Our Two Week Update

Dear Friends and Family,

It is hard to believe that we've been home with Roman for two weeks already. In many ways it feels as though Roman has been a part of our family for much longer--it is hard to imagine what life would be like without him. At least once a day I find myself on the verge of tears, staring at him in marvelment over God's faithfulness to us as a family. He is a true blessing with his gentle spirit, cheerful heart, and playfulness. We continue to watch him change right before our eyes everyday. He already looks and acts so differently than he did just a few weeks ago. During the first week or so he had an outbreak of blisters on his upper and lower lips probably brought on by the stress of the transition, but all of this has now cleared up. Sitting around the dinner table in the evening he is eager to fold his hands and bow his head in prayer. He also enjoys trying to say each of our names and feeding himself. His chewing ability has improved so much that there is nothing he is unable to eat--Praise the Lord! Once terrified by the bathtub, he now looks forward to bath time and is sometimes dissapointed when it is over. This morning was his first morning in the 4-5 year-old Sunday School class at church. At first he sat still and seemed rather afraid, but by the end of class he was marching in a parade waving a flag in one hand and shaking a "shaker" in the other. He was so proud of himself! He enjoys sitting and reading books with his sisters, water color painting, and rides in the car. The greatest challenge so far in our transition has been with Nicholas. Much of the time Nicholas and Roman do well with each other, but at times Nicholas can be very jealous of Roman. I think it will take some time and much prayer for these two boys to learn how to do life with one another.

In the month of February Roman will have a series of doctor's appointments to assess his hearing, development, speech, and overall health. Karen has begun the process of registering Roman in our school district and has found the district very willing to work with us in charting a course for Roman's schooling needs.

I feel as though little by little we are finding a new level of normal in the home. Usually by the end of the day we are exhausted! But our hearts are very encouraged and God has been ever so near.

We dearly miss our friends in Ukraine and hope that in God's providence we will see all of them again soon. In the meantime we are helping a group from our church's orphan care ministry make preparations to return to Roma's orphanage in March to do medical assessments and staff training. With growing trust, the director of the orphanage has opened the door to our church for ministry that could have a long-term positve impact upon the quality of care these children recieve day to day.

More later...Blessings,





Jim (and Karen) Weaver