The Red Sea, the Black Sea, the NAC

I would like to comment on a couple comments. First, my clothes really aren't smelling...I asked Jeff..yea, ok, maybe he isn't the one to ask. I have been looking at it as an example of the miracle of the Israelites wandering in the dessert for 40 years and their clothes didn't wear out. How can my clothes not smell? I'm sweaty ALL the time! I'm just thanking God and putting them on over and over again. : ) ( I do have to wash them because I spill, so don't worry too much)

As for Carolyn's comment about us building a tolerance as a sign of our potential future as missionaries....aaaauuugggghhhh. Stop it. We are loving it. We are happy we are loving it. Now, let's go home. We've loved it quite enough.

Tonight Sergei reminded us that we would know if our court date really is Tuesday by 6:00 Monday-tomorrow. That is 6:00 p.m. here, 10:00 a.m your time. I would really appreciate all of our spending a moment focusing our attention on the Lord and asking him to give us a signature at the NAC on Monday. (he understands the time zones,etc.) Even if you never pray, just ask this one thing...as a favor to me. (even if you don't know me.) I will cry hard if we don't have court on Tuesday...if there is no signature, that pushes court to Friday. Hard. I don't want Sergei to see me cry. I really don't. I was mentally preparing for this blow on the drive home from the camp tonight. My preparation just turned to a discussion with God. What possible reason could He have to keep us here longer? He wants me to loose my job? He wants us to eat at a few more of Odessa's resturants? There are good reasons I'm sure, I was just having a hard time saying ok to any of them. I said OK to one. I guess I don’t have to do my argueing with God in public.

In all fairness to the NAC, they say they need 4-5 days to sign the papers to say OK to court. We have given them 4. I know many people have prayed for faster approvals and been turned down, but they didn’t have this guy that we had delaying us 5 days at the start, and about 5 with the other signature deal. So, shouldn’t they take pity on us? No, probably not, it’s not their problem we have a difficult region all of a sudden. OK, I’ll just ask God to take pity on us. It’s in his hands. This isn’t even as big as parting the Red Sea.

Speaking of the Rea Sea...we got to the Black Sea today!! I was beginning to feel like some Jewish people who say...”next year, the Holy Land” - “tomorrow the beach” So, I’m happy to say, we have done it. It really was fun. Alla and Lena got to swim with some of their friends because we went to the beach area the camp uses. Lena is quite a daring young woman. She was jumping off a tower thingy that was really quite high. There is NO WAY a beach area like this would exist anywhere in the US. It was one supposed safety hazaard after another. Funny, without any lifeguards, or monitors the teenagers were able to take turns on this diving area. No one jumped on eachother, no one drowned, no one got hurt. Amazing. We tell Sergei of our culture that pumps out fear through the media.

We went to the beach after the best part of the day...this morning’s party at the camp. What a sweet time to watch Alla and Lena host a party for their friends. They did such a nice job. Because of a little “issue” the day before, I told them no to shopping for the party- a little punishment...So they gave us a shopping list and Jeff and I did it this a.m. But the girls did everything else...got the clearance for it, invited the guests, set the table, helped cut and set out the food, poured the drinks, etc. And then served their friends. I told Sergei we were adopting them to help out at home. I like to tell him reasons now and then. We wonder often if he thinks we are crazy. Jeff actually asked him that question today. He said “I think you are experienced.” Notice he didn’t say “no”. When we were having our “issue” yesterday I think he wanted to run and hide. Well, he kinda did hide. I didn’t see any remnants today. I’m sure we will never have another problem. That’s realistic, right?

There were so many wonderful kids sitting at the tables today. I took everyone’s picture, one by one, because who doesn’t like to see yourself on a digital screen? I’m only posting 1/5 of the pictures we took. We might have gone a little overboard, and Alla agreed tonight as she went through all the photos with me trying to help me learn names. One only needs to know 4-5 names. Nastya, Natasha, Dima, Denise. It’s just that there are so many faces with those names. Alla can’t understand why I’m so dense. She’ll get used to it.

We hope to see the rest of the kids we “need” to see tomorrow. We have just a few more gifts to deliver. The third grade class was at the beach during this party.

A little girl came up near the end of the party and said “you are eating out here? I’m not eating.” So Sergei gave her an orange. We were on the left edge of the camp. I had never been there before...kind of a picnic area.

I was noticing today that there are some advantages to adopting older children. They know how to swim, they know how to serve a party, they know to shower after they swim in the sea, they know how to braid hair. They have quite a few life skills well underway. They are really determined to have a family too. (If they are, that is) Maybe not every child wants a new family, but the ones that do...do they ever. I feel like these two would put up with A LOT in order to get into a family. It’s almost like because they are older they understand more how much they want it. It continues to be a complete joy to offer them a spot in ours. I’m just sooo excited to get them home and meeting all of you. Their sistras, their Babushkas, their Dadushka, and all of their old and new friends. (they know the English word for friend) So much would we like to be on our way home from this place we love. We will, of course, trust the Lord. Just lettin’ Him know in case it doesn’t matter one way or the other to Him.

Thanks for praying. Look at the photos, and then pray OK? If it’s way before 10:00 a.m. Monday. If it’s close, look at the photos later. For some reason God enjoys all of us asking for what we need. He wants us to pour out our hearts to Him. I love that verse. Let me write it...
“Trust in him at all times....pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.” Ps 62: 8
I think he enjoys being the hero. I have to say, I enjoy him being the hero too. It has been so incredibly fun to watch God work while we have been here.

I don’t know where verses are in the Bible that I love, so I just spent a nice time reading some Psalms. They are so wonderfully comforting.

I read the Psalm I’ve thought about over and over again in this whole adoption process...but I haven’t thought about it since we’ve been in Ukraine. It has new meaning to me now that I know the girls call Camp Victoria “prison”.

“Sing to God, sing praise to his name...his name is the Lord and rejoice before him. A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads forth the prisoners with singing...” Ps 68: 4-6 That verse has been in my heart a very long time. And here we are...closer than we’ve ever been.

Well, I better stop writing or I won’t get all the photos posted. Look at those dear chldren. Consider adoption will you? Don’t look at the time it is taking us, God has a different plan for you!
Good night.