Ukrainian Princesses

Here's a photo of our true Ukrainian princesses.

Okay, they're not aways pouting but they do it well, don't you think?

Love them :)

One Week

Well Lucy's been in Canada one week now and we think she's doing really well.  She's picking up a little bit of English and we're learning a bit more Russian but we're all learning a lot more drama!  Most of it s good :)

She really enjoyed playing at the small indoor playground while Shye was at gymnastics.

She's making herself at home.

And she loved the Festival of Trees.

She walked up to these guys and mimicked them :)

She also shook hands and said, "Hello" to all the Mannequins at Sears!

All in all, a pretty good first week and we're almost recovered from jetlag.

Home Sweet Home

It is so good to be home, among family and friends, surrounded by all that is familiar.  The trip was long and not without delays, lost luggage, worry and exhaustion but here we are and our luggage has even arrived!

Lucy is doing well.  

She's enjoyed meeting the family and especially this little love who we dearly missed.

She likes her bedroom and will even listen to stories in English.

She really enjoyed playing in the snow and I need to get a rosy cheeked photo of that next time.

We are unpacking, sorting mail, adjusting.  It's going to take a while!

We've been blessed by friends taking excellent care of our home and leaving us groceries and gifts for the girls, meals from our daughter in law and daughter, gifts for the girls from a neighbour, greetings from dear friends at the airport, warm welcomes from many loved ones, dear friends in Ukraine, all the prayers and encouragement along the way.  We really feel this journey was done in community and we are so thankful!

We're Going Home!!

Well have we got a tale to tell....

After getting the phone call Tuesday afternoon saying Lucy's visa would be ready for pickup on Wednesday morning, we spent the evening, and half the night, trying to get a plane flight home.  When we bought our flights in September we figured that eight weeks would be the absolute outside of the timeline we would be here....well here we are.  All our travel agent could find that was close to what we already had was flying on the same flight for $4150 or one of us changing our ticket for 6:30 instead of 9:40 and flying with Lucy, meeting the other and Shye in Amsterdam for about $2500. Beth thought it was really important to stay together so we didn't buy any ticket and tried to sleep on it hoping that we could figure something out in the morning.  It was 1:00 am you know.  Beth felt that it was something that God could work out on our behalf.  Morning came and I called KLM to see if there was anything they could offer us - nyet. We waited for supper today to call our travel agent again.  We asked her to check one more time and if nothing had changed, to book the $4k ticket. Oy!  When she got in and called, apparently one ticket had become available and it was for $1980!!!  We are so grateful to God who worked this out on our behalf.  Thank you to all who have been praying.  Even "small" stuff like this feels big after being here so long. 

 If I may ask a further favour, pray for families who are here waiting and waiting, for passports, third appointments with the Child Welfare office etc. It is so hard living in this bubble.  We have really appreciated making new friends with fellow travellers, both Canuck and American.  It is essential to keeping sane.

So early Friday morning we start our long journey home to the great white north and turn the page on Lucy becoming a Hughes. Can't wait!

Canadian Embassy

Today we applied for a Visa for Lucy.  Tomorrow they're supposed to let us know how long it will take but they think it will be ready by Thursday.  Which means - Coming Home on Friday!!!

We hope this will be the case so we won't have to change our flights.  We just need to purchase one more ticket for a little girl who wants to go home :)

My friend Bill Murray......

We've been in Kiev a week now and Bill Murray's movie Ground Hog Day is starting to feel like our reality. We have our passport but no "Letter of No Objection"- a Canadian thing necessary to get a Visa attached to the passport.  The province says it was sent on Tuesday, nobody knows where it is today.  All this means is we may be stuck here past next week! Please pray for us and this letter.  At seven weeks from home, we're past feeling at the end of ourselves, and we ask God for strength everyday. Trouble is, we wax and wane in our knowledge that it will be ok, little things become big things. Hopefully soon.......

Here's a great pic of two lovely ladies

Life on a day to day level has been pretty good.  We have our little routines, find ways to get to know each other better, lots of tickling, laughing and having fun and a little bit of pouting. Life.

Thanks again for all your prayers and kind words.

Out and About

Yesterday we took the Metro for the first time and did a bit of sightseeing.  While Lucy asked several times if we could go home, she actually held up quite well.  

St. Andrew's

Kiev

This is the street we "live" on.

Today we walked around our neighborhood and discovered a wonderful cafe and a much needed playground.  

Lucy's love language :). She had an enormous sandwich and couldn't stop beaming!

This evening we met with some new friends, Russ and Cissa Newberry (who are also adopting) and Karen Springs (who works here in Ukraine with Orphan's Promise) and we had a lovely, refreshing visit - in English!  Karen gave us a Russian version of The Jesus Storybook Bible.

All in all, a good day.

News from some very tired people

Yesterday evening, after two insane days of running around getting paperwork done, we picked Lucy up from the orphanage.  She had some very mixed feelings, which is as it should be.  We think she's a very brave girl.

John and I got to bed after more work at 12:30 and got up at four to catch the train to Kiev today.  We were so blessed on the train trip to get the seats we did.  It was a very comfortable trip and Lucy did quite well.

It felt like our own private suite!

View from the train

We are now settled in an apartment in downtown Kiev.  This is by far the nicest place we've stayed and we are very thankful for it.

Life with the girls is presently exhausting and we would love prayers for strength and endurance.  

We will probably be here for another 10 days or so and we sure are looking forward to settling into a routine at home again.