Day 1, So far, so good!

Hi there folks, we made it to Kiev! My trusty laptop clock tells me its 1:04 am in Colorado, so most of you are sleeping at this hour. No worries, sleep dreams!

For everyone else awake, here's a quick recap of the travels. Huge kudos goes out to Clay & Selene Peck, our pastor and his wife, for the travel pills! The package says that it helps knock the edge off being jet-lagged and helps to reset the natural circadian rhythm. Jet lag averted and with the help of two Benadryl tablets each, we all slept 12 hours last night! In fact, Jordan is still out! None of us slept well on the 14+ hours on three plane rides.

We departed Denver enroute to Chicago on Saturday. That trip went well and there were no problems. We got into O'Hare after a loop around Lake Michigan.

The second flight, Chicago to Munich was delayed 30 minutes while they fixed a light in the first class cabin. No, we didn't fly first class. We were in the rear with the gear!

We originally had a 3 hour layover in Munich, but with the delay and grabbing lunch, we only waited for an hour. We flew into Kiev without a hitch and made our way out of the plane. Getting through customs, grabbing bags, and getting out of the airport was no problem. I love that Munich to Kiev flight much better that the Frankfurt flight...less people and fewer problems, always!

We were picked up by our facilitator and taken to our Kiev apartment. We are right on Krashatik Street and a block away from Independence square where this picture was taken with Jordan.

So now it is time to start the day! We are getting in touch with all of our missionary friends here. Calls have been made to Becky, Karen, Oksana and Andrei to name a few. I think we will sight-see today and take it easy. Our SDA appointment is tomorrow at 10 am to ask for Lizzie! Yeah! We will let you know how that goes.

Tomorrow, after the SDA, I think the plan is to take gifts and letters to the Boyarka Dietski Dom where our first three kids were housed, then have dinner out at my favorite Shoshleek restaurant with Becky and Nadia.

So here, we go...at long last!

God is talking to me again...this was K-LOVE's encouraging word of the day.

Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.
~ Psalm 37:3, NLT

~ Felix ~

Time to Fly!

Lizzie adoption at EveryTrail


The big day is here! I must finish packing a few last minute things and this laptop, so it's time to log-out.

Our trip takes us this time from Denver to Chicago O'Hare to Munich to Kiev! I'll post on FB at the airports as time permits, but this blog will recommence on the other side of the Earth when we settle in somewhere in Kiev.

Keep those prayers coming! Bye for now.

~ Felix & Heidi ~

Come get me, ALREADY!!

They're coming, they're coming, they're coming...

In three days Heidi, Jordan and I head out for Ukraine! Whoo-hoo! I can't believe the day is actually here. Three years of toil on this side of the Earth and three years of waiting for her family on the other side are almost done. Barring any "unforeseen" circumstance, Lizzie will be forever home soon. I can't wait to change that title under her name over there on the right side! We Skyped with Lizzie directly from the orphanage this past weekend. She kept asking when we were coming...we wouldn't tell her. It's for her own good. But she's more than ready! You could see it in her eyes and the glow of her smile. Ready, set, here we come!

Just like last adoption, the plan is for Heidi to go home right after court to be with our kids. Jordan will be going back with her and getting right back to school. She's got her assignments from her teachers and blessing from the principal, so we are taking her. We are bringing Jordan because I feel it is necessary for her to experience the humble beginnings that her siblings endured, to do some mission work of her own, and to learn some compassion...especially when her sib's behavior drives her nuts! Her teachers and I agreed that it was a better education for her than she would get sitting in a classroom in High School. Besides, she has a 4 point "oh my gosh" GPA in an AP environment! (Rimma, Nadia and Kole are working at pretty much the same level, too. Yep, I'm a bragging Dad, sorry). Our kids will be staying with other Ukie-adoptive parents in our town until Heidi gets back home. I will be staying behind again for the remainder of the adoption, two to four weeks depending. I'm praying for the two weeks! Ukrainian adoptions are hard, though! They are harder than pushing a greased pig up a muddy hill! So I'm preparing for the long-haul.

So here we go again...another winter Ukrainian adoption! Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. My next post will be a short blurb right before I pack up the laptop and head for the airport. Talk to you then.

~ Felix ~

Rada Vote??

I checked the Rada website the first thing this morning. Since Ukraine is 9 hours ahead of US MST, I knew that Parliament would be done with their daily business. The vote was definitely on the agenda and when I clicked on the bill, this is all that it said:

"Consideration postponed (01/11/2011)"

The website didn't say when it was postponed to or if it will come up again soon. We will query our sources and keep you posted on developments if any. What does this mean? Well, it's good news, but the vote is still out there. So far, we are still a go for Lizzie's adoption and we are headed out still on the 22nd of January.

Stay tuned!

~ Felix ~

We Will Be Invincible!

With 11 days to go and a wake up, I'm getting restless to start Lizzie's adoption process! Last year about this time I posted the "Y'all ready for dis" theme song, which made me chuckle and keep my sense of humor for the beginning of our second adoption journey. So this time, I've been searching for a new song to post. I think I have one. My concern with tomorrow's supposedly Rada vote on adoption moratorium is ever-present and God, in His infinite wisdom, is speaking to me again. This morning, the K-LOVE Encouraging Word is from Ephesians 3:20 is,

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.

Right after I received that message and while I was still mulling over the vote, I went into the grocery store to buy my weekly stash of apples. This song by Pat Benatar started up in the overhead speakers, We Will Be Invincible!

The enemy is not Ukraine, rather, those dark forces that will attempt to suppress His work in Ukraine. OK, Lord! Let's go get it done!

~ Felix ~

Plane tickets purchased

Hello, Felix here! The blog got hijacked by my honey during the holidays. She sent out Christmas cards with a link to our blog and proceeded to write about each family member. As time permits, she will finish up with her little project. In the meantime, I got the itch to write again...so here it goes, a little story in pictures for your amusement.

So yes, as the title explains, I bought tickets today! Where are we going you might ask? Are we going to our favorite little island in the Bahamas for a nice vacation? Looks nice and inviting, doesn't it!



Are we going sailing on a catamaran in the BVI? Oh, I so want (and need) this escape right now!

Am I going to jump into the sea and snorkel off this patch of reef near Staniel Cay? NOPE! Aww man!

Our faithful followers know where we are going and unless you've been hiding from us, you too know where we are going! We are going here...to Ukraine...again...in WINTER...again...for the third adoption trip...again! Did I mention that it will be in WINTER? AGAIN!

But, I will go anywhere, anytime, to the ends of the earth, to bring our little girl home. She wants it! She awaits it! She has waited three years for it! It is home, and parents!

Are we taking the kids? Just one! Jordan will accompany us and she will get to experience Ukraine, the culture, a few orphanage visits and the adoption process. She is making an above A average in all her classes and her teachers agree that the experience is worth missing school for a little while. Jordan will fly back with Heidi after we have court, which should be two or three weeks after we arrive. I will stay on again for the duration, which I pray will be only two or three weeks more.

Yes, I will stay behind again! But don't worry about me, I'll have old friends to keep me company. It will be good to spend time with my old friend, the dangling, occasionally spinning, paint chip above my head at the Bible House! (last year's story, here) In my boredom and derangement, I will once again attempt to deduce what force is acting on my friend and thereby causing said spin motion. How exactly does it happen when there is no air movement or heat rising from the radiators? Hmmn? Is it the rotation of the Earth?

Of course, when the paint chip and I have finished our discourse, there's always my friend Lenny. Lenny stands strong and is always available for my questions. My favorite question to ask him is how he feels about the American burger restaurant behind him that serves Coca-Cola or the store next to that that sells Levi's! He never answers, rather he continues to scowl. I don't think he likes it much.

Sadly, one friend I will not get to see is Frozen Flat Cat! (inside story, ask me about him sometimes, but only in person. And no, I wasn't responsible for his demise). He could always be counted on as a navigational aid. Ahh...many a time I told the cabby to turn left at the FFC! He could always cheer me up, too! After all, I reasoned that no matter how cold it got or how hard the adoption proceedings were going, it was always better to be on my side of the ice!

If boredom sets in and I am restricted from seeing our Lizzie, I have thought about taking a little tour of Ukraine...or somewhere else in Europe for that matter. After all, I'm already there, right? I've thought of Italy, Germany, or even Greece as great destinations. Ohh, I've always wanted to see Greece! If time is short and I don't mind harming my health, I hear Ukraine has reopened this little slice of heaven to tourists again...Chernobyl! No need for a flashlight at night anymore! Not when I'll glow in the dark for the rest of my life!

I hope I haven't offended anyone, least of all PETA. Hey FFC was there before I got there. Many snow-ings preserved him all winter! I'm just enjoying a moment of levity.

I do like Ukraine! After all, five of my children are from there. I have made many wonderful friends there too! It will be joyous to reconnect with them!

Time is closing and we leave on January 22! Our SDA appointment is the 25th. Please keep praying for the moratorium vote which we have heard, is rescheduled for January 11th.

Stay tuned, a little girl's dream is about to come true after three years of patiently waiting! You won't want to miss a thing!

~ Future Frozen Felix ~

Who's Counting?

Us in 26 days!

We interrupt the Christmas letter to remind everyone that we will soon be heading to Ukraine to start Lizzie's adoption process. We leave in 26 days...but who's counting? "We" includes Heidi, Jordan and me, Felix.

We are starting to dust off luggage, make lists, reserve the Bible House in Kherson, plan where the kids will stay at friend's homes and buying tickets. I expect that we will purchase the flights this week or next, they are already reserved through Golden Rule.

Only a moratorium vote in Ukraine would put a halt to the process now. We learned that it wasn't voted on in the Rada session that adjourned last week for the Ukrainian holiday season. I pray it never makes it's way back on the agenda. Keep those prayers coming for Lizzie. She wants to home so badly. It is evident in every conversation.

~ Felix ~