Today we had to move apartments, the one we were in was not available for Wed. so we hauled all our stuff to an apartment 2 buildings up and then Oleg and I went to the WW2 museum were we saw a pair of gloves made out of human skin, several tanks and planes and a statue that rivals the Statue of Libery.
Next we went to check out the caves at Lavra, not a good place for your resident claustraphobic. We went down and down and down in a single file line with many others all of holding candles to view several monks in glass coffens. It was a slow moving line as many people stopped to kiss each casket. For the most part the monks were respectfully covered head to toe with about 3 or 4 of them with exposed hands. Their was also one area that house several skulls in glass jars. The ceilings as you were walking grew shorter till I was bending to get thru as well as being very narrow and will all of us holding candles for light it was also very hot. I enjoyed the experiance and am glad I did it however once was enough. I just could stop thinking about how glad I was that Ukraine does not have earthquakes.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Visas in hand
Today I decided to take a break from the boys and go to TGIF for a cheesburger- the real kind. While I was waiting for it to open I ran into 4 women from the peace corps who invited me to join them for lunch.
After lunch the boys and I went to the embassy to recieve the visa's which I am happy to say are now in my hot little hands. America here we come!!
We then went to a pizza place for lunch- this was the pizza place that the boys didn't want to go to the first day because it was cheap pizza, now we go every day and thankfully its cheap pizza.
Oleg and I went to the arch and are now in the internet cafe, Oleksiy and Valik went to some fun house thing and were then going home.
The doctor at our physical actually said the America kids have to much freedom- she never met my Ukr. kids, they don't see boundries only opportunites.
See you all very soon
After lunch the boys and I went to the embassy to recieve the visa's which I am happy to say are now in my hot little hands. America here we come!!
We then went to a pizza place for lunch- this was the pizza place that the boys didn't want to go to the first day because it was cheap pizza, now we go every day and thankfully its cheap pizza.
Oleg and I went to the arch and are now in the internet cafe, Oleksiy and Valik went to some fun house thing and were then going home.
The doctor at our physical actually said the America kids have to much freedom- she never met my Ukr. kids, they don't see boundries only opportunites.
See you all very soon
Monday, July 20, 2009
Back in Kiev
We then went to the office of our broker and collected our luggage and then hauled in by hand to our apartment, down the street, across the street, up a relativly steap incline and then up 9 flights of stairs, 7 of which we did get to use a 2x2 elevator for.
Today we took care of the medical and visa passports including fingerprinting for my 2 oldest and now we are hanging out in an internet cafe which is allowing me to post.
If all goes as planned and in Ukraine we used that term loosly we will be flighing home on Thursday.
Keep praying, through in a littel for my last day sanity.
Today we took care of the medical and visa passports including fingerprinting for my 2 oldest and now we are hanging out in an internet cafe which is allowing me to post.
If all goes as planned and in Ukraine we used that term loosly we will be flighing home on Thursday.
Keep praying, through in a littel for my last day sanity.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
things are starting to roll
WE finnally got the boys more updates to come...Please continue to keep everything in prayer.
Thank you and God Bless
Thank you and God Bless
Saturday, July 4, 2009
and counting
Technically today is the 10 day mark but since the court is not open today I collect my boys on Monday. We made due today by having a going away BBQ for thier friends. It started to rain but the boys and their companions made a covering for us so we made it through.
Been doing a lot more driving with my friend but still avoid taxi drivers, as far as I am concerned they have the write away. My internet is still down so posts will come few and far between but I will update eveyone next week on paper work and when I hope we will be home. Pray that the passports come quickly.
Been doing a lot more driving with my friend but still avoid taxi drivers, as far as I am concerned they have the write away. My internet is still down so posts will come few and far between but I will update eveyone next week on paper work and when I hope we will be home. Pray that the passports come quickly.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Finally!!!!!!
Finally all the waiting had paid off! We after 4 ½ hours of court received the long awaited decision that our 3 boys will soon be the newest addition to the Barker family. The boys we at court and returned to the internate following the court decision and the next day returned to the camp. Richard, Randi and I left the next day after visiting the boys for Kiev to complete our documents prior to Richard and Randi leaving Friday morning at 5:30am. I originally was not planning on going but it turned out to be a good thing because we discovered that I needed additional paperwork that both Richard and I needed to sign together. My plan was to leave Thursday night but I was not able to get a ticket for the train , so we grabbed a hotel room and Richard and Randi left for the airport at 2:30am and I spent the day in Kiev. I was able to get a Kupe for the return trip on Friday. Saturday I was able to visit the boys, Sunday I was not able to get a ride but did go again on Monday which is a holiday, Constitution day. Next Monday I will be able to pick up the boys, they are supposed to be at the internate but I still need to get some clarification. Thank you all for your prayers and support, please continue to pray for rapid completion of paperwork and a safe trip home. Also please keep Richard in your prayers as he is again having issues with his back and now hip and leg- please pray for healing, direction and for clarification that the choices we need to make. Also prayer for integrating our 3 newest members of the family.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Just another day
I brought pizza today which was a big hit with the boys and their friends. I have become very popular at the camp. I would love to say its my winning personality but in reality its my toys. I brought a couple extra gameboys to share along with my ipod I am never alone.
After Pizza and some video games the boys and I walked into the village and bought some clothes and ice cream. Back at camp Alex made me some tea that we had bought each day I try a differnt tea and am asked my opinion on it which would be easier to give if there was a little less sugar.
After camp I spent the evening with friends and then back to the apartment. Richard and Randi arrived saftly in Kiev and will take the train to Chernivtsy tomorrow.
After Pizza and some video games the boys and I walked into the village and bought some clothes and ice cream. Back at camp Alex made me some tea that we had bought each day I try a differnt tea and am asked my opinion on it which would be easier to give if there was a little less sugar.
After camp I spent the evening with friends and then back to the apartment. Richard and Randi arrived saftly in Kiev and will take the train to Chernivtsy tomorrow.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Night at camp
Well I survived my night at camp. Because I was planning on spending the night I left a bit later in the day. First I went to the store and picked up some fruit and cookies to share with the camp kids and a few other snacks for me and the boys.
I arrived at the camp around 4:30. Spent the first few hours with the boys on the computer and then watching Alex play soccer. When it got later they let us use the sick room to hang out in until bedtime. We mostly listened to music off the boys MP3 players. They would play a song in English and then ask if it was a good song or not. There were quite a few rap songs so the conversations were interesting to say the least.
A quick summer storm took out the power for a while, we didn’t really notice it as we had been charging the computer so when the lights went out we just continued on with our music. A larger part of the camp was at the nightly “Disco” I don’t know exactly what that entailed as my boys were not really interested in dancing other then Joseph who was happy to just hang with us.
Around 10:30 we called it a night. I ended up sharing a room with 2 of the teachers at the camp. It wasn’t bad except for the bathrooms. Now bathroom is a loose term for village living- basically it is a jumbo size out house or roughly a room with 4 holes cut into the floor. At night there was one bathroom in the mail building for evening use only but I have to say the outhouses were cleaner. I spent a good portion of the night talking myself out of the need to visit the facility. Additionally the rooms are locked at night from the inside and I would have had no way to leave and come back without leaving the door unlocked with is a big no.
Finally at 6:30am I decided to great my day. I grabbed my stuff and headed out to a lovely morning rain. I was able to stay dry in a gazebo but apparently I was causing a bit of distress because I was in shorts and a t-shirt and sitting alone. Everyone seemed to think I was miserable when in reality I was really looking forward to reading my book alone. Finally when they couldn’t convince me I was cold they woke up Alex to take me inside. We hung out in the sick room again until breakfast which only Joseph wanted. I went with him to breakfast and seriously started to rethink my decision. First I felt bad because I really did not want that breakfast then I felt bad for my snobby attitude and lack of gratitude. These people had bent over backwards to make me feel welcome and taken care of and I was turning my nose up at their food. So with new resolve I sat down to hot tea with lots and lots and lots of sugar, a wheat pilaf, bread and butter and a sausage with gravy along with cucumber slice and an orange. I made it through the pilaf but just couldn’t eat the sausage other than that breakfast was ok and the bread baked fresh was really good.
After breakfast the boys made me more tea with more sugar and then we went to the store to buy a thank you gift to the administrator who allowed me to stay and snack for the boys.
Tomorrow I am going to attempt to bring Pizza, we will see how it goes.
I arrived at the camp around 4:30. Spent the first few hours with the boys on the computer and then watching Alex play soccer. When it got later they let us use the sick room to hang out in until bedtime. We mostly listened to music off the boys MP3 players. They would play a song in English and then ask if it was a good song or not. There were quite a few rap songs so the conversations were interesting to say the least.
A quick summer storm took out the power for a while, we didn’t really notice it as we had been charging the computer so when the lights went out we just continued on with our music. A larger part of the camp was at the nightly “Disco” I don’t know exactly what that entailed as my boys were not really interested in dancing other then Joseph who was happy to just hang with us.
Around 10:30 we called it a night. I ended up sharing a room with 2 of the teachers at the camp. It wasn’t bad except for the bathrooms. Now bathroom is a loose term for village living- basically it is a jumbo size out house or roughly a room with 4 holes cut into the floor. At night there was one bathroom in the mail building for evening use only but I have to say the outhouses were cleaner. I spent a good portion of the night talking myself out of the need to visit the facility. Additionally the rooms are locked at night from the inside and I would have had no way to leave and come back without leaving the door unlocked with is a big no.
Finally at 6:30am I decided to great my day. I grabbed my stuff and headed out to a lovely morning rain. I was able to stay dry in a gazebo but apparently I was causing a bit of distress because I was in shorts and a t-shirt and sitting alone. Everyone seemed to think I was miserable when in reality I was really looking forward to reading my book alone. Finally when they couldn’t convince me I was cold they woke up Alex to take me inside. We hung out in the sick room again until breakfast which only Joseph wanted. I went with him to breakfast and seriously started to rethink my decision. First I felt bad because I really did not want that breakfast then I felt bad for my snobby attitude and lack of gratitude. These people had bent over backwards to make me feel welcome and taken care of and I was turning my nose up at their food. So with new resolve I sat down to hot tea with lots and lots and lots of sugar, a wheat pilaf, bread and butter and a sausage with gravy along with cucumber slice and an orange. I made it through the pilaf but just couldn’t eat the sausage other than that breakfast was ok and the bread baked fresh was really good.
After breakfast the boys made me more tea with more sugar and then we went to the store to buy a thank you gift to the administrator who allowed me to stay and snack for the boys.
Tomorrow I am going to attempt to bring Pizza, we will see how it goes.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Back again
June 10 I once again boarded a plane to Ukraine. I am traveling solo for the first week when Richard and Randi will join me. Our court date is June 23rd and if all goes well Richard and Randi will return shortly after and I will stay and finish the paper work.
This flight was on a different airline and I swear the seats were closer together, it was a shorter flight however and that made it a bit more bearable. I arrive in Kiev at 10:40pm which was too late to take the train the same day so I stayed in a hotel for the night and headed out to Chernivtsy the next day which put my actual arrival in the region 4 days after I left.
My friends met me at the train station and took me to my apartment where I grabbed a quick shower and then they picked me up again and took me to see the boys. The camp the boys are at for the summer is about an hour and 10 minutes away. The trip is interesting as well with roads that change from asphalt to dirt to gravel to half asphalt and dirt and so on, Richard would have loved the dirt and mud puddles if he had his truck. In addition to the unique road conditions you have cows, goats, sheep, horses and ducks to contend with, more often than not in the middle of the road. The scenery was amazing, lots of lush green farm land, rolling hills and trees.
When got closer to our destination the boys were waiting out on the road to show us the way into the camp. The camp is well kept and the staff is friendly. The downside for the kids is there is nothing for them to do. At the internate they could leave the school and find things to do around town, hear they are miles from anything and the largest store nearby is half the size of a gas station mini mart. We visited with the kids for a few hours and then headed back. I did some quick grocery shopping and went to bed.
The next day, Sunday, we again went to see the boys only this time my friends dropped me off and picked me up several hours later.
The boys and I first walked around the village and went to the bazaar which was about 20 booths were the boys bought coffee and tea and then on to the store where the boys grabbed body wash, shampoo, a razor, shaving cream, shoes, soup, sugar, cups and spoons and sausage.
We then headed back to the camp and hung out in Kevin’s room which was a large room with about 8 beds for an hour or so until Karaoke started and Alex had to join in. So I spent the rest of the visit on the bench watching Alex sing and the other 2 boys play video games while the rest of the camp watched them.
Monday we left to go to the camp around 12:00, a couple hours earlier the women asked me to lead a bible study for the kids. So with little time to prepare and no idea what to share with a group of kids ranging between 6 and 17 years of age, I did my best. Not to mention the added joy of having to pause and wait for the translator which adds a whole new aspect to teaching because you have to work to keep your place. I did OK, not my best but I think I only lost about 25% of my audience so I guess it wasn’t too bad. Afterwards I got to speak with my boys for a while with a translator, various different subjects like killing poisonous snakes and why it’s a bad idea to joke about bombs on a commercial airliner to how to escape from handcuffs.
On our way home I got to drive, it was actually a request from the women who owned the car as this was her second time driving without her husband. Fortunately married to Richard I was equipped to navigate the unique road conditions.
We stopped so I could activate my internet card and then I was invited to attend a small group for the church in which I was again asked to share. Having only 2 minutes to prepare this time I asked for at least a scripture passage to work with to which I was given Luke 16 the parable of the unfaithful steward- I have to say this is my least favorite parable as it appears to commend dishonest business practices so I was then motivated to find my own passage of scripture verse trying to mess with the spiritual concepts mixed up in that story. I finally settled on 2 Corinthians 12:9 and shared on the thorn in Paul’s flesh.
Tomorrow I met with our attorney at 10:00 and afterwards my friends found me a driver to take me to the camp for 150 hyrivnas which is approx. $20 US dollars. I will go up a bit later as I have been invited to stay the night. I will have my own room- I don’t have to share with 7 other kids and I imagine it will be quite the experience. This camp is different, a lot more kids and a lot more needy. I will sit down on a bench and have children rush to sit by me and lean against me for a hug or any sign of affection, breaking out my package of mints emptied out in seconds. Many of the kids are from different internate so I don’t recognize them all- additionally some are disabled. Keep these children also in your prayers and for the women from the church who lead the bible studies for these children and are a source of love for these kids.
This flight was on a different airline and I swear the seats were closer together, it was a shorter flight however and that made it a bit more bearable. I arrive in Kiev at 10:40pm which was too late to take the train the same day so I stayed in a hotel for the night and headed out to Chernivtsy the next day which put my actual arrival in the region 4 days after I left.
My friends met me at the train station and took me to my apartment where I grabbed a quick shower and then they picked me up again and took me to see the boys. The camp the boys are at for the summer is about an hour and 10 minutes away. The trip is interesting as well with roads that change from asphalt to dirt to gravel to half asphalt and dirt and so on, Richard would have loved the dirt and mud puddles if he had his truck. In addition to the unique road conditions you have cows, goats, sheep, horses and ducks to contend with, more often than not in the middle of the road. The scenery was amazing, lots of lush green farm land, rolling hills and trees.
When got closer to our destination the boys were waiting out on the road to show us the way into the camp. The camp is well kept and the staff is friendly. The downside for the kids is there is nothing for them to do. At the internate they could leave the school and find things to do around town, hear they are miles from anything and the largest store nearby is half the size of a gas station mini mart. We visited with the kids for a few hours and then headed back. I did some quick grocery shopping and went to bed.
The next day, Sunday, we again went to see the boys only this time my friends dropped me off and picked me up several hours later.
The boys and I first walked around the village and went to the bazaar which was about 20 booths were the boys bought coffee and tea and then on to the store where the boys grabbed body wash, shampoo, a razor, shaving cream, shoes, soup, sugar, cups and spoons and sausage.
We then headed back to the camp and hung out in Kevin’s room which was a large room with about 8 beds for an hour or so until Karaoke started and Alex had to join in. So I spent the rest of the visit on the bench watching Alex sing and the other 2 boys play video games while the rest of the camp watched them.
Monday we left to go to the camp around 12:00, a couple hours earlier the women asked me to lead a bible study for the kids. So with little time to prepare and no idea what to share with a group of kids ranging between 6 and 17 years of age, I did my best. Not to mention the added joy of having to pause and wait for the translator which adds a whole new aspect to teaching because you have to work to keep your place. I did OK, not my best but I think I only lost about 25% of my audience so I guess it wasn’t too bad. Afterwards I got to speak with my boys for a while with a translator, various different subjects like killing poisonous snakes and why it’s a bad idea to joke about bombs on a commercial airliner to how to escape from handcuffs.
On our way home I got to drive, it was actually a request from the women who owned the car as this was her second time driving without her husband. Fortunately married to Richard I was equipped to navigate the unique road conditions.
We stopped so I could activate my internet card and then I was invited to attend a small group for the church in which I was again asked to share. Having only 2 minutes to prepare this time I asked for at least a scripture passage to work with to which I was given Luke 16 the parable of the unfaithful steward- I have to say this is my least favorite parable as it appears to commend dishonest business practices so I was then motivated to find my own passage of scripture verse trying to mess with the spiritual concepts mixed up in that story. I finally settled on 2 Corinthians 12:9 and shared on the thorn in Paul’s flesh.
Tomorrow I met with our attorney at 10:00 and afterwards my friends found me a driver to take me to the camp for 150 hyrivnas which is approx. $20 US dollars. I will go up a bit later as I have been invited to stay the night. I will have my own room- I don’t have to share with 7 other kids and I imagine it will be quite the experience. This camp is different, a lot more kids and a lot more needy. I will sit down on a bench and have children rush to sit by me and lean against me for a hug or any sign of affection, breaking out my package of mints emptied out in seconds. Many of the kids are from different internate so I don’t recognize them all- additionally some are disabled. Keep these children also in your prayers and for the women from the church who lead the bible studies for these children and are a source of love for these kids.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
One down one to go
We had our "preliminary" hearing today and then the court scheduled our real court date for June 23rd. In addition to the School director, local childrens services, our attorney and us they will require a prosecutor to represent the children, all 3 boys and a physical representative from the SDA verse the letter to proceed for the court proceedings.
Their is a great local concern regarding the high amounts of Americans adopting in this area and since this is a different court then the other 5 families used we are facing greater difficulty.
We will be traveling home next week and will return to Ukraine a few days prior to the court date. Please continue to pray and we may have lost this battle but we still have our goal ahead. Please also pray for the boys- we have informed them of all the details but each day that goes by causes more and more doubt in their minds.
Their is a great local concern regarding the high amounts of Americans adopting in this area and since this is a different court then the other 5 families used we are facing greater difficulty.
We will be traveling home next week and will return to Ukraine a few days prior to the court date. Please continue to pray and we may have lost this battle but we still have our goal ahead. Please also pray for the boys- we have informed them of all the details but each day that goes by causes more and more doubt in their minds.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Final Countdown
Sorry I have been so slow in updating the blog, it just that things have not changed much and have had very little new to report.
Last Sunday was Easter in Ukraine. We joined our Ukrainian church family at the river for service and communion and then a BBQ lunch. It was a nice day and Alex and Joseph joined us, Kevin stayed at the school for their Easter celebration.
For the rest of the week our days pretty much are wake up, walk around the city and go to the internate by 2:00.
Friday we did get to meet with some friends from the winter camp and go to a horse ranch facility with various farm animals and such. Danny got to feed and ride a horse, pet pigs and hold a goat.
Saturday we had dinner with friends and Sunday we had the privilege of hearing from a traveling preacher from Florida. It was wonderful to receive our weekly message in English.
Wednesday is our court date and we request prayer for a favorable conclusion and for a single court date- most in the area are concerned as the tide has changed for international adoption with the administration however the local newspapers have reported positive things regarding the adoptions. We need to cover the area in prayer and again please keep our court in prayer.
Last Sunday was Easter in Ukraine. We joined our Ukrainian church family at the river for service and communion and then a BBQ lunch. It was a nice day and Alex and Joseph joined us, Kevin stayed at the school for their Easter celebration.
For the rest of the week our days pretty much are wake up, walk around the city and go to the internate by 2:00.
Friday we did get to meet with some friends from the winter camp and go to a horse ranch facility with various farm animals and such. Danny got to feed and ride a horse, pet pigs and hold a goat.
Saturday we had dinner with friends and Sunday we had the privilege of hearing from a traveling preacher from Florida. It was wonderful to receive our weekly message in English.
Wednesday is our court date and we request prayer for a favorable conclusion and for a single court date- most in the area are concerned as the tide has changed for international adoption with the administration however the local newspapers have reported positive things regarding the adoptions. We need to cover the area in prayer and again please keep our court in prayer.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Hotel Cal-Ukraine- You can check out but you can never leave
Still waiting. We moved into a smaller apartment, friends of Svetlanas from church who are letting us stay in the apartment next to them, we think it belongs to their brother but are not quite sure. Keep in mind that while we have experienced amazing hospitality it is additionally amazing as no one speaks English. They just love on us, take care of us and help us at every turn but we rarely say more then 3 words to each other as we speak different languages.
Take today for example- we needed to hook up our modem but did not know were to have money put on the card. We showed the paperwork to our hosts and he said he would drive us. When it was time to leave turns out his car was in the shop so we took a taxi which he paid for. Then he helped us get our modem set up and then flagged another cab to take us to the school, upon arriving at the school we tried to pay the cab and again our host refused.
Sunday we celebrate Easter here. Our church family is planning on picking us up and the boys up from the Internate and is having church by the river followed by a BBQ and picnic. The boys are looking forward to it except for Kevin who does not like social activities ( or church ) but will come as he wants to stay in touch with us at all times even if he doesn't like the activities we plan.
Take today for example- we needed to hook up our modem but did not know were to have money put on the card. We showed the paperwork to our hosts and he said he would drive us. When it was time to leave turns out his car was in the shop so we took a taxi which he paid for. Then he helped us get our modem set up and then flagged another cab to take us to the school, upon arriving at the school we tried to pay the cab and again our host refused.
Sunday we celebrate Easter here. Our church family is planning on picking us up and the boys up from the Internate and is having church by the river followed by a BBQ and picnic. The boys are looking forward to it except for Kevin who does not like social activities ( or church ) but will come as he wants to stay in touch with us at all times even if he doesn't like the activities we plan.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Shrinking Numbers
Tomorrow we are all going to Kiev via train to see the girls off. Our plan is that only the girls will be going home however if we do not get Richards and Danny's tickets exchanged they may be going home and Richard returning on the court date. We are leaving in the Lords hands to see what his will is for us in this matter. Richard is concerned about leaving me which he repeated to me several times during the day. I told him I would be fine, flattered that he was so concerned until he responded that we would have to discuss my spending money- and here I thought he was going to miss me.
When we return or I return the plan is to move into another apartment ( also rent free ) of a friend of our hosts who is going out of town for a long period of time so that they can move back into their home. Today my friend brought the girls town souvenirs to take home to remember Chernivtsi.
When we return or I return the plan is to move into another apartment ( also rent free ) of a friend of our hosts who is going out of town for a long period of time so that they can move back into their home. Today my friend brought the girls town souvenirs to take home to remember Chernivtsi.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Birthday celebration
Today was my birthday. We got permission to take the boys out for the day. It seem today was a series of misadventures. First we were supposed to take the boys out at 10:00 am, Kevin called and asked us to come at 11:00 instead, he did not however consult the other 2 boys who wanted us there at 10:00 ( Saturday they have school and did not want to spend a minute more then they had to there) We ended up arriving at 10:30. Alex gave me a cross for my birthday which he claims to have made but looks a bit more like it was liberated from some other place at one time and when Kevin arrived closer to 11:00 ( apparently he didn't care so much that he had class, he had gone to the store) he presented me with a box of chocolate and a perfume gift set. We set out to get breakfast but noticed that Danny had left his back pack on the bus. Richard, Jessica and Danny waited for the bus to go its round while I took the boys for food. After Joseph ate he joined them just as the bus had come full circle and helped Danny retrieve his bag.Following our full morning we hopped a bus to the large Bazaar. Visualize a larger van, maybe a 14 seater modified into an 18 set bus with 36 people actually on it. We squeezed on to the Bazaar. At the Bazaar we lasted about on hour before the cold got to us, the last few days had been really warm so we did not expect the sudden chill we had today. We went back to the apartment and grabbed warmer clothes. We had bought the boys jackets for America but decided they needed them today. We then headed to the park with the amusement rides for a few hours. After the park we took the boys to Reflections for dinner, a nicer restaurant, especially compared to Marios Pizza and the boys were not quite accustomed to such dinning, without going into much detail lets say they will need a few more lessons in manners before we attempt such dining in the near future.After dinner I took the boys home while Richard, Randi and Danny took the bus home. When the boys were checked into the Internate, I headed home stopping at the store for some groceries. Later that night our friends whose apartment we are staying in came by and brought me flowers and a cake for my birthday and visited for a while. All in all it was a good day.
Friday, April 10, 2009
The Cat and the court
OK, I just realize that what is supposed to be blog sharing ups and downs, lately the downs have had the floor- that being said I would like to share an event that I found quite funny. In Ukraine you have many contradictions, you have amazing statues, architecture and memorials- the two trains stations I have been in have incredible carvings and artwork. Then you have the legal buildings, airport and many of the apartment buildings that are dated and many of them run down.
The court that we are required to go to is an older building. While waiting outside of the Judges office one day to ask about our court date ( it was Richard, myself, Riesa and Daniel our translator) a beautiful siamese cat came and ran right up to me and jumped into my lap. It was quite insistent on receiving attention from our group and when finished with me moved on to Daniel. While we were granting our guest his required affection their were court staff members walking in and out of offices, occasionally smiling with us and our new friend. After some time the cat decided he was finished with us and jumped down and started outdoors. One of the staff members grew quite excited and spoke very rapidly to Daniel who while chuckling answered her distress. She was worried that "our" cat may run away if we let it loose like that to which Daniel explained that it was not our cat. Now what really struck me as funny is that it was not odd to them to think that I would bring my cat to court with me.
Rest assured that through our frustrations God grants us moments of humor and joy. I can't stress enough while I have been complaining that God has provided some amazing people to come along side us in our journey. Please continue to pray and in addition our requests please ask God to bless these wonderful people who have made the road we are traveling less bumpy.
The court that we are required to go to is an older building. While waiting outside of the Judges office one day to ask about our court date ( it was Richard, myself, Riesa and Daniel our translator) a beautiful siamese cat came and ran right up to me and jumped into my lap. It was quite insistent on receiving attention from our group and when finished with me moved on to Daniel. While we were granting our guest his required affection their were court staff members walking in and out of offices, occasionally smiling with us and our new friend. After some time the cat decided he was finished with us and jumped down and started outdoors. One of the staff members grew quite excited and spoke very rapidly to Daniel who while chuckling answered her distress. She was worried that "our" cat may run away if we let it loose like that to which Daniel explained that it was not our cat. Now what really struck me as funny is that it was not odd to them to think that I would bring my cat to court with me.
Rest assured that through our frustrations God grants us moments of humor and joy. I can't stress enough while I have been complaining that God has provided some amazing people to come along side us in our journey. Please continue to pray and in addition our requests please ask God to bless these wonderful people who have made the road we are traveling less bumpy.
Light? at the end of the tunnel
Well we finally got our court date- April 29th, only its not really a court date its a hearing- after the hearing the judge is supposed to set a court date. We have been told the court date may actually be the end of May as their are 12 non-working days that month.
Additionally we are required to have an attorney and an official from the SDA in Kiev at both our hearing and our court date. OK that is the news as of yesterday, today we got a chip of hope- the hearing date is set in stone however the attorney we hired is going to ask if we can finish it all out in one day and if not can we at lease schedule the court date within a few days of the hearing. Also we have a legal document from the SDA stating that they waive their right to be at either the hearing or the court date and that they approve of the adoption. So all we need now at the court is the director, a representative from local childrens services, us and our attorney.
Additionally we are required to have an attorney and an official from the SDA in Kiev at both our hearing and our court date. OK that is the news as of yesterday, today we got a chip of hope- the hearing date is set in stone however the attorney we hired is going to ask if we can finish it all out in one day and if not can we at lease schedule the court date within a few days of the hearing. Also we have a legal document from the SDA stating that they waive their right to be at either the hearing or the court date and that they approve of the adoption. So all we need now at the court is the director, a representative from local childrens services, us and our attorney.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
:]
Josh Zac And JEssicas boyfriend Josh head for home Jessica and Jane went to escort them to kiev. We still have no court date but again more promises for one soon.Please continue to pray for saftey and thank you all for your support.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Prayer requests
Today I just want to list our growing prayer requests and trip status.
Josh and Zac are going home on the 9th, Jessica and Randi on the 14th- Richard, Danny and I are in limbo, hoping to here something quickly to aid us in our plans
Please pray for safety for our children in travel and during our separation at home.
Please pray for Josh and Randi on the Mexicali trip
Please pray for clarity in our plans for travel for the rest of us
Please pray for our business and the individuals running it in our stead
Please pray for our sacrificial hosts who have now been out of their homes for a month and refuse to let us move to a hotel
Please pray for the Judge to be sensitive to our travel dates without taking it out on our conclusion
Please pray for our Ukrainian boys to understand the delays and have confidence in our love for them and security if we need to leave and come back
Please pray for a favorable court decision
Please pray for our faith
and Please pray on Monday as we start our "work week" again in Ukraine
Thank you
Josh and Zac are going home on the 9th, Jessica and Randi on the 14th- Richard, Danny and I are in limbo, hoping to here something quickly to aid us in our plans
Please pray for safety for our children in travel and during our separation at home.
Please pray for Josh and Randi on the Mexicali trip
Please pray for clarity in our plans for travel for the rest of us
Please pray for our business and the individuals running it in our stead
Please pray for our sacrificial hosts who have now been out of their homes for a month and refuse to let us move to a hotel
Please pray for the Judge to be sensitive to our travel dates without taking it out on our conclusion
Please pray for our Ukrainian boys to understand the delays and have confidence in our love for them and security if we need to leave and come back
Please pray for a favorable court decision
Please pray for our faith
and Please pray on Monday as we start our "work week" again in Ukraine
Thank you
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Day in the Sun
Today ending the 4 days of dental work for Alex and Joseph. It is very different here then at home. The first day the dentist barely touched the boys teeth saying that one didn't like the needle and the other only wanted one tooth worked on at a time. I couldn't believe that the dentist and the translator couldn't see that dental work is really not an optional activity, that cavities do not heal themselves and that things will only get worse if we don't' deal with it now. But after all was said and finally done all dental work came to $170.00 (US) for all 4 days worth of work.
After the dentist our hosts arranged a day of fun for our family at a village about 35 minutes from the city. It was like a high end camp ground with a lake for fishing and one for swimming. It has a small zoo that was closed but the kids did see the camels, a bowling alley , and the highlight of everyone's day paintball. After lunch the kids played paintball for 2 hours. Alex, Joseph and Kevin had to go back to the Internate by 5:00 so Richard and our hosts brother drove them back and then returned. While they were gone we had BBQ- chicken and beef, alone with various salad vegetables and left overs from lunch. After dinner we ended the day with cookies, tea and coffee and a few praise songs from Josh. It was a wonderful day and much needed after our depressing week of no news. Tomorrow they are having communion at church and we are very excited about that.
After the dentist our hosts arranged a day of fun for our family at a village about 35 minutes from the city. It was like a high end camp ground with a lake for fishing and one for swimming. It has a small zoo that was closed but the kids did see the camels, a bowling alley , and the highlight of everyone's day paintball. After lunch the kids played paintball for 2 hours. Alex, Joseph and Kevin had to go back to the Internate by 5:00 so Richard and our hosts brother drove them back and then returned. While they were gone we had BBQ- chicken and beef, alone with various salad vegetables and left overs from lunch. After dinner we ended the day with cookies, tea and coffee and a few praise songs from Josh. It was a wonderful day and much needed after our depressing week of no news. Tomorrow they are having communion at church and we are very excited about that.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Update
As of 8:00 pm Thursday we still have no news. Today we took the 2 older boys to the dentist, we took all of them yesterday but the 2 have more work that needs to be done. We will go again to the dentist Friday and Saturday.
After the dentist Richard and I went with our facilitator to the court and waited for an hour and a half to be told we still didn't have a date and that the judge was to busy to see us. Our facilitator was quite insistent but the "guard at the door" prevailed, he first insisted that when the judge decided on a date they will mail us the "invitation. Our facilitator insisted that we pick it up as we don't have a permanent address in the city. She then insisted on waiting but the clerk said that it would not be ready today that the judge had 10 days to set a date, she then told him it had been 12 ( by my count 14), he insisted the judge needed more time to review and refused to address the issue any more today. We will go back tomorrow.
We once again ask for prayer, please don't stop. I ( Jane ) am scheduled to go home next week, Richard the week after and we don't know what to do.
After the dentist Richard and I went with our facilitator to the court and waited for an hour and a half to be told we still didn't have a date and that the judge was to busy to see us. Our facilitator was quite insistent but the "guard at the door" prevailed, he first insisted that when the judge decided on a date they will mail us the "invitation. Our facilitator insisted that we pick it up as we don't have a permanent address in the city. She then insisted on waiting but the clerk said that it would not be ready today that the judge had 10 days to set a date, she then told him it had been 12 ( by my count 14), he insisted the judge needed more time to review and refused to address the issue any more today. We will go back tomorrow.
We once again ask for prayer, please don't stop. I ( Jane ) am scheduled to go home next week, Richard the week after and we don't know what to do.
Monday, March 30, 2009
The Bus
As we wait and wait we are starting to notice that our money insists on being spent at the normal rate, not taking into account we need it to last longer then we originally intended. In an effort to curb unnecessary spending as you know we have started to walk different places and yesterday we all experienced our first ride on the city bus.
The bus to the internate was a relatively painless trip unless you count having to run in boots to catch it, while my endurance has increased during my many walks and flights of stairs, I have not begun to start running as of yet so the sprint to the bus was a bit stressful on my end.
Once on the bus the trip was relatively short and we arrived at the Internate. Yesterday the boys finished the outhouse next to there club house and then played various games on the field. It was a shorter day as we had to leave to get ready for church and our host wanted to take us by the University first. The bus ride back was a bit unique. Apparently it is not necessary for the doors to be shut prior to the bus leaving, nor is it necessary to pay as entering or to have a seat. We crammed in the best we could, I paid the driver and then watched him make various amounts of change for other passengers while driving. Just when we thought no one else could possibly squeeze in they would and did. We decided to get off a few stops early and walk the rest of the way home.
We did take a taxi to the university and then walked from their to church, about a mile. The service was especially good, the pastor spoke mostly on how big is your God and all things considering this was a good message for us as this is our 5th Sunday in Ukraine. They also each week have a separate pastor speak for 15-20 minutes prior to the offering on the offering. Service lasts about 2 1/2 hours.
Following church we went home and made tacos. We had received a care package from home and have never been so excited over a simple meal. I can not tell you how wonderful those tacos were.
Its Monday now about 2:30 and I still wait for news on our court date. I will post again if/when we hear something.
The bus to the internate was a relatively painless trip unless you count having to run in boots to catch it, while my endurance has increased during my many walks and flights of stairs, I have not begun to start running as of yet so the sprint to the bus was a bit stressful on my end.
Once on the bus the trip was relatively short and we arrived at the Internate. Yesterday the boys finished the outhouse next to there club house and then played various games on the field. It was a shorter day as we had to leave to get ready for church and our host wanted to take us by the University first. The bus ride back was a bit unique. Apparently it is not necessary for the doors to be shut prior to the bus leaving, nor is it necessary to pay as entering or to have a seat. We crammed in the best we could, I paid the driver and then watched him make various amounts of change for other passengers while driving. Just when we thought no one else could possibly squeeze in they would and did. We decided to get off a few stops early and walk the rest of the way home.
We did take a taxi to the university and then walked from their to church, about a mile. The service was especially good, the pastor spoke mostly on how big is your God and all things considering this was a good message for us as this is our 5th Sunday in Ukraine. They also each week have a separate pastor speak for 15-20 minutes prior to the offering on the offering. Service lasts about 2 1/2 hours.
Following church we went home and made tacos. We had received a care package from home and have never been so excited over a simple meal. I can not tell you how wonderful those tacos were.
Its Monday now about 2:30 and I still wait for news on our court date. I will post again if/when we hear something.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Afternoon Tea
Today we were invited by our boys and some of their friends to a picnic lunch..
Following the meal the boys cleared the table and the kids all played UNO.The boys have become increasingly concerned with our spending money on the taxi and insist we try the bus which we will do tomorrow, today we actually walked home from the Internate which is 2.8 miles from our apartment.
We have been told that we will have a court date by Monday, we will of course post it as soon as we can. Sorry this post is so short, I am tired and ready to call it a night. Hopefull will have more to share tomorrow.
Following the meal the boys cleared the table and the kids all played UNO.The boys have become increasingly concerned with our spending money on the taxi and insist we try the bus which we will do tomorrow, today we actually walked home from the Internate which is 2.8 miles from our apartment.
We have been told that we will have a court date by Monday, we will of course post it as soon as we can. Sorry this post is so short, I am tired and ready to call it a night. Hopefull will have more to share tomorrow.
Friday, March 27, 2009
And still waiting........
Today is exactly one week from our paper filing, if what our facilitator told us is true and they are counting the weekend days as well as working days we should receive an answer on our court date today-we however have learned not to expect the court system to work on our schedule.
Yesterday we bought the boys shoes, jackets and hats at the Bazaar. We would have liked to walk around and look at things but our facilitator was on a mission to complete our task and move on. It turned out for the better as we went to lunch and then were able to take the kids to a park that had fair style rides.
We went from attraction to attraction, each one bringing more and more appreciation for the safety standards we have come to know and love back home. The girls had stayed home in the morning and met us at the park later in the day. When they arrived I tried to explain to Jessica that the ride were more intimidating then we were used to- she kept telling me that she had gone to the fair and was prepared, again I tried to explain but she kept insisting she knew what I was talking about- until she got on her first attraction and realized they did not have seat belts and the only thing keeping her from flying off the attraction was a thin piece of netting which her head repeatedly hit as the ride went round and round and up and down. We did have a wonderful time and ended our day with dinner at Mario's. We didn't find out however until we were there that the director was waiting for the boys return at the internate. We had asked if we needed to have them back by a specific time but apparently it was lost in translation, a lot of things seem to get lost in translation with us.
Yesterday we bought the boys shoes, jackets and hats at the Bazaar. We would have liked to walk around and look at things but our facilitator was on a mission to complete our task and move on. It turned out for the better as we went to lunch and then were able to take the kids to a park that had fair style rides.
We went from attraction to attraction, each one bringing more and more appreciation for the safety standards we have come to know and love back home. The girls had stayed home in the morning and met us at the park later in the day. When they arrived I tried to explain to Jessica that the ride were more intimidating then we were used to- she kept telling me that she had gone to the fair and was prepared, again I tried to explain but she kept insisting she knew what I was talking about- until she got on her first attraction and realized they did not have seat belts and the only thing keeping her from flying off the attraction was a thin piece of netting which her head repeatedly hit as the ride went round and round and up and down. We did have a wonderful time and ended our day with dinner at Mario's. We didn't find out however until we were there that the director was waiting for the boys return at the internate. We had asked if we needed to have them back by a specific time but apparently it was lost in translation, a lot of things seem to get lost in translation with us.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Still waiting
We still don't have a court date, the judge has 7 days which will be Thursday or Friday to assign the date, we then may still have several days to wait. Tomorrow is our 1 month mark in Kiev and while the people are wonderful we are anxious to come home. Please continue to pray.
Today Josh, Zac and I went to the internate. The boys rode bikes in the snow and then played a rousing game of Uno. Tomorrow we hope to take the boys out shopping for shoes and to lunch, a break from the internate.
It looks like our trip again may be extended, possible 20 more days just in the region, we are trying to juggle things the best we can, again my friends please pray for us like never before.
Today Josh, Zac and I went to the internate. The boys rode bikes in the snow and then played a rousing game of Uno. Tomorrow we hope to take the boys out shopping for shoes and to lunch, a break from the internate.
It looks like our trip again may be extended, possible 20 more days just in the region, we are trying to juggle things the best we can, again my friends please pray for us like never before.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Hedgehogs and Bikes
Today we arrived at the internate earlier then we normally do. It was warm and sunny for about 20 minutes then started to get really cold then snow. We went inside the internate for a couple rousing games of Uno with Joseph while Richard and the girls went to get pizza and bike parts. About 10 minutes into our second Uno game Joseph got distracted and had a friend fill in for him, shortly there after a 2nd friend joined in so basically we played cards with 2 internate boys while our boys watched.
Alex was not at the internate today, we saw him briefly before he left with friends from his Awana group. While we were playing cards Kevin came back into the class room with a hedgehog. Danny was taken in by the little critter while I couldn't remember whether or not they could shoot out their quills when provoked.
Richard and the girls returned with 17 pizzas which disappeared in about 10 minutes, Richard then handed over the bike parts- a sprocket, pedals, a couple inter-tubes, a new tire and some patch kits- previously he had purchased a bike pump and another innertube- all this ran under $30.00 at the local bazaar- really the best way to shop here.
We followed the kids down to the back of the internate to a shed with a make-shift workshop where repairs were made on 2 bikes, we then proceeded to watch the kids do various tricks and stunts.
It was a good day for us but as of 7:30 pm Ukraine time we still do not have a court date, we are thinking we may once again have to change dates, we are praying that we do not. We ask for all prayer warriors to join in to help us as we near our 1 month mark in Ukraine, as those of you who have gone before so well know staying at this point is really not a choice as we could no sooner leave without Alex, Joseph and Kevin then Jessica, Randi, Josh, Zac or Danny. BTW- Alex and Joseph have decided to go by their Ukrainian names, Kevin chooses his American name- at least that is the decision this week. Will keep everyone updated.
Alex was not at the internate today, we saw him briefly before he left with friends from his Awana group. While we were playing cards Kevin came back into the class room with a hedgehog. Danny was taken in by the little critter while I couldn't remember whether or not they could shoot out their quills when provoked.
Richard and the girls returned with 17 pizzas which disappeared in about 10 minutes, Richard then handed over the bike parts- a sprocket, pedals, a couple inter-tubes, a new tire and some patch kits- previously he had purchased a bike pump and another innertube- all this ran under $30.00 at the local bazaar- really the best way to shop here.
We followed the kids down to the back of the internate to a shed with a make-shift workshop where repairs were made on 2 bikes, we then proceeded to watch the kids do various tricks and stunts.
It was a good day for us but as of 7:30 pm Ukraine time we still do not have a court date, we are thinking we may once again have to change dates, we are praying that we do not. We ask for all prayer warriors to join in to help us as we near our 1 month mark in Ukraine, as those of you who have gone before so well know staying at this point is really not a choice as we could no sooner leave without Alex, Joseph and Kevin then Jessica, Randi, Josh, Zac or Danny. BTW- Alex and Joseph have decided to go by their Ukrainian names, Kevin chooses his American name- at least that is the decision this week. Will keep everyone updated.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Waiting
Our facilitator met with the new Judge today but did not receive a court date, we are hopeful that she will receive one tomorrow. What seems to be our biggest obstacle is that know one can seem to understand why a family our size wants to adopt 3 more children. It is hard to explain why- how to you explain that God put them in your heart, that you never even thought of adopting 3 teen boys until they walked right into our lives. How do explain the kind of love that God puts in your heart to people who in some ways question your motives. Please pray for us that we can somehow show the courts how much these boys mean to us along with a swift court date, favorable decision and rapid conclusion of all follow up documents.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Mountain Glory
Yesterday we went to the mountains with our friend from the FHI camps. She rented a small bus and took us to her home town and then up the mountain from there. When we arrived in town we first went to a small museum that held local Ukrainian art and trade crafts, things like jewelry, carved boxes, clothing, and much more. The items were amazing, they were final projects for trade schools used to graduate.
Then the driver took us to the base of the mountain were we walked the rest of the way, it was a difficult task for Richard and myself, we have already decided we are going to have to change our fat and lazy ways to keep up with our growing family. The walk up the mountain was probably about a mile or maybe a little more ( it seemed more like 10 to Richard and me but we may be bias). At our destination our host's ( family of our friend) had a large meal prepared, 4 courses not including bread and a meat platter, they had a 5th course but we were able to delay that one a few hours. We rolled away from the table and out to a different part of the cabin were our friends sister in law was making Ukrainian Easter eggs, this is a long and detailed process requiring dye and wax and several stages.
We then proceeded 10 feet to a small ski area were we rented snow boards, boots and acquired lift tickets for all 5 kids for around 3 hours for the equivalent of $50.oo. The biggest issue the kids had was the lift was an older style that they were not used to, it required you pulling down on a red circle tied to a cord, placing the circle between your legs and leaning back so the circle worked as a seat and pulled you up the mountain. It seemed like such a basic concept but the kids just couldn't grasp it. Josh did manage to get up the mountain after a few small tumbles, Zac was next and when we switched Danny to skis he managed to get up, the girls opted to climb up the mountain after many failed attempts.
A journalist from a local publication was there and seem to take great delight in taking pictures of our children slamming face first into the snow, our childrens 15 minutes of fame may very well be in Ukraine as the silly Americans who can't work a ski lift. We apologize to America now for not representing you well on the ski slope.
After the skiing we ate our 5th course and had tea and then walked down the mountain ( the trip down was much easier then the way up) and drove to our friends brothers house for tea ( we have never eaten so much, you would have thought they were Italian ) Tea was fruit, bread and butter, pastry, nuts, cake and tea all in very large quantities.
Our day ended with dragging ourselves up our 5 flights of stairs ( we figure the elevator will start working the day after we leave) and falling into bed. It was a very good day.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Yo quiero burrito
I got my down day-sort of. Danny and I stayed at the apartment today and cleaned. I wanted to get some laundry done and sort through the suitcases.
Richard took the kids to the Bazaar and then to the internate. They met a vendor their that actually was serving Mexican food ( well sort of, I guess California has ruined us for Mexican food anywhere else). The kids all ordered burritos and additionally took burritos to the Internate for the boys, the 2 older ones were game but Kevin declined, that was OK since they also took bananas. They hung out and played games and rode the school "Bike"- lets just say that my protective nature is having to take a back seat in the Ukraine between no seat belts, crazy cab rides, and the Internate "bike"- pretty much held together with spit and gum and well here brakes are optional. Alex took a spill and scraped his side a bit, but he got up laughing.
I made mac and cheese for dinner tonight much to the delight of my family and then we settled in for some worship time with Josh and Zac playing their guitars. Our host's dropped by to pick up some things- we were starting to worry about staying in their home since we were going past our original date by several weeks ( 3 weeks in Ukraine and still waiting for a court date) but they came by because they are going out of town for a week as of tomorrow.
Tomorrow we have been invited to attend a demonstration at the school of the local fire dept. (L.R. I will let you know how it goes).
Thanks to all for prayers and support, again keep praying:)
Richard took the kids to the Bazaar and then to the internate. They met a vendor their that actually was serving Mexican food ( well sort of, I guess California has ruined us for Mexican food anywhere else). The kids all ordered burritos and additionally took burritos to the Internate for the boys, the 2 older ones were game but Kevin declined, that was OK since they also took bananas. They hung out and played games and rode the school "Bike"- lets just say that my protective nature is having to take a back seat in the Ukraine between no seat belts, crazy cab rides, and the Internate "bike"- pretty much held together with spit and gum and well here brakes are optional. Alex took a spill and scraped his side a bit, but he got up laughing.
I made mac and cheese for dinner tonight much to the delight of my family and then we settled in for some worship time with Josh and Zac playing their guitars. Our host's dropped by to pick up some things- we were starting to worry about staying in their home since we were going past our original date by several weeks ( 3 weeks in Ukraine and still waiting for a court date) but they came by because they are going out of town for a week as of tomorrow.
Tomorrow we have been invited to attend a demonstration at the school of the local fire dept. (L.R. I will let you know how it goes).
Thanks to all for prayers and support, again keep praying:)
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
The place where no man has gone before.....
I'm pretty sure that the previous women who have visited the Internate may be the only ones to fully appreciate my latest accomplishment- if one could call it an accomplishment, it may be more of accepting the reality of a necessary evil.......
Today I braved the women's restroom at the Internate- I really had no choice, the cab had left to take Richard, Jessica and Zac back to the apartment and I had about 2 hours left at the school....I will leave out the visuals but know this is an experiance I wouldn't only wish on my worst enemy (OK maybe I still need a little work in that area of my heart but I probably would wish it on a few people I know). On top of the indignity of this particular lavatory (think nasty shower stall with grate removed from drain) but they have half doors on the stall to boot.
Following my bathroom drama we met with Kevin's bible class. Josh and Randi shared 4 worship songs with the class and we then opened the floor for questions......
If it is warm in the rest of the world will America be flooded?
What is the biggest earthquake you have every been in?
Can you feel a earthquake while you are on the Ocean?
Have you met any movie stars?
Do you have tsunamis in the US?
Do you have homeless people in America?
What do they wear?
We also met 2 of Kevin's teachers. We get a mixed response from everyone we meet, they either love our boys and think they are great or think they are a waste of time and don't understand why we would want them. Both of these teachers spoke very highly of Kevin.
Earlier in the day Josh, Randi and Zac also gave a worship performance for Alex's Bible class. We also signed some papers and then later that night signed them again since the originals had a typo.
Tomorrow our application is going to the court and hopefully shortly there after we will have a date for court. We have already had to change 4 tickets and still are looking for the best fare as they pricing for the 4 we needed to change was greatly more then we had hoped for.
Tomorrow I hope for a down day, the weather has be chilly that last few days and that makes it harder at the Interate because we do better outside then inside. We somehow manage to offend someone almost anytime we are inside ( I know its hard to imagine that the Barker family might step on a few toes).
Thank you all for your prayers, keep um coming...
Today I braved the women's restroom at the Internate- I really had no choice, the cab had left to take Richard, Jessica and Zac back to the apartment and I had about 2 hours left at the school....I will leave out the visuals but know this is an experiance I wouldn't only wish on my worst enemy (OK maybe I still need a little work in that area of my heart but I probably would wish it on a few people I know). On top of the indignity of this particular lavatory (think nasty shower stall with grate removed from drain) but they have half doors on the stall to boot.
Following my bathroom drama we met with Kevin's bible class. Josh and Randi shared 4 worship songs with the class and we then opened the floor for questions......
If it is warm in the rest of the world will America be flooded?
What is the biggest earthquake you have every been in?
Can you feel a earthquake while you are on the Ocean?
Have you met any movie stars?
Do you have tsunamis in the US?
Do you have homeless people in America?
What do they wear?
We also met 2 of Kevin's teachers. We get a mixed response from everyone we meet, they either love our boys and think they are great or think they are a waste of time and don't understand why we would want them. Both of these teachers spoke very highly of Kevin.
Earlier in the day Josh, Randi and Zac also gave a worship performance for Alex's Bible class. We also signed some papers and then later that night signed them again since the originals had a typo.
Tomorrow our application is going to the court and hopefully shortly there after we will have a date for court. We have already had to change 4 tickets and still are looking for the best fare as they pricing for the 4 we needed to change was greatly more then we had hoped for.
Tomorrow I hope for a down day, the weather has be chilly that last few days and that makes it harder at the Interate because we do better outside then inside. We somehow manage to offend someone almost anytime we are inside ( I know its hard to imagine that the Barker family might step on a few toes).
Thank you all for your prayers, keep um coming...
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Trodding along
As of Monday we have gather and signed what we need to send the documents to the proper places, now we wait for the response. It looks like we are all in for the long haul as Richard and the girls and Dan were scheduled to leave the 19th but without a court date that is not happening. So all tickets have been rescheduled to the 9th of April. If for some reason we need a few more days I will stay but we are hopeful we will all be heading home together then. So once again calling all prayer warriors.
Several things are working against us, the paper work delay, the new court and confusion to why a family of 7 needs more children. We have also spontaneous bouts of homesickness, we really miss our friends, family and Mexican food. That said we have been blessed more then we deserve with a wonderful apartment and the confirmation that our delay is not a problem. A welcoming church ( with the possibility to get full family translation next Sunday to English, will update you if it works) and Josh and Zac are playing praise and worship songs for several grade levels of bible time at the Internate. We are also enjoying the company of the boys, or new Ukrainian friends and even shopping with our axe wielding taxi driver.
Yesterday we took balloons to the Internate and made balloon animals. We went through about 50 balloons in 45 minutes. The kids really seemed to appreciate the small gesture and it touched our heart how something so simple made so many kids smile.
Zac is still mastering the front and back flips, today he and Joseph together did back flips off a 4 foot set of parallel bars. Joseph also did a back flip off a 7 foot bar which cause us a bit more concern but each time he lands on his feet. They even had Danny almost make a front flip, he master everything but the landing on your feet part.
We hope to have a court day soon, and even though I am repeating myself I will continue to ask you all for your prayers.
Several things are working against us, the paper work delay, the new court and confusion to why a family of 7 needs more children. We have also spontaneous bouts of homesickness, we really miss our friends, family and Mexican food. That said we have been blessed more then we deserve with a wonderful apartment and the confirmation that our delay is not a problem. A welcoming church ( with the possibility to get full family translation next Sunday to English, will update you if it works) and Josh and Zac are playing praise and worship songs for several grade levels of bible time at the Internate. We are also enjoying the company of the boys, or new Ukrainian friends and even shopping with our axe wielding taxi driver.
Yesterday we took balloons to the Internate and made balloon animals. We went through about 50 balloons in 45 minutes. The kids really seemed to appreciate the small gesture and it touched our heart how something so simple made so many kids smile.
Zac is still mastering the front and back flips, today he and Joseph together did back flips off a 4 foot set of parallel bars. Joseph also did a back flip off a 7 foot bar which cause us a bit more concern but each time he lands on his feet. They even had Danny almost make a front flip, he master everything but the landing on your feet part.
We hope to have a court day soon, and even though I am repeating myself I will continue to ask you all for your prayers.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Prayer for the final countdown
Today we had a nice relaxing day. We first walked to a Bazaar/swap meet style shopping area by our apartment. We then went to the Internate to see the boys. Joseph taught Josh and Zac how to do a front flip while Alex played soccer with Jessica. We then went to Mario's Pizza for dinner and pretty much ate until we were all stuffed for about $23. Lastly we went to church again. This time the pastor introduced us as their American brothers and sisters in the Lord, briefly mentioned why we were their and ask us to share a bit about our adoption journey.
Tomorrow we sign our applications to adopt in front of a Notary. We have a few major prayer requests that we ask of you and everyone else who you can call to prayer on our behalf.
1st- We are still approaching uncharted territory with adopting 3 unrelated children, we have taken all steps that we have been instructed to, however the court can still veto the adoptions.
2ed- We are the first family to use this specific court as the districts changed since the last successful adoption. We have been told that this is not favorable towards us and our situation.
3rd- There are some concerns with the size of our family, why we would want to adopt 3 boys and if the boys will bond with our children.
So please please keep us in prayer for this last leg of our journey.
Tomorrow we sign our applications to adopt in front of a Notary. We have a few major prayer requests that we ask of you and everyone else who you can call to prayer on our behalf.
1st- We are still approaching uncharted territory with adopting 3 unrelated children, we have taken all steps that we have been instructed to, however the court can still veto the adoptions.
2ed- We are the first family to use this specific court as the districts changed since the last successful adoption. We have been told that this is not favorable towards us and our situation.
3rd- There are some concerns with the size of our family, why we would want to adopt 3 boys and if the boys will bond with our children.
So please please keep us in prayer for this last leg of our journey.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Snowday
I woke up this morning to a call from Kevin telling me that there was big snow. Sure enough our first real snow fall since we have been in Ukraine. You will notice Zac in his California shorts.
Yesterday the boys all wrote out their letters of intent to be adopted. Basically stating they met us, want to be adopted and are willing to join our family. They were told that they had a week to change their minds but all 3 adamantly stated they would not change their minds.
Monday we will go to the notary and sign 2 applications to adopt. Then one packet goes to Kiev the other stays in the region until the court day. We should find out some time next week what our court date will be.
Today we will rest a bit, enjoy the snow and go to the school after 2:00 when the boys are out of class. We heard news another family ( a veteran in the process as this will be trip 2 to the Ukraine) will be joining us in a week or so depending on their appointment. It will be nice to see a familiar face. We have been blessed with many new friends in the Ukraine but only 3 people who speak English and we are trying to be sensitive to their time so many times we work with sign language and a hope we are communicating clearly.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
How to do Kiev in 16 hours
Allow me to clear up a few things regarding our last post, No- I did not have the root canal ( it would have been approx. $30.00 US on top of the Cognac, another $70.00 if they needed to replace the crown) my tooth actually started feeling a bit better that day but they had already made my appointment and I didn't want to burn bridges if my tooth didn't continue to improve. Thanks to all your prayers my tooth is better today,but rest assure that I will wait until after a root canal if needed to present payment.
Second, yes we got a 2 hour notice that we needed to be in Kiev the next day for Kevin's referral, we notified friends in the area to watch out for our kids and off we went. The train was not as gentle as the first one, Richard and I woke several time in the middle of the night almost being thrown off of our bunks with the sever rocking back and forth and the jerking to a stop and starting again. We hit Kiev with about 10 minutes to spare for our "scheduled" appointment, made it to the SDA and then proceeded to wait 2 1/2 hours for our 2 minute meeting.
We then had to entertain ourselves for then next 4 hours to find out "if" we would get our referral that day or not. At 4:00pm we still had not heard from our facilitator so we headed to the SDA to wait. at 5:30 our facilitator showed up and asked us to continue to wait, we finally received our referral at 6:00 pm just in time to miss the 6:30 train. Our Facilitator suggested we wait until then next day but not wanting to pay for an apartment for the night we asked if their was a later train. The next train was at 1:00 am, we insisted we were on it. We then had 2 hours to kill to see if we could even get tickets, we went to dinner and then basically hung out in the food court at the local mall till closing people watching. We found out at 5 minutes to 10 we actually had gotten tickets however our facilitator misunderstood and only got us 2 tickets in our 4 bed compartment ( we are really tight with our funds and have been letting him know that our money is limited so he thought he was doing us a favor, we however were ready to spend the extra $30 for privacy). We know had an additional 2 hours to wait so we went to O'Briens and slowly ordered one item, finished it, ordered it a second item, finished it and so on until our driver arrived.
Arriving at the train station we still had 30 minutes to wait until we knew what gate to take, I was not willing to let our driver go until I Knew for sure were we were going. Finally we got our gate # and had our car # so we bid our driver farewell and settled in for the night. Fortunally we did not have any company, apparently they hold certain cars for Officials and release the tickets a few hours before the train leaves- that is why we had to wait. This worked to our advantage however since the other bunks in our car were not sold.
Now in spite of all our apparent complaining and time loss I want to share God's blessing in the whole ordeal.
Blessing # 1- We were able to go to Kiev and obtain our 3rd referral
Blessing #2- We arrived safely and our kids were safe with our friends keeping watch during our absence
Blessing #3-We got our referral the same day, and got a train back the same day
Blessing #4 - We got the only gate# that did not require us to go up and down several flights of stairs and receive our own compartment yet only had to pay for 2 tickets.
Blessing # 5 My tooth is feeling much better.
Please continue to keep us in prayer, Kevin is in the hospital with a minor ear infection and a high fever, Richard has been having a few hard days with stiffness in his muscles, Praise God my toothache is gone but please pray for it not to reoccur and please pray we get back on schedule as we are well over a week behind at this point.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
20 Grivna and a bottle of conac
On this excitig day in cherniscky my dear mother went to the dentist [scary isnt it?]. When they got there the dentist said he wanted to do a root canal and leave the crown off.They went to get xrays and all the technitions were smoking so of course you had to hold your own xray trays.When it came time to pay the xrays were a total of about a little less that 3 us dollars. When they had to pay the dentist he stated he wanted a cup of coffe and a bottle of conac.[makes u even more nervous dont you think?] next they met up with us at the internad and we got a call that we needed to go on another 15 hour train ride to kiev. Things get more and more fun by the minute here dont you think well were off to pack keep us in prayer. thank you.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Women's Day
Yesterday was women's day, not to be confused with mothers day which they also celebrate in Ukraine. We started the day attending church services with Svetlana and her family and Oxana our friend and translator. The church we attended was the one that provides the Awana program for the Internate. Service was about 3 hours long, our children-all of them, also attended.the sermon was on Men taking responsibility for the leadership in the church and home, this was also the main point of the church we attended last Sunday. It is serious problem in the Ukraine to find good Godly men to stand up for the truth and for their family's. Following the service the men in the church went up front and danced for us while the praise band sang. They then presented us with homemade bouquets of purple flowers. As often happens Randi found a new friend at church. An elder woman, not much older then me, nicely dressed. She spent a good portion of the service trying to read Randi's bible and checking with her to see if she got it right. She also noticed Jessica missed out on the bouquets and made sure one of the "brothers" got it for her.
After church we went to a "Super" market, it had a market on the base floor, food and shops on the second floor and shops, a small arcade and bowling on the third. We went to lunch first, half of us eating Pizza and the other half "Mexican" defined as "Ukrainian Mexican" Jessica and I shared was looked like spare ribs, a bowl of potatoes, chicken and cheese and a chicken burrito with a paper thin tortilla, tomato and soft cheese, a beef burrito the same way and a bowl of almost American style chili. We then went bowling. We had to check our coats and bags and even those none bowlers had to change shoes.
When we finished bowling we sent all the kids back to the apartment via taxi and Richard and I Went with Svetlana and her husband Sasha to Church. We stopped first at a church that had a very small book store to look for bibles, they only had 2. I am trying to locate Ukrainian bibles to donate to the bible study groups as they are currently sharing 5, the bibles- hardback were roughly $3.00 in US currency.
Richard and I were fortunate during both services we attended to have a translator for us. We would have been content to just sit and worship but it was nice to understand what the message was.
The down side for me is that for the past 4 days I have been suffering with a major toothache, I really have no choice but to see a dentist tomorrow who will be one recommended by our axe wielding taxi driver. So all- please pray, a lot.
After church we went to a "Super" market, it had a market on the base floor, food and shops on the second floor and shops, a small arcade and bowling on the third. We went to lunch first, half of us eating Pizza and the other half "Mexican" defined as "Ukrainian Mexican" Jessica and I shared was looked like spare ribs, a bowl of potatoes, chicken and cheese and a chicken burrito with a paper thin tortilla, tomato and soft cheese, a beef burrito the same way and a bowl of almost American style chili. We then went bowling. We had to check our coats and bags and even those none bowlers had to change shoes.
When we finished bowling we sent all the kids back to the apartment via taxi and Richard and I Went with Svetlana and her husband Sasha to Church. We stopped first at a church that had a very small book store to look for bibles, they only had 2. I am trying to locate Ukrainian bibles to donate to the bible study groups as they are currently sharing 5, the bibles- hardback were roughly $3.00 in US currency.
Richard and I were fortunate during both services we attended to have a translator for us. We would have been content to just sit and worship but it was nice to understand what the message was.
The down side for me is that for the past 4 days I have been suffering with a major toothache, I really have no choice but to see a dentist tomorrow who will be one recommended by our axe wielding taxi driver. So all- please pray, a lot.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Crazy taxi
Yesterday afternoon we experienced our first "crazy" taxi. Up to now we have mostly been in the care of Vasily "the axe wielding English speaking" cab driver. Last night we had a new driver and you would have thought that his house was on fire the way he was driving. In and out of traffic, on sidewalks, wrong way traffic and horn honking at every thing and every one.
Vasily is aggressive but will actually stop for pedistrians. Earlier in the day we went to the Bazaar with Vasily. He acts as driver and interpreter and guides us so we don't get taken along the way.
We then went to the Internate for AWANA. About 20 kids were there, first they sang a song, then said their memory verses and then had a bible story. After that they played several relay games which Josh, Zac and Danny were able to join. Only Alex participated out of our boys, it seems we will have a long way to go with the spiritual lives of our new children but at least they have some introduction to it. It is hard for them in the environment they live to survive, let alone believe that God cares about them. For all you following this blog who do not have adopted children please keep us all in prayer, it is a long journey a head to help these children learn to trust not only us but in a personal relationship with their God.
Vasily is aggressive but will actually stop for pedistrians. Earlier in the day we went to the Bazaar with Vasily. He acts as driver and interpreter and guides us so we don't get taken along the way.
We then went to the Internate for AWANA. About 20 kids were there, first they sang a song, then said their memory verses and then had a bible story. After that they played several relay games which Josh, Zac and Danny were able to join. Only Alex participated out of our boys, it seems we will have a long way to go with the spiritual lives of our new children but at least they have some introduction to it. It is hard for them in the environment they live to survive, let alone believe that God cares about them. For all you following this blog who do not have adopted children please keep us all in prayer, it is a long journey a head to help these children learn to trust not only us but in a personal relationship with their God.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Its a hard knock life.....
I would love to try and gain everyone's sympathy with how difficult it is her in Chernivtsy but the reality is that we are double blessed. We are staying in the apartment of our new Ukrainian friends. It is a 3 bedroom apartment with a full bath, 2nd toilet and large kitchen. It is a new apartment, so new that the complex is not finished yet. It is beautiful and very comfortable with all needed amenities and many extras. One of our extras is "Lisa" a very playful kitten sharing our apartment with us. She does have a Zorro streak and has already marked Jessica with a "L" on her right hand. the kids love playing with her. All I can say and well I should is God is amazing.
Yesterday we found out that one of the documents we needed for court did not have the boys birth dates on it. We were required to pay additional funds to expedite the corrected document or wait an additional 2 weeks, needless to say the 500 grevina requested was obvious choice.
Also yesterday at noon we met with the chief of the childrens services and then on to the Internate. As before all 3 boys waited for us outside the building, we took the boys out to get their passport photos and then went for Pizza.
Today we spent the morning relaxing at the apartment, at 1:30 our cab picked us up and took us to the Internate. The director had invited us the day before to attend a production by the children in honor of women's day which is a holiday that will be celebrated this Sunday. The performance was interesting and we were able to see some of the children we met last summer. It is always difficult to see children who want a home but are not at this time being adopted.
After the performance we met in the directors office to request a "pass" for the boys to take them ice skating. The director was very hospitable serving us tea and coffee while we waited for our facilitator to return. Once the formalities were finished we took the boys to the rink. Prior to leaving they asked if a friend to come as well. We explained that we would love for him to come but we only had the pass for them and it was against the rules for us to take other children. Our host and friend along with her 2 boys and her niece met us at the rink.
The children skated for about an hour with our taxi driver and friends. After ice skating we took everyone to Marios pizza for dinner ( just a side note, upon our return to the US we will be abstaining from pizza for an undetermined period of time) we then returned the children to the Internate and went back to our apartment for the day.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Choo Choo and Chernivtsy
Tuesday was train day. We slept in late, went to a great pizza place Lynne recomended and looked around at the local malls. Then back to the apartment for one last look around and to grab our suitcases. Andre the driver is amazing, again managed to fit all 18 of our bags into 2 cars. Richard and I walked to the SDA aroung 4:15 while the luggage was still being loaded to make sure we were first in line to get our referal. We were first however once the mass frenzy started to pick up documents we were actually second to pick up our documents. At 5:05 we were ready to leave to go to the train station. We actually got their with time to spare, which was greatly appreciated since we needed to take all 18 bags up the escalator and then down again and then down the length of the train to the last car were we loaded them into our 2 compartments. There we met with our facilitator Reisa. We split the compartments boys in one girls in the other and settled in for our 15 hour train ride.
Once the train got rolling we walked the 6 cars down to the dinning car for bread, juice, water and chips. Then visited the dreaded "train toilet" It was not as bad as I expected but neither was it pleasent. Of all the nights, this was the night I needed to use the "facilities" 5 times. It was difficult for me to sleep but the boys and Richard slept fine.
We then met up with our new friends and host at the rail station in Chernivsty. We dropped off paperwork on the way to our apartment, reviewed our itinerary with Reisa and then had free time till 1:30. Our host made us a wonderful lunch, the best we have had since arriving in Ukraine and then left us to settle.
At 1:30 Vasily the english speaking cab driver came to take us to children's services, he requested a larger van to come but after 20 minutes of waiting we opted to squeeze all of us into his 5 seat cab.
The Chief we were to meet with was at another meeting so we had to reschedual it for today at 12:00. When we came out of the childrens services office we saw Vasily standing at the back of the cab with an axe. Our new name for him is Vasily the axe wielding cab driver.We were then able to head over to the Internate for our first appointment to pave the way to visit the boys at will.
The boys were outside waiting for us when we arrived, Alex lead the way to the directors office were we took up the entire office. The first words out of the childrens officer was "Wow" upon seeing our competed clan.
We then reviewed the boys medical history with the doctor and the meeting was complete. We had to leave with Reisa to go to a notary and then the railstation to overnight documents to Konstantine in Kiev. We left the kids with the boys at the Internate. Alex, Joseph and Kevin took the kids all over the place. When we returned a couple hours later we brought pizza and juice.
Kevin told his bible teacher that he wanted to have his birthday party now because he was going to live in America in April ( note: his birthday is in August), he wanted to make sure that he didn't miss celebrating his birthday with his class. We arrived with the Pizza just in time for the party. We brought plenty and after we were all feed and the bible class had eaten Alex and Joseph took left over Pizza to their friends.
We stopped at the grocery store on the way home, this one was much bigger then the one we used in Kiev. We picked up a few groceries and then back to our apartment were we did laundry and called it a night.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Ukrainian Vacation explained
Just an FYI followers, we named our blog Ukrainian Vacation after the National Lampoons various vacation films. A sense of humor is greatly needed to experiance the day to day here. Yesterdays food court for example- The girls and I ( Jane ) went from booth to booth picking out differnt foods that looked interesting to try some of the local fare, some was very good, others very interesting, all of those who served us indifferent. We have gotten used to ignoring the fact that we seem to either entertain or irritate the locals who's paths we cross.
Another incident was that when we arrived we blew out one of the breakers, for the first few days we had no fridgerator or laundry. We stored our food out on the balcony to keep it cold and hand washed our clothing. Yesterday the landlord fixed the breaker and so I started a load of laundry only to have it smell worse after I washed it then it ever did before. I had it hung up in the bathroom to dry which only made it worse with steamy showers and all. I hope to rewash in Chernivtsy as there is no way we can wear the clothes the way they smell now.
Todays plan is to walk down to the street vendors by St. Andrews church for souvenir shopping and then at 4:30 will head to the SDA to pick up our referal and then to the train.
Another incident was that when we arrived we blew out one of the breakers, for the first few days we had no fridgerator or laundry. We stored our food out on the balcony to keep it cold and hand washed our clothing. Yesterday the landlord fixed the breaker and so I started a load of laundry only to have it smell worse after I washed it then it ever did before. I had it hung up in the bathroom to dry which only made it worse with steamy showers and all. I hope to rewash in Chernivtsy as there is no way we can wear the clothes the way they smell now.
Todays plan is to walk down to the street vendors by St. Andrews church for souvenir shopping and then at 4:30 will head to the SDA to pick up our referal and then to the train.
It will be a cold day in Kiev......
Before you see Richard in a suit again. We made it through our SDA appointment but did not get our referral today, we are to pick it up tomorrow at 5:00pm and then make our 6:30 train for our 15 hour trip to Chernivtsy.
After our appointment today we went out again window shopping, visited St. Andrews Cathedral and took a ride on a trolley. We met back up with Lynn and her son mid day and are now all settling into a quite evening at the apartment.
Not much more for today, please continue to pray.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Churchian Adventure
do-bry den' and do-bry ve-chir(good morning and good evening)
Hello. :)
We are on day two in the wonderful city of Kiev. Today we actually wondered outside of our comfort zone. Our comfort zone being the one and a half radius of which we can walk. We managed to actually get a taxi. Now with being such a large group, especially with Lynn and Duke, we had to take two trips. it was very interesting to see all these Christians pulling in the parking lot. We probably prayed more driving to church then everyone inside the Church.The man was very kind. We went to a church that promoted a English service. It was nice we sat with everyone in there meeting room, all 5000 of us, with head phones on, listening to translators. when we got there all of us felt refreshed to be there. They were so energetic and full of life! They were dancing and running with flags and singing with everything the had. not just the pastors and there wives, but the whole congregation. it was so refreshing to see God's love in so many people so far from home. God really is good! now when we got there we didn't know what to expect. of course it started out with worship. Followed then by missionaries talking about the need for missions in the villages. The need for prayer out here is evident. six year olds stuck in drugs and alcohol. It really does tug on our hearts. The service though was probably about 4 1/2 hours at 3 1/2 we snuck out. And by then they hadn't even started the sermon. We were very relieved to see our taxi driver waiting for us. as soon as we walked through the doors he ran and greeted us. Hopefully he got something out of the message! This has definitely been a interesting start to our adventure. Not just our church service but our whole experience. It is amazing to see all of the woman out here in stiletto heals walking around with no problem and then us walking around in flat shoes with grip and what-not slipping and sliding all over the place. Today was the first day of spring, its still very cold. My dad is actually wearing pants. First time since last Easter. If you fail to keep moving for more than thirty seconds your toes fall numb. Now Alex has not stopped calling. he calls between every class...to every single one of us. It is nice to actually be able to hold a conversation with him.the Kevin has also been calling not as much as Alex though. Its nice though to be able to talk to them. There is an underground mall here its nice. We had lunch there yesterday. We had some pizza, all of which was good... until we realized the sauce was mayonnaise. Well it was still good we just lost appreciates.
We've had a few questions about plane ride. Now going to New York the ride was fine. But as soon as we were going to the Ukraine the ride was .... intriguing. Randi got slapped on the plane. She had dropped her glasses and leaned down to get them her blanket brushed the older (irritable) lady who proceeded to turn around and show Randi her mistake. And then she continued to tell my dad (yes Richard) what she felt of his rude children, we've decided that it would probably be very bad to repeat anything she said.
This will defiantly be a adventure all of us will remember. It will be interesting to see were God takes us next and the new experiences we have yet to encounter.
Love the Barkers!
Hello. :)
We are on day two in the wonderful city of Kiev. Today we actually wondered outside of our comfort zone. Our comfort zone being the one and a half radius of which we can walk. We managed to actually get a taxi. Now with being such a large group, especially with Lynn and Duke, we had to take two trips. it was very interesting to see all these Christians pulling in the parking lot. We probably prayed more driving to church then everyone inside the Church.The man was very kind. We went to a church that promoted a English service. It was nice we sat with everyone in there meeting room, all 5000 of us, with head phones on, listening to translators. when we got there all of us felt refreshed to be there. They were so energetic and full of life! They were dancing and running with flags and singing with everything the had. not just the pastors and there wives, but the whole congregation. it was so refreshing to see God's love in so many people so far from home. God really is good! now when we got there we didn't know what to expect. of course it started out with worship. Followed then by missionaries talking about the need for missions in the villages. The need for prayer out here is evident. six year olds stuck in drugs and alcohol. It really does tug on our hearts. The service though was probably about 4 1/2 hours at 3 1/2 we snuck out. And by then they hadn't even started the sermon. We were very relieved to see our taxi driver waiting for us. as soon as we walked through the doors he ran and greeted us. Hopefully he got something out of the message! This has definitely been a interesting start to our adventure. Not just our church service but our whole experience. It is amazing to see all of the woman out here in stiletto heals walking around with no problem and then us walking around in flat shoes with grip and what-not slipping and sliding all over the place. Today was the first day of spring, its still very cold. My dad is actually wearing pants. First time since last Easter. If you fail to keep moving for more than thirty seconds your toes fall numb. Now Alex has not stopped calling. he calls between every class...to every single one of us. It is nice to actually be able to hold a conversation with him.the Kevin has also been calling not as much as Alex though. Its nice though to be able to talk to them. There is an underground mall here its nice. We had lunch there yesterday. We had some pizza, all of which was good... until we realized the sauce was mayonnaise. Well it was still good we just lost appreciates.
We've had a few questions about plane ride. Now going to New York the ride was fine. But as soon as we were going to the Ukraine the ride was .... intriguing. Randi got slapped on the plane. She had dropped her glasses and leaned down to get them her blanket brushed the older (irritable) lady who proceeded to turn around and show Randi her mistake. And then she continued to tell my dad (yes Richard) what she felt of his rude children, we've decided that it would probably be very bad to repeat anything she said.
This will defiantly be a adventure all of us will remember. It will be interesting to see were God takes us next and the new experiences we have yet to encounter.
Love the Barkers!
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Day 2
Today was mostly a sleep late and explore day. We didn't have money on our phones so we had a few issues in the morning, mostly with our boys calling us and wanting us to call back but we couldn't. We met the wife of a friend of ours early in the day- Native to Kiev she gave us the directions to add money to our phone and walked us to a Kiosk. She also gave us directions to the mall and street vendors.
We went to the mall for lunch and window shopping. Half the family settled for McDonald's the rest of us tried the pizza. One of the slices had mayo on it for the sauce, the ones with marinara you had to use a microscope to find it.
We located the street vendors after we left the mall. Very much like going to Mexico or swap meet, most of the vendors sold the same stuff with minor variance. It was fun. Richard and the boys all bought fur hats, they opted for the sheepskin ones which were slightly more money but more comfortable. We were told the scratchy ones were soldiers hats while the sheepskin was only for officers.
Our boys have not stopped calling us since we arrived, for confidentiality reasons we can not use the boys names on the blog- I will instead for the purpose of this blog I will use their English names in age order- Joseph, Alex and Kevin. Alex called the most today- I think at least once between each of his school classes. Kevin also called and while Joseph didn't call we still spoke with him twice.
While walking around the street vendors I acutely missed Alex, I couldn't help but think how much more fun it would have been with him. When we purchase the phone cards we also bought some for the boys phones too. We had the woman at the kiosk speak with Alex so that he could write down the number so he could call. He also spent time today texting us but in Ukrainian.
We walked up to the top of one of the large churches for a wonderful view of the city and then went to a Irish Pub for dinner. The food was mostly American and we received a very strange look from the waitress when we asked if the cheese burger had meat on it. We have not encountered much of what we would call "good" service, we don't receive bad service just not what we would think of as attentive.
Tomorrow we meet with a woman and her new son as she travels back to Kiev to head home this week.
We went to the mall for lunch and window shopping. Half the family settled for McDonald's the rest of us tried the pizza. One of the slices had mayo on it for the sauce, the ones with marinara you had to use a microscope to find it.
We located the street vendors after we left the mall. Very much like going to Mexico or swap meet, most of the vendors sold the same stuff with minor variance. It was fun. Richard and the boys all bought fur hats, they opted for the sheepskin ones which were slightly more money but more comfortable. We were told the scratchy ones were soldiers hats while the sheepskin was only for officers.
Our boys have not stopped calling us since we arrived, for confidentiality reasons we can not use the boys names on the blog- I will instead for the purpose of this blog I will use their English names in age order- Joseph, Alex and Kevin. Alex called the most today- I think at least once between each of his school classes. Kevin also called and while Joseph didn't call we still spoke with him twice.
While walking around the street vendors I acutely missed Alex, I couldn't help but think how much more fun it would have been with him. When we purchase the phone cards we also bought some for the boys phones too. We had the woman at the kiosk speak with Alex so that he could write down the number so he could call. He also spent time today texting us but in Ukrainian.
We walked up to the top of one of the large churches for a wonderful view of the city and then went to a Irish Pub for dinner. The food was mostly American and we received a very strange look from the waitress when we asked if the cheese burger had meat on it. We have not encountered much of what we would call "good" service, we don't receive bad service just not what we would think of as attentive.
Tomorrow we meet with a woman and her new son as she travels back to Kiev to head home this week.
We arrived
Sixteen shots two hours:
The day before we left we ran errands getting ready for our excursion. We started our first getting shots for our trip our family filled the little waiting room right on up there was a total of 16 shots between the seven of us. then they showed us a travel video explaining to us all the different dangers about traveling abroad including the dangers of leaving bags unattended apparently they will be blown up.
Then we stayed up until about 4am packing and getting ready. We left the house about two hours later to meet our 8:40 flight to JFK we got through baggage check and security to the terminal just as the final boarding call was being called.Roughly five hours later we arrived at JFK then continued on to find our connecting flight that was leaving a short hour and a half later. We had to take the air bus to our terminal and then get new boarding passes, go through security again,find our gate, eat our quickly aquired McDonalds dinner (minus the drinks that had to be tossed at security) and then board our flight to Ukraine. About 3 hours into the flight I (Randi) lost my glasses and started to look for them. I accidentally taped the woman behind me, the woman actually turned around and slapped me. The flight was pretty uneventful with the exception of the very loud drunk 2 seats ahead of my dad.
The day before we left we ran errands getting ready for our excursion. We started our first getting shots for our trip our family filled the little waiting room right on up there was a total of 16 shots between the seven of us. then they showed us a travel video explaining to us all the different dangers about traveling abroad including the dangers of leaving bags unattended apparently they will be blown up.
Then we stayed up until about 4am packing and getting ready. We left the house about two hours later to meet our 8:40 flight to JFK we got through baggage check and security to the terminal just as the final boarding call was being called.Roughly five hours later we arrived at JFK then continued on to find our connecting flight that was leaving a short hour and a half later. We had to take the air bus to our terminal and then get new boarding passes, go through security again,find our gate, eat our quickly aquired McDonalds dinner (minus the drinks that had to be tossed at security) and then board our flight to Ukraine. About 3 hours into the flight I (Randi) lost my glasses and started to look for them. I accidentally taped the woman behind me, the woman actually turned around and slapped me. The flight was pretty uneventful with the exception of the very loud drunk 2 seats ahead of my dad.
Fortunately we paid for VIP service at the Kiev airport, this saved us 2-3 hours with pass port check in and a quick trip throughcustoms. From the airport we travled to in 2 cars to our lovely 2 bedroom,2 loft apartment, got unpacked and went in search of food. We found a resturant recomended by prior travelers called "The double cup" coffee place. Four of us ordered cheese burgers
which ended up being deep fried cheese between two buns. We left the cafe in search of water and groceries. Getting water turned out to be and adventure in that we wanted to by "flat" water and had to somehow get the very plesent Ukrainian woman to understand what it was we were looking for.
which ended up being deep fried cheese between two buns. We left the cafe in search of water and groceries. Getting water turned out to be and adventure in that we wanted to by "flat" water and had to somehow get the very plesent Ukrainian woman to understand what it was we were looking for.Back at our apartment we crashed for the night, all of us going on major sleep loss. All of us are here, all are safe, and all are tired.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)