It was hard to hug Ray and watch him walk out the door of Yuglegorsk Orphanage Thursday without me and the girls, headed to Kiev for his exit interview at the U.S. Embassy and then his flight home to the boys, to Virginia and the good ol' USA. It is quite strange having half your family on one side of the water wishing to be on the other side with the rest of the family. It also feels strange to to love two children so much and not even be able to speak the same language yet. It will come with time. We have to be patient, keep a sense of humor, be encouraging. Taking a long walk down the main street of Enakieva I remembered the verses in Hebrews 10:35-36 which talk about needing to persevere, a great reminder for this time, when one wants to be done with the process and just enjoy being home together. I need to finish well here first.
Left to right: Interpreter Anya, Rada and Inna
Left to right: Anya, Cari, Rada, Alona, Nastya and Anya, friends of Inna
Friday and Saturday were a very quiet couple of days without Ray and without interpreters. I spent time taking walks and photos, people watching, going to the grocery store.... It was a good chance to practice some Russian on my own. People were patient and helpful. Anya returned from Kiev Sunday around noon via chilly, noisy and crowded 12 hour bus ride. She helped me order some medication I am running low on, which should be in tomorrow.
Today we took a walk with Inna and Rada around the orphanage neighborhood. They enjoyed getting outside in the sunshine, although it is chilly around 45 or 50 F. The children are still hanging their laundry out to dry after washing by hand, although in the smokey conditions it is hard to decide if clothes are cleaner or dirtier after drying out there. It has been terribly smokey the past few days, especially in the evenings.We are helping the girls practice some English for part of our time together each day.
By the way, do you enjoy knowing the meaning of a person's name? A name makes such a unique statement about a person. Inna's name in Ukrainian means deep waters and Rada's name means joy, gladness, both true reflections of their character evident to me thus far. And evidence of the One who made them, who knows their names and has had his hand on them since the beginning, as he does each of us.
Today I am thankful for God's blessings of sunshine, wool sweaters and socks, family and friends, Anya's fresh made blueberry crepes, a clear night enhanced by dark streetlights by which to see the amazing Hunter Orion and Bob Grizenko's leftover 3G modem enabling me to post tonight from the comfort of my apartment. So ends day 7! Blessings to you and yours!
In Him,
Cari
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