Day 21 - Eternal Camping Trip

First, no news on the Interpol clearance. Ugh! We need prayer!

Felix with R & Z's roommates

Whoo-hoo, got my first shower in 3 days! Of course, I had to wake up at midnight to do it. Kherson is experiencing rolling black outs this week, so no electricity or steam during the day. No power means no pumps to pressurize the BH water. No steam means no heat in the building.

I get up about seven everyday and the power is always on and the room is warm. Time to take a shower and wash clothes, right? Nope, promptly at eight, the power and steam disappear all day until the evening, when by the way, I'm at the orphanage. When I get home from visiting and going to dinner, I assume that I can shower up. Nope, power goes off again and comes back on sometime in the night while I'm sleeping. It takes a couple of hours to heat up the water tank again each time the power/steam go off, so I've been missing out. It took a few repetitions of this for me to catch on.

Sasha tells me this is normal and is a way to alleviate over usage when the plant cannot keep up with demand. It has snowed everyday this week and it is cold, but not like the sub-zero temps of last week. This week is actually OK. But I guess a lot of people are using a lot of power.

This is different from when the circuit breakers trip downstairs. Through trial and error and watching the staff goof, I have deduced that you cannot run two major appliances in the building at once. Any combination of two or more of the following kills power to most of the building and drops the Internet: portable heater, hot water kettle, vacuum cleaner, washing machine, lights on. I really feel like I'm on a camping trip that won't end. However, days like this picture makes it bearable. And it only keeps getting better.

Rimma opens up a little more each day and is talking a lot more to me than in the past. She's becoming more affectionate, but gets jealous of the time I spend with Z. Rimma wears her heart on her sleeve and it is always apparent if she is happy, jealous, upset or mad. I'm careful to give Rimma equal time...I wonder what it will be like once we get home.

Rimma told me two days ago that she is ready to go home and get out of the orphanage. She really likes our weekends out on the town. This weekend I will have both girls during the day for awhile. They both want to go to the salon to get their hair done and Zina needs new shoes. Normally, this isn't my bag, but what else am I gonna do? Hang out here at Bible House campground?


The girls asked me to tell them the story of how Heidi and I met. I love that they want to know and be part of our family history. I told them about how Heidi's friend Anita took her dancing and how my friend Jeb and I went to the same dance. Anita and Jeb had dated once upon a time and they introduced me to Heidi that night. I told the girls that I knew then at first sight that I wanted to marry her. Just like, when at first sight, I knew they would be my daughters. They laughed as I recounted the day after our first real date when Heidi called me to have lunch with her. I was at church and there was a message on my phone after Sunday school and service. I "Bo Duke'd" it across town, jumping hills and straightening curves as I raced there for the opportunity to see her. They were hysterical as I told them I stopped at a little store and bought a tooth brush, tooth paste and bottled water and brushed my teeth down the street from her house. However, I didn't get that first kiss that day after all.

After I finished my story, the girls had one of their own. They both told me about the time they spent in our home in 2007. They felt like they were a part of a family on that trip and our house was full of love and happiness. They could feel the bond growing between us and didn't want to leave. They felt that God had brought us together for a purpose. A lot more was said about that time together, parts of which prove the need, the want for a family. Afterwards, the girls giggled about a particular occurrence. They confessed that they would get up at night and sneak down to the Christmas tree and open the tiny silver box ornaments that were full of M & M's hanging on the tree. I told them that I knew they were doing it, but I never knew when. Before they went to bed each night, I refilled the boxes for them. I have since earned that Rimma loves plain M & M's.