It's amazing how much our lives can change in just 8 short (or possibly extremely long) months. At Christmas in 2012, I will have one son eating chicken feet in Australia and starting to understand and speak Cantonese after having left to serve a mission in July, and I'll have a new Ukrainian daughter starting to get pretty good at speaking and understanding English. I'll have two Ukrainian tenth graders probably attending different high schools and needing lots of help with homework---one possibly driving, the other desperately wanting to, and a junior high Ukrainian son who will for sure need lots of homework help---and for sure be wanting to drive. Fat chance!
We've been enjoying nice, spring, 60 degree weather in Feodosiya. The kids have so much fun playing volleyball together outside. Tonight the "people from the church" came to the orphanage. The kids faces just light up when they see them. These are are 8 - 12 really fun men and women in their 20's and 30's who just come to be friends with and love the kids. They play with them, let the kids ride their bikes, play a guitar and sing songs to them, talk to, hold, hug and mentor these kids. They are some of the nicest people I've ever met, and they're the same ones who came to watch the Easter program. I suspect they might be Baptists, but I don't know because I can't communicate with them. They're wonderful followers of Christ whoever they are.
Malvina was so friendly tonight. In the middle of the evening she came over to me with a big smile, put her arms around me, and said, "Hi Mom." It was such a small thing, but at the same time it was huge and meant so much to me.
I took my laptop to the orphanage and showed the kids a movie I made of them at the orphanage last spring. They laughed and laughed as they watched themselves.
Gotta love those hugs. When she sees the smiles that brings you, she'll learn that giving love back means so much to you. You've got her started on the right path. Good sign!
ReplyDeleteSo glad things are moving forward.
Good insight to the future. It's so tough at first. My Alex today wrote some of his memories of Ukraine on his blog. If you're bored, go read it. It was a pay day to see not only his writing but to get a glimpse of his heart and how he felt during our adoption. It's a bit rough yet very tender.
ReplyDeleteJust focus on that sweet hug and "Hi, mom." when things are crazy. It will help you swim through it.
Love,
Wendy