Thursday, November 13, 2008

Da!!!

We went to see the kids again today with high hopes that they made a decision. We were given the library of the orphanage with blessings to keep the doors shut and be together in private. This is another blessing because usually when you show up at an orphanage, you get an audience. One by one the kids showed up and they drew some pictures for us to break the ice. We were getting good indications that they wanted us too, but our translator/facilitator had left to speak with the director and to give us time to be alone with them. When she returned we “popped” the question and we got a resounding, “Da!” Therefore, we have started the paperwork process and will start on the court date.

Hence, I feel confident enough to tell the kids names. Our oldest is Nadya (12), next comes Julia (11), and the caboose is Kolya (9). Each child opened up to us and showed their true personalities. We had each of them pegged except little Julia. She isn’t as quiet and shy as once thought, although she is the quietest of the bunch. In fact, she won the question competition with a total of 7 good questions for us. A couple of the questions were, “Are you still interested in adopting me and my brother and sister” and “Do you like me as a girl/daughter”? We of course said that we would be honored to be their parents.

I told them that I had three questions for them and each of them had to listen and give their answer. First, I asked them, “Do you promise to never use drugs?” Da! “Do you promise to never abuse alcohol?” Da! And finally, “Are your hearts open to having more brothers or sisters (Rimma & Zina) in the future?” Da! I watched them as they answered and I think it made them happy to know that drugs and alcohol would never break up their family again. Since the children have a church in their orphanage and regularly attend, I knew that they would be receptive to a Christian home, too.

Now for the kicker, we’ll call it another example of God’s work at hand. All of the kids know Spanish! Heidi knows enough Spanish to get by and I understand a little. The kids have spent some time on hosting trips to Spain and learned it there. It aids communication and since they know very little English and we know very little Russian, we speak in Spanish. How cool is that! Perhaps we will adopt some Russian speaking children from Mexico next time!

The children asked us to take them outside so we toured the grounds hand in hand. It was pitch black outside as we walked the grounds, but it didn’t matter. We had our kids and they had us. Each took turns snapping a few pictures before calling it a day. The director met us at the front door and asked us if we would like to take Julia back to the sanatorium ourselves. We walked over to the car and put Julia inside, but the director insisted that Nadya and Kolya accompany us as well. So off we go with three kids and no staff to who knows where. Did I mention that this director is great? She had all the documents ready to go for us to get the court date rolling, before the kids had agreed. She is very pro-adoption and family oriented, telling us that these kids need to be in a family rather than any orphanage. I can foresee her letting us take the kids on our own very soon. I let her know that I appreciate her trust and will not do anything to lose it. She likes us a lot. We will move to the town after we get back this weekend to be closer to the kids, although we are pretty close now. Karen found us a “deal” close to the orphanage.

We returned our angels to their temporary home and kissed them goodnight for the first time. They hugged us, confident that we would return the next day. We consider ourselves blessed to have had such a smooth process so far. Clearly ours and your prayers have been heard. Jesus is most certainly walking right next to us and these children.

I am considering a picture of them on the next post. Let me know your thoughts on that. I don’t think anything can halt God’s amazing work, so I have no fear of it now. The “Big Reveal” may come sooner than expected. God bless you all for staying with us and praying for us!

~ Felix ~

19 comments:

Kari said...

I was just about to "ping" you and say where's the update, don't you know we are all on pins and needles! What an exciting day! Of course we want to see their picture! Julia's questions broke my heart, these kids just want someone to love them, and I am so happy for these three that they will have a forever family with two awesome parents!

Mayme said...

WOW!! That is great news. Good luck with the court date. Love, Mayme

Debora Hoffmann said...

Slava Bogu! This is so wonderful. God is putting you all together, and we praise Him with you!

I love the kids' names. Kolya is the nickname for Nikolai/Nicholas, one of my favorite names. :-) While I can't wait to see their precious faces, I can't advise you about whether you should post a pic this soon. I have not been in your shoes before! :-)

And may I just say, "¡Fantastico!" God has made communication with your kids easier with Spanish...I just love it.

I was checking often today, hoping you would be able to update us. Can't wait to hear more!

ArtworkByRuth said...

Congratulations! I love their questions!

Anonymous said...

Heidi and Felix,
My heart is full of Praise to God for His faithfullness to you! I have been following your journey since you fell in love with Rimma and Zina! I had the privelage of helping out with the girls during their stay in Williamsburg and my heart was taken by them also. I have been so excited for you both as this time drew near and I am truly full of joy for the three miracles God has blessed you with!

In Christ,
Tiffany

P.S. Give my love to Karen, I just simply adore her!!!

Anonymous said...

Congratulations!!! They sound like three, wonderful, beautiful children. Cathy and I are very happy for you. Our vote is to post pictures.

Cathy and I would like to know when we can introduce them to sailing. We would love to take your entire family sailing on our boat, "Painkiller."

Bruce and Cathy Smith

Anonymous said...

I'm crying my way through all of this! I feel so blessed to be a part of this family, even if I am just Heidi's cousin! I'll say a prayer tonight and good luck with all of this!
Love, Terri

Monique said...

WaHoo!! I am so excited that you have met your children. I pray that God blesses your time in Ukraine. I can't wait to see you with them in pictures!

Please give Karen a hug from me!

Suzanne said...

Congratulations! James and I are so excited for you. Whenever you are ready, we'd love to see a family pic!

Anonymous said...

That's so great, you guys! I can't wait to see a picture of these three little angels. Have a safe trip down to see Zina and Rimma. I'll continue to keep all seven of you in my prayers.

Kevin and Pam said...

What a wonderful post. Keep praying! Things go in waves over here. I will pray too. I would be cautious about posting pictures too soon.

Anonymous said...

We are so excited for you all and can't wait to see pictures whenever you decide to post them. We think about you everyday and keep you all in our prayers. Thank you for letting us share this with you.

Mike, Linda & Karly

Anonymous said...

Hi Heidi & Felix,

Wow, I am so happy to hear about the children - what a journey you have been on to get there!God definitely had a plan for your family!

many Blessings,
Maggie

Rolan and Eileen said...

What a dream come true! I will pray your days will be filled with joy and continue to go smoothly. Spanish! Does God have a sense of humor or what?! Soon the kids will be tri-lingual! What a valuable asset for them.

Conethia and Jim Bob said...

How wonderful for you! Congratulations! I pray that court goes well and your home soon. What a Christmas you will have. Blessings

adoptedthree said...

Congratulations and great questions!

Toni said...

Eeeekks!! Could this have been any more exciting?! I'm thinking there's a screenplay in this somewhere! I too am crying my way though this. We are praying for your court date and that you will find God's amazing grace and favor with you for the rest of this adventure. And Spanish!?! I love it!! Marcus and Jack go to a spanish pre-school..It will be awesome for them to speak spanish to their Ukranian cousins. ;-)
--Toni McCarty

Allyson said...

Felix & Heidi - It was so awesome to meet you both. I had chills reading your blog. The children are so blessed to have the two of you and I am so excited they said Da. God is so awesome. I pray the rest of the process is smooth and quick. With joy, Allyson

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the information on the children, names means so much. I am so blessed to read your encounter with the children, it is still one of the greatest wonders in the world, how love can connect like that. I know that Love himself is the answer, all the great wonders are His. You have found a great orphanage, they need to be greatly rewarded!! Fran

About Us

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Longmont, Colorado, United States
Heidi loves to play sand volleyball, sail and garden. Felix loves to fly at the local aeroclub, sail and fish.