a miracle God works through adoption...allowing a couple to become parents who wouldn't otherwise get the opportunity. What an amazing God we have!

We started out our day on a very rough note. Ruslan Clark was in RARE form and a terror...if you must know. To think of the calm easy kiddo we met those first couple of days. WEW! I was looking for some gypsies to sell him to...hahaha...you know I am kidding. I left our visit completely disappointed. We went to lunch with another couple, then came back to our room to regroup for our afternoon visit. God reminded me that I did not agree to be Ruslan's mom only when things were going well. I am his mom from now until forever...regardless of his actions. It is an honor to be his mother...I know God will direct my path. I waited a long time to be his mother....and am so blessed to have 2 children that God has trusted us with. I am so grateful for the woman that gave birth to him...I wish she could know he is loved and will be well taken care of.

So....I was a tad bit nervous to return for our afternoon visit. However, it went considerably well. He came out of his room all smiles and glad to see us. We brought him a new toy and he loved it. He played and played and was sad to say good bye. I wish he understood that we won't be saying good bye for much longer. Today was day 5 of our 10 day wait...then he will say good bye to the orphanage forever. I know that will be a bittersweet day for him...not fully understanding what is happening. Our precious boy just has no concept of what family is. I can't wait for him to figure it all out...and figure out that there are so many people that love him...something he has never had.

I must confess...there won't be any pictures...for a while at least. I knew I shouldn't have tried that. I erased our memory card.............can you believe it? Thank goodness it was a new card and not the one we used for most of the trip. This card we just switched out a few days ago. I couldn't believe it. I am just glad we only lost a few days worth of pictures. But, it did have a family picture that we took the day T.C. left...at his last visit to the orphanage. I know we will have many opportunities for family pictures soon! But, I think I messed up the format on the card also. Leave it to me!!!! I am going to talk to T.C. when he gets home about it and see what I need to do. I know I shouldn't have messed with a computer written in Cyrillic. DUH!!!

T.C. gets home tonight...well, it is day there. I can't wait to talk to him. It is strange being this far away from him. Right about now my mom is waiting in the Houston airport to head over here. She is in for a culture shock. Ha!! I think she will arrive at our hotel around this time tomorrow evening. (well, evening here) She is flying in the same day as another American couple. One of the families we are here with have parents coming in tomorrow also. So, we planned Mom's trip around when they were coming in. That way our translator can drive them all here together. It is about a 4 hour drive from Kiev...which is where they are flying into. Mom is so excited to meet our little man. Hope he doesn't act like he did this morning! :)

Again, thank you for your comments and prayers. Jill...I bet you can relate to our stories....has it been 2 1/2 years since you were here? Kay...yes, I can imagine how Sarah felt when she held her son. It is something you just can't describe. Our little Samuel Ruslan Clark is an answer to pray...it was just all in God's perfect timing.

Until next time.....

Random observations.....

I am starting out on a lighter note tonight (at least it is night here in Ukraine). I wanted to make some random observations about life here in Ukraine...at least from what we have seen. :)

1. the women REALLY like SHORT skirts, sexy tops, and HIGH heeled shoes!!!!
2. everyone smokes...and I really miss non smoking sections....
3. no drinking age, so even young teens walk around with a beer in their hands
4. dogs are everywhere...there are no pounds here, so stray dogs are plentiful
5. drivers are terrible...the taxi rides are never boring!
6. not really any speed limits...the ride from Kiev was quite a speedy ride!
7. PDA abounded in Kiev....smooch, smooch!
8. I miss knowing what I am eating! heehee
9. it is quite hot and not many places have AC....spoiled Americans...that is what we are calling ourselves!
10. I miss driving where I need to go!
11. people walk just about everywhere....the sidewalks are ALWAYS busy with walkers...even late into the evening
12. and Ali wants to add...how in the world am I to know what I am ordering off a Russian menu? ;)

Well, just a little glimpse into our life as of late! There isn't much to write about. Our days tend to be just about the same day in and day out. I know you guys get tired of reading my boring posts. Today we visited Russie per our norm...he was once again "Captain Underpants!" The little guy won't know what to do when we make him wear clothes every single day. He just might decide when he is outside playing that the clothes need to come off...we will see. He was a rascal this morning. I had the joy of chasing him around just about every square inch of the orphanage grounds. Ummm....he was wired for sound. He thinks it is QUITE funny to run from me while I am saying "NO, NO"...he looks back with a big grin still running. As you might imagine...I find it not quite as charming. :) Though I do thank God for blessing us with this precious boy...I do believe we have some challenging days ahead of us. I know after several months he will pick up on English and things will be better. I know VERY little Russian, which doesn't help. My slim vocabulary of "yes, no, cost of the taxi, please, thank you, I don't understand, good boy, one hour on the internet, etc" just doesn't get me very far with a toddler. heehee....but we will manage. Hey, no accidents today...he was so proud when he would go potty for me...just a big ole' grin on his face...because I act like a nut and go "woohoo...way to go"...etc. Oh the simple joys in life.

I talked with T.C. for a total of 1 and a 1/2 minutes today on the phone. He was calling from the Kiev airport before going through customs. He put all the change he had into a pay phone and that is how much it got him. He was able to tell me that he was able to visit a beautiful church there and that he got all of his portion of our paperwork signed at the Embassy....then the phone beeped. So I guess I will hear from him when he gets back to the states. I miss him already.

I heard from one of our translators today about the passport situation. It looks like our best case scenario might be an extra 3-4 days here after the 10 day wait (which is over on July 31st), then after the passports are issued we head back to Kiev to finish up our paperwork which consists of applying for the visa, finish up with customs and immigration, and have a medical exam for Russie. I believe that will take 2-3 days or so. So I guess we won't be returning until at least Aug. 7th or so. It is all about flexibility...which I am not that good at...but am learning...the hard way. :)

Well, I have tried and tried to upload some pictures...but haven't been able to do so. If anyone can walk me through it....feel free to email me. T.C. left instructions...going through picasweb...but I can't seem to find the pictures on the computer. Oh well, maybe I will get it figured out.

I am living on prayers!!!!!

Ok, it is a down day here in Ukraine! T.C. left this evening with our translator headed for Kiev. We are flying solo for the next several days. YIKES! I had a temporary meltdown at the time his taxi drove away...but it is OK now. Not that I like the idea of him being gone...don't get me wrong...but what is my other option....oh yeah, there isn't one. So...Ali and I will suck it up and press on. God is so good in giving us 2 other American families here.

I do have MAJOR prayer request...my fellow prayer warriors. We were informed by our translator this evening before they drove into the sunset headed for Kiev...that we could possibly be STUCK here an extra 7-10 days after our current 10 day wait...waiting on passports. Apparently passports have changed recently and they are not running smoothly at all. They are taking much longer than in the past to process. So, our translator is very nervous about this. She had a meeting today and they basically told her that there wasn't anything they could do for her...so she went to the head guy. When they left for Kiev she was waiting on a phone call to be returned to her to find out if there is anything that can be done to speed up the process for us all. (us and the 2 other families) That would be such an added expense....another 10 days in this hotel and food, etc. YUCK!! Not to mention we would together have 5 kids in this hotel with really nothing to do with them. Ummmm.....can you say NOT fun? Just please lift this up in prayer....we do so covet your prayers. Thank you so much.

To answer a few posts...yes, Sarah... it looks like we are doing the toilet training thing together. Can you give me some pointers...it has been 8 years for me!! Hahaha.....and I will TOTALLY remember the Wal-Mart diaper tip. I am hoping to just use training undies when we return to the states...but we will see how far he is in the process. It is hard to tell right now. Ali appreciates everyones notes to her...she says hello! To answer Juliana's questions....Ali says "yes, I will help teach him English...the food is good (especially the borsch soup and chocolates)...we are staying in a nice hotel with a big room...yes it is really hard to understand the people and I can't understand a single thing they say and I have gotten used to it and be shocked to hear everyone speak English when we get home" She says to tell Holt that she will play swords together the next she sees him and they can teach Ruslan how to play! :0) Kay, yes we will have clothes to bring Ruslan Clark home in...thanks to Mom! Mom saves the day again. Ha! I sent her shopping and she is bringing it with her this week when she comes. I hope it all fits....we think he is a 2T....we will see. I will have to buy shoes here...I traced his foot...we will see how shopping for shoes with a traced foot goes. Ha! She says to tell Danny, Bekah, and Joshie hello from her...she misses them and can't wait to see them. Biddie (Millie)...of course you are Ali and R.C.'s other grandmother....Ali wouldn't have it any other way! You are stuck with us now....can't wait for you to see our handsome guy. Uncle Vince and Aunt Sally...we are so happy you have been able to keep up with our adoption...thank you for the comments and words of encouragement! Ali says she misses you guys and wants to know how all the horses at the barn are doing! :) (and give them kisses....if you dare!) Lori, so glad to read your posts everyday...Ali says hello to Christopher and she can't wait to play with him. Becky....your words are always so uplifting...just when I need to read them! We can't wait to make it to Louisville!!

Ok, anyway....our visits with Russie...I will sure be glad when we get home and start calling the poor guy ONE name....went well today. He was cute as ever and T.C. hated to leave him. He will be so confused tomorrow when T.C. isn't there for the visits. It was a little cooler here today...much welcomed! It has been SO hot here and not many places have AC...the orphanage does NOT. UUGGGHHH. We just walk around outside the whole visit in the heat...all sweating. Thank goodness our hotel room has AC! (the taxis do not...yuck) Russie comes running when he sees us. I was told today by one of the other families that we need that run on video....maybe I will do that soon!

I will post pictures soon. T.C. is our computer guy...as you all know...but he left me with instruction on how to do it. We will see if I can figure it out. Ha! I have a few cute shots from yesterday and today. I have a really funny shot of us trying to get a family picture.....ummmm the little tot wouldn't sit still. :)

I will close. It is time to get Ali to bed.

News from Ukraine

We had no internet access for a couple of days. The hotel internet goes down quite frequently. I will make this short...it is getting late here....and we must be downstairs to catch our cab at 8:45 in the morning for our orphanage visit.

This weekend went well with Ruslan. He is 100% boy and has a toddler streak...ya' know...pitch a little fit if you do something he doesn't like. Ha! It doesn't happen often...and I know he finds it frustrating to not understand us. Orphans have some issues that other children do not...they do not know what it means to have something that belongs to them. Can you imagine? He has NEVER had a single item that was HIS. It will be a new concept for him to learn. He doesn't understand that at all. He gets upset when we want to help him with a toy because sometimes he thinks we want to take it away....like the other children do. But, that will just be a learning process for him. I know in time he will understand. If you can imagine this....on the day that I pick him up at the orphange for the last time....he leaves completely empty handed. 3 1/2 years he has lived there and he hasn't one single thing. Had sad for me to think of. I must show up with ALL clothing and shoes. He must remain at the orphanage until our 10 day wait is up...which is July 31st. I can't wait for that day! To be able to do the simple things like give him a bath, a meal, rock him, etc.

Thank you all for the wonderful posts! It really lifts our spirits to read all of the messages. Ali gets a thrill out of messages for her as well. She is so proud to be a big sister. She has been so amazing this entire trip! She has not complained at all. She definitely deserves a special treat when we return to the states. Thank you all for your prayers...they keep us going.

T.C. will leave for home on Tuesday evening and has a long layover in Paris...he will return home on Wed. afternoon. He will actually leave this region tomorrow evening as our facilitator is here right now and is heading to Kiev tomorrow...so he will ride with her back to Kiev. He has to sign his portion of the paperwork at the Embassy on Tuesday morning. Please pray for me as he is gone.....it makes me a little nervous. I know God will take care of us. Ali is remaining here with me. My mother is flying into Kiev on Thursday to spend some time here with Ali and me. Pray for her as well....it is a little scary flying all this way alone. One HUGE blessing is that we are here with 2 more families. One family we have been here with the whole time, and another arrived yesterday. They accepted a referral of an absolutely beautiful boy of 2 1/2.

I will end this now and hopefully we can put up a few new pictures tomorrow. We found out today that Ruslan isn't actually potty trained. We kept wondering why he would never tell us he had to go potty....yet, he kept having an accident here and there. So I asked today...and we were told "he is still being trained"....glad I know that now and not find that out on the plane...haha. All I can say is THANK GOODNESS Ukraine carries Pull-Ups!!!! :) Amen!

LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!

We're parents...again!

Court is over, the dust has settled, and now it's official! We're parents again!! "Liberation Day" is what we joked about calling today, when our little orphan 'inmates' (as they are referred to on official documentation) were officially adopted. Though there was no drama compared to our appointment last week, the backdrop for today's scene felt like a movie set...but an out of place one indeed...

It seemed unlike anything one would find in the former Soviet Union and more like the backdrop for a Hemmingway novel, a Bogart movie, or a Buffett song. The dark stairs led past the small guard's desk and cramped first floor to a second story with twelve or thirteen-food high whitewashed ceilings with crumbling plaster walls painted in faded flamingo pink. The worn terra cotta tiled floors had bright blue steps and similar, cracking rod iron staircase and handrails, both very ornate. All the lights were off (of course) and the husting crowds of people moved quickly and quietly down the hallways, dressed in their finest clothes and smelling of cigarettes. The whole scene was surreal and notably out of place in this quiet, western Ukrainian town. For a moment, it was as if we were transported from here to Old Havana...it was strange.

Don and Jackie (the other family here) were called in first. While they were meeting the judge, we rehearsed the answers to the questions we had been given ahead of time. "Not to worry, " our facilitator repeated in her thick Russian accent, "I am speaking to the judge and will tell her what needs to be said." No problems, we thought, we'll go over these questions and be done easily...like everything else here in Ukraine, however, things turned out fine but nothing like what we expected!

Don and Jackie were done quickly (15 min), and we were shuffled in quickly after them amidst congratulations and handshakes in the hallway--no doubt out of place here in this courthouse! We entered the room and were seated across from the judge, some witnesses (like jury duty), the orphanage director, and a worker from the state department. All of this took place in the judge's office, where she freely took phone calls from time to time, even in the middle of our proceedings!

From the very beginning, it was like a game of Twenty Questions, but without any of the questions we had anticipated. "What do you do for a living?" "Why do you want to adopt from here?" "How many rooms are in your home?" "Who lives in your home with you?" "How does your daughter feel about adoption?" And so on, and so on...

We patiently answered the judge's questions, then listened to the testimony of the orphanage director and state department worker. The director talked of our interactions with Ruslan during our daily visits and how it was her opinion that he bonded with us and felt very comfortable with us. She recommended that we be allowed to adopt per our petition to the court. The state department worker, though we had never met, also concurred with the director's recommendations and said that, based on her review of our dossier, it was in the child's best interest to be adopted by us.

The saddest part of the morning was hearing the judge question the orphange director about Ruslan's brothers (3). When asked about the other children and the parents, the director stated several times that none of the family had ever come to visit or inquire about Ruslan. Not after dropping him off at two months old...not after being contacted by the state to terminate her parental rights...not after learning that he was adopt-able by other families...not ever. It was heart-breaking to hear that none of this family had ever come by to see him--even after only one week we can clearly see that he is a wonderful boy!

With that, the judge asked us to stand and then read her proclamation that Thomas and Rachel Judd were now the parents of Samuel Ruslan Clark Judd and all documents were to be updated accordingly. Even the crusty old Ukrainian man on jury duty against his will cracked a smile...

Pictures of Captain Underpants

Here are some shots from yesterday (19th)...we were too tired at the end of the day to wait for them to upload. Our internet access is in an un-air conditioned part of the 12th (top) floor...'nuf said, right?

Orphanage, Album 5

L'eau du toilette but not like you think!

OK, this happened to Don and Jackie this afternoon but was too funny to pass up here! We've been giving the kids lots of juice and water during our visits, so we have also had to take them 'potty' to keep the caregivers off our backs. When the kids go to the bathroom in their rooms, they literally 'sit on the pot'...like a bedpan crossed with a cooking pot sort of thing. Anyway, they all know the drill. Interestingly, the fellas understand what to do when we take them to the 'big potty' and hold them up to do their thing, even though the toilet is a novel thing for them.

Well, today, Don took Artoomie to the bathroom and accomplished his mission with relative ease. Upon putting him down on the floor to pull up his underwear, without hesitation Artoomie reached his hand into the water and proceeded to splash Don in the face! Not exactly the toilet water that you pay big bucks for at the salon, eh? Yuck!

Little undies man!!!

Once again our little man came running to us in his undies today. It is very hot here so that means no clothes on any of the kiddos....pretty funny. We are thinking of bringing our own clothes to dress him in while we are there for our visits. Something just doesn't seem right taking all these pictures of him........with not much on. Ha! Not to mention the undies are usually TOO big.

Pray for us tomorrow. We have court at 10AM in the morning. I know the butterflies will be fluttering in our bellies tomorrow. It will be official, the little man will be ours and the child we have prayed so long for.

Not much news here. We will update with photos tomorrow and an update on court!

Oh, I got to experience something fun today...while snuggling with Ruslan this morning he fell asleep on me. It was so sweet....he was sound asleep while we walked around. Then I just sat down under a tree and let him snooze for a few minutes. A precious moment with our son!

Wew....and we thought he was calm?

Another fun day with Ruslan A.K.A. Clark. We are allowed to spend about 4 1/2 hours with Ruslan every day. We get a morning visit and afternoon visit. Today we did a lot of playing...we are learning that he prefers to take his new toys and go by himself to play. I think it must stem from the orphanage setting where he never has things that truly belong to him. It is really funny. We will hand him a toy...he will take it and usually walk off to play alone. We had a little breakthrough today where we gave him some stacking cups and he actually allowed Ali to sit beside him and play with him. We have to deal with baby steps in our situation. He is learning to trust us and knows the toys we bring do show up the next visit. He loves to be held and is learning what a kiss is...though he doesn't give kisses yet, he does lean to us when we say "Kiss Papa" or "Kiss Mama". Isn't it hard to believe a child can actually NOT know what a kiss is? So sad for us to think about at first. The first kisses were really funny....he would just laugh! Well, today brought a new first....he actually RAN to us when we arrived for our visits today. That was wonderful to see. It was so funny....when we arrived this morning, another child followed Ruslan over to us and after a minute Ruslan walked right behind the child and pushed him all the way back to the rest of the group. Kind of to say "they are mine...."!! Too cute. We got a good chuckle out of that. Well, I appologize that you have to endure my post today....you don't get T.C.'s eloquence. You only get a brain dead MOMMY that is having to adjust to toddlerhood again. Ha!! Shew!!!

To answer a few comments....yes, Sarah....we are relearning all about toddlerhood...the ups and the not so ups. Heehee. Suzanne, yes I FINALLY was able to use my sling after having it for HOW long? It was awesome....he loved it. To all of our Louisville clan...we love hearing from you and I will be bringing the kids there as soon as we can. You know I can't wait to show off the little man. T.C. won't be joining us as he has NO vacation time left. Everyone...Lisa, Lori, Marty, parents, April, Texas friends, etc. we just love reading it all! April, I love reading about your memories from your time in Ukraine. Keep writing....we will sure keep reading.

Please pray as our court date is approaching. The paperwork is being finalized as I type and I will breathe a sigh of relief when the court announces us as parents to little Samuel Ruslan Clark Judd. The child we have prayed so long for. God is so good....and we are so blessed. My heart just melts when I see him. It is a feeling I just can't describe.

Also, the original plan was for us all to return back to the states during our 10 day mandatory wait after court. But, we have had a change of plans....I will not be returning home. I will remain here and continue the daily visits to see Ruslan. Mom will be coming out here to take T.C.'s place when he heads home next week. We just thought it would not be beneficial if he didn't see any of us for almost 2 weeks. I just couldn't do that to him.

Suzi Marshall and TX friends....the baby shower that is scheduled for the 5th....I may or may not be in attendance. I will let you all know as soon as we find out a return date! Also, our baby registry is pretty much no good anymore....as we registered for things preparing for a younger child. OH well, we have to roll with the punches around here. :) But, he does wear about a size 2T right now and probably 3T for the fall. You can email me and I will get back to you.

Here are some pictures from today. It is so hot that we arrived to see Ruslan today and he was wearing.............underwear....yep, that is it. So the pictures from today are a little funny! All the kids were only sporting undies, shoes, and hats...ha! Enjoy....

Orphanage, Album 4

Coming out of his shell...

Another day, another two trips to the orphanage...more fun and some crazy children! That's the day in fourteen words!!! Today was a great day (they've all been so far) if for no other reason than little R.C. (Ruslan Clark...yeah, I'm trying to call him something different everyday just to keep us all confused) is starting to come out of his shell some.

Today marked round two of Ruslan Clark and yogurt, which has turned into one of his favorite treats. As soon as he saw Rachel with the container today, he jumped down off of his most treasured play structure and came running! When I started feeding him, he was eating like any other kid but soon started throwing his head back with his mouth open as wide as it would go (like a baby bird) as if to say, "Faster, faster, faster!" He also made a game out of biting the spoon, which made him giggle...most of the time before swallowing the yogurt, making a funny, sticky, blueberry mess! We all laughed quite a bit.

He also had a great time playing with Ali today (who has been a real trooper the whole time, lest it go unsaid). They played with some stacking blocks, which Russie soon had mastered, and went down the slide about a million times. Fortunately for all of us, Ali is still young enough that nothing gets old for her either...praise God! At one point while the two were playing, we heard little Clark's extroverted self come to the fore when he started yelling, "Minutku! Minutku! Minutku!" (Russian for, 'Wait a minute!'...like you couldn't figure that out). Anyway, when the dust settled, he was calling for a cease fire to check out an earthworm that both fascinated and terrified him at the same time. Too funny!

We also spent some time watching guys build a brick building behind the orphange (none of that nouveau, American veneer stuff either)...Clark is 100% boy and absolutely entranced by anything mechanical. I assume we'll be changing the oil in the cars together by Christmas, but who knows. We also spent some time today (as everyday) watching three ladies build a concrete building foundation with nothing but a level, a trowel, and a couple of 2x4's. Remarkably, it is so good it looks like a poured foundation...it would take less than a day to build this in the States, but these gals have been working since we arrived and are about at 18" high...unreal!!

In the midst of the excitement, as the pictures show, we also had some good cuddle time in the Ukrainian heat. Rachel tried this funky, multi-strapped, quasi-swaddling device she found online...and both she and Russie seemed to love it despite the heat. For almost an hour, they wandered around tied together.

The most surprising moments of the day were during the last 15 minutes of our afternoon visit. After having kept them apart during our visits today, Russie and Artoomie saw each other...and it was like you turned a switch on them both. I've only seen the Tasmanian Devil on cartoons, and only one at a time, but these two little guys just came unglued! They wanted to run, scream, slam doors, run up and down stairs, and generally go gonzos with each other...and wouldn't stop! It was funny and frustrating all at the same time. I said we'd never have to tell Ruslan Clark to be quiet but today I wish I knew the Russian for "Chill out!" When we took the boys back to their play group...underwear clad in the apple orchard (see the photos), we all felt a bit like grandparents who get to stir up their grandkids and then give them back...we were pooped! Ha, ha, ha...guess we're a bit out of practice with toddlers! All in all, the day was grand, and here are the pictures as proof:

Orphanage, Album 3

On the bureaucratic front...we got two sets of good news today. First, both the local 'inspector' and the State Department for Adoptions concurred with our adoption petition request that we are suitable parents for adopting Ruslan. Essentially, this is their 'seal of approval' to move on with our court appearance. Second, our court date and time were confirmed as 10:00 am this Friday (20th). This will make everything official except the waiting period and an American visa for Clark to come home. Things are moving very smoothly now, especially for this part of the world...but as our facilitators keep reminding us, with thick Russian accents, "We are working with people and anything is possible."

Thanks again from all of us for your prayers and comments. We cherish them all and look forward to reading from friends and family a world away. God bless you all!!

PS--In case you didn't hear, Sarah packed all the kids up and flew over to UA for the weekend. Got a cute picture of all four Judd grandkids too, check it out here. Getting good with the Photoshop, sis!

More playing, bonding, and crying...another day with "Russie"

We're only on our third day of visiting, but already we're making jokes about the movie "Groundhog Day." The one major exception, however, is that Bill Murray was really frustrated where we are overjoyed by the routine. Today saw more playing and bonding with little Ruslan Clark (or 'Russie' [roo' sie] as his little buddy Artem calls him). Our big novelty today was yogurt, strawberry to be exact. After an unsure first bite, Russie looked like a baby bird, craning his neck with open mouth to get more and more...obviously a new treat in the orphanage! Ali also spent a lot of time today doing a little one on one playing with her new brother and having a blast--we always knew she'd be a great big sis but now there isn't any doubt!

Our time together today ended with more sobs, both Ruslan Clark and Rachel. Today, he walked calmly with us up the stairs back to his room, and when he saw his caregiver, put his head into both hands (very dramatically) and began crying. Still heartbreaking to see him sad and joyful to see him feeling so attached to us after only a few days.

Here are some more pics from yesterday and today, including a picture of lunch time and the whole gang stripped down and ready to eat! Aren't they all absolutely wonderful?? They all light up everytime we see them...wish we could bring them all home!

Orphanage, Album 2

Hey!! This is Rachel now. I just wanted to say again how much we are LOVING all the comments. It gives us a little connection to all our friends and family. THANK YOU! Thank you for your prayers as well. We definitely are feeling the prayers and seeing the evidence of God's goodness every single day. Every time I look at our future son I know just how blessed we are. He is so precious...we can't wait for all of you to meet him. When we leave and he cries...it rips my heart out every time....just look at that face!! :) Well, it is late here and Ali is exhausted. LOVE YOU ALL!!!!

Today he cried...

Though we're only in mid-afternoon here in UA and have one more visit to the orphanage this evening, today has already been an emotional roller coaster. We headed out this morning and visited Ruslan Clark before lunch...it it a beautiful day here (low 70's and sunny) and we were able to play outside the whole time. We heard him say his first understandable words to us today--sabaka, which is Russian for dog. He pointed out a stray dog to us as we were walking around the grounds. We had heard about lots of strays and that sometimes the kids were scared of them, but Ruslan Clark wasn't afraid at a distance and loves the little stuffed animal puppy we gave him.

As we've played with him outside the past two days, we've discovered that he is 110% boy. He is fascinated with toy cars and bugs...to the point of loving to squash bugs with the cars and then put them into the cars to drive them around. Too funny! He's also quite a climber and matched Ali rung for rung on a jungle gym to the point that he was quickly out of reach. I had to scramble up after him and haul him down...truly a comedy to watch, I'm sure.

Our two hours together were quite a bit of fun, and he continues to warm up to us. He loves to play with Ali and have her read to him, of course. Rachel asked him if he'd come to 'mama' (Russian isn't all that hard) and he came to her with arms out to be picked up. I kissed him on the cheek a few times, which made him laugh...clearly the kids aren't cuddled and kissed...and when I asked him for a kiss, he put his cheek onto mine.

The most bittersweet moment came when we walked him upstairs to his area for lunch. He was all smiles until we handed him to the caregiver at which point he began sobbing hysterically and threw his toys onto the ground! No doubt he could be heard everywhere in the building! But as we walked off (Rachel in tears too), one of the other orphan boys jumped up from his lunch (stripped to his underwear so as to not get food on his clothes), ran over to his toys, picked them up, walked them over and handed them to Ruslan to help calm him down. Wow...they're all pretty wonderful kids...

Our first day at the orphanage

We left Kiev/Kyiv yesterday (Friday) morning in the rain at 5 am and headed west toward the town where our orphanage is...the mid-sized town of Khmelnyts'kyy, Ukraine. Another family using a sister agency also had a referral to the same town and orphanage (our facilitator, Mr. X., is a good friend of the orphanage director), so we have had the pleasure of travelling with another family to join in our adventure, all seven of us piled into the Lincoln Navigator with blacked out windows and diplomatic tags...you know all about that...needless to say, we made excellent time with no interference from police!

As an aside, believe it or not, you can locate it on our blog's header right below the words "adoption adventure" and right above the sunflowers--it's smack dab in the middle of the header picture (for reference, Kiev/Kyiv is toward the upper right corner of the header). Now, the truly funny thing is that I made that blog header photo TWO YEARS ago!! Providence is a good thing, like we've been saying all along, it's a good thing God is in control because we are not.

Anyway, we arrived in Khmelnyts'kyy around 9 am and ran around to do some paperwork before visiting the orphanage and the children (our one and the other family's boy and girl pair). Finally we were introduced to our 3 year-old little Ruslan (roos'-lawn). It was an anxious moment but he came over to us and sat down to play with the few small toys we had for him. After a couple of moments, he was playing in Ali's lap and was as content and secure as could be. We only had about 45 minutes with him, but he smiled almost the whole time and liked to cut his eyes down when he was teased...bashfully. At the end of our time, he gave us hugs and vanished back to the caregivers.

The afternoon was filled with more paperwork and red tape, the highlight of which was Mr. X. driving around a concrete barricade and over a curb to take a shortcut through a 'walking district' of downtown before proceeding the wrong way down a one way street to pull up in front of the notary's office...you know, big Lincoln, diplomatic plates, no big deal. Anyway, here we officially petitioned the local court with our chosen name for his new birth certificate that will show us as his parents: Samuel Ruslan Clark Judd (a bit of an order change from what we thought, but it didn't flow at all otherwise).

Today (Saturday), we were able to visit the orphange twice. All of the pictures taken outside were from our two visits today, where Ruslan (aka. Clark) really began to open up some to us and laugh and giggle a bit. He's pretty quiet and didn't talk much except when trying to chase an ant around my hand to put into his police car! Who knows what he said, but he knew what he was trying to get across. The other family and their two children joined us this afternoon and the three played together well. All of them bantered back and forth to each other in Russian as they ran, climbed, and traded toys back and forth. We all had a good time watching and playing with them.

Each day on from now we will get to visit two times a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. Unless we have some paperwork or meetings to tend to, the rest of our time will be spent wandering the streets and shops of Khmelnyts'kyy, using all of our pitiful Russian skills and enjoying the time here. More to follow on those days, of course, as they happen! We think we will have our court date next Friday, which will make everything official except our ten day waiting period and paperwork at the U.S. Embassy in Kiev/Kyiv. But like everything here, the timeline is negotiable!

Hello everyone...this is Rachel now. I wanted to say a big thanks for all of our comments! It is great hearing from everyone. April...I guess you can relate to all that we are saying here! :) We are just enjoying getting to know our son...just soaking it all in! Hugs to everyone..we love you guys.

Orphanage, Album 1

Our appointment and our REFERRAL!

Well, gang, it seems like we've been here about a month, but it's only been a few short days! Yesterday was spent on a six-hour walking tour of Kiev/Kyiv that was absolutely incredible...more on that later, however, as today saw our appointment at the adoption center and (drumroll) our referral!

In case you've read other blogs or heard Rachel tell idyllic stories about how wonderfully the appointments at the adoption center go...ours wasn't like any of them...at all...no really, it wasn't. It played out like a strange combination of a cold war spy drama crossed with the bar scene from Star Wars. Here's how it went...

On Tuesday night, one of our facilitators called and said he would come by and/or call us later to fill us in on the details of how things would work for our appointment at 4 pm on Thursday. A short conversation that evening revealed the details of our tour the next day, but nothing more except a promise to meet on Wednesday evening. After a long but wonderful tour on Wednesday, a short phone call promised to call us at 10:00 this morning (Thursday) to tell us the information from Tuesday.

This morning about 10:45, we got a phone call telling us that we would probably be picked up at 1:30 but to hang tight until 1:00 when the time would be confirmed. At 1:15, we were called and told that we'd be picked up about 2:00. So far, everything is pretty normal, eh? Anyway, we head down at 2:00 and are picked up in the back alley behind our apartment in a late model Mercedes with blacked out windows...our facilitator who was accompanied by a local lady we'd never met yet.

A fifteen minute hair-raising ride across town later, we're dropped off by our facilitator with the 'new girl' and told that another facilitator would meet us soon for our 3:00 appointment (get the time change?). So we wander around this incredible Orthodox church with our new friend until a man in a black sweater and gray suit walks up and introduces himself...he obviously knows us from our passport pictures. He explains to us not to be anxious but also not to be disappointed if things don't work out today. With that, he directs us to the side entrance of this non-descript, Soviet-era government building where a motley crue of Ukrainian, American, and other folks were waiting in line, blocked from entering by a towering guard in a very official-looking uniform.

At this point, our facilitator...we'll call him Mr. X., moves to the front of the line under a barrage of criticisms from the folks waiting patiently to turn in documents. He begins yelling at the guard that we have an appointment (and are not merely turning in papers), then he yells at the folks outside, then he gets on his cell phone and yells at somebody there...all without missing a beat or messing up his suit. At some point, the guard (who is drunk at 3 pm) grabs his shoulder, and Mr. X. promptly swings his shoulder around, sending the guard bouncing off the door and into a pile on the floor. (Cross-checking, 2 minute penalty)

By the way, the sound of the guard hitting the floor was the first sign from the 'new girl' that this was better than your average entrance to the party...but nothing to fear, she confidently told us...

Mr. X. then left the entrance, escorted by the center director, and proceeded to have a quick smoke and a pear from a tree in the back of the building. One of his ex-pat buddies joined him for the smoke and what seemed to be a congratulatory little celebration...until we were called by a translator to enter upstairs to our appointment.

At this point, we expected to follow the protocol that everyone before us had, but apparently Mr. X. had greased the skids, so to speak. We were shown several beautiful kids, all of whom had some kind of health issues, until the last one...a young boy not quite 3 1/2 (BTW, there is a possibility he may not be able to be separated from some siblings, but the other children have not had parental rights relinquished...we can only imagine because they are older, we'll find out more soon). He was a bit older than we requested, but we pretty much knew he would be. As I ruffled through the papers to look back at another child who was younger but had some 'stunted growth' issues, Mr. X. quietly placed the last referral back on top and gave me the eye (it would be considered the 'evil eye' here in superstitious Ukraine, but I understood). So we said we'd like to meet this last chap...whose name, believe it or not, we can't remember to save our lives...It starts with an 'R' but isn't any of the stereotypical Slavic/Russian/Ukrainian names we Americans all know...more later.

As soon as we said we'd like this meeting, Mr. X. promptly stands up, thanks the psychologist and translator for their time and shuffles us (baffled) toward the door. On the way down the stairs, he tells Rachel to be silent about getting a referral as we pass the folks outside, moves us quickly to a black Lincoln Navigator (again with blacked out windows) and walks away...leaving us in a strange car with yet another new girl, who is on her cell phone rattling off in Russian without even acknowledging our entrance. After several minutes of awkward silence, she hangs up, introduces herself and proceeds to tell us all about the arrangement Mr. X. has already made with the director of the orphanage...as in he talked to the director before our appointment...somehow confident, I guess, we'd choose this particular child. We sat with her for about 30 minutes without going anywhere, discussing the ins and outs of the process from here on. At some point, the phone rang, and she told us our ride was here (I thought she was our ride, silly me), so we jumped out of the Navigator back to the Mercedes, where we were again driven quickly back to our apartment. Whew! All in all it took maybe 2 hours from leaving our apartment until we were back...

Well, all that to say, we have a referral! There is a lot of info we don't know about this child, but that's what our trip to the orphanage town is all about. There we will find out his complete medical history (the center here has info only on major issues), get to play with him, find out his status in relation to his siblings, etc. Hopefully the Cold War spy drama is over...but it really was pretty fun, especially now that it's about three hours behind us. It was such a whirlwind at the time, we really didn't know which way was up...and yet, as awkward as it was, it really wasn't unnerving for any of us, thankfully. We are confident that God was directing our paths, because we surely weren't in control!!

There are lots of details to fill in, and we will as we find them out. We appreciate your comments, and moreso your prayers. We'll be in touch...

P.S.--Ali says 'Hi' to her friends again!

We've arrived in Kiev!

After two long flights, some hair raising driving, and several different languages and timezones...we've finally arrived in Kiev without any major hitches. Our facilitator met us at the airport, brought us to our apartment right near the main street downtown, and cut us loose for the evening. Not feeling too adventurous just yet, we grabbed a quick bite at T.G.I. Friday's (no really!) and are trying our hands at surfing the internet on computers with Russian versions of Windows. Fortunately for us, all the commands are in the same place, we just can't read them...and for some crazy reason, Cyrillic keyboards are also QWERTY keyboards, who'd have thought it!

Our only real news is that we think our appointment with the adoption center will be late on Thursday afternoon...right about the time everyone back home is getting out of bed for the morning! More to follow on that later, right now we're going to wander the streets of Kiev and get to bed at a decent hour!

(P.S.--Ali says to tell everyone at home 'HELLO from Ukraine!')

Last post from the States for a bit...

Here we go! The time has finally arrived to head off into the wild blue! Though it still seems an impossibly long way away (tomorrow afternoon), some things have hit home to me tonight as I've zipped up our bags for the final time before departing. After tomorrow morning:

• When the wheels stop turning on our last flight (Tues afternoon)...we will be 5989 miles from where we started
• The next time I lay down my head on a real pillow...will be in Kiev
• The next edition of the morning paper...will be in a foreign language I cannot read
• The next time we sit down for a real meal (airline food doesn't count!)...will be unfamiliar food
• The next post made to our blog...will be from a Cyrillic keyboard (not sure how that will work!)
• The next time we watch the sunset...will be over the Dnieper (Днiпро) river
• The next time we walk in our front door...we will have left 1/4 of our family in Ukraine

Pretty amazing and sobering thoughts, eh? People keep telling us we should be more stressed out than we are, but I just smile politely at them, remember Luther and think, "My dear soul, journey on in joy!" Amen.

Anxiety and Joy

There has been much discussion about anxiety in our household over the past few days. After more than two years of planning, in a matter of hours we will be embarking on our adoption trip--an international, weeks-long, life-changing event over which we have no control outside of choosing our departing flight from a short list of carriers with service to Kiev. With the exception of that one item, every detail of the trip is totally beyond our control...and that truth has a tendency to create anxiety.

Scripture speaks to the subject of anxiety and reminds us of God's graciously providential care, which leads us to remain calm and confident even in the midst of chaos and the storms of life. Without a doubt, my favorite passage on the subject is found in Peter's first epistle where we read, "Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you" (1 Pet 5.6-7, ESV, emphasis mine). Here we are reminded that God's great fatherly love for his children gives us confidence to present our anxieties to him with an absolute, child-like, hope-filled trust that he is able to hear our cries and grant us peace (Phil 4.7). Even if in his perfect parental wisdom he allows us to bear some of the burden for a time, we know that we neither bear an impossible burden (1 Cor 10.13) nor do we bear it in solitude (Heb 13.5)

As one who faced countless trials and stress-filled situations, Luther writes on 1 Pet 5 as one who has dealt with anxiety first-hand. In one of his House Postils, he comforts us with these words:

The Christian must take this course [of faith] if he would proceed safely and happily in matters of the highest import. In time of danger and in the hour of death, when, with all his worrying, he cannot discover where he is or how he is journeying, he must, with eyes, senses and thoughts closed to the world, surrender himself in faith and confidence and cast himself upon God's hand and care and protection, and say: God has permitted me to live until this hour, without my solicitude [i.e., anxiety]. Moreoever, he has given me his beloved Son as a treasure and sure pledge of eternal life. Therefore, my dear soul, journey on in joy. Thou hast a faithful Father and Savior, who has taken thee into his own hand, and will preserve thee. (Luther's Sermons, Vol 8, p.70)

Thanks be to God for these wonderful words of encouragement! As our trip draws near, let our words echo those of Doctor Luther, "My dear soul, journey on in joy!"

Lessons from Jazz

Jamie Cullum is a young, edgy British jazz singer and piano player. He sings classic jazz tunes ("I Only Have Eyes for You"), jazzy remakes of non-jazz tunes ("The Wind Cries Mary" and "Our Day Will Come"), and plenty of original tunes. He puts on a wild concert too that always includes him jumping over a concert grand piano from end-to-end...the long way!

Anyway, while listening to him today at work, the refrain of one of this tunes struck me as simple but amazingly profound. In the song appropriately titled "Photograph" he finds himself looking back at pictures, some serious and some funny, and remembering the stories of his life. The refrain then kicks in:

When I look back on my ordinary, ordinary life
I see so much magic, though I missed it at the time

Thinking back on the relatively few years (ha!) that make up my life and our lives together (Rachel, Ali and me), I'm saddened to be able to relate to that refrain...missing amazing moments until much later. Hopefully, as our adoption trip nears (6 days, BTW), we'll take this trip with our eyes wide open.

More than that, I pray that we all might live our lives with eyes wide open so as to not miss the blessings we often mistakenly call 'ordinary.'

7 days and counting...

One week from now, we will just have all settled in on our Air France flight from Houston to Paris--the adventure will have begun! If we could list all the things we need to do between now and then, we might have a prayer of actually getting them done, but instead we'll just continue the hurry-scurry of trying to:

• come up with a packing list
• learn Russian
• do a packing 'dry run' to see if it all fits in our bags
• remember all the things we've forgotten to pack and do
• load up our mp3 players
  
• learn Ukrainian
• determine the best way to get to the airport
• have a 4th of July party
• mow the grass (if it ever stops raining)
• brush up on French for the flights over and back
• get some sleep
• a thousand and one other things
  
• get ready to enjoy the trip of a lifetime
• remember why we're doing all this
  

I'm convinced right now that the most important thing on the list is the last, as if there was any doubt. In a week, whether ready or not, we'll be on our way to meet our new child, chosen for us by God from before the foundation of the world. How exciting is that? Kinda makes all the rest of the list pale in importance, lessens the anxiety, and brings everything into focus. It's good to have a focus check from time to time...especially when things are getting crazy.

7 days and counting...get ready, here we come!