2010 UOO Summer Camp

I have been remiss, not mentioning the upcoming 2010 Ukraine Orphan Outreach camp. Not by design, mind you. After all. I have 7 kids living in my house, I just got home this past weekend from my AF Reserve job, and my regular job needed catching up. Whew!

So come on out and join the fun. The daily activities are listed at ukraineorphans.org and the campers arrive tonight! Be part of this special program as we minister to "the least of these".

By the way, Z is doing fine and loving her family and being here. Last weekend, we took family pictures since we had all 7 kids under one roof for awhile. Look for those pictures posted soon. More great news, Jordan will start her Junior year here in Longmont and Jess is moving back home to go to college. She asked to move home to save room and board. So, yes, we will have 8 under one roof, 9 when Z gets adopted in 2011, perhaps 10 if we get a boy this next adoption with Z!

Felix

Reunion

I came home today and I got to see my Z! We stayed like this pretty much the whole evening. Every chance she got, she told me how much she loves and wants this family, or "my family" as she most often said. It is amazing the longing deep inside her and the desire for that which most of us take for granted. Z only ever wanted a family, and now she has one! I can't wait for that wonderful day when she is home for good.

Thanks to everyone who looked after my family in my absence and helped Heidi. I'm sorry that I can never give you a heads-up or speak of my departures during my "business trips". Suffice it to say, the picture tells the story. At least I got to come home after 10 days. My prayers go out to my brethren in harm's way and to them and their families who endure quite more than I had to.

~ Felix ~

A Fatherless Fathers Day

Zina arrived safe and sound last night! It's difficult for me to put into words how wonderful it is to have Zina in our home, and to see Zina and Rimma reunited. Tonight we three chatted in my bed for an hour and I was overcome with feelings of love and gratitude for having these girls in my life.

It might sound a bit melodramatic, but it feels tragic that Felix missed out on Zina's homecoming and Father's Day. He's out of town this week for work and we really miss him. And not just because I'm a single mom to six kids this week.

Today our church, Grace Place, highlighted the plight of the fatherless. UOO was allowed a huge chunk of time in front of the congregation to share our mission and plans for the upcoming summer camp. It was another amazing experience, but I can only handle so much emotion in a 12 hour period!!!

So is it Zina or Lizzie? Now Zina says, "I don't care." So this week it's Zina and then we'll have to see where we're at later this summer. As far as I'm concerned it's her decision because she will have to live with the name. Maybe we won't know until her adoption is finalized! Stay tuned on that one.

A big thanks to all of our friends who are helping out our family this week while Felix is gone. You are making my life soooo much easier and I really appreciate it!! We have a busy week ahead but I cannot wait to soak up more Z-time.

Coming home, temporarily

Tonight, our sweetie Lizzie, will be boarding the overnight train to Kiev and boarding the plane bound for the US to stay with her family. Now that I think of it, she is actually on the train at this moment, being that Ukraine is a 9 hour time-zone difference. So, she's on her way and will get here at 10:30 pm on Friday night. We will get a glimpse of what our family will be like this summer.

Lizzie will be with us temporarily for 10 weeks this summer and will have to go back on the last day of August. No international incident here - she will have to return to be adopted by us, a process that we have already begun here in the States. The hope is that our SDA appointment coincides with her mid-January availability date. Ugh, another (the third) Ukraine winter adoption! Oh well, we will brave the temps again to bring our girl home!

Heidi talked with her on the phone this week and she was ecstatically happy. That reminded me of this picture from Rimma's adoption back in January & February. I know she is jumping for joy right about now!

Row, row, row your boat...

...gently down the Animas Rapids! We're still on vacation here in Durango, Colorado! We have visited Four Corners and stood in four sates at once, visited ancient ruins at Mesa Verde, and white water rafted. Tomorrow we push on the see the Great Sand Dunes NP in southern Colorado. See ya back home soon!

~Felix~

Happy Birthday, Kole!

This is Kole's second birthday with us and he has turned into an all-American boy. Since he's been home, he has ridden a second-hand bicycle. He never made a fuss about it, after all, he never had a bike before. He got a few other gifts, but his prized possession is this red mountain bike. It had to be red, his favorite color, and it needed to be a few sizes too big for him as he grows. Hence, the leg draped over the center bar.

Happy Birthday, Kole. May your new life bring you as much happiness as you have brought us!

~ Felix ~

It's all in His hands!

Kole, Dad, Rimma, Jordan, Julia, Nadia, Mom

I, Felix, struggle from time to time with the fact that I have to let go and trust in God and follow His plan. When I do, He provides us with everything we need, not everything we want, but everything we need.

Therefore, awhile back, I quit "worrying" about Rimma's and Z's eventual adoption and just knew He would make it happen, if it was His plan. Hence the name of this blog. The naysayers, and there were a lot of them, said both registrations and adoptions would never happen. "Just go and find some other children!" Well, we did, and we were gifted with N, J, & K. But, we never quit praying for R & Z! Rimma and Z got registered via pressure from us and God's intervention, Rimma is home now, Z will be here for the summer for 10 weeks.

The recent return of an adopted boy to Russia has everyone up in arms and my family and friends constantly asking me if Ukraine will shut down adoptions too. Some folks confuse Ukraine as being part of Russia and remind me that Russia has stopped all adoptions. Others "in-the-know" ask if Ukraine will follow suit, especially with their "Russia-leaning" new president.

I just smile and say, "No, Russia and Ukraine are two different countries and God is in control...he hears my prayers...she WILL come home to her forever family in early 2011."

"How do you know for sure?" they ask. "How do you know Ukraine won't shut down adoptions this year?" Because He ANSWERED our prayers again this week! Our friend Becky (in Ukraine) reports...

Ukrainian Supreme Parliament (Rada) DID NOT SUPPORT introduction of moratorium on all international adoptions. ONLY 191 MPs supported the moratorium out of 404 MPs in the Rada session (450 MPs total in Ukraine) . CONGRATULATIONS - ADOPTIONS CONTINUE!