Today was amazing! Such strides we are making and everything is falling right into place. Today was Sasha's physical and we also got his visa at the U.S. Embassy. Wow, that was something. It was tight security and bullet proof doors.
We were in and out of the U.S. Embassy office in 15 minutes. Our facilitators have this down to a science. It was zippidy doo da! No kidding, we walked right to the "adoption office" and had already filled out all of the paperwork so we zipped through quickly. Sasha's physical took a little longer though because he had to be examined and unfortunately had to have a rubella immunization. It was everything I could do not to get on the floor to start kicking and screaming. But honestly we realized that they would never let him out of the country without having this immunization. It was freaky when they pulled the "potion" out of the refridgerator and showed us the expiration date on the bottle. Ukraine is not quite where we are in medical advances, so we just looked at the bottle and smiled and said, "Help us Jesus!" Youch! They came right at his arm with some force behind that needle. Wow, Sasha was brave, but mama yelled "ouch." They also asked if we noticed any other problems with Sasha and I told them that he is a little bit crazy. Everyone laughed but I think we all are a little bit nuts. haha Many times when Sasha does something funny Jeff and I say, "You crazy Ukrainian." He says, "You crazy Americans." haha.
The rest of the day was fun too. We went to the mall and shopped for a remote control car. Mr. Freddy gave him some Ukrainian money the other day so he wanted to go shopping. Funny enough though when we got to the mall he didn't have his wallet. (Learned it from you PawPaw ..haha) Well we bought the car for him and when we got home he found his wallet and said, "Pay back papa." So sweet!
When we went to dinner (at the same place) we had so much fun because the waitress remembered him and she let him translate again.. She smiled the entire time and let him be "the big boy." I'm pretty sure they were flirting with each other. She was a beautiful young teenager she thought he was adorable. When we paid, Sasha said, "Papa hurry, give me wallet." He whipped that wallet out like he was in charge and was the head of the household. We had lots of laughs today! He also said the sweetest little thing. He said, "Mama, I like you say to Sasha....you so cute Sasha." haha.. He also loves when we call him a litle boy.
The poor boy never had a childhood so he is gonna have one now darnet!
We also bought him circus ticket for tomorrow nights circus. Little did we know that when we got home he said he had been to the circle lots of times. Oh dang...we could have been very happy without the thrill of the circus smell....oh well, it will be lots of fun....Jeff just loves the crowds! :)
Tomorrow we go back to pick up paperwork and then we are done! It's truly hard to believe that I'm actually saying those words. We will have lots of free time tomorrow and then go to the circus at 7:00 and then come right home to get into bed because we need to get up at 3:30 a.m. to make our flight. We will have a full day of flying on Saturday.
This amazing journey is coming to and end.we are just in awe of all that God has done to give us faith to carry on. I know that we only have a few years with Sasha and didn't get to have the first 11 years of his life but we will relish every minute of our time with him. We are so thankful for this precious little boy.
He really is sweet and although very street smart, seems to know right from wrong. He kept telling papa and I to say these word in Russian. It was "Coch de la." After a while of him laughing at our repeating these words, we thought this must be some Russian cuss words. He was cracking up....but then he told us it means "poop poop." (For all of you who speak Russian, you can confirm that for me later..ha) Shew! He is very worldly but so very tender hearted! He has a huge heart just like our Kyle!
Well, there is no way that any of this would have ever taken place if our sweet children were not so suppportive of us traveling to get their little brother. It has been so hard on our family to be apart so many miles and for so many weeks. Also Bobo and Poppy, Laurie and my Mom and Dad have been amazing. Our parents have done laundry, cleaned, counseled our children and have worked tirelessly around the clock. Not sure how we will ever be able to thank them enough for all they've done!
Also, I hesitate to point out just one or two friends, but we have to tell you how amazing the Perrills have been to us. All of our friends are so dear and supportive, but Brenda Perrill has arranged and cooked so many meals for our family in our absence. She has checked on our children and carried us through so much. Thanks to Peter, we had everything imaginable packed. He made sure no stone was unturned in the "being prepared" area. We love you so much family and friends! Thank you so much to everyone who has prepared a meal for our family. It has made life so much easier on them!
Going back out to get more food. Sasha said again, "I hungry." His scrawny frame will fill out quickly I feel sure. We miss you all so much and can't wait to come home!
love to you all,
m and j
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
On the homestretch now!
Well, it was a very busy, exhausting day! We got so much done and are right on schedule, thank goodness! God worked out so many details and we are one step closer to bringing Sasha home to America to be our son. Jeff went to meet someone from the passport office who met him outside for a signing. It was quite funny Jeff said, but some kind of transaction took place and about 2 hrs later had a passport. Wow, not sure how everything goes down here, but just happy it all happened!
We were headed to Lutugano to get the pension money that the government gives to orphans. Then found out that we really didn't have time to go all the way back to the town where the orphanage was located. The government saves money for the orphans evidentally, but when you adopt a child, you have to give it back to the orphanage. tricky how that works. ha! So now the region will just keep the money where he was located.
We had a long 3 hour drive from Lugansk to Donestk. Then we grabbed a quick flight for Jeff, me and Sasha and Ksenia and Tonya our amazing translators! We barely made it but arrived just in time. We flew to Kiev, about an hour flight, then rode another 45 minutes to our apartment. Jeff and I were thinking, oh good, we are settled in for the night.....but as soon as the suitcases were inside, Sasha said, "I HUNGRY."
He has a major sugar addiction and wants to eat chocolate from the moment he wakes up til the moment he goes to bed. No kiddeing! He found some sugar cubes in the cabinets here in our apartment....he brought them to us and said, "THESE BEAUTIFUL." We cracked up and I said, "Oh good Sasha, you need more sugar." He laughed but may be crying by the time we get back to America. I am doing my best to wean him off of all the sugar. I told him he reminds me of Spider Man because he is climbing the walls all the time.
I have the sweetest husband in the world. He's such an amazing papa. We read to Sasha every chance we get and right now Jeff is reading/singing How Much Is That Doggie In The Window. Wow, at least that what it sounds like. haha
Sasha is aboslutely adorable. He has not lost his temper once and he continues to amaze us with his loving sweet gestures. We are loving our one on one time with him so much. He got quiet at dinner tonight and then I realized that he had been looking at pictures on my phone of the orphanage. He saw pictures of all of his friends and Babushka. Very emotional to even think about. We have had so many amazing bonding moments and our time with him has been invaluable. When we get home, life will get busy again and he will not have our attention 24/7. It truly has blessed our hearts to be with this sweet little boy day in and day out. We are so joyful that God chose us to be his "forever family." I know that God has already equipped him with everything that he needs to succeed in America. I almost don't want to "americanize" him. I am so excited for the opportunities that may come Sasha's way and we hope that he will tell the story when he is ready....and give God all the glory. I know life will not be easy for him. He does not want to go to school because I think he is afraid that others will make fun of him. I will homeschool him for a bit until he feels confident and ready. He has so much to give and we know that God will use him in a mighty way.
Sasha's english is coming along so well. When we were visiting him at the orphanage he had totally forgotten all of his english....now he is speaking in full sentences already. On the way to the restaurant he said, "Sasha no speak Russian, only English." We had heard that they do not want to remember anything about Ukrain and will often not even speak Russian or Ukrainian if someone in America speaks to them.
It was so cute at the restaurant because he ordered for us in Russian. He is usually embarressed of us I think because we stand out so much. We are so freakin' american looking. But tonight our waitress thought he was cute and he knew it so he would ask us questions in english and then translate to her. I wish we could keep his Russian and Ukrainian language but that will be completely up to him if he wants to continue with it.
We are going to get his physical tomorrow and the U.S. Embassy. Another busy day. We found out that the circus is only two blocks from us so we may try to surprise him with tickets. I know he would love it. He is like a newborn, experiencing everything for the first time. He is intrigued by the smallest things that we take for granted.
Thanks for prayers! We are so tired but God continues to give us strength. We feel so blessed and thankful that God has chosen us to be this wonderful boy's parents. I know that Kelsey, karley and Kyle are so anxious for our return with their brother. This has been just as hard on them to wait. Also our sweet Bobo and Poppy. Wow, what would we have done without them. They are running everything at our house in our absence. Jeff's parents are so sweet to be there for us in every way possible.
We are so excited to come back to America. Two more days of running around for our official documents
and then a full day of flights and we will back to the good ole US of A! .
love to you all,
m and j
We were headed to Lutugano to get the pension money that the government gives to orphans. Then found out that we really didn't have time to go all the way back to the town where the orphanage was located. The government saves money for the orphans evidentally, but when you adopt a child, you have to give it back to the orphanage. tricky how that works. ha! So now the region will just keep the money where he was located.
We had a long 3 hour drive from Lugansk to Donestk. Then we grabbed a quick flight for Jeff, me and Sasha and Ksenia and Tonya our amazing translators! We barely made it but arrived just in time. We flew to Kiev, about an hour flight, then rode another 45 minutes to our apartment. Jeff and I were thinking, oh good, we are settled in for the night.....but as soon as the suitcases were inside, Sasha said, "I HUNGRY."
He has a major sugar addiction and wants to eat chocolate from the moment he wakes up til the moment he goes to bed. No kiddeing! He found some sugar cubes in the cabinets here in our apartment....he brought them to us and said, "THESE BEAUTIFUL." We cracked up and I said, "Oh good Sasha, you need more sugar." He laughed but may be crying by the time we get back to America. I am doing my best to wean him off of all the sugar. I told him he reminds me of Spider Man because he is climbing the walls all the time.
I have the sweetest husband in the world. He's such an amazing papa. We read to Sasha every chance we get and right now Jeff is reading/singing How Much Is That Doggie In The Window. Wow, at least that what it sounds like. haha
Sasha is aboslutely adorable. He has not lost his temper once and he continues to amaze us with his loving sweet gestures. We are loving our one on one time with him so much. He got quiet at dinner tonight and then I realized that he had been looking at pictures on my phone of the orphanage. He saw pictures of all of his friends and Babushka. Very emotional to even think about. We have had so many amazing bonding moments and our time with him has been invaluable. When we get home, life will get busy again and he will not have our attention 24/7. It truly has blessed our hearts to be with this sweet little boy day in and day out. We are so joyful that God chose us to be his "forever family." I know that God has already equipped him with everything that he needs to succeed in America. I almost don't want to "americanize" him. I am so excited for the opportunities that may come Sasha's way and we hope that he will tell the story when he is ready....and give God all the glory. I know life will not be easy for him. He does not want to go to school because I think he is afraid that others will make fun of him. I will homeschool him for a bit until he feels confident and ready. He has so much to give and we know that God will use him in a mighty way.
Sasha's english is coming along so well. When we were visiting him at the orphanage he had totally forgotten all of his english....now he is speaking in full sentences already. On the way to the restaurant he said, "Sasha no speak Russian, only English." We had heard that they do not want to remember anything about Ukrain and will often not even speak Russian or Ukrainian if someone in America speaks to them.
It was so cute at the restaurant because he ordered for us in Russian. He is usually embarressed of us I think because we stand out so much. We are so freakin' american looking. But tonight our waitress thought he was cute and he knew it so he would ask us questions in english and then translate to her. I wish we could keep his Russian and Ukrainian language but that will be completely up to him if he wants to continue with it.
We are going to get his physical tomorrow and the U.S. Embassy. Another busy day. We found out that the circus is only two blocks from us so we may try to surprise him with tickets. I know he would love it. He is like a newborn, experiencing everything for the first time. He is intrigued by the smallest things that we take for granted.
Thanks for prayers! We are so tired but God continues to give us strength. We feel so blessed and thankful that God has chosen us to be this wonderful boy's parents. I know that Kelsey, karley and Kyle are so anxious for our return with their brother. This has been just as hard on them to wait. Also our sweet Bobo and Poppy. Wow, what would we have done without them. They are running everything at our house in our absence. Jeff's parents are so sweet to be there for us in every way possible.
We are so excited to come back to America. Two more days of running around for our official documents
and then a full day of flights and we will back to the good ole US of A! .
love to you all,
m and j
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
JEFFREY SASHA NYMAN OFFICIALLY
Well, today was just too much for words. It's hard to express how elated our hearts feel.. The joy in our hearts is overflowing. Jeff and I cried and laughed so much today. We have Sasha with us now and he is a complee delight. There is a newness in hm that just relevates a peace within. He is so happy and wants to hold our hands all the time. It was a very emotional day but absolutely beautiful in every way.
When we went to his hometown where he was born, Ksenia said that we did not have time to stop by and see his babushka. I made my pouty face with a big bottom lip but nothing seemed to help. So we left after we got his birth certificate and I.D. #.
Before we actually left to do anything this morning, Jeff and I were talking that maybe Sasha's babushka was close to our age.. OMG, that sort of freaked me out because I was afraid that she may say to Sasha, "They can't be your parents, they are too old." haha As it turns out, she was born in 1942, so she is a tad older than us. Since we were not going to be able to visit his grandmother, I started looking around at every 70 year old woman in his hometown and thought, "That could be her....that could be her." I would throw out a "Sasha Lebedev" now and then to see if they would respond. When they didn't turn around, I would say to Jeff, that's not her...that's not her. haha....I was so devasted and sad that we were not going to be able to meet her.
When we got to the orphanage we got all of the paperwork signed quickly and we were told that Sasha's grandmother was waiting for us. WOW!!!! God continues to amaze us!!!We arrived at about 12:30 and she had been sitting waiting for us since 8:00 a.m. to make sure that she didn't miss us. As soon as we walked into the room, she hugged Jeff and I and began to cry. Jeff and I cried a lot and told her how much we love Sasha and that he will be well loved. We also told her through our tears, (and translator) that we love God very much and will teach him all about God. We assured her that he is safe with us and gave her many details about our family. When we presented her with the photo album she began to cry again. She enjoyed looking at the pictures as Sasha explained who each person was in the picture in Russian. When I think about how difficult that must have been for her to come today, it truly blows my little mind! She was so brave to come! Her love for Sasha was the overriding motivation that made her come all the way just to meet us and say good bye to him.. She kept telling us how happy she was through her tears. We asked her lots of questions and she gave us lots of answers.
Then we had our little "going away party" for Sasha and the 5th grade class. It was rather uneventful, while they made Sasha stand in front of the classroom. He can be very shy and does not like a lot of attention, so he was not able to speak to the classroom. Some of the children stood up to say good bye and good luck in America. His grandmother watched with tears of joy as he said his good byes. There were not many hugs, just waves and "duck spit on ya" which is "good bye."
We did not get to see him say good bye to Alena, his little "girl who is a friend." haha He's too young for a girlfriend! Anyway, we bought her several things and he said that she was very sad when he said good bye to her. They would not let Jeff into the building with Sasha to say good bye to Alena. She wrote him a sweet note which I believe says, "I love you," at the bottom. So sweet but so sad!
Afterwards, we went to lunch with his babushka and Sasha was very sweet to listen to her stories. He began to get a little anxious after a few hours, but when she went to the bathroom we told him the cold hard truth. We told him to give her lots of love today because this very possibly could be the last time that he ever saw her. WOW, our poor little boy has had to swallow so many difficult situations in his 11 years.
We also asked her about her health and she told us that it was not very good. My sweet husband gave her some cash and she was sooooooo grateful with lots more tears! She was in so grateul and cried with joy.
We went to dinner to celebrate and watched him eat and eat! When we came back to our appartment we played and laughed and bonded closer than ever! He is now sleeping on the couch and looks so peaceful!
He wanted music to be played when he layed in Jeff's arms....I put some Ukrainian music on for him and he said, "No Ukrainian, American." He seems ready to begin his new life in America. :)
Once again, we are exhausted and have lots more running around to do tomorrow.. The BEST part though is that we have our son and we are almost done with this crazy adoption process! We have so much to be thankful for and have seen God's hand in every area of our life. We are blessed to have an opportunity to love another child and to welcome another wonderful son into our life. Children are God's greatest blessings! It's hard to believe that we now have four kids....what a gift! Thank you for your amazing prayers and love. Jeff and I feel like we can breathe again! Thank you Lord for continueing to carry us through thie storm! love you, m and j
When we went to his hometown where he was born, Ksenia said that we did not have time to stop by and see his babushka. I made my pouty face with a big bottom lip but nothing seemed to help. So we left after we got his birth certificate and I.D. #.
Before we actually left to do anything this morning, Jeff and I were talking that maybe Sasha's babushka was close to our age.. OMG, that sort of freaked me out because I was afraid that she may say to Sasha, "They can't be your parents, they are too old." haha As it turns out, she was born in 1942, so she is a tad older than us. Since we were not going to be able to visit his grandmother, I started looking around at every 70 year old woman in his hometown and thought, "That could be her....that could be her." I would throw out a "Sasha Lebedev" now and then to see if they would respond. When they didn't turn around, I would say to Jeff, that's not her...that's not her. haha....I was so devasted and sad that we were not going to be able to meet her.
When we got to the orphanage we got all of the paperwork signed quickly and we were told that Sasha's grandmother was waiting for us. WOW!!!! God continues to amaze us!!!We arrived at about 12:30 and she had been sitting waiting for us since 8:00 a.m. to make sure that she didn't miss us. As soon as we walked into the room, she hugged Jeff and I and began to cry. Jeff and I cried a lot and told her how much we love Sasha and that he will be well loved. We also told her through our tears, (and translator) that we love God very much and will teach him all about God. We assured her that he is safe with us and gave her many details about our family. When we presented her with the photo album she began to cry again. She enjoyed looking at the pictures as Sasha explained who each person was in the picture in Russian. When I think about how difficult that must have been for her to come today, it truly blows my little mind! She was so brave to come! Her love for Sasha was the overriding motivation that made her come all the way just to meet us and say good bye to him.. She kept telling us how happy she was through her tears. We asked her lots of questions and she gave us lots of answers.
Then we had our little "going away party" for Sasha and the 5th grade class. It was rather uneventful, while they made Sasha stand in front of the classroom. He can be very shy and does not like a lot of attention, so he was not able to speak to the classroom. Some of the children stood up to say good bye and good luck in America. His grandmother watched with tears of joy as he said his good byes. There were not many hugs, just waves and "duck spit on ya" which is "good bye."
We did not get to see him say good bye to Alena, his little "girl who is a friend." haha He's too young for a girlfriend! Anyway, we bought her several things and he said that she was very sad when he said good bye to her. They would not let Jeff into the building with Sasha to say good bye to Alena. She wrote him a sweet note which I believe says, "I love you," at the bottom. So sweet but so sad!
Afterwards, we went to lunch with his babushka and Sasha was very sweet to listen to her stories. He began to get a little anxious after a few hours, but when she went to the bathroom we told him the cold hard truth. We told him to give her lots of love today because this very possibly could be the last time that he ever saw her. WOW, our poor little boy has had to swallow so many difficult situations in his 11 years.
We also asked her about her health and she told us that it was not very good. My sweet husband gave her some cash and she was sooooooo grateful with lots more tears! She was in so grateul and cried with joy.
We went to dinner to celebrate and watched him eat and eat! When we came back to our appartment we played and laughed and bonded closer than ever! He is now sleeping on the couch and looks so peaceful!
He wanted music to be played when he layed in Jeff's arms....I put some Ukrainian music on for him and he said, "No Ukrainian, American." He seems ready to begin his new life in America. :)
Once again, we are exhausted and have lots more running around to do tomorrow.. The BEST part though is that we have our son and we are almost done with this crazy adoption process! We have so much to be thankful for and have seen God's hand in every area of our life. We are blessed to have an opportunity to love another child and to welcome another wonderful son into our life. Children are God's greatest blessings! It's hard to believe that we now have four kids....what a gift! Thank you for your amazing prayers and love. Jeff and I feel like we can breathe again! Thank you Lord for continueing to carry us through thie storm! love you, m and j
Monday, November 1, 2010
BACK AGAIN TO GET OUR SWEET SASHA!
Well we had a very long exhausting day of travel from Charlotte to Washington DC with a 3 hour layover and then on to Munich and a 5 hour layaover and then finaly on to Donetsk, Ukraine. After a 2 hour drive from the Donetsk airport, we finally landed in our apartment thankfully. It was about 24 hours of travel altogether....that's pretty long for old people like Jeff and me. ha.
The funniest part of the day was when Jeff asked our driver how much longer until we arrive in Donetsk. The driver said 20 minutes and Jeff looked at him square in the eyes and said, "piss piss." This must be some kind of universal language between men, because our non-english-speaking driver said, "No problem and pulled right over on the side of the road." JEFF WAS THRILLED! Dagum, the whole world's a toilet for men. I had to go too but no piss piss for me, thank you! Jeff got back in the car and said, "Spaseeba, that was great!" hahahaha
We met with Ksenia about our plans for tomorrow and she informed us that she has THE COURT DECREE, which says that Sasha is approved for adoption, OFFICIALLY!!! She came a day earlier to make sure we had this document for tomorrow. She also told us that Sasha's Babushka called the orphanage today and wanted to know when he was leaving. Wow, word travels fast in these small Ukrainian towns.
Tomorrow, our plan is to leave early in the morning to Sasha's "hometown" to get his birth ceritificate re-issued in his new name...JEFFREY SASHA NYMAN. Can I hear an Hallejuah! :) After we have the paperwork in hand we will visit Babushka Lebedev and hopefully have a wonderful visit with her. I am so sad that Sasha will not be with us to say good bye. We made her a little photo album .(thank you Kim Marshall for the idea) It will be a very bittersweet day for everyone. As far as we know right now, Sasha is his grandma'sonly living relative. That makes me want to cry. I wish I would have bought a Russian Bible for her but I totally forgot about it during our 12 days home. I will try to get one to her somehow. I want to tell her that we will take very good care of Sasha and that we are her family now. We want her to know
that because we have God's love in our heart, that we can love others so easily and that we are all brothers and sisters in the Lord. I hope she knows Jesus, but if not, hope she knows Him after tomorrow. We are excited, but a little nervous too about breaking her heart!
After getting the new birth certificate and visitng with grandma, we will go to the orphanage with some cake and drinks and have a quick "going away" party. Of course Jeff and I will be out of there in lightning speed, but we will need to allow Sasha to say good bye to everyone. Unfortunately for him, he will most likely never see his friends again. That also makes me want to cry. He is coming to America to start a whole new life. New family, new friends, NEW EVERYTHING!!!
Tomorrow, we will take him some new clothes to put on because he is not allowed to take anything away from the orphanage...as he truly owns nothing. I hope they will allow him to bring the turtle stuffed animal that we gave to him and also the photo album of pictures of him with our family.
Ksenia also told us that Sasha used someone's phone last week to call her. He said, "Tell mama and papa that I said hi and that I love them." He wanted to know if we were really coming back because evidentally some people have told him that we were not returning and that it was just a joke. Can you imagine telling this to a little child who is waiting for his mama and papa to pick him up?
Well, my eyes are getting very heavy. I am just in awe that we are sitting here and waiting for one more "wake up" until we get to get our little boy. Okay, now I AM crying. We will have him with us the rest of the week when we fly to Kiev and do all of the other legal paperwork. It is God's grace and His mercy that allowed us to press on through these difficult trials.
okay, i'm drugged...nighty nighty...got to grt some sleep
thanks for of your pyarers,
We ccouldn't have gotten this far without you...
love to you all,
m and )
The funniest part of the day was when Jeff asked our driver how much longer until we arrive in Donetsk. The driver said 20 minutes and Jeff looked at him square in the eyes and said, "piss piss." This must be some kind of universal language between men, because our non-english-speaking driver said, "No problem and pulled right over on the side of the road." JEFF WAS THRILLED! Dagum, the whole world's a toilet for men. I had to go too but no piss piss for me, thank you! Jeff got back in the car and said, "Spaseeba, that was great!" hahahaha
We met with Ksenia about our plans for tomorrow and she informed us that she has THE COURT DECREE, which says that Sasha is approved for adoption, OFFICIALLY!!! She came a day earlier to make sure we had this document for tomorrow. She also told us that Sasha's Babushka called the orphanage today and wanted to know when he was leaving. Wow, word travels fast in these small Ukrainian towns.
Tomorrow, our plan is to leave early in the morning to Sasha's "hometown" to get his birth ceritificate re-issued in his new name...JEFFREY SASHA NYMAN. Can I hear an Hallejuah! :) After we have the paperwork in hand we will visit Babushka Lebedev and hopefully have a wonderful visit with her. I am so sad that Sasha will not be with us to say good bye. We made her a little photo album .(thank you Kim Marshall for the idea) It will be a very bittersweet day for everyone. As far as we know right now, Sasha is his grandma'sonly living relative. That makes me want to cry. I wish I would have bought a Russian Bible for her but I totally forgot about it during our 12 days home. I will try to get one to her somehow. I want to tell her that we will take very good care of Sasha and that we are her family now. We want her to know
that because we have God's love in our heart, that we can love others so easily and that we are all brothers and sisters in the Lord. I hope she knows Jesus, but if not, hope she knows Him after tomorrow. We are excited, but a little nervous too about breaking her heart!
After getting the new birth certificate and visitng with grandma, we will go to the orphanage with some cake and drinks and have a quick "going away" party. Of course Jeff and I will be out of there in lightning speed, but we will need to allow Sasha to say good bye to everyone. Unfortunately for him, he will most likely never see his friends again. That also makes me want to cry. He is coming to America to start a whole new life. New family, new friends, NEW EVERYTHING!!!
Tomorrow, we will take him some new clothes to put on because he is not allowed to take anything away from the orphanage...as he truly owns nothing. I hope they will allow him to bring the turtle stuffed animal that we gave to him and also the photo album of pictures of him with our family.
Ksenia also told us that Sasha used someone's phone last week to call her. He said, "Tell mama and papa that I said hi and that I love them." He wanted to know if we were really coming back because evidentally some people have told him that we were not returning and that it was just a joke. Can you imagine telling this to a little child who is waiting for his mama and papa to pick him up?
Well, my eyes are getting very heavy. I am just in awe that we are sitting here and waiting for one more "wake up" until we get to get our little boy. Okay, now I AM crying. We will have him with us the rest of the week when we fly to Kiev and do all of the other legal paperwork. It is God's grace and His mercy that allowed us to press on through these difficult trials.
okay, i'm drugged...nighty nighty...got to grt some sleep
thanks for of your pyarers,
We ccouldn't have gotten this far without you...
love to you all,
m and )
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