Last Blog

We are not really bloggers and only started this one so everyone who was interested would know how things were going. It turns out, blogging can be a bit theraputic for the blogger. Anyway, I will write this one as kind of a closure - if anyone is even still reading. John and I have been home for a week now. Zhenia has e-mailed us to let us know Viktor was fine, for now. We left money with Zhenia to dole out over the next year or so if Viktor is in need. Viktor also knows he can always communicate with us through Zhenia. We are sad with the way things have turned out and will continue to pray for Viktor and the decisions that will shape his life. I won't say there is not frustration and anger in the years' worth of paperwork, 2 months of being away from home and the financial sacrifice that went into this adoption. We are not, however, angry with Viktor. In fact, I don't think we are angry WITH anyone, just how things worked out. My heart aches for the orphans in Ukraine and I hope to return to help in some way in the future. Right now, we are so grateful to be home and with the kids again. I will trust God in his infinite wisdom that this adoption was not meant to be. Even though we feel we have lost something, we are certainly more aware and grateful for what we have. We are American Citizens (so very blessed!), turns out John and I still like being with each other, and we have an appreciation for even the most stressful days with the kids. One of the greatest blessings was the outpouring of love from everyone who prayed and encouraged us through this process. Many of you were already such an important part of our lives, but many were people we had never met, yet were willing to take the time out of their busy lives to care about us (especially the Maryville group!!!!!). Please know you all have been an inspiration to our family exemplifying Christ's love to one another. I cannot adequately communicate our appreciation for you - I only know God's hand was surely providing the love we needed through you. Now we are home and are needed here. While this experience has had a profound effect on our lives - we will try to focus on the positive. Our prayers are with the families who have already adopted and those of you considering international adoption. Although our story didn't have the perfect ending, there are so many families out there who are thriving. I guess I will close this chapter in our lives - for now . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Heartbroken

This should be the post where we have a picture of the happy family with their newly adopted child, like so many other blogs I have read. Well, it was not to be for the Curry's today. I cannot think of enough words to describe how John and I are feeling: dejected, rejected, devastated, shocked, disbelieving only begin to touch the surface of this surreal situation. We are emotionally and finacially bankrupt at this point. I truly believe Viktor thought he wanted a family (or at least a chance to live in the states). Time was definately not on our side. Maybe if we could have gotten him straight from the orphanage. Once he saw the freedom the other kids had, he resented our presence. When I arrived in Kyiv last night I was briefly greeted by Viktor and enthusiatically by John. My husband looked like he had not slept in weeks and I could tell the stress of the situation had definately worn on him. Almost immediately after my arrival, John expressed his concern about leaving me in this "situation". It quickly became apparent that John had tried to present a better situation to me hoping things would improve. The call from Ryan Hennesey only had a good effect for about 1/2 a day. Viktor had been avoiding being with John and resented any time away from his friends. Many negative things happened but I will not relay them all as my desire is not to villanize Viktor. You may recall the e-mail where I talked about Viktor being disrespectful to Zhenia. Well, I saw first hand last night. Zhenia came to talk about court and make sure we all knew our part. Viktor refused to talk with Zhenia and would only answer questions with "I don't know". He kept his head down and got angry when we pressed for answers. We expressed our understanding of how scared he must be and how much he would miss his friends - to no avail. He stated he didn't like when other people put their morals on him. He also said directly he hated church and would never go again. We tried to present the positive side of being in a family. The benefits of having a "forever" family far outweighed the immediate gratification of his friends. His answers were vague at best. He then went out with friends and returned (late as was his usual) - it was clear he had been drinking. He ended the evening by slamming his bedroom door and locking it (apparently not the first time - even without any confrontation). John and I were devastated - John hoping things might change when we were both there - me now seeing firsthand what John has been going through the last 2 1/2 weeks. We talked at length, knowing Viktor did not want to come, but trying to justify "making" him come with us and hoping things would get better in the states. Zhenia was shocked about Viktor's behavior, even kids who act up once they get home are usually excited during the adoption process - not that they don't have fears and doubts - that is very common. Many change their minds about being adopted close to the time to go home or right before court. But they can usually be reasoned with and, at some point, show some enthusiasm for their family. Zhenia tried to explain how important this court date was, this was his last chance to have a family and we were have been working so hard for this to happen. We had been increasingly worried about his lack of curiosity about his life in the states. The only question he ever asked was "how will I learn english" - but that was awhile back. He never asked about life, us, activities, house in the states. We had hoped that he would wake up this morning at least a little happy that court was today. John said he had been sleeping until 11:30 or 12:00 each day. Well he was up and showered and dressed by 11:00. We thought maybe there was a glimmer of hope - he had decided that this was what he wanted. We learned however that Zhenia had called him twice to get him up, told him to get dressed and apologize for his behavior last night. He didn't apologize - which I didn't expect, but I was so disappointed he was not excited about court. When Zhenia arrived we talked. I was physically ill at the thought that this might not happen. When we asked him if he was happy he shrugged. When we asked if he would like to stay in Ukraine he said, "I just don't think I could get used to the family, rules, I like to be on my own". His lack of emotion was heartbreaking to me, surely a defense mechanism. But after the decision was made - his relief was evident - which was also heartbreaking. We thought we were offering him something he wanted. We hadn't expected gratitude (at least not in the first few years) or an easy road to adjustment. Soon he was laughing again with Zhenia (the Viktor we first met from the orphanage). He told Zhenia he liked us, but he liked his friends better. We then learned that a Ukrainian family had wanted to adopt him a couple of years ago. He had visited their home but hadn't liked the fact that they attended church and didn't want to live their "lifestyle". He has had enough of school, rules and he feels he is ready for some freedom. Knowing at some point he will probably regret this decision is agonizing. John got to experience 2 "honeymoon" days with him - I got 1 night. At the courthouse, we had to write out a petition and John broke down. I thought this would upset Viktor, but it didn't. We asked if he would try to finish trade school (they can also finish their formal educationt there if they want) then we would help him attend University if that was his wish. We were trying anything to try to stay in his life in some way. We took him shopping and bought a new phone, coat, boots, pants and other items we thought he might need in the upcoming months - as with children - he was very excited about these material things. We are heartbroken. The toll this has taken on our family is enormous and now we will never get to see the fruits of this labor. I don't enjoy books or movies that don't have a happy ending. For those of you who have faithfully followed this blog - I am sorry. For those of you who have faithfully prayed and supported us - I am sorry. We feel we have failed and are second guessing about any way we could have done things differently to get positive results. If we could have gotten through court it might be different. We don't know why God led us here to be away from our family and invest so much emotion. Now we will return to the states and try to get back to a life we had planned with three kids. His room we had ready will be a dismal reminder of the boy we had to leave behind. Nothing about this situation is good or happy at this point except we will be back with Phillip and Cassie soon.

Prayers Answered - Thanks Ryan

Hello all, I'm still here. I've just been underwater for the past couple of days. Through much prayer I have come to the surface today and have gotten my second breath. The past couple of days have been very difficult. Viktor all but shut down on me for the past two days. It started on Sunday. We had made a plan Saturday night to go to church in the morning and then after I would take Viktor, Vlad and Denis to the arcade down on Khreschatyk for an afternoon of driving fast and killing stuff. I didn't know that Vlad and Denis were coming with us to church until Vlad showed up at the door right before time to leave. Well off we went. Keep in mind that Viktor went to church with me the previous week and did fine. We get to church and for some reason the service is much longer than normal. Needless to say the service did not hold the three musketeer's attention very long. After the third or fourth time refereeing the slappy game between Viktor and Vlad, I was just about to separate them when Vlad and Denis decided it was time to leave. They both got up and left and Viktor looked at me like "hey I want to go to". I said just a while longer and we'll leave, although I don't think he understood me. A couple minutes later, Viktor said he had to go the bathroom and he was gone. He did not return. I was hoping that he would so I waited there just to see. On the way back to the flat, I got a call from Viktor asking where I was. I told him where I was headed and he met me there. No big deal. I believe that Viktor thought I was mad at him for leaving church although I said nothing to him about it.


Skip to later. From the time we met back up after church, I could tell that Viktor was acting as if something was wrong. I tried several times to ask what was wrong and could get nothing from him. I called Zhenia and he agreed to come by on his way to train station that afternoon just to get a pulse check and allow for some communication to take place, that did not involve charades. We do this on occasion. Allow me to back up a little bit. Over the past four or five days I could feel Viktor migrating more and more to wanting to spend time with his friends only. All he wanted to do was go out with his friends, and they were here knocking on the door before he got up each morning and would hang around until it was time to get back to the hostel before the doors closed. I felt I had been reduced to little more than a walking billfold useful only when Viktor and the Entourage were hungry or needed rodent pet supplies. This was one of the things I wanted to address with Viktor when Zhenia came by. I wasn't wanting to cut ties with the friends, I just wanted some breathing time where Viktor and I could spend a couple hours a day Mano E Mano. I wanted the Entourage to hold off coming over until after a certain time of day. That's it, he could still see his friends each day, but I wanted us to have a little time as well. Now, enter Zhenia. I could tell right away that Viktor was not happy to see Zhenia. Zhenia and I talked before we talked with Viktor. I told Zhenia that I wanted to keep the conversation very positive and upbeat. It did not go that way at all. Zhenia tried but Viktor shut down on him immediately. For some reason he thought I was mad at him and that Zhenia was just there to relay my madness in Russian. That was it, Viktor spiraled in from there, head down, refusing to acknowledge any communications. After a while, Zhenia told him that he could leave because it was no use going forward. The one thing that Zhenia was able to understand before the communications collapse was that Viktor wanted the same freedom as his buddies in the trade school entourage. We talked a little about life in a family not always being about what we want individually but sometimes what is best for the family. He told Zhenia that he wasn't the type who liked this part of family life and that he would do what he wanted to do when he wanted. Zhenia confided in me that when he was in trade school he loved the freedom as well. All of that freedom is very attractive to a 16 year old who lives only in the moment. These kids who graduate the orphanages and go to trade schools are free to roam at will with the only exception being that they have to be back in the hostel before they close the doors at 10:00 pm. His friends come and go as they please with no one telling them what to do at all. Each trade school is structured differently from what I can tell. The school that Vlad, Denis and Valla attend give them 38 grv each day to live on. That is about $8 US per day. That covers food and anything else they may want or need. I don't know if they get a clothing allowance or not. Let me just say that I have gathered my information from talking with the kids themselves and since my Russian can only insure that I can find McDonald's and the nearest toilet, I can't say that my facts are 100% accurate. It's not gourmet, but they can eat three meals a day on that sum. Most of the kids I talk to only eat twice a day. A loaf of fresh bread at the market is a little over 3 grv. Other trade schools are set up to feed the students a breakfast and lunch and then provide a central kitchen in the hostel and ingredients so that they can prepare their own dinner.

Zhenia speculated that Viktor was seeing all of his friends roaming around free and that it looked good to him. Also, there is a young lady involved. Her name is Valla and she graduated with Viktor from O-21. I remember all to well some of the foolish things I did at 16 because of a girl. Remember, no girl is worth waiting 12 hours for by the Sun Sphere at the Worlds Fair, and the ones that are won't make you wait.

We were concerned that Viktor may go to court on Friday and tell the judge that he wants to stay here and go to trade school. If he does, it's over. If he puts his head down and refuses to acknowledge the judge, with this particular judge, it's probably over. I could not believe this turn around and how quickly it happened. I called Sharon completely baffled, not knowing what to do. Luckily she did. She put out the call for prayer warriors to pound on the doors of heaven on our behalf and they responded. One of the first responses we receive was from our friends in B'ham, AL who apoted Viktor's best friend Ryan at the end of last year. Ryan's mom said that he wanted to call Viktor. She said that she would let Ryan know what was going on with Viktor so that he, who had gone thru much of the same himself, could talk to him about it. Ryan and Viktor talked this morning. After the call, Viktor was a different young man. I was no longer on ignore. Ryan confirmed something we had suspected. It seems that his friends have been trying to convince him not to go thru with the adoption. I don't know whether its jealousy about not being one of the chosen ones or if it's just not wanting to lose a friend that would make someone try to talk someone else into giving up such an opportunity. Ryan assured me that Viktor loved us and that he was definitely going to go thru with the adoption and come to America. God gave Ryan the right words at the right time to calm Viktor's fears as well as ours. Thank you to all the prayer warriors who have petitioned and continue to petition our Heavenly Father on our behalf.

I am so thankful for the change in the situation here that I'm a little embarrassed to ask for even more prayer. Our good day ended on a bit of a sour note when my back went out this evening while cooking dinner. I have trouble with my Sciatic nerve on occasion and my last attack was about two years ago. Looks like it was time for another. I'm OK as long as I don't try to get up from the fetal position.

Viktor's best friend Ryan at home in B'ham AL. I took this picture just before we left for Ukraine in July. I can't wait to see Viktor and Ryan together in the states.

The ever elusive Valla. Please pray for Valla. I think she really likes Viktor and I'm sure she will be very hurt by his leaving. Viktor also told me tonight that she had to go to the hospital today. I couldn't understand the reason, the charade included putting his hand on his chest and coughing.

Viktor playing in a soccer match at O-21 this past Saturday, his Birthday. The opposing team is from a local High School. The match ended in a 1-1 tie.

The franchise players of the O-21 Futbol team and their coach. Sergey, Viktor, Andre and Martin (pronounced Mar-teen).

Need Prayers!!!

This is Sharon blogging from southern mississippi. As John says "the hits just keep on coming". When I arrived in Hattiesburg I wrote a huge check from our suffering bank account for a new air conditioning unit for our home we have for sale in mississippi. Also for the repairs to the house from the old air conditioner malfunctioning. We have a contingency offer on our home and the potential buyers had a home inspection performed last week. Well, the inspector noted some moisture he believed might be from the roof. The buyers wanted out, even before they inquired whether we would repair the damages, if any. So, house still on the market (1 1/2 years), meeting with a roofer on monday and possibly having to buy a new roof - wow that's really awful - but wait - it gets better (or worse).

Viktor is having huge doubts about wanting to be adopted and moving to the states. Unfortunately this is happening before our court date next week. Should we go to court and he tells the judge he doesn't want to be adopted - game over. Viktor has been living with us since September 2nd and court is scheduled for September 19th. Shortly after he arrived the kids from O-21 who were attending trade school near our flat started visiting our apartment. At first, they came over to watch movies, play games, and get fed. Then they started going on outings with john and viktor. Sometimes john would let Viktor go out with them and Viktor was very concientious to call and be home right on time. Viktor has seen the relative freedom the kids get after trade school is over each day - a drastic change from orphanage life and a very alluring life to a 16 year old. Of course, as a child he lives in the moment without very much thought to the future, or what life may offer after trade school for an orphan in Ukraine. He has no family what-so-ever to rely on when things get tough, as they certainly will. We have the option of cutting off access to his friends but don't believe that will help our case before court. We have expressed our understanding of his fears and our great desire for him to be in our family, but at 16 and before court, we are limited in what we can MAKE him do. With Zhenia today he was very disrespectful. We have expected this at some point (usually when they are denied something they desire- but that hasn't happened yet), but not before the adoption was finalized. I hate that john is going through this alone. As an adult we can see all the potential pitfalls and hardships he will face if he stays. Selfishly, we have already placed him in our life and feel like we are losing a child as his fears grow. On Tuesday Zhenia is supposed to meet with john and viktor to discuss the reality and try to figure out how to proceed. I fervently ask for your prayers (if you're not worn out from our constant request) and support for viktor and for my husband, alone in a foreign country and living with a resentful teenager. This has been such a long and frustrating journey to end in such heartbreak. The doubts and fears for these kids is VERY normal and something they all seem to go through, but many times it is closer to the time they go home and after the court hearing. We pray that viktor will have a change of heart, at least long enough for the adoption to go through and for us to work on his fears, and/or that God will show us how to proceed without the adoption happening. After all, we never had control of this situation, only God. John may decide to write later to give more info, but I wanted to get the prayers going right away.

Rats, Hamsters and Gerbbles oh my

I've staring at this blank blog space for about 10 minutes now. I have such a hodge podge of things to tell you that I don't really know where to begin.

Viktor and I have established a good routine as we live out a rather interesting version of the ODD couple here in Kiev. I am thankful for this opportunity to bond before everything gets turned upside down for him in the states. It will give him an anchor point at least from the standpoint of knowing Mom and Dad a little better, so he isn't swept away as he tries to acclimate to life in a new and somewhat strange place. Our communication is combination of English, Russian, grunts, pointing, and scharades.

We are getting to spend alot of time with several of Viktor's friends from O-21 that attend the trade school right around the corner from our flat (apartment). These kids, which have just graduated from the orphange are trying to adjust to life outside of the internat. They are basically responsible for themselves at this point. This particular school is one of the nicer of the schools that Sharon and I have seen. It offers training in the finacial trades and it is located in a nice part is Kiev. That being said, these 15 and 16 year old children are pretty much on their own. It is not surprising to me that when Viktor's friends aren't attending class they are here looking for him. At this point, these kids who grew up with Viktor at O-21 are more family that I am, so I want Viktor to spend as much time as possible with them before he leaves for the states.

From what I can tell, these young people get 38 grv ($8 US) per day to live on while at the trade school. That's $56 US per week and that covers food, clothes, personal items and anything else they may need or want. Imagine if your 15 year old were forced to budget their life on that amount of money. Needless to say when we see a need, we try to meet it. For the past week we have had a small entourage when we go out and get lunch or dinner. I even subject them to my cooking. Haven't had any compalints as of yet.

The day before yesterday Denis, Vlad, Viktor and I were eating dinner at the flat. Viktor looks at me and says, "Denis wants a rat". I pass Denis the plate of bread thinking Viktor was telling me that Denis wanted another roll and that rat came out instead of roll which is what they sometimes call bread. Denis looked confused at the offer of the bread. Denis makes the buck toothed mouse face and says Mickey Mouse, Mickey Mouse. Vlad, who understands and speaks the most English in the bunch speaks up and says, Denis would like for you to buy him a rat. Thru much grunting, gesturing, scharades and consulation of the Russian to English dictionary I discover that Denis wants a Hampster. Hey, he wasn't asking for money to buy cigarettes or alcohol so who was I to say no to the request. My next problem was where do you get a Hampster in Kiev. There aren't any Walmarts or pet stores in the malls. I leave this problem up to Viktor. I look at him and say "Kooda" (where) and he points to a place on our city map thats not to far away. I next ask him "Skolka"(how much), and he said 25 grv (~$5 US) for hampster, cage and box of food. No problem, we tell Denis to come back tomorrow after school and we'll go get him a hampster. The request for this small pet was not lost on me. The next day Denis shows up after school for the much anticipated trip to Hampsters-R-Us. Valla has come along with Denis. Valla graduated from O-21 with Viktor. We think that Viktor likes her but he wouldn't admit to it when Zhenia asked him about her. I give Viktor some money for the hampster plus some extra to get them all some McDonalds for lunch and off they went to find the hampster. They return a little while later and ring the door bell. It's Valla, Viktor and Denis, with TWO cages. Viktor and Denis come in while Valla waits out in the landing. Viktor and Denis both sit on the couch with cages in hand. They couldn't find hampsters so they had to settle for gerbbles. Viktor looks very happy with himself. I become very concerned. I said Denis could have a rat, not you. My mind was scrambling as I thought of how to tell a very pleased looking Viktor that he couldn't have a rat, gerbble, or hampster with us first discussing it. I call Zhenia for some translation help but he didn't answer. I tried to explain that momma would kill both of us if she came back and found gerrbles in the flat. Our son has a sense of humor. After he let me dangle on the hook just long enough, he got up and went out on the landing and handed the cage to Valla who had been patiently waiting for the return of her new rat baby. He got me good. I'll get him back just you wait and see.

The Odd couple enjoying a Fat House dinner.

Part of the entourage for the evening meal. The young lady is one of the teachers from the internat named Victoria. She visits the O-21 grads at the trade schools and helps with the transition.

Vlad, Victoria, Viktor and Denis

Denis's and Viktor's tray at the Fat House. Not a scrap was left when they finished. Keep in mind that Viktor is 5'3" and weighs ~ 125 lbs soaking wet. Oh...I forgot that they all went back for dessert when they finished eating plus we stopped for ice cream on the way back to the flat.

Lost and Found

Well, yesterday marked the end of the first full week of having Viktor with me. From all that I can tell, he is an authentic genuine earth kid. It has been very busy around here since Sharon went back to the states last week. I have a whole new appreciation for single parents. Last Thursday night on the way back from the grocery store (Cilpo), we heard someone calling Victor's name. It was one of the boys, named Denis, that graduated from the internat at the same time as Viktor. Turns out that the trade school that Denis attends is very close to our flat, merely a short 2-3 minute walk. They talked for a bit and we asked if he would like to come back to the flat and join us for dinner. Denis and Viktor watch a movie, Hancock in Russian, and we had dinner then Denis had to get back to the school hostel before they closed the doors for the night.

The next day, Viktor and I went and visited the Great Patriotic War Museum (WWII Museum). Ukrainians suffered greatly in the years leading up to the war under Stalin's communist rule, but it was nothing compared to the cruelty they experienced at the hands of the Germans. The images on display at the museum left an impression on me that will last a very long time. It explains what I see in the faces of the elderly I have seen in Kiev. If you lived in Kiev during the thirtys and the fortys you lost multiple loved ones either to Stallin and/or Hitler. And I think that a two month adoption process has been difficult. Sorry for the history lesson but it left an impression on me.

Anyway on the way back we stoped by the Mickey Dees on Khreshchatyk for lunch. As we left the McDonalds we ran into Denis again. He was with one of the teachers from O-21. We talked a bit and then we made plans for them to stop by the flat to visit later on in the evening. I thought to myself, there must be some reason that in a city of 6 million people, we keep running into Denis.

Skip ahead to the weekend. After a brief break from writing, I post a fresh blog. I look forward to reading comments from those who read the blog. Its kind of like fissing. You start by throwing a freshly written blog overboard and then let it soak for a while. I prefer to wait about 12 hours before I pull it up and see if I caught any comments. To think that someone would take time out of their busy lives to read what I have to say is somewhat flattering. Puts a lillte extra pressure on you to try and write something even midly interesting.

Anyway, as I was sitting at the lunch table I decided to check my latest blog for any comments.There was a comment from a lady who said she stumbled across our blog. She had read it and notices that we had mentioned our facilitator Zhenia. She said that she was looking for a child she had lost contact with from O-21. She meet this child when he visited the states a couple of years back. Zhenia was part of the group that brought the kids over to America.

I'll give you two guess which young man she was looking for? Yep you guessed it, she was looking for Denis. Wait it gets better. Guess who was sitting that the table with me eating lunch? If you guessed Denis again you are correct once again. I don't believe in luck. I believe in answers to prayers and this was clearly a case where God answered the prayers for help in finding a young man that had been placed on a someone's heart.

Pretty cool stuff to be allowed to experience. More great news. We play soccer Sunday after noon and it did not involve the much anticipated trip to the Hospital that I feared so. Viktor is the real deal when it comes to soccer. Tonight he was picking a sprite bottle of a post at about 75 ft. Soccer is second nature to him. Its been his escape for years.It will be fun watching him as part of a team in the states.

My thumbs are sore and its after two in the morning. Time to throw this blog overboard and let it soak.

We're both from Mars, just different neighborhoods

OK your going to have to bear with me. I'm blogging with BlackBerry (CrackBerry) today. No internet service in the flat today and we haven't updated in the past couple days. To late to go to the internet cafe so I'll just muddle thru on this tiny little keyboard with my big brain surgery hands.

Sharon had to travel home to deal with some issues with the home we are trying to sell in MS. Seems the upstairs AC unit has gone bad causing it to leak water and cause the ceiling in the kitchen to cave in. There is suppose to be an inspection performed on the house next week. And the hits just keep coming.She'll be back for the court hearing and then she'll stay until the process is complete, somewhere around Oct.8. I am catching the first flight out after the court hearing, hopefully the 20th. I am not looking forward to leaving them here. Therefore, it's just us guys right now.

It's very interesting getting to know our new son. We waited what seemed so long for him to be with us and now here he is. Now, I know full well about being in the honeymoon period, but my impression after four days is he's just a nice kid. He's seems to be pretty laid back. So far he has been very polite and helpful. I know, I know, this is a very artificial environment that we're in right now. Luckily I already have one great teenage boy so I know the drill. Viktor likes pretty much the same things that Phillip likes. Food, sleep, Video games, girls, cars, sports and cell phones, not necessarily in that order. He likes to play games and he picks up new games quickly. He's competitive but not in a take my marbles and go home kind of way. He is very organized. As I stated in the previous blog, all his worldly belongings were packed in one blue and black duffle bag. What I didn't tell you was how meticulously it was packed. All the clothes were folded just so and stacked neatly. Yesterday I went into his room to get him for breakfast and he was packing his things into one of the suitcases that we had brought with us. It was like he was saying OK I'm ready to go home, I've got all my stuff packed into your world now. I think we'll ditch the duffle.

On the first morning I asked him for any dirty clothes that he wanted washed. He brought me the Tennessee hooded sweatshirt that we brought him when we visited over Christmas. I just think he wanted to show me that he still had it. It's well worn but he still has it.

He likes a wide variety of things to eat. He has gotten something different each time we have gone to the Fat HOuse. He even mixes it up at the McDonalds each time we go. He'sa big chiken fan. I am happy to report that he is not a big dried fish fan. A lot of dried and pickeled fish is eaten in Ukraine. He's a compartmental eater. He eats all of one thing before moving on to the next. He'll eat all his potatoes before moving to the salad which he finishes before moving on to the chicken Kiev. It's all business at dinner. He's normally finished well ahead of me at meal time with his dishes stacked neatly in front of him, because I'm a circular/random eater and it requires much more wasted movement to eat.

OK, that's all I can type on this little keyboard for now. I know that a lot of readers of this blog have been calling and expressing concerns about the timeliness of the entries, so I promise that even if I don't have internet access I will endure typing on this miniature key board so you can continue to get your daily adoption blog fix.

Stay tuned for tomorrow I go to play soccer with Viktor and his friends and then Viktor will show me where the emergency room is.

Until then.........

Really Good/Pretty Bad News

Good news/Bad news report. Good News - We have Viktor!! Bad News - Court is on September 19th :( - 54 days after our SDA Appointment. 10 days - waiting period plus the week of documentation preparation should put us home around the first week in October . Not what we planned at all. We picked up the court papers this morning with this devastating news. We could have been home for 6 weeks then returned had we known how far out the judge would schedule us. After court John will fly home and Viktor and I will return after the waiting period. Enough bad - now good. Today we visited with the orphanage director with our court schedule (as requested). Of course, she said she had no authority anymore and it was really up to the trade school. She suggested we just leave him at the trade school to study until our court date - NO WAY!!!! We headed to the trade school and met with the director. He agreed he really needed court papers to release Viktor, but with some green prodding, he relented and let Viktor come with us as long as Viktor would call him each day to make sure things are o.k. So this is our first "real" day with Viktor. We went to the grocery store, watched some soccer, played some games, and went over the words we all knew in each language. I think we are going to watch a movie before we turn in (X-men is Universal). It is a bit ackward, but good too. Phillip and Cassie were excited that Viktor was with us. I can't wait until the day we are all FINALLY together in one place.
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO - Phillip and Cassie

The 11:15 from Kherson to Kiev. Viktor is aboard car #9.

The happy reunion on the platform. He had no idea that we were going to meet the train.

All of our 15 yr old son's worldly possesions came in one small blue and black duffle. Dramatic pause for effect.

Viktor, Sharon and Zhenia at the train station.

This one is for Phillip. Don't know the make or model but it sure was a good looking vehicle.

Call us "Charlie Brown"

We have been here for 5 weeks. Remember when Lucy would let Charlie Brown try to kick the football. She would assure him that this time she REALLY would let him kick it if he would only try - only to pull the ball at the last minute so he would miss and fall. Well, we feel like Charlie Brown. We have not had internet access for the last 3 days so, even though not alot has changed, let me catch everyone up on what is going on. Things are starting to move, just very slowly. You may recall that Zhenia was supposed to call the court on Thursday to see about our court date. When he called he was told that a date had been set and he needed to pick up the paperwork on Monday. The clerk who he spoke with did not know the date, but said Zhenia could call back on Friday to find out. Of course, he called twice on Friday only to be told that the judge had the paperwork, a date had been set, and we will have to wait until Monday to find out what it is. Zhenia was told to come pick up the paperwork and deliver the documents to the people required for court(orphanage director, social worker, etc). Now, supposedly, having to deliver the paperwork may be a sign that the date is too close for the documents to reach everyone by mail. It is nice to say "I'm trying not to get my hopes up", but of course they are high. We are praying the court date will be sometime next week - the sooner the better.

Friday evening we went to a party at the Canadian Embassy. We met many Canadian and American families currently living in Ukraine. We had a very good time speaking english to others for a few hours and even enjoyed American-style pizza.

The good news is that we finally saw Viktor!! As the orphanage director would not let Viktor come home from camp early, we had to wait until everyone returned. The kids from orphanage 21 returned today @11:00 by train. We were there to meet the train at the station. It was so good to see him again. We were hoping that we could finally have him stay with us, of course, Alla said "no". At 8:00 a.m. Monday morning, all the of kids who have graduated will leave for trade school and live at the hostel. Since we won't find out the court day until tomorrow he will have to go with the other "graduates" to trade school in the morning and, if we have the papers, he will be able to go with us then. UNREAL. At this point I know there is a possibility that the papers will not be ready when we go get them in the morning. Viktor was not happy to be left again and does not want to go to the trade school, I don't blame him, not too happy myself. Even though we had sent many messages to him at camp - even spoken to staff who were supposed to communicate with him, no one told him we were still here working on the adoption. Alla would rather him have to go to the trade school and hostel instead of spending the night with the American Family who have waited 5 week in Kyiv working on this adoption. We have been approved by the SDA and inspector, completed all our paperwork so I don't think we pose any real threat. The insensitivity of the way these kids are treated is heartbreaking. We have assured him we will not leave Kyiv without him. We did get to spend a few hours with him and took him to lunch. Coming back to the flat, childless again, was very depressing. As I have said, many, many times, hopefully tomorrow will hold some promise. Right now we are flat on our backs looking at Lucy holding the football above our heads - OUCH!

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO- Phillip & Cassie

To Cassie and Phillip

Just a shameless shout out to Cassie and Phillip. We love you and miss you very much. Mom's birthday would be much better if she had you two to spend it with, regardless the locale. Mom's pre-birthday Chocolate cake I bought last night was awful as well as the birthday cake I bought her tonight. Both looked great but let us down in the taste category. I fixed her french toast with strawberry syrup for breakfast and went out and got her a boquet of yellow roses. I even managed to find her an English B-day card at the Halmark store in the local mini-mall.

Cassie: We eagerly await our nightly recorder concert. Hot Cross Buns and Mary Had a Little Lamb never sounded so good. I hope you feel better after being sore from all of the busy weekend activities. Enjoy Horseback riding tomorrow.

Phillip: We loved hearing the report about the football game last night. You have to know its killing us not to be there to cheer you on. I wish I'd seen you recieve that Kick off and return it into Red Raider territory. Hope your thumb is better soon.

I forgot to add in the previous blog entry: xoxoxoxoxoCassie and Phillip

Birthday Blues and Other Ramblings

Today is Sharon's birthday. As such, I am handling the blogging duties today while she sits on the life raft and plays Zuma on her cell phone. I tell you so far today its been nothing but party, party, party. I got permission to tell all that we are celebrating her 42nd birthday. She is either very secure or has given up all hope of surviving our foray into international adoption so it doesn't matter who knows. We were both convinced that today was the day we would get our court date. What a wonderful B'day present that would be for Sharon. Wrong!!! Zhenia called a few minutes ago and told me that he was instructed to call back on Thursday. Sharon said that she definitely thinks her 43rd birthday will be much better. I have done a few things to try and make the day special, but we both realize its very much like scooping whip cream on top of a big pile of manure and calling it desert.



Back at the start of the adoption process, I began keeping a journal to record all of the events and experiences we encounter as we work to bring Viktor home. I have decided that since I am at the helm of the blogging tug today that I would subject the readers to an excerpt from the journal, or as I have taken to calling it "The Viktor Chronicals". The following excerpt is from the train trip Sharon, Zhenia and I took down to Viktor's camp located on the Black Sea. This is the same trip that Sharon wrote about in an earlier blog.


"The first leg of the trip down to the camp we rode in semi-Ukrainian luxury. This meaning that Zhenia had secured for us our own Cupla. A Cupla is designed to sit/sleep four people, four very small people. Keep in mind that Sharon and I tell people all the time that we are freakishly tall people. The sleeping racks are arranged bunk style on either side of the cupla, perpendicular to the train tracks. We boarded the train and sat down in our cupla. Man it was hot. Zhenia tried to keep our minds busy while we waited for the train to leave by showing us all the features of the cupla, which lasted about two minutes. The majority of the cabin features centered around the redundant locking mechanisms for the door, all of which are meant to ensure that no one comes into your cabin while you are sleeping on the increadibly slow moving train and takes your stuff. After a thourough breifing on where to and where not to put your stuff in the cupla to safegaurd against someone coming into the cabin while you are sleeping on the increadibly hot train and taking your stuff, the train finally left the station. Did I mention the heat? While the train was moving there was an ever so slight contitioning of air eminating from the ceiling of the cabin. To call it air conditioning would be going to far. It was more like the promise of air-conditioning really, just enough to take the edge off the heat thus changing the temp from unbearable to uncomfortable. But, we were finally off to see Viktor, and at this point the trip was still very young.

It was an 11hr overnight train ride to Kherson, where we would depart the train and find other transportation for the remainder of the journey to camp. I slept fitfully in a pool of sweat, on a bunk that was a foot to short for about as long as I could take it so I got up at 5 am and greeted the morning from the window of the train. The train was scheduled to arrive in Kherson at 7:40 am and after a quick breakfast at the local Kherson McDonalds we would get a shuttle bus to camp and Viktor. It's funny what one's mind will reach out and cling to in order to get through a particular situation. A difficult period at work can be buffered with the thoughts of an upcoming vacation for example. The thing that I clinged to this particular morning was an Egg McMuffin and maybe a hash round or two on the side. A small bit of what I felt to be normalcy to recover from what I believed to be a very non-normal travel experience. So we readied ourselves as best we could, grabbed our bags and departed the train. On the way out of the station on the way to McDonalds, Zhenia decided to to stop and check on trian tickets for the return trip that evening. He was told that there was nothing available on any of the evening trains back to Kiev. The clerk told Zhenia to show back up around 6:00 pm and check because people were always cancelling their reservations and tickets become available. OK, our return trip plan established, lets get to Mickey Dees and salvage the morning with a little taste of home. Well on the way to Mcdonalds this time, Zhenia decides to check on shuttle bus service to the camp. What, no shuttle bus directly to camp? OK, we will have to take a shuttle bus to Skidoesk and then get a taxi from there to the camp, but hey who's complaining at least we will be headed to see Viktor, and have I mentioned that we've been in country for two and a half weeks and we haven't seen him yet. Now, with that decision made, lets get to McDonalds for an egg Mcnormal and a little taste of home on the side. Zhenia says its right down this street here. Hmmm, I don't see a McDonalds down the street, and I can see a pretty good ways. Zhenia begins asking the locals where the McDonalds is and is told that there is no McDonalds in all of the city. What!!!No Egg McNormal to turn this morning around. No hash browns to make me feel like John Curry, priviledged American, again. This morning was not progressing as well as we wanted and it was about to get a whole lot worse."

More from the military parade (for Phillip)

Phillip, As a father, this was an experience I would have would have loved to share with you. This stuff was right up your alley. I did my best to capture as much of the action as possible so that I could share it with you. Hopefully this can help you feel as though you were here with us enjoying the sights and sounds if only for a little while. I miss you like crazy (I miss Cassie like crazy as well) You're a great son, enjoy the pictures and videos.

At the beginning of the parade the "Prime Minister" rode down the street stoping in front of each company of soldiers. He would administer some type of oath at each stop and the soldiers would respond. I'll get Zhenia to translate.

As the Prime Minister made his way back up Khreschatyk, the companys of soldiers responded in waves that sounded like they were saying "Slaw,Slaw,Slaw".

Each company of soldiers marched a different way. Notice the "Goose Stepper", very cool.

Heavy equipment on the move. You could feel it in your feet when they came by. Almost as impressive as a fleet of Heil RCV's going by. (Shout out to my Heil friends. Can't wait to get back to Ft. Payne, truly God's country.)

Independence Day

And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary.
Galations 6:9 (thanks Cindy)

Okay, I believe my last blog entry certainly indicated I was "losing heart". One should probably not blog while distressed (hence the bus comment). Certainly things are not going as we had hoped, but they are still going. I would in no way, however, wish to convey that just because things aren't going our way, we think we have been abandoned. We know God is still in control of this situation and many prayers have already been answered. I also don't want to make it sound like it is not a worthy journey nor discourage others who might answer this call of international adoption.
Phillip and Cassie sounded really good when we talked yesterday and, I admit, that has alot to do with how I cope here. Cassie got a recorder this year in music class and we have been treated to "hot cross buns" and "mary had a little lamb" from 3,000 miles away (sounded perfect to us). Lucky, Lucky, Mema that she gets to enjoy the music ALL DAY!! Lisa & Bart got Phillip on Friday and they will spend the weekend with the kids again - we are so grateful as the kids love them and always seem to have a great time. It is a relief to know they are doing fun things to help keep their minds off our absence. Viktor knows we are still here, but I'm sure he is wondering what is taking so long. Hopefully, knowing he will be leaving, he is enjoying this time with the kids he has grown up with and won't see for a long, long time. I'm trying to think in this vein as it breaks my heart to imagine he thinks we might have changed our minds. We have reassured him, but he really has no reason to trust us yet.

Today John and I attended the military parade to celebrate Ukraine's Independence Day. The parade was VERY well attended and we crammed ourselves between thousands of Ukrainian to witness a impressive display of military power. The Ukrainian President presided over the parade. It would have been great if Viktor could have witnessed this as his last Independence Day (at least for a while) in Ukraine. John did take alot of pictures. It's a good thing he is so tall, because by the end of the parade, so many people had pushed themselves in front of us we could barely see. Phillip would have enjoyed this and John was able to get some great video of the soldiers goose-stepping and responding to the President. We will have to get Zhenia to translate what the soldiers were saying. It sound like "SLAAW", and we thought maybe he was asking what they would like with their BBQ - but probably not. I know I have said this before, but thank you, thank you, thank you to all who have sent encouragement and prayer our way. Please pray for an answer for a court date on Tuesday - that's alot of prayer power coming this way!

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO- Cassie & Phillip

Company after company of souldiers were line up down Khreschatyk. We could not tell the branch of service however they all looked quite impressive in their class A uniforms.

Some of the rolling hardware. We got a look at just about everything their military has to offer. There were Humvees obviously bought from the US in the parade as well.

More hardware, Laser guided missle transporters from what I can tell. Any of you out there that know your Eastern Block military equipment better than I can set me straight on this one.

A couple of Sukois (jet fighters) and a refueler.

Four attack helicopters in formation. We couldn't tell what the announcer was saying so we just paid attention to the crowd. When they looked up we looked up, when they looked down the street, we looked down the street. When they left, we left as well.

Not yet

Please continue to pray to soften this judges' heart (or that she will get run over by a bus :) ). We completed our form and signed it today and Zhenia took it to the judge to see if she would give us a court date. She made him wait until the very end of business - 6:00. Today makes the 7th time she has told Zhenia to come back the next business day. In this case, the next business day is Tuesday, August 26th as Monday is a holiday. Our Appointment with the SDA was July 28th (30 days and counting). When she finally decides to grant us a court date we don't know how far out that will be. We do not have the resources or desires to stay in Ukraine indefinately.

DAY 26 of hostage situation

Still waiting. Yesterday when Zhenia went to court to check on a court date, the judge handed him the form he had prepared last week (remember said form from embassy) Well, turns out, she now wants it notarized and apostilled from the Office of Foreign Affairs. Would have been really nice if she had requested this or said so last week. So . . . still no court date, still no Viktor. The helplessness and frustration is not fun or funny. Initially we had expected to be in our 10-day waiting period by now. Morale is low and WE WANT TO COME HOME!!!!! We will go today and present the form which hopefully will be ready by 4:00, then it has to be interpreted (? it is already in english on one side and Ukrainian on the other) Tomorrow Zhenia will take it to court. I'm tired of waiting all day for THE phone call only to be thwarted again. At this point we are hoping for a date next week. Monday is a holiday - courts closed. There is a reason for this wait and frustration, but so far it has not been revealed to us. Cassie and Phillip have been so great. We love and miss them tremendously, I don't like missing one day of their lives - time goes so quickly. And the reason we are here - have only gotten to see him once - unbelievable!! Instead of living one day at a time, right now I am trying one-hour at a time.

On a positive note - the couple who came in on the 18th to find a child has been referred a 18-month old boy in Lugansk (sp?). We are so happy for them and enjoyed having another couple to hand around with for a few days. They are on a train now to go meet him, we can't wait to hear all about their family.

Please keep praying, we appreciate all of the encouragement and support you have been, and continue, giving. XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO - Cassie & Phillip

"Tomorrow" means "not today"!

First, let me say, I am thankful to anyone who is interested enough to read our blog. Both for the prayers being offered on our and Viktor's behalf as well as the plight of the children here in Ukraine - please feel free to share. It is so great to get comments from those we know, but when someone we have never met lets us know they are praying for us - truly God at work. The other night at the grocery store John and I heard some people talking english- YAH more Americans. Well, they were Canadians - but close enough for us! These two couples worked at the Canadian Embassey and they invited us to their flat for ice cream. We enjoyed the swanky digs where they resided (the government takes good care of their diplomats) and their hospitality. They have been here for 2 years so they had some interesting insight to the Ukrainan culture. They asked about our situation and we told of the frustrations of the delays - then we learned an important lesson - with Ukrainians "tomorrow" just means "not today". Yes, we had been figuring that out, but is was a very succient way to wrap it up. Still no court date, but each "tomorrow" we are assured it will be soon. Another couple has arrived from Ohio and they are staying in the flat next to ours. They are looking for a child under 5 years. They had their appointment with the SDA today, we are praying they will find their child. Sometimes it is more difficult to find a healthy, young child within the system. We have been attending the presbyterian church in kyiv and have met some wonderful people. We attended a professional soccer match the other night - Kyiv Dynamos. We felt a bit guilty as Vikor would have loved to attend with us - but we will be sure to go again when he is here. The fans were very enthusiastic, especially since Dynamo won. I enjoyed watching the crowd as much as the match. The stadium was very nice except for the cloud of smoke in which it was engulfed- I think just about everyone in Ukraine smokes! On the 24th, Ukraine will celebrate their Independence Day. They are going to put on a parade to display all of their military might to the world (especially to Russia). This is supposedly going to be quite a site - we will take lots of pictures. It would be great if Viktor were here to see it - Phillip would love it too, right up his alley. I want to give a shout out to Nana and Mema - they have their hands full now that school has started, homework needs to be done, and everyone is worn out by the end of the day. I don't think the kids really appreciate how lucky they are to have these grandmas - but we sure do! Although I miss my kids like crazy, at least we know they are in good hands. I wish I could say the same for Viktor - keep praying he will be able to join us soon. As my sisters have sagely pointed out, we are taking a soul from satan he thought was his, someone who would never know the love of a family or Jesus, so he is not making this easy! XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO-Cassie & Philip

He will rescue their life from oppression and violence; and their blood will be precious in his sight. Psalm 72:14

Entering Dynamo stadium for Sunday nights game.

Game on....Dynamo won the game. They were up 2-0 when we left with about 2 minutes remaining. Soccer is alot of fun to watch in person. Not much scoring but alot of action, plus the fans are extremely entertaining to watch as well. Well worth the price of admission, about 5 dollars US each.

For some reason there are no garbage cans. People just stack garbage in clusters. I believe all the glass bottles are worth a few copics each so there were an abundance of people picking thru the remains.

Us at the Dynamo game. Sharon looking good as usual and me just happy to be there.....

Sitting on Ice

Time to play a little catch-up on my blogging. I wish I had great news to share but I do not. Things seem to be going in slow motion with promises of tomorrow or the next day only to be pushed out again. The judge we drew for court has posed a bit of a problem. We are supposed to be careful about what we put on the blogs - though most of you can read emotions between the lines. We did not get the judge that Zhenia likes to work with, instead another judge got our paperwork on Monday. (Remember we had rushed back from camp in order to be in Kyiv to get a court date - hopefully this week). The judge told Zhenia to come back on Thursday so she could have time to look over the documents. When Zhenia returned on Thurs she said she needed a letter from the US Embassy saying we had permission to bring an orphan into the US. Zhenia has never had to have this letter before and keep in mind we already had a (very expensive) form giving us permission, in our dossier. You may remember me mentioning that Zhenia had completed our necessary forms for court in record time. As the judge requested this new letter she told him "you won't be able to get this so fast". Well, the US Embassy did get it done by the end of business day on Thursday and Zhenia got it back to the judge that same afternoon. This morning we were anticipating the call about our court date - praying for one next week. She told Zhenia, "congratulations on getting the document so quickly, but I still need time to research the dossier and I don't know when I can give you a date". Zhenia will have to check back on Monday (8/18). After court is a mandatory 10 day wait, followed by 5-6 days of completing documents that can only be done after the waiting period. We are anxious for at least a court date. BTW LOTS of crying on my part - what a helpless feeling coupled with the fact the director will not let Viktor come to kyiv until we have a court date. Strung along a day or two at a time is no fun. Viktor is sitting on ice at camp, having already graduated, having no family - I'm sure they have his best interest at heart.

That mild weather that greeted us in Kyiv is gone - it is very hot here. No A/C, so we keep the windows open at all times and I am covered in mosquito bites although I slather myself with OFF before we go to bed - I am the sacrifice apparently because John hasn't received bite #1 and I look like I have the Chicken Pox. 3 days ago we had to contact the landlord because the internet was not working and we really needed a fan. She came today - interesting that when we called her last week to tell her we had the rent ready- she was here within the hour. John is still performing excellent cooking feats - even french toast with strawberry syrup he made from Jam. Phillip and Cassie started school on Wednesday. Cassie loves 4th grade and getting to ride the bus while she is staying with Mema. I don't think high school is as bad as Phillip thought it would be - but not as fun as summer for sure. He played in his first football scrimmage yesterday. Caught all the passes thrown to him(3) as the wide receiver, made a good tackle as defensive end and played a couple plays as a linebacker, which is a new position for him, breaks our hearts that we missed it. Both my kids have requested that I return home. If only they knew how I ached to do so. We still feel we are fulfilling God's desire for us to adopt Viktor. We are dismayed by the delays and uncertainties. Every night (and day) I play in my head greeting the kids at the airport. So far, this day, it is the nadir of our existence in Kyiv. Mom sent us some names of missionaries in Kyiv and I may try to contact them today. Zhenia also has another family coming in on the 18th so maybe we will have a little company. Have I mentioned I miss my kids. I will try to make future blogs a bit more uplifting, don't want this to become one big complaint log! Please keep us in your prayer as this is getting hard. XOXOXOXOXOXO- Phillip and Cassie

more pictures from our visit with Viktor at camp

Wish we could taken all of these little ones HOME, especially the little in green that kept smiling and waving at Sharon.
Showing family pictures to Viktor and Friends. Zhenia was a very tired translator after about two hours of explaining all the pictures.
Soccer exhibition at the camp. Viktor has the ball. They are exceptionally talented athletes.
Pardon me boy's, this ain't the Chattanooga Choo Choo.
Partial family camp portrait. True Curry kid smile. Zhenia assures us that Viktor does really like us very much.

Warning - this a a looong one!

It certainly has been an eventful few days. I will try to describe in the order of events. When I last wrote, we were planning our trip to Kherson (pronounced hearson) in order to visit Viktor at camp. We left Kyiv Saturday night at 8:30 on the train for an 11 hour ride. The train station was so busy - like an airport. We had our own cupla which consisted of four bunks, a small table, and had a door for privacy. The bathrooms were indeed gross, but not unusable as long as you didn't breathe through your nose. John, Zhenia and I shared the cupla. We ate dinner we had packed, watched a DVD then went to bed. I was quite comfortable if a little warm. The train had air conditioning but the conductor refused to turn it on because another family was worried their kids might get cold (there were extra blankets available). Sleeping all the way was a little difficult as the train stopped often and was very loud. John was not quite as comfy as the bunks were really not made for someone 6'5", he gave up trying to sleep around 5:00 a.m. We arrived in Kherson around 7:30. I had waited until we were at the train station to use the restrooms again so I wouldn't have to use the one on the train. If only I had known the lovliness of the train bathroom!! The "restroom" (i use this term very loosely) was located in a seperate building away from the train station. I won't go into detail over the internet so everyone won't be subject to the grossness, but when I talk in person I'll try not to spare details. I'll just say there was some gagging involved and I wouldn't expect a dog to use these facilities. I would have rather gone behind the building, but there were too many people. Keep in mind this was a very busy station, I don't understand a country that would treat their people so. Well after that traumatic experience (did I mention I'm battleing a UTI - so I had to go frequently) we headed off to the McDonalds for breakfast as promised - wait a minute there was no McDonalds. We could tell Zhenia felt bad about this so we just ate leftover potatoe chips and cookies from the night before. I mentioned in the earlier blog that we were unsure about how we were going to get back to Kiev. When we arrived in Kherson Zhenia went to the ticket booth to ask about returning that evening. There were no tickets for the 5,6,7.8.9.10, or 11 o'clock trains. They told him to come back later as sometimes tickets became available right before departure. We found a taxi to take us to camp, supposedly about a 40 minute drive. We were tired and still a little hungry but our excitement about finally seeing Viktor gave us extra energy. Well the drive turned out to be about and hour and a half. We arrived at camp, met the director, and proceeded to Viktors building. He did not know we were coming but word spread rapidly as soon as we got to camp. Many of the kids knew Zhenia from his work at different orphanages. We heard "Zhenia, Zhenia" all over - they were so excited to see him. We finally see Viktor and it was a great reunion - hugs all around - alot of excited talking (that we couldn't understand). We headed up to his room with a full entourage of boys. Viktor ran up first and told Zhenia to wait becuase he had not made his bed and his room was messy - he will fit into our family just fine! Viktor had no idea we were in Ukraine (although we had tried to pass the message) but he had our family picture taped to his bed - sweet. We hung out in his room for about an hour - passed out candy, met many of the kids from Orphanage 21 and tried to catch up on what had been happening in his life since we were last in Ukraine. We were never alone with Viktor - always a group around. Zhenia certainly had his work cut out translating all day as everyone wanted to talk - some to try out their english and some just wanting someone to be interested in them. The boys showed us around camp which is located on the black sea. I asked if they swam alot, but they pointed to the people out in the water and said no matter how far out, the water was only up to their knees and they had all been stung by jellyfish. The beach looked nice though and there were plenty of people enjoying the water. The boys then put on a soccer match for us - they are all so good - then it was time for lunch. Viktor said that the food was very good and Zhenia confirmed that when he was an orphan they ate very well at summer camp. During lunch we got to see most of the kids - some were so young - it was just heartbreaking and it hit us pretty hard. It was not summer camp by U.S. standards for sure (conditions were very poor) and very loosely run - for the older kids at least. Besides lunch and rest time, they were pretty much left to wander during the day. During the soccer match we saw a few climb the fence and come back with cigarettes from the local store. We spent the rest of the day just hanging out with Viktor and the others - we had a great time. It was so sad to leave him there with promises that he will come join us in a few days. That concludes the good part of our trip - it kinda goes downhill from there. We decide to take a shuttle bus back to the train station in Kherson. Continuing with my bathroom theme - the "restroom" at the bus station was barely a step up from the train station one. Our first clue should have been when the bus driver had everyone get in their seats to see if the bus was filled. He did not turn on the a/c during this time and it was 100+ outside. When we finally got under way he stopped about 6 times during the first 20 min. Blared his music SO loud and stopped a couple of times to buy watermelons and canteloupe. After an hour with him we couldn't take it any longer so jumped out at a store and took a taxi to the train station. The hour and a half trip to camp turned into a 3 hour trip back to the station - so it was 8:30 by the time we arrived. There were no seats left for the remaining 4 trains that night and no buses leaving for Kyiv. It was quite to helpless feeling - so we started to pray - fervently!- just get us on a train by to Kyiv. I have to say God blessed us with Zhenia who remained positive during this whole process. Finally Zhenia said sometimes the conductors will let you on to their cars if they know they have empty bunks. we ran to the 9:00 train and the conductor said we could ride. We literally jumped on the train as it was starting to leave- not knowing what we would find. Now, before we had a cupla to ourselves. There is ,on these trains, coach class, pretty much a train car filled with bunks - that's where we were. It was agreed we could ride if I would sleep with the conductor - John said anything was worth it to get back to Kyiv. I know, sounds racy - but the story is not THAT entertaining. There were only 2 bunks in the main compartment and the conductor said I could sleep in the extra bunk in HER room (the only private room on the train). We were very grateful to be on our way back and Zhenia was so proud he could do this for us. I'm hoping Zhenia does not read this blog because it was possibly the most miserable 12 hours of my life. The train was so hot - I mean sweat dripping off of me and hardley being able to breathe hot. In addition I didn't have a seat just a bunk and it was about 5 inches too short for me with a wide shelf above me - think coffin. Well, knowing how I was faring I knew John was having a hard time too. I think his bunk was about a foot and a half too short and just as hot with all of those people around. The Ukrainians on board didn't seem fazed by the heat and were sleeping just fine - the soft, weenie Americans seemed to be the only ones suffering. My heart goes out to all of the families who travel so far and don't find a child. As much as I want to be home - we were so happy to just be back in Kyiv - seemed like 5 star accomodations compared to what we had just gone through. Again, so happy Phillp and Cassie were not with us - God is so, so, good - ALL THE TIME! We Americans have is SO good - i'm giving more money to foreign missions - what they must go through! Thank you to all who were praying for us - we were blissfully unaware of the situation in Georgia while we were gone - apparently about 400 miles from where we were. We were supposed to find out today of our court date - now we are supposed to find out tomorrow. I have finally figured out when you are given a date - add a day or two realistically. Lisa and Bart took the kids for the weekend and they had a great time - thanks! XOXOXOXO - Cassie & Phillip

Ready for departure from Kiev to Kherson. Full of anticipation about seeing Viktor and blissfully unaware of the trials and tribulations to soon follow. By the way, Sharon says it the choice of shirt that makes her look pudgy in the picture.

A mother and child reunion. AHHH...that's the ticket. About two weeks overdue.

This is about as alone as we ever got with Viktor during the visit. Most of them just wanted us to know that they existed

More friends and care givers. So many beautiful young people. Wish we had the ability to bring them all HOME.

ALL ABOARD!!!!!

Well most of you who know me are aware that a train ride was not on my list of things to do before I die - or even before I leave Ukraine. So, guess what, that's right - A TRAIN RIDE!! 11+ hours overnight in fact. The Orphanage Director will not let Viktor come back to Kyiv until our court date. If we want to spend time with Viktor - we go to him. Tonight at 8:30 we leave Kyiv and we will arrive in Kherson sometime Sunday morning. The interesting part about this is that we are not sure how we are returning. Zhenia could get tickets for going but not coming back. We have to be back by Monday to go to file in court (not our court hearing). Zhenia says we will just take our chances at the train station or we may come back by bus. Not ideal, but since we have not seen Viktor the whole 2 weeks we have been here, we feel we need to at least let him know we are here and working on bringing him home. My biggest fear is getting Viktor back in time for a court hearing. Zhenia will find out Monday of our actual court date. He optimistically believes it could be Tuesday or Wednesday. Great for us but if Viktor is still at camp we hope he can get back in time. Viktor's camp is in Kherson - the poorest region of Ukraine. I was hoping maybe some mission teams from the U.S. might be working there, but Zhenia reports he has never seen any Americans at the camp. It reportedly is not a great place and I'm sure leaving Viktor there will be difficult. Zhenia said there were about 400 total kids at the camp - there goes our plan to take them all something. We did buy candy/gum and some other treats for the 35 kids from Viktor's orphanage. Please pray for our journey (clean bathrooms on the train being the most important) . Seriously, I am a bit anxious about leaving Viktor there and how we will be returning. Basically we will arrive Sun. morning, spend the day with Viktor, and leave Sun. night -probably not alot of opportunity for sleep in the next couple of days. This is about the first time during this trip I have been truly glad Phillip and Cassie are not with us. While Phillip would probably be fine with the less than luxurious conditions, Cassie would definately not be. Neither of them would be thrilled with the lack of sleep or bathing (then again not something I am looking forward to either). Lisa and Bart are taking the kids to do some fun stuff this weekend and we so much appreciate the generosity of their time. We will probably be out of internet and phone range for the next couple of days. Will publish pictures when we return. BTW you can still tell what is going on when you watch the olympics with russian commentary.
XOXOXOXO- Phillip & Cassie

Adrift in Kyiv

If you have ever seen the movie "Groundhog Day", this is the odd life we are living right now- same routine every day. Nothing new to those of you who have gone through this, but a weird existence as we wait in limbo for further adoption action. We are kind of getting used to this new "normal". I am getting better at lighting the stove without burning my thumb, getting used to rough towels from drying on the line (good loofah), washing dishes by hand is not so bad when it's only for two, and not knowing exactly what kind of meat you are buying can be adventurous. We sleep on the sofa bed in the living room because the real bed is not an option - feels just like sleeping on box springs - wood, wire springs, no cushion. In fact, we call the sofa our life raft. We eat, sleep, watch DVD's, play games on this life rift - adrift in Kyiv while we wait for the rescue ship to take us back to civilization. I am very lucky to have a great cook with me. John has whipped up some tasty meals - even with mystery meat! I have mentioned that we try to get out and walk/explore the city every day. You would probably think by these writings that the walks were consensual. They are more like forced marches inflicted upon me every night by my husband. First of all, I could easily stay inside for a couple of days - almost agoraphobic. Mostly, it is the freak show I provide the people of Kyiv every time I walk out the door. We didn't really notice the first few days as we were awed by the city and its sights. Gradually it dawned on us the strange looks I would get as we walked. The women would stare at my shoes (walking sandals not stilettos) and the men would just stare - not sure why as I am kind of plain compared to the Ukrainian women. John does not get these strange looks so I must just look very, very American. We try to keep our voices down in public so I don't think our speech gives it away. John stated tonight that he would be lucky if I didn't go "postal" before the trip was through. I would really prefer to blend, and try to except for the aforementioned sandals. I really miss the kids though John and I are enjoying the time together - we will have been married 20 years in September and we are fortunate to have this opportunity to remember why we like each other. Sometimes God's ways are not too mysterious!! Thanks to all of you who are loving on our kids while we are away. The emails I get usually come at the exact time we need encouragement (thanks Mrs. Wilson , Mary Kay, and my sisters). No new news on the adoption front (oh yeah, that's why we are here). Zhenia did get word to Viktor at camp that we are in Kyiv and working hard to get him here with us. We are supposed to find out about a court date by Monday (hopefully 11th or 12th). The orpanage director won't let Viktor come back from camp until we have a court date. Technically, I understand due to liability issues, but he has graduated and will be turned out in September so we are really fighting the "it's not fair" feeling. We'll keep you posted. XOXOXOXO- Cassie & Phillip

Our first Setback

Saturday evening, we were getting ready for Viktor to join us the next day. We received a call from Zhenia with some disappointing news. Viktor would not be on the train on Sunday and probably would not come to Kiev until Wednesday. Now, we have been told enough and have read enough blogs to know that international adoption is unpredictable and wrought with uncertainties. Maybe since the paperwork was going so smoothly we thought we were immune to what others had experienced - apparently not! We don't know the real reason for the change of plans, but are praying that he will be able to come on Wednesday. Usually families who are adopting get to spend at least a couple of hours with their kids each day at the orphanage - we haven't seen or talked to Viktor yet at all during this trip. I have never prayed for patience- I know better. But just because I didn't pray for it doesn't mean that God would not see this as a need for me. Or, it could be that John needs more patience and it is all his fault (i like that one). We have been getting out more and even went shopping for some essentials for Viktor. It is amazing how much you can do with a few russian words and creative charades with the sales people. We attended church yesterday and enjoyed the fellowship with some fellow Americans who were here on a mission trip. The church we attended is holding a VBS next week and another group of Americans are supposed to come help, maybe we will be able to help too. Have I mentioned that I miss my kids? We talk every day - some days are good and some are not. I know that soon this will all be a memory of our time apart but every day when we pass the Aerosvit office on our walks, I think of the day we will go buy a one-way ticket for Viktor and schedule our flight home. Thanks to everyone we have heard from. I eagerly check our blog and e-mail each morning for any communication from home. All our love to Cassie and Phillip. Phillip, dad is really missing someone who appreciates the high-end cars driving around Kiev. I know you are a tough kid, but don't do too much too soon until your foot heals. Cassie - I keep your card with me and read it every day- everlasting sun in my heart!

Taken from the window of our flat for Phillip. The car in the rear is a Mercedes 550 AMG and the car in front is a Maybach 57 (or 67). Together these tow automobiles costg more than most of our homes.

Stone statue street performer along Khreshatyk. Cassie, we know you will like this one.

Hanging out some laundry at the flat.

Lots of beautiful parks that we pass during our evening forced marches around the city. Sharon just loves our evening strolls.

Socks?

Yesterday was uneventful, thus no blog. Not that today will be any more exciting, but for those of you interested - here is what's happening. We have all of our documents ready to submit to the SDA. It took a week and Zhenia (our facilitator) says that is pretty quick. By Wednesday the SDA should return the paperwork needed to submit for a court date. John and I have been trying to get out every day to walk around Kiev. The weather is wonderful. Yesterday we happened upon a pizza place, mama mias, on our walk. While they didn't speak any english, we managed to order a bbq pizza that was very tasty. Today we are going to try to make our way into town to buy Viktor a few items of clothing. We might also eat at McDonalds - I have been craving a hamburger. John bought hamburger meat the other night to make cheeseburgers, when he opened the package the meat smelled so bad I just couldn't do it. While they looked like cheeseburgers and John said they tasted fine, I couldn't get past the smell. Maybe I will lose weight here, doubtful as I am only walking everywhere and have not run since about 3 weeks before this trip. Don't know if I mentioned before that our facilitator, Zhenia, grew up as an orphan. In fact, he graduated from the same orphanage as Viktor is coming from. Zhenia was hosted in the states to complete high school. He could not afford college so returned to the university in Ukraine. He now helps families with their adoptions. Having been an orphan he gives us a unique perspective on the life Viktor has led in the orphanage. When we visited Viktor in December we went shopping and bought him some socks. He only wanted dark socks as they must do their own laundry and white socks get dirty too fast. I mentioned to Zhenia that I would buy Viktor some white socks like other kids wear. He said, "Oh, yes, when I was an orphan that was my biggest wish, to have socks that I could change every day - white ones!". Hmm, a little humbling. While I have been educated and advised not to give too much too soon as far as material things go, I thinks socks I can fulfill to Viktor's hearts content. Thursday was a tough day as far as missing Phillip and Cassie. I cried alot and moped for most of the day. They are doing fine at home and adjusting to the changes, but I can't wait until we are home with them. Phillip has his first football scrimmage next week - I have NEVER missed his football games. Tomorrow, Sunday, we are supposed to pick Viktor up from the train station. We are looking forward to getting to spend some time with him finally. Please pray for us as I know it will be awkward for awhile with the language barriers and his uncertainties. He would probably be much happier if the kids were here too, but he will just have to put up with the old people for a while. Mom and Dad bought a ping-pong table for us yesterday, so I know that will be something Viktor can look forward to when we get home.

Meeting with the Director

Yesterday we had our meeting with Alla, the orphanage director. She greeted me with a hug and told us we were young and beautiful. Well, what could go wrong after that? I was an instant fan. Coupled with that, the kitchen was closed so we were not served some of the "delicacies" some of the other famiies got to try. (In my mind the idea of raw bacon fat slathered on crackers seemed like an episode of Fear Factor, although some say it is not so bad). We were very grateful Alla had come in as she and the other staff are on vacation but made themselves available to us for Viktors sake. We were a bit nervous as Alla is very straight-forward with families, even telling some not to adopt the children they have chosen because they will cause so many problems. Alla however, seemed to be a big fan of Viktor's. She had high praise for him and seemed to think he would be able to adjust to family life. Not that there would not be issues, but she knows him to be kind to others, very helpful and respectful as well as a leader who will not participate in troublemaking just to belong. I just wonder how he has struggled seeing children who were obviously hard to deal with get adopted while he was passed over so many times. I pray God was saving him for our family, I just wish we had known sooner. Supposedly, Alla was the one who had all the information on his family and background. We did leave a little dissatisfied that the information was not all that clear. I guess it doesn't really matter and we will probably find out more as time goes on. Apparently, the parents were drinkers who ended up in prison for stealing/robbery. He does have an older sister somewhere who would be about 20 now, but no one knows where she is. He has been at the orphanage since he was about 6 years old. All and all a very successful meeting. We have most of the paperwork finished to submit to court - we do need a signed petition from Viktor stating he does want to be adopted. Zhenia said he could go ahead and try to get a court date without this. We are praying that the judge Zhenia works with will be available. There is a 10 day mandatory waiting period after court before you can start any paperwork (visa, passport, etc) to take your child home. So the faster we can get a court date the better. We are looking forward to seeing Viktor on Sunday as he will be able to stay with us when he gets back to Kiev. Missing Phillip and Cassie like crazy. Phillip had to get 2 planters warts frozen off the bottom of his foot yesterday - apparently very painful. We also got an e-mail about the first annual father/son football cookout - ouch. We can't be there for that and it hurts. Mema took Cassie by the house yesterday after horseback - Cassie was feeling very homesick for her "stuff". Mema and Nana are going above and beyond and we are so grateful to them.

Thought it would be good to include a picture of Viktor since he is the reason we are here. Thanks to Suzzette for the picture, you have been a true blessing through this whole process, welcome home....

Sharon and I at the gates of Orphanage 21 after our meeting with the director.

Love the Zhenia, our very capable, diligent, knowledgeable gaurding angel and also our facilitator.

Beautiful archway along Kreshchatik and gateway to my beloved Pusata Hata (Fat House) restaurant. Thought of my buddy Trace as we ate there yesterday.

This one is for the kids. It had almost as much attitude as Molly except it's meow was much deeper. xoxo Phillip and Cassie!!!!!!!!!