So, for those of you who haven't been keeping up on Facebook, we have arrived safely in Kiev. We got in yesterday, and were exhausted after traveling! (We've got lots of down time right now, so this blog entry might have more detail than you want!)
After inadvertently looking at the arrival time instead of the departure time on our itinerary, we had to make a mad dash for the airport! Graciously, the people watching Mason and the person driving us to the airport were able to accomodate the last minute change, and put up with our fiasco to get us out in time. We pulled Mason out of school early, and accidentally left the dog-sitter with no key! (What I heard Bill say: "Do we need to leave a key for the dog sitter?" to which I replied "Yes!".....what he ACTUALLY said: "DID you leave a key for the dog sitter?" to which he thought I was saying YES! Oh brother, we miscommunicate in our native language, nevermind a foreign country!!!) Thankfully we had thought, at the last minute, to leave one with the people watching Mason, so they were able to coordinate and get a key to the dog sitter! Our lawn however, was already reaching forest heights due to the rain all week and our crazy schedules. Bill planned to mow it right before we left, but the mix up with our flight times left us dashing out before he could do it. So, THAT will be quite the adventure when we return!
We took a short flight from RDU (Raleigh-Durham) in to Washington, DC where we had a layover for a few hours. On this first flight, I just kept welling up with tears. (Not surprising for those of you who know me!) I just was so overwhelmed by this amazing miracle, by the love and support, by the fact that we were actually going....that it was really going to happen! (I am sure being exhausted, and leaving Mason added to the emotion.) But even Bill was emotional. I mean truly, how do you say thank you? It just completely amazes us that the Lord could use so many wonderful and amazing individuals to help unite us with our boy.
After that short flight, we flew on an 8 hour flight from DC to Munich, Germany. When we got on that plane, we were sandwiched in the middle of a 4 seat row, with someone on either side of us. Well, the thought of riding like that for 8 hours overnight was not too appealing, so I waited and watched. As the plane filled up, I noticed one two seat row that had yet to be filled. Like a hunter stalking her prey, I watched that seat...nervous with anticipation each time someone approached, and sighing relief when they kept walking by! I asked the flight attendant if we could move in to those seats and I was told it was a full flight and we likely wouldn't be able to, but if they were empty when boarding ended we could go ahead and switch. I am not to proud to admit that I did put my bag in the seat as a place holder, lest some other sardined passengers had the same idea...thinking it might act as a deterrent! Well, I am pleased to say that we were able to move, and we got to ride in our own 2 seat row for the overnight flight...which was really doing the people on the ends of that 4 seat row a favor too, so we were all happy. (Particularly Bill, because the gentlemen next to him apparently didn't have much use for deodorant!)
We didn't sleep all that well on the flight, though we did get some rest in. We had dinner and breakfast on the plane, and were able to watch some movies too. (Or start watching, as we both did fall asleep for a bit during the movies!)
We had about an hour layover in Munich and then caught our last 2 hour flight to Kiev. This airplane had lots of leg room, a larger cabin, and we both had room around us as the flight was not full. Landing in Kiev, we were super nervous about customs, and the men in the camoflauge uniforms and combat boots didn't ease my nerves any! Turns out, we went through passport control without a word from the passport agent, and we never got a customs form on the plane (as our paperwork said we would). After customs, we retrieved our luggage from the baggage carousel and sent it through the x-ray machine, then wandered aimlessly wondering what to do next. Surely that couldn't be it? There was a door out of the airport to our right, a couple doors to some small offices in front of us, and a customs desk to the left. Afraid to just walk out and miss some important step, we stopped at the customs desk to ask if we were supposed to check in there. Some random guy, and the customs agent as well, were like "No...just go...you go out those doors!" So that was it! No questions, no customs, no problem! We walked out to a sea of people waiting, but were easily able to pick out our driver holding a sign with our name.
He introduced himself, and was very nice. He helped get our bags in to the car, and we were off. He brought us to the market where we met our facilitator. We drove through Kiev, looking at buildings, shops, billboards, and even a few McDonald's! At the store we were able to get a few groceries (with some guidance, because we couldn't read anything!) and exchange some money. (Though one of our hundred dollar bills wasn't accepted because it wasn't new enough!) We weren't very adventurous with the groceries, and got things we were mostly familiar with! We bought some bottled water, a bottle of Coca-Cola, some bread, some yogurt (because we could recognize the Dannon label!), some pasta (and after some help finding it, some spaghetti sauce!), butter (that our facilitator found for us!), milk (again, we picked up a bottle of white liquid thinking it was milk, but apparently it was kefir or something, but definitely not milk. I don't know what kefir is....but they said we didn't want it, so we didn't take it!) We packed our own PB & J, tuna fish and mayonnaise from home, so we plan to eat simple and keep the food budget down! We also got a phone card so we can keep in touch with our facilitator easily. (And then somehow used the whole thing up in just a minute long phone call to Mason...guess it was a local phone card...and we'll be buying another....lesson learned!) We met our facilitator's wife and daughter, and they were so kind and welcoming. We went on to our apartment.
The elevator is tiny, so Bill and our facilitator took it with our luggage, and I walked up to meet them on the third floor. Our apartment is furnished, complete with linens, dishes, silverware, soap, etc. It has a washer, but no dryer, so we'll have to plan ahead for drying time when doing laundry. It seems to be that we are the only Americans in the area though, and I feel like we stick out like a sore thumb (whether it's true or not!) There is a school across the street from our apartment, and a playground on the other side. It's nice to look out during the day and see families at the park together. Everyone is out walking around on the sidewalks, near the market, etc. The weather is beautiful, and the apartment is comfortable and safe. It's been nice having some time to relax and catch our breath. After the pace of the last nine months, trying to fundraise, organize and complete paperwork, fundraise some more, prepare our hearts, our home and our son for this journey, it is nice to have some down time. (And, it IS down time!!! Not much to do, TV is in another language, so we are online....or reading...today we even played Family Feud online!!!!) We didn't get out of our jammies, except to walk over to the market near our apartment. That trip went a little better, but we still didn't venture too far out of our comfort zone! (Though we did order some meat at the deli! It looks like ham....smells like ham....we'll keep you posted!) We also found two little children's magazines in Russian that had mazes, activities etc. and looked like they might be fun for Ruslan on the flights home, so we picked them up. (Pray for my husband as he'll me making that veeeery loooooong journey alone with Ruslan!!!!)
We miss Mason like crazy, even though it's only the second day we've been gone! We were able to call him quickly tonight to say hi, and both of us welled up with tears! We know he's fine, we have TOTAL peace of mind with regards to where he is staying, but it is still so hard to be this far away, for this long. We made him a recordable book so he can hear our voices whenever he wants, and we are hoping to be able to Skype too, which will make things easier! He has been such a trooper through this whole journey, and I will cherish the last weeks with him as the only child when I get back. And then I will cherish the time with our whole family complete too! It's amazing how the Lord can multiply love, not divide it, as families grow!
It is 7 hours later here than it is back home, but I am wide awake even though it's 12:30am here. Bill, however, is snoring on the couch as I type this! I was exhausted last night, and couldn't keep my eyes open, but I slept for 13 hours and that seemed to help a lot. Hoping I can fall asleep tonight, as we meet with our facilitator in the morning, and then head to our SDA appointment to get permission to visit the orphanage.
Hah, so I titled this post "The Red Thread" and then I want on and on rambling, and never got to the point! I came across this quote online today:
"An invisible red thread connects those destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstances. The thread may stretch or tangle, but never break." - Ancient Chinese Proverb
Well, when we were painting Ruslan's room, we realized the irony that we were working with an agency called Redline United, and we were also painting a bright red line around the center of Ruslan's bedroom (purely by coincidence!). Then I came across something called the Red Thread project, which is a group of photographers that will come to your airport homecoming and do a photography session for you free of charge. So, with my idle time tonight, I was going to look them up and get back to the photographer that will be doing our session. In looking for them, I found that quote and then realized where the project got it's name. And I just love that...the red thread. And I love that red stripe in his room even more now. And I know this boy was our son before we even knew it. That this is what the Lord had in mind all along. And that we are humbly and obediently following Him to see what this red thread is woven in to. And we anticipate that there may be some missed stitches along the way, but we know the end result will be the perfect plan He has been crafting. (Perfect in it's imperfections of course!) And they'll be days that we'll need the strength, and hope, and help and prayers of each one of the amazing people that have helped us navigate this journey. And we know that the red thread is entwined around each of you as well. That it's no accident that the Lord brought each of you in to our lives in the exact way, time and design that He did. And it's no accident that He did the same with Ruslan. And we are amazed, and humbled, at the tapestry He is weaving.
After inadvertently looking at the arrival time instead of the departure time on our itinerary, we had to make a mad dash for the airport! Graciously, the people watching Mason and the person driving us to the airport were able to accomodate the last minute change, and put up with our fiasco to get us out in time. We pulled Mason out of school early, and accidentally left the dog-sitter with no key! (What I heard Bill say: "Do we need to leave a key for the dog sitter?" to which I replied "Yes!".....what he ACTUALLY said: "DID you leave a key for the dog sitter?" to which he thought I was saying YES! Oh brother, we miscommunicate in our native language, nevermind a foreign country!!!) Thankfully we had thought, at the last minute, to leave one with the people watching Mason, so they were able to coordinate and get a key to the dog sitter! Our lawn however, was already reaching forest heights due to the rain all week and our crazy schedules. Bill planned to mow it right before we left, but the mix up with our flight times left us dashing out before he could do it. So, THAT will be quite the adventure when we return!
We took a short flight from RDU (Raleigh-Durham) in to Washington, DC where we had a layover for a few hours. On this first flight, I just kept welling up with tears. (Not surprising for those of you who know me!) I just was so overwhelmed by this amazing miracle, by the love and support, by the fact that we were actually going....that it was really going to happen! (I am sure being exhausted, and leaving Mason added to the emotion.) But even Bill was emotional. I mean truly, how do you say thank you? It just completely amazes us that the Lord could use so many wonderful and amazing individuals to help unite us with our boy.
After that short flight, we flew on an 8 hour flight from DC to Munich, Germany. When we got on that plane, we were sandwiched in the middle of a 4 seat row, with someone on either side of us. Well, the thought of riding like that for 8 hours overnight was not too appealing, so I waited and watched. As the plane filled up, I noticed one two seat row that had yet to be filled. Like a hunter stalking her prey, I watched that seat...nervous with anticipation each time someone approached, and sighing relief when they kept walking by! I asked the flight attendant if we could move in to those seats and I was told it was a full flight and we likely wouldn't be able to, but if they were empty when boarding ended we could go ahead and switch. I am not to proud to admit that I did put my bag in the seat as a place holder, lest some other sardined passengers had the same idea...thinking it might act as a deterrent! Well, I am pleased to say that we were able to move, and we got to ride in our own 2 seat row for the overnight flight...which was really doing the people on the ends of that 4 seat row a favor too, so we were all happy. (Particularly Bill, because the gentlemen next to him apparently didn't have much use for deodorant!)
We didn't sleep all that well on the flight, though we did get some rest in. We had dinner and breakfast on the plane, and were able to watch some movies too. (Or start watching, as we both did fall asleep for a bit during the movies!)
We had about an hour layover in Munich and then caught our last 2 hour flight to Kiev. This airplane had lots of leg room, a larger cabin, and we both had room around us as the flight was not full. Landing in Kiev, we were super nervous about customs, and the men in the camoflauge uniforms and combat boots didn't ease my nerves any! Turns out, we went through passport control without a word from the passport agent, and we never got a customs form on the plane (as our paperwork said we would). After customs, we retrieved our luggage from the baggage carousel and sent it through the x-ray machine, then wandered aimlessly wondering what to do next. Surely that couldn't be it? There was a door out of the airport to our right, a couple doors to some small offices in front of us, and a customs desk to the left. Afraid to just walk out and miss some important step, we stopped at the customs desk to ask if we were supposed to check in there. Some random guy, and the customs agent as well, were like "No...just go...you go out those doors!" So that was it! No questions, no customs, no problem! We walked out to a sea of people waiting, but were easily able to pick out our driver holding a sign with our name.
He introduced himself, and was very nice. He helped get our bags in to the car, and we were off. He brought us to the market where we met our facilitator. We drove through Kiev, looking at buildings, shops, billboards, and even a few McDonald's! At the store we were able to get a few groceries (with some guidance, because we couldn't read anything!) and exchange some money. (Though one of our hundred dollar bills wasn't accepted because it wasn't new enough!) We weren't very adventurous with the groceries, and got things we were mostly familiar with! We bought some bottled water, a bottle of Coca-Cola, some bread, some yogurt (because we could recognize the Dannon label!), some pasta (and after some help finding it, some spaghetti sauce!), butter (that our facilitator found for us!), milk (again, we picked up a bottle of white liquid thinking it was milk, but apparently it was kefir or something, but definitely not milk. I don't know what kefir is....but they said we didn't want it, so we didn't take it!) We packed our own PB & J, tuna fish and mayonnaise from home, so we plan to eat simple and keep the food budget down! We also got a phone card so we can keep in touch with our facilitator easily. (And then somehow used the whole thing up in just a minute long phone call to Mason...guess it was a local phone card...and we'll be buying another....lesson learned!) We met our facilitator's wife and daughter, and they were so kind and welcoming. We went on to our apartment.
The elevator is tiny, so Bill and our facilitator took it with our luggage, and I walked up to meet them on the third floor. Our apartment is furnished, complete with linens, dishes, silverware, soap, etc. It has a washer, but no dryer, so we'll have to plan ahead for drying time when doing laundry. It seems to be that we are the only Americans in the area though, and I feel like we stick out like a sore thumb (whether it's true or not!) There is a school across the street from our apartment, and a playground on the other side. It's nice to look out during the day and see families at the park together. Everyone is out walking around on the sidewalks, near the market, etc. The weather is beautiful, and the apartment is comfortable and safe. It's been nice having some time to relax and catch our breath. After the pace of the last nine months, trying to fundraise, organize and complete paperwork, fundraise some more, prepare our hearts, our home and our son for this journey, it is nice to have some down time. (And, it IS down time!!! Not much to do, TV is in another language, so we are online....or reading...today we even played Family Feud online!!!!) We didn't get out of our jammies, except to walk over to the market near our apartment. That trip went a little better, but we still didn't venture too far out of our comfort zone! (Though we did order some meat at the deli! It looks like ham....smells like ham....we'll keep you posted!) We also found two little children's magazines in Russian that had mazes, activities etc. and looked like they might be fun for Ruslan on the flights home, so we picked them up. (Pray for my husband as he'll me making that veeeery loooooong journey alone with Ruslan!!!!)
We miss Mason like crazy, even though it's only the second day we've been gone! We were able to call him quickly tonight to say hi, and both of us welled up with tears! We know he's fine, we have TOTAL peace of mind with regards to where he is staying, but it is still so hard to be this far away, for this long. We made him a recordable book so he can hear our voices whenever he wants, and we are hoping to be able to Skype too, which will make things easier! He has been such a trooper through this whole journey, and I will cherish the last weeks with him as the only child when I get back. And then I will cherish the time with our whole family complete too! It's amazing how the Lord can multiply love, not divide it, as families grow!
It is 7 hours later here than it is back home, but I am wide awake even though it's 12:30am here. Bill, however, is snoring on the couch as I type this! I was exhausted last night, and couldn't keep my eyes open, but I slept for 13 hours and that seemed to help a lot. Hoping I can fall asleep tonight, as we meet with our facilitator in the morning, and then head to our SDA appointment to get permission to visit the orphanage.
Hah, so I titled this post "The Red Thread" and then I want on and on rambling, and never got to the point! I came across this quote online today:
"An invisible red thread connects those destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstances. The thread may stretch or tangle, but never break." - Ancient Chinese Proverb
Well, when we were painting Ruslan's room, we realized the irony that we were working with an agency called Redline United, and we were also painting a bright red line around the center of Ruslan's bedroom (purely by coincidence!). Then I came across something called the Red Thread project, which is a group of photographers that will come to your airport homecoming and do a photography session for you free of charge. So, with my idle time tonight, I was going to look them up and get back to the photographer that will be doing our session. In looking for them, I found that quote and then realized where the project got it's name. And I just love that...the red thread. And I love that red stripe in his room even more now. And I know this boy was our son before we even knew it. That this is what the Lord had in mind all along. And that we are humbly and obediently following Him to see what this red thread is woven in to. And we anticipate that there may be some missed stitches along the way, but we know the end result will be the perfect plan He has been crafting. (Perfect in it's imperfections of course!) And they'll be days that we'll need the strength, and hope, and help and prayers of each one of the amazing people that have helped us navigate this journey. And we know that the red thread is entwined around each of you as well. That it's no accident that the Lord brought each of you in to our lives in the exact way, time and design that He did. And it's no accident that He did the same with Ruslan. And we are amazed, and humbled, at the tapestry He is weaving.
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