Today was what I call a blogable day! We got the girls for lunch and then went so see Kung Fu Panda at the “cinema”. Here are all the GREAT things about seeing a movie in Ukraine:
The price! You have seat assignments and the cost varies on age, time of show, and seat chosen. For 8 of us, the tickets totaled $25
Snack prices! For unlimited snacks for all of us….a whopping $15!!!!
There is a bar in the theater
You can bring in your own snacks
There is Baskin Robbins in the theater
The drawback: dubbed in Russian!!!
From there we went to the “bazaar” to look for shoes for the girls for court. Yana, who insisted she didn’t need/want any, is the only one who found a pair acceptable. Tomorrow, we have more shoe shopping to do!
Moving from bazaar to “BIZARRE”. The McDonald’s we stopped at for drinks/ice cream and play place was a plethora of characters tonight! There were about 8 Hare Krishna’s out front playing a drum, dancing, and singing. Appeared they found a good deal on melon colored fabric as it was the color of choice for most. They did their thing for at least one hour….even had mics and speakers! As they were doing their street evangelism there was an old drunk street lady dancing around within their group…she was not a part of the group as indicated by her lack of melon colored toga. She then felt compelled to drag one of the many stray dogs by its’ front paws into the mix. She had the dog up on its’ back legs and she danced with the dog for a few songs until the dog grew weary and she wore out from leading. Eventually, the HK’s called it a night and packed up their gear. As they waited for the marshuka (bus) to take them to their assumed commune, they attempted to hand out propaganda. Of course David was a target and he was happy to tell them he doesn’t understand. David was also handed a Jehovah’s Witness Watch Tower pamphlet a few days ago while we were out walking…it was in English, I think. He must have looked foreign and spiritually lost that day. Shows the insight that the JW’s have! They only got a 50%!! Lol
On a sad sighting…there are stories on the internet with photos of street kids in Ukraine who are drug addicted, dirty, begging, and empty. There were three of them in front of Mc Donald’s tonight begging. I couldn’t help but wonder if they had been in orphanages and were then turned out onto the streets when they turned 16 or 17 with no family, education, or means to support themselves. Then I see our amazing girls and have so much hope for their futures…and feel bad for not being able to help more kids who live lives that are unimaginable to most Americans. It’s not designer drugs like are in America, it’s household chemicals and other caustic things that these kids inject just to escape from the horror that is their life. It’s easy to see why so many people do anything they can to get out of Ukraine or self medicate to escape reality.
On the adoption front…Lena was out doing adoption stuff today and we have a little bit of work to do tomorrow to prepare for our court date on Friday. We are still cautiously optimistic for a waiving of the 10 days…but expecting it to not happen. Lena will leave Friday night from Odessa to go home for awhile until she can come back to Odessa and work on paperwork to prepare for David’s return.
I think we are all very homesick and weary…just ready to be home and get our girls home as well. Jakob’s head looks great…all things considered. He is still running/jumping/spinning all over Odessa…it’ll be a miracle if he doesn’t come home even more battered. Levi is scraped up from his falls on the sidewalk…and where Jakob pushed him down the stairs. Noah is running a fever and didn’t eat much today, so he’s down a bit too. I’m afraid when the judge sees how beat up the boys look, he won’t allow us to adopt the girls!!
Looking forward to the hotel in London as a primer for our own beds on Monday night!!!
The price! You have seat assignments and the cost varies on age, time of show, and seat chosen. For 8 of us, the tickets totaled $25
Snack prices! For unlimited snacks for all of us….a whopping $15!!!!
There is a bar in the theater
You can bring in your own snacks
There is Baskin Robbins in the theater
The drawback: dubbed in Russian!!!
From there we went to the “bazaar” to look for shoes for the girls for court. Yana, who insisted she didn’t need/want any, is the only one who found a pair acceptable. Tomorrow, we have more shoe shopping to do!
Moving from bazaar to “BIZARRE”. The McDonald’s we stopped at for drinks/ice cream and play place was a plethora of characters tonight! There were about 8 Hare Krishna’s out front playing a drum, dancing, and singing. Appeared they found a good deal on melon colored fabric as it was the color of choice for most. They did their thing for at least one hour….even had mics and speakers! As they were doing their street evangelism there was an old drunk street lady dancing around within their group…she was not a part of the group as indicated by her lack of melon colored toga. She then felt compelled to drag one of the many stray dogs by its’ front paws into the mix. She had the dog up on its’ back legs and she danced with the dog for a few songs until the dog grew weary and she wore out from leading. Eventually, the HK’s called it a night and packed up their gear. As they waited for the marshuka (bus) to take them to their assumed commune, they attempted to hand out propaganda. Of course David was a target and he was happy to tell them he doesn’t understand. David was also handed a Jehovah’s Witness Watch Tower pamphlet a few days ago while we were out walking…it was in English, I think. He must have looked foreign and spiritually lost that day. Shows the insight that the JW’s have! They only got a 50%!! Lol
On a sad sighting…there are stories on the internet with photos of street kids in Ukraine who are drug addicted, dirty, begging, and empty. There were three of them in front of Mc Donald’s tonight begging. I couldn’t help but wonder if they had been in orphanages and were then turned out onto the streets when they turned 16 or 17 with no family, education, or means to support themselves. Then I see our amazing girls and have so much hope for their futures…and feel bad for not being able to help more kids who live lives that are unimaginable to most Americans. It’s not designer drugs like are in America, it’s household chemicals and other caustic things that these kids inject just to escape from the horror that is their life. It’s easy to see why so many people do anything they can to get out of Ukraine or self medicate to escape reality.
On the adoption front…Lena was out doing adoption stuff today and we have a little bit of work to do tomorrow to prepare for our court date on Friday. We are still cautiously optimistic for a waiving of the 10 days…but expecting it to not happen. Lena will leave Friday night from Odessa to go home for awhile until she can come back to Odessa and work on paperwork to prepare for David’s return.
I think we are all very homesick and weary…just ready to be home and get our girls home as well. Jakob’s head looks great…all things considered. He is still running/jumping/spinning all over Odessa…it’ll be a miracle if he doesn’t come home even more battered. Levi is scraped up from his falls on the sidewalk…and where Jakob pushed him down the stairs. Noah is running a fever and didn’t eat much today, so he’s down a bit too. I’m afraid when the judge sees how beat up the boys look, he won’t allow us to adopt the girls!!
Looking forward to the hotel in London as a primer for our own beds on Monday night!!!
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4 comments:
Keep Going!! You are almost there! I know you are tired and weary, but so many are here praying for you and your kids! They are so excited to see everyone and hear your stories. This blog has been wonderful to keep up with all that is going on with your family and it makes the world a smaller place. May you find rest and comfort in the Lord and may He bless all of you. We love you all and hope for only the best.
Thanks Dana...I really needed that!!
Just wanted to let you know I check your blog everyday. Praying that all goes well tomorrow in court. Once that hurdle is overcome, it's all downhill!
We didn't see any HKs, but we did see some people doing yoga in the park in Kiev, during both our trips. It is obvious that the people are seeking something. It's too bad they don't realize it's Christianity they need.
June
adopted 12yo girl-home 2 months now
Hello! Just got back to MO, a day later than planned..spent the night in Detroit! Couldn't wait to get back and catch up on the blog. Wondering how today went and hope all went well. Can't wait to see you all. Many thoughts and prayers are with you, not only in MO but PA as well!
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