Into the Father's Arms

Happy Halloween

2008-11-22T07:11:00.006-05:00

On Halloween the kids' school had a big school-wide Halloween parade. It was a ton of fun! I helped Georgia get ready--she was a princess--and then went down to Roman's room to help get him ready--he was a fireman! :)

He was so excited to get on his little costume...the picture to the right is of him just before we left his classroom to go march in the parade.

I brought Nicholas along for the festivities and he was excited to be there too. Roman's teacher said that Nicholas could walk in the parade with Roman and the class, so I brought part of his costume--he was supposed to be a cowboy (since Woody from Toy Story is his favorite character). I got him all dressed and ready to march, when one of the little boys in Roman's class put on his costume--he was dressed as Buzz LightYear--his costume even lit up! As soon as Nicholas saw that Buzz costume he decided that he no longer wanted to be Woody but that he was Buzz! Oh he cried and cried...and cried some more as we marched down M ain Stree in Townsend!

I'm happy to report that later in the evening, however, when it was time to go trick or treating,

he was happy to be Woody and wore his costume happily! (as seen in the picture to the left)

All in all it was a fun day and the kids had a blast.

Unfortunately I couldn't get around to Lauren and Megan's classrooms...Lauren was dressed as an American Girl & carried an American Girl doll with her and Megan was an angel. In the evening, Kaitlyn was dressed as a nurse. :)

For all the Weavers...

~Karen

Going for Gold!

2008-10-25T21:29:00.010-04:00

Last Thursday, October 16th, Roman traveled with his some of his classmates and teachers to the University of Delaware, where he participated in Soccer skills with the Special Olympics of Delaware.

When Jim and I arrived at the field he seemed completely shocked to see us there! He didn't know what to do at first, but after he realized we weren't leaving he scooted over and said "Ma-ma!" Of course I thought that was as cute as ever so I sat down next to him...We watched some of the more severly handicapped kids participate first and he was really into watching them. Then, after a little while it was his turn to go down onto the field...

The first skill he got to "show off" was his ability to dribble the ball. He was hillarious...he didn't really dribble as much as he catapulted the ball from one spot to the other. He loved it...he was all smiles the entire time and he even loved watching his classmates participate.

The second skill was shooting from a running position--which he did beautifully! And his final skill was shooting the soccer ball into the goal--he had five chances to shoot the ball into the net and he made it all 5 times! He was so excited!

The day ended with a medals ceremony....as soon as he saw his buddies getting their medals he got really excited b/c he knew he was about to get one too...in the picture on the left he is looking at the police officer with such anticipation! Once that medal was placed around his neck he didn't want to take it off...so cute!

Here he is (right) with Daddy...posing w/his medal! What a fun day we had!

We couldn't help but think about how far he has come in such a short amount of time...If only his orphanage director could see him now! It is still hard to believe that he is the same child that we saw just 2 years ago--so little and seemingly frail. We are so proud of him and thankful to God for the amazing work He is doing in Roman's life.

Hope you enjoyed the pics!
For all of the Weaver crew...
Karen

It's Been a While

2008-09-20T18:57:00.032-04:00

Wow it has been a long time since we updated this blog...There is so much to tell it is hard to know where to begin...

I guess I will start w/the medical side of things...Since our last update Roma had a sleep study done in May (when he had his hearing test at the end of March is was apparent that he had sleep apnea) which revealed that he has Central Sleep Apnea--which means that his brain sends a signal to his body telling it to stop breathing. Roman's brain sent that signal some 400 times in one night! In light of that the docs wanted to do some more testing to see if he had a rare brain malformation causing this condition (repairable through brain surgery)...an MRI in June revealed that he did NOT have this condition, which means that the type of sleep apnea that Roman has is not curable and could potentially be life-threatening. In early July he started on a bi-pap apnea machine w/oxygen. Initially he didn't like it a whole lot but he has adjusted beautifully and doesn't seem to mind sleeping w/the mask.

During all of this testing, etc. we put our house up for sale--yes, we are a little crazy! :) And, it sold in just 3 weeks!!! Amazing! Then just 5 days after the last day of school we headed to Disney w/Jim's family. And, yes, we drove the whole 18 hours in our big van w/the 6 kids!! It was an adventure we will not soon forget. :) The kids had a ball in Disney and Roma was absolutely in love w/Mickey Mouse...he couldn't get enough of him. Nicholas wasn't too sure about all the characters, but by the end of the week he was looking for them all. The rides were great and the time spent w/family was priceless...Just 3 days after we returned from Disney we moved! It was a crazy time...but we are all settled now.

In July we took several beach trips and we loved watching Roma's reaction to the surf...initially he was nervous but he was soon over that fear and he tried to get in the water every chance he could. :) He really enjoyed the ocean...playing in the sand was a bit tricky for him but he is so clever and so creative...he would dig w/his feet or put the shovel b/w his toes to dig.

After our Disney trip Roman had mastered the pool. We bought him a special vest for the pool and he was raring to go...he LOVES the pool. Jim has taught him how to do flip (w/a little help) into the pool...he readily dives off the diving board and loves just swimming around w/his sisters.

August was a great month--Roman turned 7 on August 6th! It was a great day...all day long we kept telling him "happy birthday". The first few times he looked a little puzzled but after a while he acted as though he knew something special was happening. When we actually sang the birthday song to him he was grinning from ear to ear! It was too cute...he reacted to every gift he opened and he was so happy. It was hard to hold back the tears as we watched him that night...our minds kept going back to the previous 6 birthdays and it was sad to know that his birthday was never celebrated before this year! His life is so precious to us and he is such a joy and blessing...what a year is ahead of him. :) So much to celebrate...

August also brought the start of school once again...Roman, Megan, Lauren and Georgia are all at the same school now, which is so nice. The girls actually ride the special needs bus w/Roman (they love it) and he loves having them on his bus. He is doing really well and seems to be enjoying school...

Georgia and Roman are both in the first grade this year and the first grade teachers decided to allow Roman to be integrated into Georgia's classroom for math, science, social studies, art, music and P.E. We didn't ask for this and weren't sure how Georgia would feel about having Roman in her room several days a week--she was so excited! :) They are loving getting to see each other during the day...Georgia is like a little mommy to him...when he comes in with the other students she makes room for him at her desk and watches after him as only she could. She looks for him at recess and doesn't like it when his alone so she finds him and they play at recess together. Her teachers have commented that there is a very special bond between the two of them--very special since she prayed for him fervently for 2 years!

Kaitlyn is now in 7th grade and doing great...and Nicholas is at home w/me. It is quite quiet around here w/out all the kids running crazy...but it is good for Nicholas to have some nice "Mommy time". He is doing well and we are trying to potty train him...he has mastered "Number One" but "Number Two" seems to elude us! ha..ha...ha...

Hopefully we will be able to update more regularly now that things have quieted down some...we'll see! :)

For all the Weaver crew...

~Karen

2008-04-08T00:00:00.002-04:00

Dear Praying Friends and family,

It's hard to believe that we've been home with Roman for nearly three months. Our last update was back at the two week point. We've been extremely busy with family life and non-stop doctor's appointments and have had little time for blogging...sorry. We appreciate your continued prayers and encouragment.

In the last few weeks we've learned that Roman has a rare genetic condition called TAR Syndrome, which is short for Thrombocytopenia with Absent Radius. All people with this condition are characteristically missing a radius bone in both forearms and have a dramatically reduced platelet count at birth resulting in potentially life-threatening haemorrhaging. Many children born with this condition require multiple blood transfusions in thef first year of life and are very vulnerable to illness. The good news is that over time platelet counts tend to grown on their own and "normalize". Learning that Roman has TAR Syndrome has helped us understand why he was so sick in the first three years of his life and why his younger sister may have died. It has only been in the last year that TAR Syndrome has been identified with a micro-deletion of the first chromosone. The incidence is 0.42 per 100,000 live births.

So what's all this mean for Roman? Well, first and foremost, this means that God has preserved Roman's life--allowing him to survive with this condition undiagnosed for six years and without any blood transfusions. Roman has a few other birth defects that don't define this syndrome but can accompany it. We've learned that Roman has moderate hearing loss in his right ear and total conductive hearing loss in his left ear making speech learning very difficult. He has been fitted for hearing aids that should help. The good news is that Roman does not have any of the other major complications that can accompany this dissorder--i.e. heart problems and kidney problems being the biggest. He is gaining weight and growing tall. The big mystery at this time is how much of Roman's severe developmental delay is the result of living in the orphange and how much is the related to this syndrome. Roman learning potential is still unknown to us.

Roman continues to do very good. He enjoys playing outside, attending church and Sunday school, playing the piano, riding in the car, playing with his sisters and brother, coming along with me as I teach gymnastics class, and (most recently) going to school. That's right, Roman started first grade at Silver Lake Elementary School here in Middletown this morning. He loved it! We are so grateful for the wonderful and professional folks that provide these special education resources in our community. The pictures above are from his first day at school.

Roman has a hard time sleeping through the night and we are not quite sure why? This means we are not getting a solid night's sleep. Roman gets up several times and wiggles his way into our bed...he prefers to sleep right next to us.

We still marvel every time we look at him...he is so tender and precious...a masterpiece.

Our Two Week Update

2008-02-03T21:48:00.000-05:00

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

We Are Home At Last!!!

2008-01-18T16:57:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends and Family,

After two years of prayer and planning and 36 days of rigorous travel Roman James Weaver arrived home around midnight on Thursday escorted by Pa-pa and Uncle Matt. Here is a photo summary of our last five days in Ukraine.

Sunday night was our last evening in Tulchyn. All together I was in Tulchyn for 28 days living out of a rented apartment right in the center of town. On our last evening in Tulchyn Matt and I invited our friends Ruslan and Archie (from Vinnystia), Sasha and Natasha (from Lideszian), and Svetlana (our facilitator) to join us for supper at Tulchenka. I am so thankful for the brothers and sisters in Christ God has given me in these places. These men and women took us in to their homes and assisted us at critical points in the process. I've learned so much about caring for the orphan from these veterans.

After dinner we all went back to my apartment in Tulchyn for a time of fellowship and worship. We invited our land lady, Albina, and her entire family to join us. We had planned this evening to be an opportunity to open God's Word and share the gospel of Jesus while having the translation help of our Christian friends. After singing some familiar worship songs in both English and Ukrainian I shared a message from Galatians 4 on our adoption in God's family. We sensed the Lord really at work during this time of sharing and conversation that followed. I am confident that gospel seeds were sown.

First thing on Monday Ruslan picked us up at our Apartment and we drove to the oprhanage for the last time. I cannot put into words the thoughts and feelings that were running through me as we drove to the orphanage. These moments were surreal. I was on the verge of tears as we drove through the gates of the orphanage and saw children from Roma's group out for some play. I walked through the doors and found Roma's caregivers getting him ready to go outside and play. I scooped him up and carried him into the play room and began taking off all of his old clothes. What an emotional time this was for me. It was clear that Roman understood that this was "the big day". He was so happy as some of the ladies told him that he was going to be leaving with his Pa-pa and that he would have a new home now.

I had long anticipated the day when I would walk into this orphanage and dress Roman in his new clothes!

A friend from home had modified this Land's End jacket for Roman--shortening the arms so that they covered his hands but also allow him to slip them out when needed. After clothing Roman I picked him up and walked him around the orphanage one final time.

As soon as we walked outside Roma was eager to get in the big truck and go! All of his friends lined the road to say "Pa-ca" which means "Goodbye". If you look through the window behind me and Roman you can see some of them. Roman did not seem the least bit afraid to get in the van and drive away.

Roma sat on my lap for the first leg of this trip--to Vinnytsia to pick up his passport which was to arrive later that day. The trip to Vinnytsia is about an hour. We listened to some Christian music and spent a lot of time just looking out the window at all the new sights and sounds. Uncle Matt let Roma wear his hat.

We arrived at the passport office in Vinnytsia only to receive this disappointing news that the person who was to mail our passport from Kiev did not. We had spent a lot of time praying about this and were convinced that today was the day we were to leave. It was suggested that we stay overnight in Vinnytsia until the passport arrived and drive to Kiev on Tuesday. However, if we did not make it back to Kiev sometime on Monday it would be impossible to fly home on Thursday. We decided that we were going on to Kiev without Roma's passport (uncharted territory) and that Svetlana would stay behind in Vinnytsia and bring Roma's passport to us on Tuesday.

Uncle Matt was a huge help as we worked out all of these details. It would have been impossible for me to bring Roma home without his help. Not once did Matt complain or appear frustrated by all of the waiting and unexpected surprises. We had such a peace during all of this as God had shown us so many times that He was in such control.

Uncle Matt, Svetlana, and Roma on the streets of Vinnytsia after finding out that our passport was not going to make it. We went back to Ruslan's house to discuss our plan of heading on to Kiev without the passport and to have lunch. Roma enjoyed exploring Ruslan's home and especially enjoyed the yummy lunch that Archie made for all of us.

About four hours later we arrived at our apartment in Kiev and before long Roma was fast asleep. I wasn't sure how he would do going down to sleep his first night outside of the orphanage with two men. He seemed a little afraid when we first arrived, but he settled down and slept well.

First thing on Tuesday morning we took Roma for his medical exam, necessary to obtain his US Visa. The doctor who examined Roma was the same doctor that examined Nicholas last year! He spoke to Roma in Ukrainian which was unexpected as Russian is the predominant language in Kiev. (Roma has not heard a lot of Russian). He did great! Everything the doctor asked him to do he did well! He wasn't the least bit afraid. The doctor told us that his heart and lungs sound strong. He obviously very small and has some mental/cognitive delays. He will need a thorough work up once we arrive home.

While in Kiev Uncle Matt and I took Roma to Kiev's premier mall located underneath Independence Square. Our flat was a short walking distance. I was so proud to hold his little hand and strut through the mall. We got a few weird looks as people caught on to Roma's appearance.

On Wednesday morning Svetlana (our facilitator) came by the flat to see how we were making out. She was not to happy to find out that we were already feeding Roman McDonalds. She has grown very attached and protective of Roma. She told us how she tries to not get attached to the children she is working with because it is too hard when families leave. With Roma, however, she was unable to stay detached--she had fallen in love with him and was so proud of him. A few days earlier when we were in Tulchyn buying some baby food for Roma a woman expressed concern that we would be adopting Roma to sell his vital organs on the black market and Svetlana set this woman straight explaining how we actually loved and cared for Roman. What impressed me the most about our last meeting with Svetlana is her comment how my message about our need for adoption into God's family had impacted her and how she called her sons and other family members to tell them everything. She told me that I was her "teacher" and that she had learned so much from both Karen and I over the last year. She made other remarks that suggest she is really processing a lot spiritual truth at this time. Karen and I will stay regularly in touch with her and water these seeds as we update her on Roma's progress.

The first couple of night I could just lay for hours next to Roma and watch him sleep. In these moments prayers of thanksgiving and prayers for Roma's continued health and growth just flowed so easily. He is so happy and playful at bed time--and sneaky. On Wednesday night I decided to lay him down alone in the room while Matt and I watched a movie in the other room. Well, lets just say we caught him getting out of bed "super sneaky" three or four times.

On Wednesday morning we walked to the office of Bethany Social Services to say goodbye to some of our dear friends. From left to right--Oksana, Roman, Daddy, Taras, and Dasha. These friends where the ones that found Roma in Tulchyn and made his plight known to Bethany Christian Services in the US. They have looked after Roma his entire time in Tulchyn--visiting him, etc.

We flew out of Kiev at 12:30 on Thursday afternoon. Roma loved the airplane and was exceptional the entire flight. He sat still and enjoyed flipping through magazines and eating snacks. Our entire trip home was about 24 hours and he used the portable potty I had purchased the entire time. We had prayed that God would give us special favor on the airplane and in the airports and He did. Airline attendants were especially helpful, courteous, and enamored with Roma. When we arrived in JFK it was as if God was carrying us on the wings of eagles--no waiting at passport control or customs.

After long delays in JFK due to weather we finally left for Philadelphia. In Philadelphia family members and Big Jim where waiting for us. I can't tell you how great it was to see all our family waiting for us. Roma wasn't quite sure what to make of all of this. The first sign of "fear" came when we got into our van to come home--He cried pretty hard for about 5 minutes. I think it was a combination of getting in the car with all of these new people after traveling for 24 hours and being very tired and saying goodbye to uncle Matt.

Roman slept well his first night at home though he was a little afraid at first. On Friday morning he got up and had a nice breakfast at the family table with everyone. He is very eager to feed himself with a fork and be a big boy. He is eating very good!

After breakfast we all sat down and watched him open his Christmas presents with his feet. I don't know if he grasps the idea that these presents are his to keep, but he enjoyed opening them and playing with them. He loves playing with toys!

Here he is playing with some of his new things!

Holding my boys!!! They have been pretty good together so far, but there have been a few moments of jealousy and tension. It will take some time to teach these two to share their toys and share their mama and papa. We will pray and ask for God's help in this as he has already helped us in so many other things.

Friday was leisurely. We stayed in our pj's most of the day and played with toys and watched movies together as a family.

We will continue to update you on Roma's progress in the days ahead. Thank you for all of your continued prayers for our family.

Blessings,

Jim

Counting Down!!!!

2008-01-16T15:07:00.000-05:00

Dear Family & Friends,

It is hard to believe that in just over 24 hours Jim, Roman and Matt will be home!!! We can hardly contain our excitement!

Yesterday was a very full day for them as they had to get Roma's US Visa photo taken, finish the paperwork necessary to process the visa and see one of the doctors at the Embassy for his official medical exam. Jim said that through it all Roma was a trooper and that he didn't even shed one tear...he just went with the flow! Apparently, he was especially good for the doctor at the Embassy--did everything that he was asked to do.

Svetlana arrived in Kiev yesterday afternoon with the passport in her hands and they were all relieved to know that it was complete. They did have to take it over to the Embassy later in the day so it could be processed...Jim told me that he was especially thankful to have that passport as he talked w/some families at the Embassy who have been in Ukraine since the beginning of Novemeber!!! (Much of their wait was for their child's passport!) We are so humbled and thankful that God opened all the doors to allow us to get the passport so quickly--He is good!

After all the Embassy hoo-ha yesterday they went out to dinner at a Ukrainian restaurant not too far from their flat--it is kind of like "Home Town Buffet--Ukrainian Style". Roma loved it as the restaurant had all of his favorite foods and then some...he sat so still while eating his food and enjoyed every bite! When they got back to the flat Jim and Matt decided to give Roma a bath...well, let's just say that it was a difficult experience for Roma! He is not used to taking a bath, especially a warm bath...he cried for a bit but Jim said that he and Matt were able to get him clean--really clean! :) I don't think that they will be attempting another bath until they are home...ha...ha...ha...! (Crying during the first few baths seems to be the "norm" for kids who have lived in oprhanages b/c they are only used to being "hosed off"/rinsed with not-so-warm water...we found this to be true w/Nicholas last year--he screamed so loud we thought that he was going to hurt himself but eventually he got used to baths and now he doesn't want to get out. :) ) After the bath, they turned on some "Brady Bunch" (Matt brought some DVD's from one of the seasons) and Roma was all about it--snuggled right up to Papa and Uncle Matt and watched 2 full episodes before being whisked off to bed. He did great last night at bedtime (again) and was happy to snuggle w/Papa for a bit...

Today they finished all paperwork necessary for the visa and by 3:00 pm (Ukraine time--which was 8:00 am US time) everything was done--they had ALL paperwork in their hands! This freed them up to spend some time just walking around and enjoying their last full day in Kiev. I was able to send Jim a voice-text message to Roma this morning and Jim said that he loved it...and started to look around for me when he heard my voice! I can hardly wait to wrap my arms around my boy tomorrow night!! A little bit later Jim sent me a voice-text message w/Roma saying my "mama"...it was precious.

This afternoon Jim and Matt took him to McDonald's for lunch--he LOVED it! Jim said that he gobbled up the nuggets and fries w/delight--he's been bitten by the Golden Arches! :) They walked around Kiev for a bit today and even went to see Taras at the Bethany office--it was a great visit and everyone was so happy to see Roma heading for home! Roma did great at bedtime tonight and only got about of bed about 4 times :) . He was smiling so big each time that Jim went back in to re-lay him back in his bed...eventually he settled in for the night and has been snoozing ever since. When I last talked to Jim, he and Matt were relaxing and just sitting down to eat some take out from a local pub...it has been a long couple of days!

In the morning they will pack up everything and head to the airport (about a 45 min. drive)--they have to be there b/w 10:00-10:30 am...Their flight takes off from Kiev at 12:30pm (Ukraine time--which is 5:30 am US time) and they are scheduled to arrive in NY at JFK Airport at approximately 4:15 pm (US time). (If you would like to follow the flight path you can go to Delta Airlines website and type in flight # 089--it will show you where they are in the air!) Please pray for Roma as the flight is very LONG--a little over 10 hours...Pray for safety and rest for all of them and that all will go smoothly.

Once they arrive at JFK they will have to go through Customs, etc. and then head to the next terminal where they will have about a 3 hour layover before boarding their connecting flight to Philadelphia--which is scheduled to arrive in Philly at approximately 9:24 pm. Pray for Roma as JFK is a very busy airport and he will most likely be a little overwhelmed by all the sounds and sights--not to mention how he will feel when he sees all of us waiting for him in Philly!!!

The kids are busting with excitement and are so giddy--can't wait for tomorrow to get here! Please continue to pray for the adjustments that will come...pray for peace and for strength. We are so thankful for all your prayers and can't wait to update after we are all home together!!! We love you!

Love and Blessings,
Karen (for Jim, Matt and Roman!!)

IN KIEV!!!!

2008-01-15T06:59:00.000-05:00

Dear Family & Friends,

Jim, Roman and Matt are in Kiev! They arrived there in the evening last night. When Jim texted me yesterday afternoon I just assumed that it took a while to get the passport and that they headed for Kiev after receiving it. However, I heard from Jim after they were in Kiev and he said that he, Matt and Roma left for Kiev in faith as the passport had not arrived!! He explained that whoever was supposed to have sent it over the weekend forgot and therefore it was not going to arrive until sometime early Tuesday morning. Jim said that they decided that they would head on to Kiev while Svetlana stayed behind in Vinnytsa to wait for the passport. The plan was for her to call on Tuesday morning when she had the passport in her hands so that she could give them the passport number, which would allow them to proceed w/the U.S. Embassy appointments necessary today, and then she would take a taxi to Kiev asap. Jim said there were no guarantees that the passport would arrive Tuesday morning.

Jim texted me this morning to let me know that Svetlana DID receive the passport this morning AND she was on her way back to Kiev AND they were on their way to the U.S. Embassy for their first appointment!!!!!! Praise the Lord!! We are so relieved to know that they are officially in the home-stretch of this journey...

About Roma and leaving the orphanage and traveling...Jim said that he was holding back the tears when Ruslan showed up at the flat to pick them up. We have waited for the day we could take him home for so long...it just seems so surreal. They drove over to the orpahange just as the workers had Roma dressed and ready to go outside for a bit w/the other kids, but the workers could tell that Jim had "the bag" (the bag w/Roma's new clothes, jacket and shoes to take him in) and so they took him back inside and undressed him. Roma was so excited to change into his new clothes...Jim dressed him one piece at a time all the while holding in the emotion of the moment! (How I wish that I could have been there!!--they did video each step of the way). Once he was dressed and ready to go they went outside where the Director, Maria, was waiting for them...she kissed Roma and told him that he was going to go w/his Papa and Uncle and go on airplane home--it was a very tender and precious moment. They waved goodbye to the children and the workers and hopped into Ruslan's van and drove on to Vinnytsa. Jim said that Roma was so excited to get inside the van and that as they drove he was fascinated by all that he saw...like a typical boy he got really animated whenever he saw a big truck on the road!

Once they arrived in Vinnytsa they dropped Svetlana at the passport office and then Ruslan took them to his home where they waited for a few hours before heading to Kiev. Ruslan's wife, Archie, had prepared a great lunch for them--to use Jim's words: It was Awesome!--and Roma enjoyed it too. After lunch Roma explored the house a little and actually learned how to go up and down their steps--Jim said that he really liked doing this...he has never really been up and down steps before since the orphanage was all on one floor. They waited a while and then made the decision to head to Kiev. Roma had NO motion sickness at all the entire day--not from Tulchyn to Vinnytsa NOR Vinnytsa to Kiev!! A direct answer to much prayer...

They arrived in Kiev sometime in the early evening hours and are staying at a great flat right in the heart of Kiev...and right near McD's! :) Jim gave Roma his dinner and he ate just fine but after that it was apparent that he was nervous and a bit afraid. Jim said that Roma's eyes became a little red and it was clear that he was holding in the tears...so they turned on Madagascar on Jim's computer and he was delighted to watch that. Eventually he fell asleep watching the movie and Jim moved him to his bed and snuggled w/him for a bit. He fell back to sleep w/out a problem. It is apparent (and we expected this) that Roma is nervous and unsure of all that is happening...so much change! Please pray for Roma and the anxiety and sadness that he is experiencing...as this is so hard on him...pray that the Lord would enable Jim and Matt to meet whatever needs he has and pray that Roma will feel and accept such love and care. He is so tender right now...

Thank you for your prayers...Hopefully Jim will be able to update a little later w/some pics!

Love and Blessings,
Karen (for Jim, Matt & Roman!)

On the Move

2008-01-14T06:03:00.000-05:00

Dear Family & Friends,

I heard from Jim yesterday and he sounded wonderful! He and Matt held a little party/fellowship group at their flat last night--he said it was GREAT! Albina and her family came (Andre, little Andre and Katya), Pastor Sasha and his wife Natasha, Svetlana and Ruslan & Archie were there also. They sang some worship songs in English and in Ukrainian and were able to share the Gospel w/their new friends as Ruslan translated for them. Jim also took the opportunity to thank our new friends for all that they have done to help us and how God had used them to minister to us as streams in the desert. We both agreed that these dear people will be forever in our hearts as each plays a special role in Roman's road to home and they are all now lifelong friends!

Well, this morning they were headed to the orphanage to pick Roman up and say good-bye to his friends and caregivers--a day we have prayed for, for almost 2 years! It is hard to believe that in 3 short days they will be home...we are all so excited! Here's how you can be praying:

1) Please pray for Roma--yes, he is ready to go w/his Papa and Uncle but we are not sure if he understands that he is never going back to the orphanage and this will cause him to be fearful and anxious. Please pray that God would comfort his young heart and mind and ease his fears. Pray that he would embrace even more the love of his Papa. Pray for Jim and Matt to know how best to help him over the next few days. Pray also for Roma as he is not used to traveling for so long a time...apparently kids who are not used to being in a moving vehicle for so long a time get motionsickness pretty easy! Please also pray for the transition and adjustment to a new life that lies ahead...

2) Please pray that they don't have to wait all day Monday to get the passport. The plan is that Jim, Roman, Matt and Svetlana will be picked up by Ruslan and taken to Vinnytsa. Once there Svetlana will head to the passport office to wait until the passport is ready, while Jim, Matt and Roma wait at Ruslan's house. Once she gets the passport IN her hands they will head to Kiev--about a 4 hour drive. It is important that they get to Kiev at a good hour so that Svetlana can get the paperwork to the translator for translation (they can't leave the country w/out all the documents translated!) and it takes about 3 days to do this. Pray for the timing of everything...and for peace as they wait to go to Kiev.

3) Please pray for the U.S. Embassy leg of this journey...pray that they will be able to process Roman's visa in only 2 days. When we were at the Embassy before I left the guy helping us said that it should only take 2 days but they tell people 3 days (that is cutting it close since they have to be at the airport in the morning on Thursday not the afternoon). Pray for swiftness and that God would once again go before them w/His favor and allow everything to just fall into place. Pray for peace as they go the appointments necessary in Kiev.

4) Pray for safety as they travel to Kiev today--still snow on the ground.

5) Please pray for our children here in the States as they await the arrival of their daddy and new brother. I have been talking w/Nicholas nonstop since I got home about his new brother...he nods his head in agreement and seems to understand some things but I don't think he fully understands how his little world is about to change. He is adjusting to having his mommy back, which has been good, but just as he is getting used to things all will change again, and it will be yet another adjustment to have his daddy and new brother home--a lot for a 2 year old! Pray also for the girls...they remember last year and how long it took to find a new "normal" and they are a little anxious. However, they are really excited to see and hug the brother that they have prayed for for so long! It will be a sweet reunion on Thursday night...we are ALL going to the airport...please pray for our safety as we travel there and back.

Thank you for your constant prayers and support of our family--we are overwhelmed at how God has loved us through all of you. We can't wait for you to meet Roma...a little treasure!

Love and blessings,
Karen (for Jim, Matt & Roman!)

Our God is a Prayer-Hearing God

2008-01-12T07:56:00.000-05:00

Greetings Family and Friends,

It looks like everything is coming together wondrously for us to leave Tulchyn with Roman on Monday! Just a couple of days ago it looked like we might be stuck here for 1-2 more weeks, but God has heard our cries for help and has intervened in amazing ways to shorten our stay and allow us to come home this week. This doesn't mean we should get lazy with prayer...things can change for the good or the bad overnight here in Ukraine so please continue to remember us in your prayers. Let me update you on a few other matters.

Yesterday, while praying and reading in the morning I had a real burden for Tulchyn. I told the Lord that I was ready to leave today(that is yesterday) if it was best, but if he were to give me a few more days here it would mean frutiful labor and an opportunity to "shine" for him. I asked theLord to give me some opportunity to say to these people whom we have met in Tulchyn that our chief motivation for adopting Roman is the love of God in Jesus Christ that has gripped our hearts. O how I wish I could articulate my thoughts to these people and speak plainly to them in some understandable way. Well, God answered this prayer in such an incredible way. Later that day we recieved a call from Svetlana that a reporter here in Tulchyn had heard of us being here and what we were doing and wanted to meet with me for an interview later that day at the orphanage (at 4). Well, I met her at 4pm in the director's office withSvetlana, Maria, and Matt present. She had a little tape recorder to tape everything I said and spoke to me through Svetlana--though I starting to understand a lot more what is being said these days. Her first question was, "Why have you decided to adopt this boy and what are your hopes andplans for him in the USA." Well, I took the opportunity to tell her our whole story from beginning to end in great detail...the picture, the prayer, the girls asking if we could be Roma's parents, the decision, the long wait, the sad news that we would have to wait longer, the money, Nicholas' adoption, the trip this summer, and now our adoption. I told her that our chief motivation was that God had sent Jesus into this world tosecure our adoption into His family. She said, "But he is an invalid." I replied, "And so am I!" I told her that we really are all invalids spiritually and physically (since we are all dying)--all of our arms are too short to reach out and grasp God and obtain a right standing before him. The good news from the Old Testament and New Testament is that God saves. And that God saves with "outstretched arms". With outstretched arms he saved the Israelites from their captivity in Egypt (Ps. 136) and with outstretched arms on the cross He saved us from our sin. His arms are long when ours are too short. He reaches down to us through the person and work of Jesus and says, "I love you with all of your problems." I told her that when that kind of love grips your heart and you realize that you have been adopted into God's family that you begin to grow--just like when we adopt these orphans and bring them into our home and love them they begin to grow in new ways. It is God's love that has brought us to this point of wanting to adopt Roman. Maria also explained how Roma is a fighter and how no one expected him to live. I chimmed in and told the reporter that Maria had saved Roma's life twice. Maria explained how Roma is really growing and developing rapidly and that he has a bright future. The reporter asked,"Who will take care of all of these children at home?" I told her that my wife would be at home caring for these children and that I would be helping every day. She really couldn't understand all of this. She asked me if there would be other people from the US who would follow our example of taking in these needy children and I said, "I hope so!" But then I said this--"My real hope is that more and more people from Tulchyn and all ofUkraine would realize how precious these children are--all of them masterpieces made in the image of God--and care for them." I told the reporter that it would be better for these children to have loving homes here in Ukraine where they were born. The reporter told me that life is too hard here and she and her husband have to work so hard to make a living and caring for children like this would be impossible. She thanked me immensely for what we were doing to give Roma a life in the US. Etc. Etc. It was really neat. The article will come out sometime this week after weare gone but I will arrange for a copy to make it our way. I just can't believe how God answered my prayer from that morning--"Lord, just give me some way to share you with these people."

Today Matt and I went on a complete tour of the orphanage facility with the director and Svetlana. We got to see every child in the orphanage and learn of many of their sad situations.I was able to get some information on a few of the children to bring back with me. Maria also pointed out many needs here. The old septic/drainage system for the facility has been repaired many many times and now has completely collapsed. Part of the children's play area is flooded with sewage and has posed a health concern. The government will not provide the needed funds to replace this system anytime in the near future. The newborn nursery is ill-equipped and in need of renovation--ceiling, heating, windows, etc. This nursery is for very very sick children.

Matt and I are planning to host a celebration tomorrow night at the flat. Our plan is to invite Sasha and Natasha from Lideszian, Ruslan and Archie,Svetlana, Albina, Katya, Andre and Andre and maybe a couple of others for a time of sharing and thanksgiving before leaving. This will take the form of a very basic worship/outreach event. Ruslan is helping us think through this a bit and thinks it is a great idea. We will sing some songs and I will preach/present the gospel (w/ Ruslan translating) to the friends we have made in Tulchyn. Please pray about this as we are flying by the seatof our pants a bit. This is looking a lot like a fellowship group kind of meeting. It was Ruslan's idea to invite Sasha and Natasha so that there can be follow up with Alina's family if they are interested. Who knows what the Lord will do.

Roma is doing great...he seems to be learning new things from us everyday. Pray for our departure on Monday as we will be on the road for 4-5 hours. He is not used to long car rides and we are not sure how he will do. Pray for the remaining appointments in Kiev. Pray for our safe trip home.

Blessings,

Jim and Matt

Pictures and Video

2008-01-11T06:40:00.000-05:00

Dear Family and Friends,

As Matt and I were posting this blog of pictures and video covering the last couple of days we recieved an incredibly huge phone call from our facilitator, Svetlana. She was so excited to share the good news that all of our passport stuff went through in Kiev the first time and as soon as our passport arrives in Vinnytsya we will be taking Roman from the orphanage and heading out of here. I can't begin in to explain how many things had to fall in place over the last several days to get us to this point. There have been so many incredible answers to prayer. Our first response when Svetlana called was not "surprise." I really had a sense this morning that God had our time table laid out and that something "big" was going to happen today. Though Matt and I are not surprised we are overwhelmed by our Great Prayer Hearing God.

Now we all need to be praying that some last minute details get wrapped up here in Tulchyn and that we can leave here sometime over the next 2-3 days. Our return date of January 17th is looking pretty good at this point. Wow!

Enjoy these pictures and brief videos...Today we were able to take each of the kids in Roma's group for a small ride on the sled. I've never heard them laugh so much. Roma, of course, got a few extra rides and really loved it. We had a great time with him today watching a video of mommy singing songs on the computer.

Blessings,

Jim and Matt

Picture in Tulchyn News Paper

Roman going down for a nap

Roman playing with cell phone

Check out this wierd Doo-rag

Matt and Jim checking out local transportation

The next Bill Gates

Matt with Pastor Sasha and wife (Natasha)

Matt playing with babies in orphanage

Official birth certificate in Lideszian

Having fun with Svetlana

Jim and Matt in Lideszian

Little boy with special needs in Tulchyn--needs a family

Video of Papa putting Roman down for a nap

Things are moving

2008-01-10T06:10:00.000-05:00

Dear Family & Friends,

I heard from Jim yesterday afternoon and he sounds great. Yesterday was a very full day of traveling to several towns to accomplish what they needed to. At 8 am yesterday they packed into Andre's car (Albina's husband) and they headed over to the town of Lidizjan--apparently the roads were pretty slick and down to only one lane.

They arrived at the birth certificate office to find our pastor-friend, Sasha, whom we had met the week before! Jim said that Sasha knew they were going to be there but he hadn't asked him to come, but Sasha came anyway to help make sure that everything went smoothly obtaining Roma's birth certificate.--very thoughtful. While at the office Jim had to state Roma's name at birth and when he said his last name (Likhenchenko) Sasha's eyes widened--yes, he knew Roma's birthfather!! Amazing!!! Jim was floored and couldn't believe it...he was able to learn a little bit more about Roma's birthparents (which will mean much to Roma when he gets older) and found out how they are doing...his birthfather is a well-known plumbing, heating, HVAC guy in the town and very well respected! He and his wife (birthmom) were married when they had Roma and are just a little younger than Jim and I. Sasha said that they are very sweet people and have had a lot of heartache in their life as they did have another child, a baby girl, who lived for a short while after birth but died. Jim asked Sasha to tell Roma's father about us and that their son is being adopted by a "good American family"...Sasha said he would do that. Jim also encouraged Sasha to share the Gospel with them as Jesus is the only hope of this life--especially as they have had much suffering and are in need of the Good News. Simply amazing...Jim said that all of the birth certificate hoo-ha could have taken 2 days but they were able to have it all done in a matter of hours--answered prayer!

After the birth certificate office they had to travel all the way to Vinnytsa to have the birth certificate authenticated...then after that they had to travel to Nemirov to have copies of the birth certificate notarized. (Apparently the notary in Nemirov is related to someone either at the courthouse or orphanage and she knew all about us and was more than happy to help--another answered prayer!) They finally arrived back in Tulchyn at 6 pm--enough time to go and see Roma!

Jim said that Roma was sooooo excited to see them last night...he was probably wondering where they were! They arrived just in time to "hear" him get his bath/shower--more like hose down! Jim said that they allowed him and Matt to wait outside the bathroom door while he got "clean"--Roma screamed and cried as they hosed him off...the worker told Jim that the water was very cold (I'd scream too!)...Jim said that they really didn't clean him b/c he still had remnants of his dinner on his face when he came out! Nonetheless they really enjoyed playing w/him and he w/them...it was great...won't be long now before they can take him out of there.

Now, there is still a lot of paperwork that has to be done and officials who have to "officialize" things...Today they have to take the authenticated birth certificate over to the Tulchyn police station (I am not exactly sure why as we did not have to do this last year in Kherson)...they told Svetlana that if the passport office called from Vinnytsa that they would expedite whatever it is that they have to do w/the documents and that would mean that today they could go and apply for the passport! This would be fantastic and great...Please pray to this end! (f they don't get all that they need by tomorrow it will be a setback b/c the weekend will be here and everything is closed. It would also mean that Jim most likely would have to change his tickets to a later date and come home alone, as Matt has to come back by the 17th. If we think too much about it all we get anxious, so we are trusting God and asking Him to make the paths clear and make a way where there doesn't seem to be one.)

Please pray for the passport officials to be merciful and that God would put it on their hearts to complete the paperwork and process his passport in one day...pray that the Lord's favor would continue to go before them in all things.

Pray for Roma as his whole world is about to change...if they do get his passport today or tomororw they could be traveling to Kiev as early as Friday or Saturday! It will be a HUGE change for him and he will have many fears. Pray for all that is about to take place...

All of us here at home are fine...just getting things ready for Daddy and Roman and counting down the days. Nicholas has an ear infection and Kaitlyn has had an increase in asthma but overall we are fine. God is carrying us in this time of separation...He is faithful!

Thank you for praying and holding us up in prayer before the Lord...we love you!
Love,
Karen & Jim (and Matt too!)

Hi It's Mateusch (Matt!)

2008-01-08T03:26:00.000-05:00

Dear Family and Friends,

So far, my introduction to the Ukraine has been fairly quiet; however exciting. As it turns out I have some possible distant relatives here in Tulchyn! My last name (Kwiatkowski) leads to some interesting conversations as Poland once ruled the Ukraine! Funny thing is, people always expect me to be able to speak Polish, but all I know is Ya Cha Ko Hum (I love you!). We spend the first day in Kiev, tripping to a couple old orthodoxed churches. We haggled with some market people and traveled on their very dependable train transportation. At the center of the city, all was decorated for the celebration of the holiday. There is a big Christmas tree and around it are about 15 Santas dressed exactly the same, smoking cigarettes. The one in the picture to the right was the "best" Santa and Jim quickly snagged a picture of him with Karen the day before. We think the cat is out of the bag when it comes to the children believing in Santa here....not too sure how that works with several Santas all in the same spot at the same time!!! Jim is able to communicate sufficiently in the Ukrainian language making things easier, but interesting at times. A Ukrainian tradition here is for people to travel door to door singing songs Christmas Eve and Day (they celebrated their’s 1/7), like our caroling. We got a knock on the door to see a couple in their late twenties, dressed very nicely, singing a Ukrainian song. However, at the end of their song, it is also tradition to then give them money! The next thing we knew, our doorbell was ringing for the next 2 hours…we didn’t answer the door!

The past few days have been wonderful, filled with opportunities to visit Roma at the orphanage. He has such a warm spirit, gentle and playful. Jim and I have had some great play time with him creating rough and tough games. He continues to love to throw things with his feet, place objects (really anything laying around) into his dumptruck, into a basket, or at each other! I have noticed that he enjoys finding the limits of things, taking them to their capacities. It is never enough to put just one or two items into the dump-truck, it always has to be filled to the brim. Jim and Karen had purchased a slinky that he loves to stretch out across the entire room! It is amazing to watch him do that as he continues to push and challenge himself with each task we so easily take for granted. He is so perseverant. The ladies at the orphanage let Jim feed him lunch yesterday. Roma was very adamant about feeding himself, something the workers never allow; they are very demanding in all they expect of the children…everything done quickly and institutionalized. So anyway, Roma constantly finds ways to adapt. He is so beautiful.

What an important day today !! We are dependent on God for everything, but especially the important documents which will determine the length of the rest of our stay here. Svetlana is currently obtaining documents to get Roma’s birth certificate and identification card with his name change. We will then also need to get his passport in order. Getting things accomplished here in the Ukraine is “like a box of chocolates”, you never know what you are going to get…thanks Forrest Gump. We remain in prayer that these important documents would get done quickly without fail. The past day and a half has been met with about 7-8 inches of snow; we also pray that all roads are passable as we will need to travel into Lidesian, a much more rural road system than you can imagine. Thank you for your prayers that all matters are laid at God’s feet as we wait to see how things will unfold.

We will be writing again soon as we have more information about the rest of the week!

Love,

Matt and Jim

Some Specific Prayer Needs

2008-01-07T20:18:00.000-05:00

Dear Family & Friends,

I heard from Jim earlier today and he asked me to ask all of you to pray very specifically over the next few days about the remainder of the process.

First, he said that it was snowing like crazy in Tulchyn today--by evening 4-5 inches had fallen and it was still coming down hard. All of this snow may make it hard for them (Jim, Matt & Svetlana, our facilitator) to travel to Lidizjan (Roman's birthtown) to get a copy of Roman's birth certificate--the roads are pretty hazardous without snow so you can imagine that they will be harder to navigate in such conditions. Please pray that they would be able to go and for safe travel to and from Lidizjan.

Second, Svetlana told Jim today that she knew of several families who are currently in the process of obtaining their adopted children's passports and it was taking a very long time to receive them and she is concerned about how long it will take to get Roma's. If it takes longer than a few days to get the passport it may mean that Jim & Roma would have to come home later than the projected date of Jan. 17th (next Thurs.) and changing their tickets is not only a hassle but it is VERY expensive. It would be very hard and discouraging for us if he was unable to come home by next week, especially as the children are counting down the days until they see their Daddy and meet their new brother. Please pray that God would go before them and make a way. Pray for God to give Svetlana wisdom. Pray that God would give Jim great peace during this time of uncertainty.

Third, there is also some concern that the special power of attorney that I had done in the U.S. and translated in Kiev may not be enough. Svetlana has said that sometimes the officials at the birth certificate office and the passport office want to see both Mama and Papa. Please pray that all those who need to see this document would accept it without hesitation and allow Jim to act on my behalf.

On a side note...Jim sounded great and said that he and Matt were having a great time. They had "church" yesterday--listened to a great John Piper sermon and had a wonderful time of worship and prayer...so wonderful that they lost all track of time and were up until 3 am praying! They are enjoying the snow but it is making walking back and forth to the orphanage (about 1 mile each way) a little difficult. He said that today the workers not only let him feed Roma lunch and dinner but actually put him in his bed after lunch for nap and at bedtime this evening--he was loving it. They bought smaller markers today at the market and Roma loved them--easier to hold than the fat crayons--and enjoyed coloring with them. Jim also took in the ipod and played some music for Roma--he LOVED it! He and Matt had a great time playing with him today.

Jim also told me that earlier tonight he and Matt had some interesting visitors at the door...the first visitors rang the doorbell and upon the opening of the door broke into song! Of course Jim and Matt thought this was great but when the people wouldn't stop singing they decided they better ring Albina's flat to see if she could explain why the people would not leave. Apparently, on Christmas Day (today is Orthodox Christmas) there is a tradition that people "carol" from house to house singing and they don't stop singing until you give them money!! Albina's mom told Jim that they would sing there all day until Jim or Matt gave them some money...of course they paid up! ha....ha...ha...

The second visitor was an older lady...she rang the bell of the flat and was talking on and on in Ukrainian to Jim and Matt--of course they had no idea what in the world she was saying. So once again they rang Albina's flat and asked for help...the old lady is a known widow who lives in the town and she has no relatives to care for her and is unable to work so she goes inside to the apartments and begs for food. She was not looking for money, just food to get by for the day. Jim said that they felt so bad for her and they went inside and gave her some food. It is sad to think that this woman in her old age has no one and that she must beg just to survive...As Jim shared this story with me I was reminded of Matthew 25:35-40 where Jesus says, "For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’" It is easy to overlook the least and last of this world, but what a great challenge given by Jesus to remember that when we serve the least, the last and the lost we are serving Him.

Thank you for praying and walking through this journey with us...We love you!

Love and blessings,
Karen & Jim

Home Sweet Home

2008-01-06T21:01:00.000-05:00

Dear Family & Friends,

It's me, Karen, here updating for both of us as Jim will not have access to the internet for the next day or two.

I arrived home late last night...very tired but overjoyed to see the children! Jim and I arrived at the airport in Kiev at the exact time that our brother-in-law, Matt, was coming through the doors of customs--it was GREAT to see him and know that he had arrived safely and almost an hour early!! Jim, Matt and Helen helped me figure out how to get checked in and then sent me on my way...Oh it was so hard to say good-bye to Jim and know that I will not be a part of this final leg of our journey, but I know that God is in control and that He is doing so much more than we can see, and in that I take great comfort!

My flight to JFK from Ukraine was great and took just over 10 hours. I met some great people on the flight--a couple flying home to Florida with their newly adopted son and daughter (siblings--their second set), another couple who just happened to be the parents of a guy who works at the U.S. Embassy in Kiev--their son was our officer last year and is again this year!, and I also enjoyed talking w/the Ukrainian lady (from Texas) who sat next to me...all in all it was a great flight. After a few hours lay over I flew from JFK to Philly where my mom met me and drove me home.

I have talked w/Jim, and he said that he and Matt made it back to Tulchyn with no problems as well. He said that they took a short tour of Kiev while they waited for their late afternoon train to Vinnytsya and had a great time, despite the subzero temps! They arrived in Vinnytsya and Ruslan's brother, Roma, was there waiting for them. They stopped and had pizza--their last hurrah for other varieties of food until their time in Tulchyn is done--and Jim was loving it! They arrived in Tulchyn between 9:00 pm-10:00 pm. This morning they walked over to the orphanage to see Roma--Jim said he couldn't get there fast enough. Roma was so excited to see Jim and after he said his hellos to PaPa he bypassed Jim and went looking for Mama...but he found Matt instead :) and apparently backed up and came back to Papa! :) Jim said that it was different to not have me there but that Roma warmed up and he played great with him and Matt ...he also said that the workers did not allow him to feed Roma his lunch (not sure why) and so Jim was a little bummed about that since he had not seen him for 3 days. They were looking forward to going back later this evening.

Svetlana arrives tomorrow evening some time...The plan is for her to go to the courthouse in Tulchyn first thing Tuesday morning to pick up the "court's decision" (the official papers stating that the court allowed us to adopt Roma) and then they will head to Roma's birthtown (Lidizjan). Please pray for this trip to Lidizjan and for the person who will be issuing the copy of Roma's birth certificate. Pray that this person would accept the "special power of attorney" document that I had prepared in the U.S. and tranlated in Kiev. Pray for their safety as they travel and for swiftness.

Thank you for all your prayers for a safe trip home for me and a safe arrival for Matt...God was gracious and heard those prayers! Please keep in prayer Jim's sister, Wendy, Matt's wife, as she is at home caring for their 5 kids and holding down the fort. I would so appreciate your continued prayers for me as I have a lot of things I need to take care of before Jim and Roma come home. Please also pray for our kids as the transition that lies ahead is drawing nearer...pray for peace, patience and joy.

We love you all and are so grateful for your encouragement and faithful prayers--God is good!

Love,
Karen & Jim

Isaiah 43:2-3a--" When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God,the Holy One of Israel, your Savior."

In Kiev

2008-01-03T07:56:00.000-05:00

Greetings Family and Friends,

We woke up before dawn and headed to the train station on what feels like the coldest day so far here in Ukraine--Its about 10 degrees Farenheit but feels more like 10 below with the wind chill. (It looks like you guys back home have had a bit of cold weather too.) The train was nearly 40 minutes late so we stook outside in the dark and froze--This was the coldest I have ever been. The trains are tricky here, barely coming to a complete stop with droves of people trying to get off and get on at the same time. We barely made it on the train! We found the train comfortable, warm, and clean.

We arrived in Kiev at about 9:30am this morning and went straight to the US Embassy to sign all necessary forms together before Karen leaves on Saturday. Everything went smoothly at the Embassy. We met another family, the Graces, from Alabama at the Embassy who where there finishing out the process to adopt a 13-yr old girl. As soon as we began talking with them we knew they were believers as their speech was seasoned with much salt. The church that they are a part of has a ministry where they sponsor a group of 12-14 orphans from one orphanage to come and visit during the summer. They minister to the children for a couple of weeks and spend time getting to know each of them. Two years ago they met their Dasha while hosting a group and began the process to adopt her. They already have a daughter (8 yr) and a son (14 yr). What I found interesting is that several families from their hometown where all in Ukraine together adopting a group of these children they had hosted. It is so encouraging to see the body of Christ in action and to meet all of these different people and hear their stories of faith and love. We ran into this family again later in the day while out on the streets of Kiev. What's the chances?

It is so good to back in civilizatin even if it is only for 48 hours. We have running hot water and an internet connection for the first time in three weeks! Our flat is located overtop of a McDonalds on Independence Square right in the heart of the city. I will enjoy every bit of this place before traveling back to Tulchyn with my brother-in-law on Saturday evening.

Tonight Karen and I have a dinner meeting with the director of Bethany Social Services here in Ukraine, Taras, and Dr. Jim Peipon and his wife Marianna with Ukrain Medical Outreach to discuss further the details of an special orphan care trip scheduled for March. The goal of this trip will be to provide Medical Education to orphanage directors and staff in the Vinnytsa Region to improve the quality of care that children are recieving over time and to build relationships through which we can minister also to the spiritual needs of children and workers in these places. Please be praying as this is a very ambitious project involving folks from our church, Crossroads, along with these other organizations and Christian friends here in Ukraine.

As I look out the window of our flat here in Keiv and see the snow gently falling on this historic city that has known so much tumult and bloodshed I am reminded of Isaiah 1:18 "Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crismson, they shall become like wool." Let us pray that the saving grace of Jesus Christ would blanket this city and this land like snow. Let us ask our Father who is in heaven to bring about a revolution of the heart that more and more the people in this place would "cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause" (Is. 1:17). What is needed is a revolution of the heart that can only happen where the gospel finds fertile soil and begins to bear fruit in the lives of individuals. This gospel must be preached in the cities and in the villages!

Love and Blessings,

Jim and Karen

A Very Long Update

2008-01-02T16:59:00.000-05:00

Dear Family & Friends,

It is Tuesday evening and we are in Vinnytsya at Ruslan and Archna’s home. Ruslan, however, is not here as he is out ministering with a team from the U.S. until January 8th. Ruslan’s brother, Roma, picked us up in Tulchyn and drove us here to Vinnytsya. We were so happy to stop at the McDonald’s here in town—good ole greasy American food never tasted so good! We have had a very relaxing evening chatting w/Archna.

We have had a very busy couple of days since we last wrote. On New Year’s Day we got up like normal and visited w/Roma—wonderful, as usual! J He greeted us with such a smile and was ready to play. After about an hour or so we asked if a little girl named Natasha, who is very friendly with Roma, could join us for just a little while to play. This was the first time that we’ve invited any of the children to participate in our time w/Roma—we were curious to see how he would play with us and another child in the room. At first, he was not too happy about it, but he warmed right up. However, after only a few minutes a second girl managed to sneak into the room with us. Jim was unsuccessful in communicating to her that she hadn’t been given permission to be in the room with us and she was unwilling to leave. So, we let her stay and play with us, Roma and Natasha. After a bit, however, it was time for the two young ladies to go as we wanted to spend the last bit of time just with Roma, and I had gotten poked in the eye by one of them! HA…HA…HA…

After leaving the orphanage, we met a young pastor (Sasha) from a neighboring town, Lidizjian, whom Ruslan had arranged to pick us up and take us to an outreach event hosted by his church and then travel to the orphanage we wrote about in our last update. He spoke a little English and we enjoyed learning a little about his life and ministry during our ride. We met up w/Ruslan, his children and a team from the U.S. at Sasha’s church, where we enjoyed a puppet show that told the Christmas Story, a time of fellowship and some singing. There were about 50-60 people in attendance from the town, mostly parents with small children. We were surprised at the end of the program when they called us up front to have us share who we were, where we were from and why we were in Ukraine and to present us with a beautiful picture done by an artist in the church—we were really touched by such thoughtfulness.

We left the event and headed to the orphanage…it is IMPOSSIBLE for us to convey to you the things that we saw at this orphanage as we are still processing everything ourselves. Neither Jim nor I have ever been in a place such as this. The orphanage was at the end of a very long deserted road in the middle of nowhere! It is “home” to 150 children/young adults/adults who have mental and physical handicaps and is considered a “level 4” orphanage in Ukraine, meaning that this orphanage takes Ukraine’s most needy children. As we walked through the doors we could hear screams and noises coming from every direction and the smells were overwhelming. We were greeted by several young boys/men—some in wheelchairs, some walking, some crawling and barking, some clothed, some completely nude. It didn’t seem real…the conditions that these sickly children live in is unimaginable! The people working there, however, seemed to really care for the kids and they were doing their best, the facility is very understaffed and very outdated. There are only 2 doctors to care for all 150 kids—one of the docs is Pastor Sasha’s mother (a very strong and loving woman who prays over each of her patients). As we went from room to room we saw children with disorders and syndromes that we have never even heard of—in one room there was an 11 year old boy who had many syndromes and lived in a crib and was no bigger than a 2 year old! There were many Down Syndrome children and kids with Cerebral Palsy and Arthrogryposis…the sad thing was to hear how many of these children’s lives would have been different had their been sufficient medical care at birth or soon thereafter in the orphanage. We were deeply saddened by the fact that some of these children have sound minds and the only reason they were sent there was b/c they could not walk or were considered not to be developing at the proper rate. Jim and I were moved to tears as we visited with these forgotten ones…I couldn’t help but think that each one was created by God and made in His image! These children live with little dignity as most of them live naked, in a metal crib and with little attention. The hospital affords only 1 worker for every 17 children—mind boggling! We were encouraged to learn that Pastor Sasha, his wife & daughter and members of his church visit there every month and play with the children and love them! Ruslan also makes regular visits to this orphanage, providing important supplies and additional care. We are not sure why God led us to this place, but we pray that we will not forget all that we saw and experienced.

Last night we returned to Tulchyn very tired and overwhelmed.

Today was probably the fastest day yet since our arrival in Ukraine. We got up and headed over to see Roma immediately. We had a wonderful time playing and laughing and singing. He was so cute today—even though the ladies had him dressed like a court jester! J Our time seemed to fly by and we had a ball playing with trucks and blocks and singing songs! We returned later in the day for a very brief visit before traveling to Vinnytsya. Leaving Roma today was so hard…I tried not to cry but I just couldn’t hold back the tears. He knew something was “up” when he saw my tears…he looked at me with those big brown eyes and just smiled. However, when we actually went to leave and turned to the doors he got very upset and tried to leave with us! One of the workers had to come and get him and hold him back…it broke my heart, but I am so happy to know that it will be less than 2 weeks and we will all be together!

Well, it is late here and time for us to rest. We love you and miss you.

Love and blessings,
Karen and Jim

New Year's Eve

2007-12-31T05:53:00.001-05:00

Dear Family & Friends...

Seems hard to believe that the new year is only hours away! New Year's here in Ukraine is a much bigger deal than in USA...it is when they give gifts and celebrate until January 7th, which is Christmas on the Orthodox calendar.

The days seem to run together and it is hard to remember what day we are on b/c every morning we wake up and feel like we are in the movie "Groundhog Day"! The weather doesn't change, the market doesn't change, the food doesn't change, the people don't change, the water doesn't change and our routine doesn't change too much! Ha...ha...ha... We are on day 19 now with NO sun...though I don't seem to mind it b/c it flurries or snows lightly each day.

Roma is GREAT! Truly seeing him is the highlight of our days...We are quickly running out new things to do w/him b/c we are only allowed to take him to a couple of different rooms in the orphanage and it is way too cold to take him outside for very long. He seems content just to have us there playing with him. Today Jim had to tell him "no" to something he wanted to do and we saw a "mini-tantrum"--ha...ha...ha....He is even cute when he is having his tantrums! :) He just jumped up and down a bit and gave Jim a few glaring looks, but then caved when Pa-Pa scooped him up in his arms and told him "I love you"--kind of like our Heavenly Father when we are at our worst! We took some good pics of Roma in his modified jacket and new hat--he loved them both! He also liked to wear the bookbag we bought him--like a big boy!

Yesterday proved to be a different day for us (broke the monotony of everything)...in the afternoon we met Albina and her husband, Andre, and they took us for a driving tour of Tulchyn and the surrounding area. It was GREAT! We learned a lot about what the different buildings are for and we got to see the town from a local's perspective. Andre drove us to a dirt road (snow-covered) where we could overlook and see all of Tulchyn--wow! Some of the hills would be great for sledding. He also drove us by the other orphange here in Tulchyn, for children ages 6 and up--it was HUGE!!! Hard to believe that so many children live there...

Later in the evening, after visiting Roma, we took Albina, Andre, "little" Andre and Katya (Albina's mom) out to dinner to the local restaurant--Tulchynka. We had a ball and used Albina's English/Ukrainian dictionary to try to converse with them. Toward the end of our meal, they had the local band dedicate a song to me and Jim and then had us come up and dance with them--fun! We had about seven or eight different "toasts" during our meal. After dinner we headed back to Katya's flat (where Albina, Andre and "little" Andre are living while we live in their flat) for chocolate and talking. We were able to share a little about our faith and ask them some questions about what they believe about Jesus--they were fascinated that we were Presbyterian (never heard of it before). We also learned last night that they had never heard of McDonald's and had never seen or heard of an i-pod before--we played some American music for them from the i-pods that we borrowed from our friends, Jeff & Linda...they loved it and couldn't believe that so many songs and even videos were in these little devices! We had a great time sampling different musical genres before they shared w/us a recent wedding video which we found fascinating. We have really bonded w/these new friends. They have invited us over tonight to celebrate the New Year.

Tomorrow we will also break out of our monotonous routine as, after we visit Roma in the morning, we will head to a nearby town with Ruslan and his family. We will be visiting a local church there as well as an orphange for older children/young adults w/special needs--it is a very difficult place. This orphanage is in Roma's birthtown so we will have some opportunities to snap some pics of the town for posterity. We are looking forward to seeing Ruslan and his family again.

All of my travel arrangements have been made for me to leave and we would so appreciate your prayer that all of the paperwork/documents would be properly completed prior to my departure on Saturday afternoon.

That's all for now...enjoy the pics. We love you and miss you.

Happy New Year!
Love,
Jim & Karen

Pictures and More

2007-12-28T06:31:00.001-05:00

Roma and Pa-Pa on the playground

Dinner last night at Ruslan and Archie's house in Vinnytsya--they are raising seven foster children as their own in addition to their two year old daughter, Isabella.

Walking Home to our Flat

"Good Job Roma!"

Roma performing in his New Year's Program

Roma with some of his friends

Roma and Pa-Pa on the Seesaw

Christmas Tree Lot

Karen, Svetlana, and Albina (owner of our flat)

Our Day in Court--Jim, Karen, Social Worker, and Translator

Pa-Pa and Roman playing with a "See-n-Say" (Roman using his feet)

Roman James Weaver!!!!!

2007-12-27T05:20:00.000-05:00

Greetings Family & Friends...

It is Thursday (27th) here in Tulchyn and we are overjoyed to share with you that as of Wednesday, December 26th at approximately 2:20 pm we became the proud parents of Roman James Weaver!!

We had our "day in court" yesterday at 2 pm, but we were not able to update yesterday as the internet cafe was closed by the time we had time. Svetlana arrived Christmas evening and we were so glad to see her--please pray for her as she has not been feeling too well. She informed us that our court appointment would be at 2:00 and so yesterday we got up and went to see Roma like normal. Then we came back and got ourselves together for the walk to the court house.

We crossed over the "main street" here in Tulchyn and found ourselves on some muddy back alley-type road and walked through an old gate to a very OLD building--it did not look at all like a courthouse, but it was! :) The judge was ready and waiting for us...we met our translator (an older gentleman named Michael--he was cute!) and the social worker and headed into the courtroom. It really looked like a courtroom--complete with a makeshift jail cell and everything! The whole proceding took less than 30 minutes and the judge was very gracious to us and granted us permission to be Roman's parents after asking us 2 questions: 1) Why did we want to adopt a boy such as Roman w/so many needs and 2) How much money did we make?! ha...ha...ha...Jim responded to the judge w/such love in his voice describing how we had even learned of Roman and how our hearts had fallen in love "with such a boy" and how it was our greatest joy to be his parents! It was great! The prosceuting attorney had no objection to our adoption--and that was it! Short and sweet. By the way, the judge was not able to grant us a waiver of our 10 day waiting period--which we were prepared for. There are good reasons for this 10 day waiting period given all of the corruption in some of the courts in Ukraine.

As we were leaving the courtroom a group of men walked in--a police officer, a guy in a suit and a guy in handcuffs! They put him right in the holding cell...Svetlana became anxious immediately and told us to hightail it out of there--and so we did.

After we returned to our flat we began to make preparations for my return home to Delaware and Jim's stay here in Ukraine. Here are our tentative plans: 1) We will return together to Kiev on January 3rd to meet w/some officials at the U.S. Embassy. This is a very important meeting as I have to make sure that all of my documents needed for Roma's sake are complete and that all power of attorney has been given to Jim. 2) Our brother-in-law, Matt (Wendy's husband) will arrive in Kiev on Saturday the 5th at approx. 10 am. He will take my place and help Jim complete the process and bring Roma home. 3) I will fly out of Kiev on the 5th and arrive in Philly on the same day in the evening. Once home I have a lot of work to do to get things in order for Jim & Roma's homecoming and try to help the children prepare for their new brother and how life will be different. 4) Jim and Matt will head back to Tulchyn on the 5th. 5) On January 8th the 10 day waiting period is over and Jim & Matt will go w/Svetlana to a Roma's birthtown to acquire a copy of his birthcertificate. 6) On the 9th (or maybe late on the 8th) Jim, Matt & Svetlana will head to Vinnytsya to secure a passport for Roma. 7) HOPEFULLY on the 10th they will all--including Roma--head to Kiev for all the U.S. Embassy appointments--doctor, visa, etc. 8) And, they should leave Ukraine for the U.S.A. on Thursday, January 17th!!! This would put Jim and Roma home not quite 10 days ahead of last year's schedule.

This sounds pretty straightforward, but it is not in any way shape or form. First, there are a lot of details for us to take care of before I can leave... a lot! Please pray for each detail and that we would be able to complete everything before I leave. Second, this decision for me to travel home has been a very painful one! We both know that it is important for me to return home and care for the kids, but Roma is very attached to me and my heart just aches thinking about not being w/him every day. This decision has not been an easy one. Third, Jim and Matt have a lot to do starting on the 8th and they will need energy and patience as they go from place to place and then take Roma from the only home he has ever known. It will be emotional for sure! Fourth, traveling to Kiev is a long trip and Roma has never been to such a city or traveled for so long...it will be an adventure, but it has the potential to be very hard! Please pray now for Roma's heart and the changes that are just around the corner. Pray for Jim to have the strength he needs and for Matt to be a great source of encouragement for Jim.

We are headed to Ruslan's today for dinner and also to have some documents notarized and translated. We are looking forward to fellowship w/them and are so grateful for their willing hearts to come alongside of us.

We ended up staying in Tulchyn for Christmas, as we were unsure of exactly when the court appointment would take place--too much up in the air. It was nice...we went to the orphanage and then rested for a bit and then counted the hours down until we could call home. After all of our phone calls, Albina (owner of the flat we are staying in) came over with a wonderful meal for us! It was very nice...we were missing home, but felt such peace. Thanks for your prayers.

Whew...this is a long update! Hope you all are well...We love and miss you! Keep pressing on!

Love,

Jim & Karen

Christmas Eve

2007-12-24T08:17:00.000-05:00

Dear Family & Friends...

Well, it is hard to believe that Christmas Eve has finally arrived. Aside from the bone-chilling cold it doesn't feel much like Christmas--kind of a good thing being so far from home. Many times today our minds have turned toward home and all of you and our hearts are overflowing with love and thankfulness as we think of you and pray for you.

There is not a whole lot to report on today...We are hoping that Svetlana will return sometime today or this evening with our official letter from Kiev giving us the "green light" for our court appointment. She is still very hopeful that we will be in court tomorrow...we will be sure to let you know if that happens!

We've been invited to spend Christmas Day w/Ruslan and his family in Vinnytsya tomorrow and we are very much looking forward to spending time w/our new friends. Ruslan has offered to come pick us up and bring us back--an hour each way!

We will be meeting w/Taras & Dr. Jim Piepon on Wednesday here in Tulchyn to discuss the upcoming medical education trip. We are excited for this visit and looking forward to spending time w/these men and will be visiting Roma's orphanage w/them as well.

We have been going to the orphanage 2 times each day (morning and late afternoon)...it has been wonderful to be w/Roma each day...last night he did not want to stay w/his workers when we left. He just lights up from ear to ear when we walk in and he gets so excited and runs over to me and signals w/his hands for me to pick him up. He has been impressing us w/both his physical and mental agility--doing things w/his feet that are simply amazing! Today we noticed that he had some sores on the side of his mouth--looks like it could be Herpes. He also has many sores on his legs that look like they could be Scabies...it is sad to see him w/all of these sores and not know how he got them or being able to alleviate any discomfort.

Today was particularly fun as we took him into another building for some "alone" time and while there Jim pulled out his cell phone and turned on the different ring tones for Roma to hear. Well, he loved it and he and Jim danced all around--too bad we didn't get it on video. :) Roma LOVES music!! Every time we start to sing to him he runs over and practically throws himself on my lap so he can listen to the songs...very cute.

The other day when we arrived the children were outside taking a walk around some of the buildings and they all started shouting when we walked up behind them. It was so cold but they didn't seem to mind. Roma was so excited that he practically slipped on the ice to get to Jim! We played outside for a bit w/them and some of the other kids let Jim hold them, while I held Roma.

As we left the orphanage today we felt heavy-hearted. After being here for a little more than a week you start to pick up on the monotony and emptiness of life here. The children do the same things day in and day out and have very little to look forward to. Their lives are lived in 3 rooms--one to sleep, one to eat and one to play. The work crew last night actually made the children sit on the little benches while they watched one of their adult nighttime TV shows--one of the ladies kept making the children be absolutely quiet and still so she could hear the TV. I had to interrupt her "TV time" to tell her that Roma needed to go to the bathroom and she just looked so put out...thankfully the older lady in the room jumped and seemed ready to help. It made us sad to think that the other woman was so absorbed by the TV that she was oblivious to the needs of 15 3-4 year olds!! They all sat so still and quiet...Jim and I actually thought at one point that we would ask if we could play w/them and take them off her hands for a bit, but we knew that would not go over so well. It has also been hard to be here b/c we see the needs that Roma has and we know that he needs to be seen at home asap...the sores, his teeth, his hearing, his eating needs, and on and on.

We have been missing our children more than we can say today...longing for them! We are proud of them and thank God for His faithfulness to them so far during this journey. Please continue to pray for them as they celebrate another Christmas w/out mommy and daddy.

Please continue to pray for us and the process here...pray for the court apppointment and the judge that will preside over our case. Pray for our 10-day waiting period to be waived in light of Roma's needs.

We love you! Merry Christmas!
Love,
Jim and Karen

Day 5 in Tulchyn

2007-12-21T05:10:00.001-05:00

Hi Family & Friends...

We hope you all are doing well and enjoying the time as the Christmas holiday draws near! We are good and are missing you all so much. We spoke w/some of the kids yesterday afternoon (about 11:30 pm our time) and that was wonderful! It was great to hear their voices...Georgia said she misses Roman already. :)

Well, yesterday and today we visited the orphanage and spent some good QT w/Roma. Last night, after dinner we walked over and spent a little more time. He is so happy to see us when we come. Today, we played in his "pod" a good part of the time and he was very protective to not let the other children get too close to me--he doesn't seem to want to share his ma-ma! He is very comfortable w/both of us and lets us both hold him and hug on him...

Jim did some "tricks" for the kids today--he got them to sit down and then he walked on his hands for them! They were going crazy after that...one boy was so freaked out by it that he started to cry! ha! ha! ha! Then Jim called them over one at a time and he helped them do forward rolls--even Roma did one! The children loved it...

We saw Roma help set the tables w/another girl, Natasha, today and he did a great job. We also saw him clean up some toys and put things in their proper places--wow! He is so smart...He is a joy and delight to go visit every day...Last night we saw him do some pretty amazing things w/his feet--throwing blocks back into their bin from a great distance...amazing! We look forward to our "orphanage time" w/such great joy every day...the workers have been pretty agreeable toward us and have been helpful and very kind--an answer to prayer!

We received word today from Svetlana, in Kiev, that we will receive our court permission paper on Monday (24th) and she thinks that we will have our court appointment on Christmas Day!!! This is great news...that means that we are ahead of where we originally thought we would be at this time and we are WAY ahead of the game compared to last year this time.

Keep praying about the 10-day waiting period to be waived...as we have said before it is very RARE but Roma's social worker and Svetlana both agree that we must ask. It is up to the judge whether or not to waive that waiting time...pray for his heart to be moved w/compassion and that the Lord would put it on his heart! Nothing is too hard for our great God!!

By the way, the water situation is MUCH better :) and the food has been great! It has been SUPER cold here w/no sun the entire time we've been in Ukraine...maybe we will get some more snow! :) We love you all very much and are thankful for your love and support and prayers...

Love,

Karen & Jim

St. Nicholas Day!

2007-12-19T05:42:00.000-05:00

Greetings Family & Friends...

Today is St. Nicholas Day here in Ukraine--a day of gift-giving in honor of the 3rd century Saint, Nicholas. It was on this day exactly one year ago that we were shown the picture of our Nicholas and so this is a special day for us.

Svetlana had told us that there would be a St. Nicholas Day Celebration at Roma's orphanage this morning and so we went around 10 am. We were able to play w/him in a separate room for a bit & then we were invited to come back to the larger room where there was the most adorable little celebration. There was a lady playing piano and the children sang songs and recited things about St. Nicholas and then one of the workers came in dressed as St. Nicholas--they were all mesmorized! There were also some important guests visiting today--some men who had donated things for the children...they were curious to know who we were...we could make out that Maria (Director) was telling them who we were and why we were there. They even played musical chairs w/the children! Roma was so cute to watch--he was fascinated by some Christmas lights that were blinking near him...all the children received a box of treats and 2 clementines. After the celebration they allowed us to play for a while longer w/him in the other room and we were allowed to feed him his treats--he has a sweet tooth!

He loved playing w/the toys we brought and actually let me hold him and sing a few songs to him. At one point he layed back while I sang "Jesus loves me"...it was cute. He even tried to say a few words. A little while later there were some more visitors to the orphanage and they brought toys! Once Roma saw the car that was being offered to him he wanted to play w/it so Jim opened it for him...well, this kind of shook things up a bit. As soon as the donor left the room the workers scooped up all the unopened toys (except Roma's) and put them up--there were several children who just cried--my heart broke for them! They whisked them off to another room while Jim played a little "soccer" w/Roma--he laughed out loud most of this time and seemed to really enjoy playing w/Pa-pa! Then it was time to go as he and the other children had to eat lunch and take a nap--a big day for them. It was clear when Jim told him that he had to go that he did not want to go w/the worker...Jim had to take him into the other room and leave him there.

Last night was a full night...as I said yesterday we were headed back to Vinnytsya w/Svetlana and Ruslan. We had to see a notary there as the ones here would not help Svetlana w/her paperwork--not sure why (i lost it in the translation). The notary in Vinnytsya was very helpful and even remained open to help us...she is actually a friend of Ruslan's! Before traveling back to Tulchyn Ruslan took us to his home for dinner where we met his wife (American), 6 foster children and his biological daughter (Isabella--2 1/2 years)...at one time they had 10 foster children. They run a home for children and hope to take in many more and give them the love of a family. They are unable to afford to adopt them all, but they feel that these children are theirs and raise them as such. We enjoyed the fellowship and food and know that we will see them again soon in the coming days. They have given us an open invitation to come and stay or just visit and eat. They live entirely by faith, like a modern-day-Ukrainian George Mueller! Jim asked him if he had ever heard of Mueller and indeed he had but only in a limited manner--he was encouraged by the things Jim told him. Jim has been very encouraged spending time w/Ruslan.

Now we are off to find some lunch...we are in an internet cafe and are unable to log onto our email addresses for now, so we might try again later. We love and miss you all so much. Please pray for Svetlana as she is meeting w/the judge right now to lay the ground work for our upcoming court appointment (don't know when that is yet) and she will head back to Kiev tonight to give our paperwork to the officials there. Pray for God's continued favor, for a quick court date and MAYBE even to have our 10 day waiting period waived!!! Pray boldly! Talk to you soon...

Love,

Karen & Jim

Day Two in Tulchyn

2007-12-18T14:26:00.000-05:00

Dear Family & Friends,

It is another cold day here in Ukraine w/a few flurries here and there. Svetlana left without us this morning to take care of some important errands and so Jim and I were able to relax a little. However, the relaxing came to an end when I tried to take a “shower”.

In order for us to have water we have to turn it on, but once it is on it doesn’t just heat on it’s own, we have to light the gas to heat the water. “No problem” Jim told me…ha! Ha! Ha! I stood at the side of the tub waiting for the “rush” of water but it never really came—a very slow and tiny trickle came out of the old faucet…After Jim tried several times to light the “heater” I just gave up and jumped in while there was at least a little trickle—let’s just say it was colder than ice! J After a few more minutes of trying, the water-heater clicked on but only for about 30 seconds…at least it was warm for 30 seconds! I shivered for a while after that but once we got moving I was warm again. Needless to say I did not wash my hair today…all you ladies w/short hair will understand my hair woes today! Ha! Ha! Ha!—it is good to laugh.

After a while we heard from Svetlana that we needed to head back to Vinnytsya later today to the notary’s office as the notary here would not help her at all. Ruslan should be here any time to take us there and back, fill in as our translator at the notary’s office and he knows the notary—what a blessing this brother in Christ is! She also told us to walk to the orphanage and see Roma since we won’t be back for a while…

So, that’s what we did. When we entered his room he was being fed and the other children were sitting there eating too…it was neat to see some of the kids that the team from our church had seen this summer (apparently little David was adopted recently!!!). Before the second part of his meal, one of the caregivers came over and offered for me to feed Roma the rest of his lunch—I was delighted! He did so good…everytime I looked down to get another spoonful of food for him I could see him, out of the corner of my eye, staring at me…He also really stared at Jim—we think he is remembering “the man” from this summer who came for a visit. After lunch, we got to play with him for just a little while before his nap—it was wonderful! We had brought a little educational toy from home and thought it would be a good challenge for him, but he mastered it right away and he wanted to do it over and over. It was adorable. Jim and I were remembering how Georgia has prayed for him to learn how to use his hands and we saw firsthand that the Lord has answered her faithful prayers. The caregivers allowed us to put him in his bed for his nap—he loved that (and so did we). We are hoping that we will be back w/enough time for us to go back to see him tonight…we’ll see.

As far as the paperwork is concerned…things are plugging along. Many neat things have happened so far along the way, but pray that the Lord would continue to go before us w/His favor. Svetlana is hopeful that she will return to Kiev tomorrow w/our paperwork and then we will have to wait for a court date from the judge—pray for the judge to grant us an early court hearing. She said that it usually takes 5 days or more just to hear about a court date…Keep praying for the impossible, as only God can bring about that which is impossible. Thank you for your faithful prayers…He hears!

We are doing fine…excited and filled w/joy to see and be w/Roman, but still longing for our family and the comforts of home J. We think of you all so often and miss you more than we can say… We love you!

Love,
Karen & Jim

We Are In Tulchyn

2007-12-17T14:09:00.000-05:00

We left at 9:30 a.m. from Kiev and drove 4 hours to the town of Vinnytsia where we changed drivers and also picked up the orphanage director who was at a conference there. Our new driver was a Christian man who spends his time caring for orphans and had actually been to Roman's orphange before and was headed there with a load of gifts and supplies. He drove us to Tulchyn with the director and our facilitator. We arrived in Tulchyn around 3:30 p.m. and where able to meet with Roman’s social worker and begin the process of paper work. Then we went to the orphanage around 5:30 and spent 40 minutes with Roman before his bedtime.

The Lord answered all our prayer. He took to us right away and especially likes his mommy.

Tomorrow we have appt at 8 a.m. with social worker.

Please pray for the following:

All paper work completed tomorrow. (Which would be a miracle).
Our facilitator Svetlana will talk to the judge personally tomorrow to try and set-up an early appointment.
Begin to pray for the passport process for Roman.
Praise the Lord Roman is recovering well from his surgery and doing well. He seems to be bonding with us.

We'll write again when we can.

Blessings,

Jim and Karen

Getting Ready to Go!

2007-12-16T04:42:00.000-05:00

Greetings Family and Friends…

I (Karen) am blogging for us tonight…well, we have just finished packing up our things for our early morning departure tomorrow morning to Tulchyn. We figured we better pack tonight so we don’t leave anything behind. It has been a quiet day for us…we got up this morning and Jim made a nice breakfast—cheese omelets, toast w/strawberry preserves and o.j.—it was great! We then headed off to church while all of you were fast asleep. It was a brisk walk for us and a little slippery as things are kind of frozen around here. We enjoyed church very much and got to see some familiar faces of folks that we met last year at this time, as well as some new ones. One of the pastoral apprentice guys we met last year was being ordained today and so that was really special. We also got to meet another missionary family who have only been in Kiev for about 4 weeks, but they are not new to the mission field, just Ukraine. They were really nice and also have 2 adopted daughters…I especially enjoyed talking w/the wife!

After church we went out for a long lunch/dinner with a doctor-friend and his wife (Jim and Maryanna) that we had met here last year. Jim really wanted to talk to him about some upcoming medical trips that are in the “works”. It was great just sitting and talking w/this couple about their life and how they ended up in Ukraine. They took us to this neat little restaurant and we both tried some new and interesting food. Jim and I both had “pancakes stuffed w/chicken, mushrooms and onions”—they were delicious! I was quite surprised how much I enjoyed it. Jim also enjoyed a nice Greek salad while I ventured out and had “pancakes stuffed w/bananas, covered in a warm chocolate sauce for dessert”—Yum! It was sooooo good…I could have had a second, but didn’t want to seem piggish! Ha! Ha! Ha! We left the restaurant and headed back here to the flat where we have been packing and are waiting for Helen to arrive w/some important documents for us to travel to Tulchyn tomorrow. The walk back was quite brisk-I think it is about 19 degrees or so out there—cold! We had some snow flurries a little while ago, but it has all stopped.

I forgot to mention that while we were out to lunch/dinner our friends mentioned that they had a friend in the nearby town of Vinnytsya (about 1 hour north of Tulchyn) who is a believer and who would be a good contact for us if we needed a driver for anything or if we needed a translator, as his eldest daughter is college age and available and speaks good English! He also told us that this guy (Ruslan) has about 10 foster kids!!! WOW! But wait, there is more…while were sitting there our friend, Jim, gave Ruslan a call, as we will be in need of a larger vehicle tomorrow b/c once we get to Vinnytsya we will be picking up the director of Roman’s orphanage there (I forgot to mention that) and the car will be too small w/us, Svetlana, the Director, our driver AND our luggage! So, after Jim got done talking to Ruslan he told us that not only would Ruslan be able to help us w/transportation BUT he knew of Roman’s orphanage and has been there many times and was planning on going there tomorrow already!!! Talk about amazing…he is even hoping to foster about 6 kids from Roman’s orphanage…he also said that he has seen Roman before and knew exactly who were going to adopt! We were just floored…and it’s great b/c he speaks English very well! God continues to put puzzle pieces together all over the place…He is amazing!

Here is how you can be praying for us:

1) For a safe trip tomorrow…as of right now we are still planning on leaving sometime between 5:00-6:00 am…it is about a 3 hour drive or so to Vinnytsya and then a little over an hour to Tulchyn…we are not sure of road conditions so pray for safety.

2) We have a meeting tomorrow w/an “inspector”—kind of like a social worker—who will issue us a letter to go to Roman’s orphanage—pray for God’s favor and that he/she would be willing and wanting to get this done in a timely manner

3) As I said already, we are picking up Roman’s orphanage Director and will be traveling for about an hour w/her…pray again for God’s favor and that she will be desirous to help us get all paperwork underway QUICKLY and that she would be agreeable to help in whatever way she can. Pray that we will be able to show her the love of Christ, not just in word but in deed.

4) Pray for our living arrangements…not sure what they will be yet. I only asked that it be warm, have an inside potty and shower and that Jim not get asthma. Also, pray for someone to be willing to come and cook for us since there are NO restaurants in Tulchyn—so long as they don’t cook tongue, animal organs or pig’s feet! J ha! Ha! Ha!

5) Pray for us and Roman as tomorrow we will be reunited! WOW—it has been a long time coming.

6) Continue to pray for our children…and those caring for them.

We are not sure what kind of communication we will have once in Tulchyn so we will update when we can (you could pray for that too). We miss you all so much and love you and are so very thankful for your faithful prayers on our behalf…God is good—all the time!

Love and blessings,

Karen and Jim

Great Appointment

2007-12-14T11:00:00.000-05:00

Dear Family and Friends,

We woke up this morning after a good sleep to find it still snowing. It really is beautiful!

Our driver picked us up at 9:30 am to take us to our scheduled appointment at the National Adoption Center here in Kiev. There was no running down the street in our dress up clothes this time, in fact we arrived 15 minutes early and had plenty of time to debrief with our facilitator, Helen, before being called up to our appointment.

At exactly 10:00am a young woman came out to meet us and took us back to our appointment and Helen was allowed to come with us—good news. At our appointment last year our facilitator was not allowed to attend our appointment with us. After some initial greetings the young government-appointed psychologist asked us to take a seat. She asked us how Nicholas was doing and then proceeded to show us Roman’s file and abbreviated history. She told us that everyone at the department was excited about our being able to adopt Roman and that she was sure Roman would have a happy life in our home. We learned that Roman’s mother’s name is Angel and his father’s name is Oleg. Roman’s parents are married and living in a small town not too far from Tulchyn. They were not prepared to handle his special needs. We are unsure at this time whether or not Roman has any other living siblings. The whole appointment lasted about 20 minutes!!!

Toward the end of the meeting the young woman told us that we would be able to receive our Letter of Direction allowing us to travel to Tulchyn and begin the adoption process between 4-5pm TODAY. This is GREAT News since usually the Department of Adoption does not issue these letters until at least the following business day, which would be Monday late afternoon.

What all this means is that we will be leaving Kiev at 5am on Monday morning which is 11:00pm Sunday night in the states. Once we arrive in Tulchyn around 9 am we will first meet with an “inspector” who will issue us another letter to go to the orphanage. Hopefully, the director of the orphanage, Maria, will begin her portion of the paper work later on Monday so that we can have our court appointment asap. We learned today that more than likely there will only have to be one court appointment for Roman’s adoption—Yea!!! We will know more once we get to Tulchyn, but are not certain what our internet capabilities will be.

We feel the power of many people’s prayers on our behalf both here and in the US. God has already been so gracious to us. Last night was especially hard for Karen as she was missing the girls and Nicholas terribly. Today, however, is better already.

Tonight we will be having dinner with Eric and Lauren Huber who are friends and missionaries working here with Mission to the World. We are hoping to meet up with other friends who are in the process of adopting right now later in the weekend.

Please pray for the following:

1) Pray that the days would go quick

2) Pray that our times of prayer and study would be rich and that we would sense the Lord’s nearness to us.

3) Pray for the girls and Nicholas who, at last check, were doing fine.

4) Pray for our ride out to Tulchyn on Monday morning as the roads are down to single lane in some parts because of the snow. The ride out is normally about 4 hours.

5) Pray for the appointment in Tulchyn with the “inspector”.

6) Pray for the orphanage director and staff to be our advocates.

We will write more when we can.

Love and Blessings,

Jim and Karen Weaver

We Made It!!!

2007-12-13T11:15:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends and Family,

We made it safely to Ukraine! I lost my jacket (either left it behind or had it stolen) in Kennedy Airport. This was not a good thing since we arrived to find the weather very cold and very snowy. The weather was so bad that it took us about two hours to make the short drive from the airport to our apartment in Kiev. We stopped to buy a replacement coat on the way to the apartment. We are staying just a few block from the church where we have worshipped here in Kiev and our surroundings are pretty familiar. When we arrived at our apartment we found Taras, friend and director of Bethany Social Services in Ukraine, here waiting for us. Taras took us down to a small market around the corner to buy some groceries for the next couple of days. I learned today that Taras’ wife needed surgery last week and has been in a hospital in Vinytsa since that time. He made the trip into Kiev today to welcome us and is on his way back now.

Our official appointment is tomorrow at the adoption center. We will probably be in Kiev over the weekend and head off to Tulchyn to see Roman on Monday or Tuesday. It is looking more and more likely that we will be staying in an apartment in Tulchyn.

We are tired but in good spirits. The apartment is comfortable.

Blessings,

Jim and Karen

Here We Go Again!

2007-12-11T23:43:00.001-05:00

Dear Friends and Family,

It is nearly midnight and we are packed and things are finally winding down after a busy night. Mom and Dad Weaver moved into our home tonight. It was the same time last year that Mom and Dad Weaver moved into our home to a watch the girls while we headed off to Ukrain for the adoption of Nicholas. The girls and Nicholas opened their stockings tonight since we will be away from them through Christmas. This was Nicholas' first taste of Christmas as a Weaver and he was thrilled. After pulling out the first gift very delicately he realized that he could just dump out the stocking's contents. Dad Weaver brought over a stuffed Santa Bear that moves while recounting the night of Jesus' birth. Nicholas was entranced by the speaking Santa Bear. After some words of encouragment and a teary bedtime the house is quiet.

We fly from Philadelphia to JFK tomorrow at 2:00. We leave JFK later tomorrow afternoon on a non-stop flight to Kiev, Ukraine. Our flight arrives at 10:00am on Thursday morning (which is around 3:00am your time).

Here is how you can pray for us:

1) Pray for our girls and Nicholas in our absence.
2) Pray for all of our family and friends who will be looking after our children for the next
several weeks.
3) Pray for safe travel on the road and in the air. Pray that we would have no airport glitches.
4) Pray for our important appointment at the Stated Department for Children, Youth, and
Sports in Kiev on Friday. This appointment should be a formality because they know we are
coming to adopt Roman.
5) Pray for our decision on where to stay once we leave Kiev early next week. We have to decide
whether or not it is best for us to stay near the orphanage in a local apartment or in the
nearest modernized city about an hour away from the orphanage.
6) Pray for fruitful meetings over the weekend with Orphan Care workers as we discuss further
projects and work in 2008.

Blessings,

Jim and Karen Weaver

The Call

2007-12-06T22:50:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends and Family,

On Tuesday, November 28th, we received “the call” to come get Roman! It has taken us two years to get to this place. At times it seemed as though the road was too hard, but God was always faithful to provide streams in the desert. This is the end of a long journey filled with hard times and unexpected surprises. We will depart from Philadelphia on December 12th and will return sometime in January. The entire process is taking anywhere from 4-8 weeks. Karen will most likely return home after our first court appointment and I will remain until the adoption is finalized and we are permitted to leave. It looks like my brother-in-law Matt will be traveling over to spend some of the time with me and if the timing works out just right to help me bring Roman home.

We sat the girls down last night and told them about the news. Lauren and Georgia were sad that we would not be with them for a second consecutive Christmas, but all of the girls were excited that the brother for whom they have been praying will finally be coming home. God has used these last couple of years to mold and shape the character of our girls and teach them that our God is a prayer hearing God. There have been so many seemingly miraculous answers to prayer.

Please keep us in your prayers as we prepare to bring this little one home. Keep our girls and Nicholas in your prayers both in our absence and through the transition of a new brother.

That’s all for now! Praise the Lord.

Blessings,

Jim, Karen, and family