There's No Place Like Home

We never did get connected back to the internet during our time in Ukraine. We couldn't even get connected at the apartment in Kyiv so you'll have to wait to hear of all the excitement of our last ten days: meeting Sophie's mother and baby brother and sister (twins), running out of money and the credit card on hold, Katya's brave intervention of pick-pocketers, missing the flight from JFK because we were behind a flight of Indians who also needed to be finger-printed and other exciting adventures. We finally got home at 3:00 am Saturday morning and are soooo happy to be here. Thank you for your prayers and wishes. God was so faithful during those last emotional, stressful days! We love you and look forward to seeing you. SDG, Charlene

Out of Touch

The past couple of days we haven’t been able to connect to the internet. The hotel manager says he hopes tomorrow morning it will be up and running. In the meantime, we are experiencing the lazy waiting days of the adoption. The highlight of the last two days was dinner with Conner and Koren (kind-of like Karen with an o) at their lovely home in a suburb of Chernigov. We enjoyed great food and conversation, Ukraine-style, all around the kitchen table. Conner and Koren have been missionary church-planters in Ukraine for nine years now. They shared amazing stories of God’s work through them in this country. Their love for Ukraine and Ukrainians is evident. Their children, Gavin and Emma, are adorable (see for yourself in this picture).

I loved that their neighbor was out feeding her chickens as we entered their yard. I really miss Will’s chickens and those fresh eggs! And Tim, I know you would’ve loved visiting with them, so I invited them to our home for May 5-9th when they’ll be driving from Alabama to Maine!

Katya and I noticed this sidewalk message on our way to the market. It says, “Olga I love you” in Russian. I imagine Olga is a resident of the apartments above. That’s the thing about Ukraine—there is always a beautiful surprise!
Well, Oles and Katya re-taught me how to play Durock. I think I’ve got it this time, because I beat Oles twice in a row. The stakes were high too. The winner chooses what the durock must do: Oles was supposed to run up and down the hallway stairs yelling, “I’m crazy” at the top of his voice. Since I was very hungry and there was the largest group of dressed-up folks in the lobby since we’d gotten to Chernigov, I kindly relented in favor of dinner at MammaMias. Katya’s really good, too. She’s been playing since she was four. Well, that’s all for now. SDG Charlene

Flying Fast

We haven’t written in a few days because first there was a whirlwind of activity: Tuesday we left the hotel at 10:00am after breakfast and didn’t eat a meal again until 7:30 pm (I bought diet cokes and chocolate knowing that it was going to be a busy day!). This is a little misleading, because Oles is really the busy one. Katya and I are only along for the ride, some signatures, and her photograph. It’s really mostly waiting patiently in the car or walking around the car in town. But we were able to pick get the new birth certificate in Shorc, get the name change on the SS card in Gorodnya, and

even apply for the passport in Chernigov. Yeeehah!

This church in Shorc is being

renovated and looks out of place

with the poverty of the village.

We’ve been promised that the passport (for those who understand ;-)) should be ready by Tuesday morning, which means, God-willing that the medical, and visa go as planned, we may be able to come home a week from Friday! Yahooo!
Wednesday, we just rested in our new room—we moved because this one is much nicer. Also, we walked to the library in Chernigov where I returned our “Moo-Moo” since I really have no intention of reading it and looking up every other word. When Oles suggested I read it to improve my Russian and I heard that it was called, “Moo-Moo”, I thought it was a children’s story with simple words that I could understand. Nope. My Russian is still too basic for this book. Besides, I’m half-way into Dr. Zhivago and loving it. Which reminds me…when we were in the “public” library in Gorodnya, the librarian said that they don’t lend books to the children from the orphanage. Katya said it was because they have their own library at the orphanage (much smaller). I wonder, though, if it is just another small way these children are discriminated against—since they have no parent to charge for

an overdue or missing book?

Now that the snow is mostly melted, I am struck by the garbage,

mud, and grayness of everything. Yet, amidst the dullness, there is beauty.

This window is the only beautiful thing in the public library in Chernigov.

Today, I thought I’d include a section for those folks planning to come to Ukraine for the first time with a few tips that has helped us be more comfortable in this foreign country.
1) Try to incorporate the simple things that you love at home here in Ukraine. We love to watch birds feeding at our home so we buy sunflower seeds (at any market or food store) and put them on the ledge outside the window.
2) We miss our pets so we also buy some cat food to feed stray dogs and cats that we come into contact with here. (Dogs eat anything/cats are more particular) Try not to get too attached even if they are as cute as Sabachka.
3) If you’re staying in a hotel (or even an apartment) don’t be afraid to ask for a nicer room (at the same price, of course). Unlike in America, the rooms in the same price range can be substantially different. We waited a few days until the weekend crowd left, and were able to upgrade.
4) Go for a walk every day if you can. This really helps even when the weather is dismal.
Well that’s all for now! Please know that we read each of your comments with anticipation and gratitude! Thanks for staying in touch and thanks, especially, for your prayers.

SDG Charlene and Katya

Gangbusters in Gorodnya

It was a busy and action-packed day (by Ukrainian standards). We headed out to Gorodnya early to go to court for the court decree. Katya and I explored the library and some of the downtown, while Oles did the notary and court stuff. Then we met Katya’s English teacher on our walk to the orphanage. While we were conversing with Maya, whose English is not bad for never having been to an English-speaking country, Oles called, picked us up and we went to the inspector’s office to sign some documents. Then off to the orphanage to sign more documents. Oles had to take an elderly grandmother of one of the children (on two stick canes) to the bus station, so we went in search of Tanya. We ran into Mr. Orphanage Director and he was friendly (fyoo!). I had to take this picture of Tanya wearing Sophie’s pants from two years ago that are too small for Sophie and falling off of Tanya’s tiny body!

While we waited with Tanya in the hall for Oles’ return, classes let out for lunch and I was able to meet many of the girls’ friends. Katya is here hugging the Katya that has become her good friend since Sophie left the orphanage two years ago.
I also met the notorious “Artyom”, who Katya insists is only her friend since he is 17 and clearly too old for her.

We ran into the teacher, Maria, who says she is no longer afraid we will sell the childrens’ body parts. I asked if I could photograph her on her motorcycle, but she said it’s too cold—maybe next week if it warms up. Ochen klass!

After we signed more documents, Oles drove us to the local banking institution, where we met our friend, Olga, the caregiver. Olga opened an account that we can use to help the children in Katya’s class (and Tanya while she’s still here).

Afterwards, we had a relaxing lunch and went to visit our darling Sabachka, who was not there at first, but when I whistled for him and yelled his name, he came running to us. We made it worth his while, by feeding him. We miss you all and send our love.

SDG
Charlene and Katya

Praise the Lord/1

This picture was taken our last night in Kiev with Tim before we attended our first opera. I enjoyed "Madame Butterfly" much more than I ever imagined, but my two companions were not as enthusiastic. Katya is sporting her new, white boots, which she just loves! Oh, the joy to watch her touch them and thank us!

It’s Sunday evening, March 15, and we just got back to the hotel after dropping Tanya back at the orphanage in Gorodnya. About 3 inches of snow fell early this morning, but changed to rain later and mostly melted. Needless it’s gray outside and inside even a little.
As for the adoption, we did much running around Friday—From Kiev to Chernigov and then to Gorodnya in the hopes that the judge would allow us to obtain the Court Decree on the tenth day (instead of the eleventh which is Saturday and the courts in Gorodnya are closed all weekend). Oles was able to obtain some type of decree which he hoped would allow us to obtain Katya’s birth certificate from the office in Shorc which is open Saturday and Sunday, but not Monday. Unfortunately, that plan failed as well.
The amazing thing was listening to Oles barter with these people. What a negotiator! While it didn’t work with these folks, he was able to talk the orphanage lawyer and Tanya’s caregiver to allow her to leave for an overnight trip to Chernigov with us from Saturday until Sunday (after much negotiation and promises and a written petition). What a praise! We were able to take a taxi to the museum for church—I can’t believe I remembered how to get there—another praise! Everyone we had met the last time was there and we were able to connect Tanya to Valya, who we hope will teach her English. She seemed to like church but was very intimidated by the crowd (only around 50 people). A nice young woman from Chernigov translated the sermon for me: it was about compassion and the pastor gave an example from each of the gospels of Jesus showing compassion to different types of people. I was asking Olya (the translator) if she knew where the trade school for baking is that the orphans get sent to. She told me and then pointed to a handsome young man who looked to be around Billy’s age--20. She said that he went there and also was working, but lost his job because of the economy here. Now he couldn’t pay for the dormitory so they kicked him out. He has no one to help him. This example really touched me because it’s these young people that are so vulnerable. He was praying with a woman from the church after the service and I was able to discover his name was Oleg. How many more Olegs are there in this country?
After lunch, we walked to the market so I could buy Tanya underwear, socks, and a pair of jeans. She told us at dinner yesterday that since the economy has turned bad, they are feeding them much less (it is rare to find a piece of potato in what they call soup). They justify this by raising their monthly stipend to 30 grivnas—less than four dollars. Well, she was saving her money to buy underwear and such necessities. Most of the time, the older children use their money to purchase phone cards so they can keep in touch with each other.
I took a picture of Tanya’s head above a rack of clothes as she was trying on her jeans with the salesperson holding a cloth over the other side. Unfortunately, I had left the camera card in the computer (I miss my husband who usually handles these technical things!) so you’ll have to imagine trying clothes on in the cold, damp weather where everyone walking by can see your face and head.
After shopping, we enjoyed McDonald’s for lunch and I saw how the gospel and sermon today affected these girls. About halfway through lunch, Katya told me that there was an old grandmother behind me who was watching people eat, but had no food. She asked if she could give her the French fries she had ordered (if you know how much this child likes French fries, you would realize that this was a supreme sacrifice for her). I said “Of course.” She said she was scary (she always says this when she means “scared”.) I said I understand, I always am afraid in these situations, but refused to do it for her. We talked about how she should approach the woman and she did it herself. I was so proud of her and the compassion she showed and told her. After a few minutes, Tanya gave the woman her soda! The woman was so grateful and thanked us before we left. God’s Word is so powerful! This Sabachka has completely captured our hearts and Oles now routinely stops at the Gas station in Gorodnya where he lives. He tried to jump into the car with me today even though I had no food to feed him the last couple of days. He just wants love. Oles says for only $100 (for medical) we can bring Sabachka home. Ahhhh.
Please continue to pray for us. Oles told me that when he overheard Tanya talking to someone on her cell phone in the car, she referred to me as her “Mama”.

The sisters at dinner in Chernigov.

Charlene and Katya
SDG

Cruising Kyiv

Tim started his NATO meeting Monday, so Katya and I started exploring Kyiv together. Here’s a picture of Katya at the Bessarabsky Market in front of only a fraction of the flowers—the day after International Women’s Day they’re probably at a discount!
First thing on the agenda, was hair cuts. Katya looks adorable in her new “bob”. We met Papa for lunch in this very authentic and reasonably priced Ukrainian restaurant across from TGIF Fridays where the wait staff wore traditional Ukrainian dress and the cherry verenyky was delicious. Monday evening we went out to dinner with some of Tim’s committee friends from Sweden, Canada, and the US.

On the right, a large group of adults dancing in Ukrainian folk dance underground between two streets on Pushkinskaya Monday night. It was amazing to witness this frivolity in downtown Kyiv on a Monday night!

Tuesday Katya and I walked from the hotel to the monument to “Mother Russia”. Katya is the photographer and she wanted to make sure that her brother, Will, saw the “feminine” tanks parked out in front of the statue.

Perhaps they had to hide in the Netherlands during tulip season. (Don’t worry Will, she also captured lots of cool, masculine tanks and an old soviet helicopter.) We decided to leave the tour of the WWII museum for a time when Tim could come, since he’d enjoy it way more than we would.

We headed up the hill to the Pecharsky Lavra, which was much bigger than I expected. It’s actually like an enclosed community of churches, museums, a seminary, galleries, built, torn-down by invasions, and rebuilt over and around caves that monks used to live as hermits for almost 1,000 years. This iconoclastic wall is just inside the front gate, appropriately called “the Gate church”. We toured the cave with our little candles, but the priest talked so fast it was hard for Katya to translate for me. I’d have to agree with you, Jean, that you can only see so many coffins of dead monks. What was really interesting was the people kissing everything (some even crying!): they kissed the pictures hanging near the glass-enclosed coffins, the glass coffins themselves with no cloth to wipe afterwards like they have in the cathedrals. Oh, the germs! Thankfully, most of the monks’ remains were completely covered in ornate material. There were several small churches hidden in the passages of the caves too, with monks buried on the sides of them. Sorry, pictures inside the caves were strictly forbidden.

Everywhere you look on this site is reminiscent of an old, village—distinguishable from pictures I’ve seen of rural Italy, by the onion-domed churches. It was exotic, but we didn’t get to see even close to everything so we’ll have to come back another time. Thank you again for your comments. It’s comforting to know that people want to stay connected. This last picture is a symbol of the long road to bring our daughter home. Thanks for helping to make the long journey more memorable.

SDG

charlene and tim

Moving Around in Kyiv

We settled in for a few days in Kyiv and moved today (Sunday) to the hotel for my (Tim’s) conference. Here are some of the highlights from the last few days…

We had lunch with Pastor Jake, his wife Anya and their daughter Maya. It was nice to get the know them better and start to discuss a vision for how to best help Katya’s sister and perhaps set up something to help other orphans who are aging out of the orphanage in Gorodnya.

We also had the pleasure of sharing breakfast with Nancy and Laura as they passed through Kyiv. We had a great time sharing funny stories, but more importantly hearing how the Lord was leading on their trip for Heart For Orphans. BTW they both looked “bright eyed and busy tailed” even after their all-night train trip to Kyiv.

Today is International Women’s day. I (Tim) made sure my bride and daughter had fresh flowers. There are fresh flowers everywhere and they are a great contrast to all the grey. The past few days it was not at all uncommon to see scowling men carrying large bunches of flowers.

We included a few more pictures this time for your viewing pleasure.

The first is of Charlene and Katya walking down Shevshenko Blvd today. They have a large center sidewalk lined with trees that give a little break from the traffic on the sidewalks.

This picture was taken last night on Independence Square. It was misty out and it was an interesting contrast between the lights and grandeur of the architecture and the little shacks that house the ever-present protesters.

I was struck by the McLennin shirt, but Charlene noticed the lady with her finger to her lips. We say a similar poster at the Chernobyl museum yesterday reminding people to keep quiet about the accident.

Speaking of the accident, the Chernobyl museum was interesting. Someone had reviewed it on a Kyiv website as more of a tribute to those that died in the accident – that was pretty accurate. I never realized how far the radioactivity spread – as far as Ireland at one point during the week after the accident. We had an interesting incident in the museum. They had a series of DVD players highlighting difference aspects of the accident. As we walked along, I would press the “play” button at each station (we only saw two other visitors the whole time). On about our third machine I was scolded and told it was 10 grivna to watch each one – not sure what that was for, maybe for the electricity. I gave the “army salute” (sorry Paul & Greg) and didn’t pay. This picture shows a map with the distribution of the worse of the radiation. Katya is pointing to the town Sophie is from.

Three more pictures… Katya in front a statue of a famous Cossack.

A picture taken along the street leading to Podil. The Church at the top of the hill in the fog is St. Andrews – the one next to the SDA office for those who have been here.

Finally, St. Michael’s cathedral in the fog yesterday.

Our plan for the future is to be here at the hotel until Friday. I (Tim) will fly out and Charlene, Katya and Oles will head to Gorodnya for the final court decree and then the passport, medical checks, etc. We are both hopeful that things will go smoothly and quickly and it will be a chance for Charlene to spend some time with our new friends in Chernigov and help set up support for Tanya.

Thank you for your prayers and comments on the blog – they are very encouraging and remind us that we have support back home.

SDG Tim & Charlene

"Roll with the Punches"

The English Club on Tuesday night started out teaching two common phrases, “The thrill of victory” and “the agony of defeat”: not bad phrases to use in this roller coaster ride adventure adoption in Ukraine. However, we would like to share another that really describes the necessary attitude to adopt while on this ride, “Roll with the Punches”, which means pray for the necessary peace when events do not proceed as planned.

The boys took Tanya out Tuesday night at 10:30 pm to McDonalds for a late night extra dinner (her first time there). After munching on some French fries, we women went to sleep, but the men stayed up talking to after 1:00pm—Tim lulling Oles to sleep with stories about ice breakers and gas turbine engines.

Despite the late nights, we were up, packed, fed, and ready to leave the hotel at 10:00 am. Alas, Oles discovered that his license plates were missing. If only one plate was missing, one could surmise that it was the victim of the Chernigov roads: the crater-sized potholes are impossible for even the most experienced Ukrainian driver to navigate around completely. However, since both were missing and there was a ransom note, it was clear that we were the victim of one of the latest Ukrainian get-rich-quick schemes. This, of course, is preferable to what we hear happens in some parts of southern Texas, where Americans are ransomed. Nevertheless, our plan to meet Rita, the older sister of Katya and Tanya at 11:00 am for a tea and “good-bye” was compromised. We waited at the hotel for the police with all of our luggage and bags in the vestibule. Oles got tired of waiting after an hour and drove to the head of the police. Of course, after he left, a police officer showed up, but left after talking to Vlad (hotel worker) and Oles (on the phone from police headquarters). The girls and I walked to the market for some cake and candy to bring Rita. After we got back, Oles called to tell us he was coming back and we could go. A strange man carrying a bag stood uncomfortably close to us in the lobby and kept looking at us. Tim asked if we were Americans or English. We ignored him, but when Oles came back asked if he might have something to do with the crime. Vlad, Papa, and Oles chased this character across a soccer field, lost him when he ran into the dorms of the Technological School, but then Vlad and Oles caught him and brought him back to the hotel. He said that he was interested in a position as a “Financial Director” of the hotel. Of course, his behavior and resume made that alibi impossibly suspicious. Well, the police showed up and we packed up Oles’ license-plateless Subaru and followed the police to their station downtown. Here we waited for several hours—Papa in the car, the girls and I walking to McDonalds (Tanya’s second trip to the “American Embassy”—as Oles calls it) and touring the local church and monuments. I took this picture of a typical Chernigov street with Soviet-style apartments lining the streets and a beautiful cathedral at the other end.

At three PM, Oles finally got frustrated and told them he had to go. We began the hour plus trip to Shorce, where Rita lives. Rita’s home is the second on the right (green).Rita was delighted to see Katya (all tears) and we shared coffee and cake together with the sisters and Valya (Rita’s mother-in-law), a loving woman who cared for the sisters during their visits home. Katya had not been here in years despite the fact that the village is approximately 20 minutes from Gorodnya. It was very interesting seeing the inside of one of these remote village homesteads—it almost defies description.
After our 30-minute-or-so visit, we stopped at the cemetery down the street and I took pictures of the gravesites of Katya’s mother, grandmother and grandfather, brother, and aunt. The sun was setting and the cemetery was surreal. It really brought to focus the loss our daughter has endured and God’s amazing provision. After dropping Tanya off at the orphanage, we headed for Kiev, stopping at a tire center (hah!) in Chernigov so that we could fill up one of Oles’ precariously low front tires. Oh, I almost forgot about when we were pulled over by the local law enforcement of a small village between Gorodnya and Chernigov because of the lack of license plates. Thankfully, Oles had procured a letter from a very high-ranking government official in Chernigov that afternoon which the officers accepted and we moved on after only a couple of minutes. The normal wait to be able to drive is several days to several weeks, which makes some folks to pay the $1,000 grivnas to get their plates back (but do they ever really give them back?).

When we got to Kiev without any incident (Слава Богу!-Thank God!), we quickly dropped our bags at another apartment—this time right on Independence Square—and went to dine at TGI Fridays. (see picture on right) We DID Thank God—not so much for Friday, but for delicious (non-McDonald’s) American cuisine, and for bringing us here safely!

SDG Charlene and Tim

Epilogue: After a wonderfully long night’s sleep, we went to the Australian Medical Center so that Katya could have blood drawn. We hope this will speed up the process at the end a bit. We also did some other pre-passport stuff at a notary. Oles wisely had Nikolai drive. Afterwards, Oles took off for some time at home in Odessa.

Welcome Mary Katerina Quiram

Blog Entry for 03/03/09

Quick update for you all. Court went well today – it seemed very long, but the outcome was that we have a new daughter (of course pending the 10-day waiting period).
Welcome to your new family Mary Katerina Quiram!


















We were able to bring Tanya along after court to Chernigov and we all went to the English Club – sponsored by the church we mentioned in the previous entry. Tonight the ladies all have a room together and I (Tim) am rooming with Oles.

In late breaking developments, it looks like tomorrow we will check out from Chernigov, drive to Shorce to meet Katya’s oldest sister Rita, then return Tanya to Gorodnya and head for Kyiv. We have an apartment arranged and will work on getting Katya’s medical checkup done and a power of attorney for Charlene so she can take care of business when I have to head home. We are relieved and overjoyed, but feel a little pang of sadness knowing that we may not be back to see the children at the Orphanage for some time.

Please pray that we will be able to work out the logistics to help support Tanya getting English lessons and connecting with the people in the church in Chernigov. Also, we would really like to get our clothes back – one of the ladies here at the hotel took them home to wash on Saturday and we haven’t seen her or them since. Rumor has it she works tomorrow.

SDG Tim & Charlene

Court Tomorrow

Blog Entry for 03/02/09

Greetings on a snowy Monday from Chernigov. We are gearing up for court #2 tomorrow at 1400. Assuming everything goes well, that will start our 1st ten-day waiting period.

Yesterday we had a great Sunday. We went to a new church in Chernigov that was started by some Americans a few years ago and is held on the first floor of a Ukrainian museum. We had a wonderful time: it brought to mind what the Chapel (Williamsburg Community Chapel) may have been when it started up (except of course services at WCC weren’t held in Russian). After church, we went to the Pastor’s for some lunch and met many wonderful people. Here’s a picture of him in front of his authentic Ukrainian house! It was great to talk to folks who have a passion for bringing the Good News to the people here.

As we have mentioned before, we are trying to set up some support for Tanya. A potential plan is emerging in which she could travel to Chernigov on Tuesday for a 2 hr private English lesson followed by English club (sponsored by the church we attended) and then do the same on Sunday. Our hope is that she could meet some good people here that will ease her transition next fall, learn English to help with her visit this summer, and learn about God. There are many hurdles for this plan, so please pray for all the details. We will need the Orphanage director to agree to let her go. He has the older kids on lock-down after 6 of the girls got pregnant.

We’ve included several pictures. This one shows our fearless facilitator, Oles, pitching in with a drain backup in the shower room on Katya’s floor.

Here is Katya getting her hair done by Charlene before church – you can see how much she likes it! This shows Marina, we’ve mentioned her. She was in better spirits today.

Finally, two pictures of an interesting pink Mercedes parked at the hotel – for a Mary Kay meeting!

SDG – Tim and Charlene