How Far Love Goes, Part 3

The last few days have been filled with emotional highs and lows. There are so many things to share with you and so many things that should remain only in my heart. I am unable to post pictures at this time because of our Internet restrictions, but I will as soon as I return to America.

We have been in Mariupol for three days now. Monday, we arrived by train and very quickly got to work. First stop- the inspector. It is his job to protect the rights of the children. After this, he rode with us to the orphanage. The orphanage is very old. It is not at all a pleasant place. I find it very difficult seeing children there, knowing that they will call this home until they graduate. We had a short visit with the director and then in came a familiar face! Andrey came to us immediately with a hug. He is very shy and quiet, but he seemed happy to see us. The director spoke with him at length about who we are, how he knows us, if he wants to be our son, etc. I couldn't understand most of what he said. But I heard, "Dah. Dah. Dah." (yes, yes, yes) Later, our facilitator told us he was saying yes to wanting to be our son. "are you sure?" "Dah!"
After we finished the interview, we were able to have a private visit with him. We showed him pictures and videos on my phone. He smiled and laughed at many things. He seems to like the dogs the best. We said our goodbyes and he ran off with his friends.

Then we went to Ruslan's trade school. The director there began to cry when she learned of our intentions. It was a much warmer place than the orphanage. There was a clear difference here. She seemed to care about Ruslan. The only time the orphanage director has smiled at us was when we made our "donation." Anyway, we kept answering questions, wondering wether or not Ruslan would come in the room. Finally, the TLC director called me and said Ruslan was not at the school, he was at the hospital getting his physical for the adoption. So we made arrangements to return later. This would give the trade school time to work on the papers. They have never had a student from this school be placed for adoption. They had no idea what they were doing, but were extremely cooperative.

We went to the TLC to unload our luggage and saw several kids we knew and dear, sweet Alexandra. She fed us soup and we caught up a little bit before it was time to go again. When we returned to the trade school, we waited in the assistant directors office until Ruslan showed up. What a sight for road weary eyes! Such a young man now! Hugs, hugs, awkward stares- then a rather serious interview. The director came in and asked A LOT of questions. It was clear she wanted to protect his interests. I don't understand Russian, but there were things I caught onto. She asked him where we lived. Before she could even finish her sentence, he interrupted- "Ada." (he pronounces it Ah-duh) I heard him interrupt her many times- "Chickasaw, music professor, two brothers, Levi, Noah", etc. He made sure she knew that he knew us well. After some very kind words from the director, we were let go and went into the hallway to catch up. The language barrier is tricky, but a good smile goes a long way. He ran outside and brought in his best friend to meet us. We showed them both lots of pictures and videos. When we were done, we returned to the TLC, road weary, but happy.

The next day was filled with more paperwork. We could not see Andrey, which was disappointing. That night, Ruslan took us to a professional basketball game. We road the bus, which is quite an experience! I'm experiencing a little PTSD I think! It was nice to be with him and his friends at the game. When we went back to the TLC, he fed Josh sala (a traditional Ukrainian dish that I wouldn't touch with a 10 foot pole, but Josh loves!). It was full of awkward silence, but precious moments, too. Ruslan always finds a way to make us laugh! He is goofy! He tried Josh's hot sauce. Hysterical! (Yes, Josh brought hot sauce to Ukraine).

As I said before, there is a lot to share- and some things will remain treasures of my heart. The hours are filled with opportunities to bond. It's a guessing game as to what they are thinking, but one thing is clear- this is the time when we prove ourselves to them, and they both seem to be receptive. They have had very difficult lives for such young boys. Why should they trust us to do any better than the other adults in their lives? I hope we pass the test. Ultimately, it is God who is knitting us together as a family, so we continue to pray for Him to open our eyes to what they need- open our ears to what they are trying to say- and open our hearts to their point of view.

The paperwork is complete and now we wait on the SDA to approve it. A court date has been set for December 30. Once we go to court, I will come home. Josh will remain here. There is a 10 day waiting period after court. Then they will get new birth certificates, new passports and be off to Kiev to complete the US embassy side of things. We hope they will be home by mid-January. Meanwhile, the days ahead of us are a great time for bonding and learning to trust one another with our hearts. Thank you for praying for our family. We are forever grateful for your support!

This song has been in my heart through it all. This process is stretching our hearts. You always wonder how far your heart can be stretched before it breaks. I guess mine must be made of some kind of self-healing fabric, because it has broken so many times and keeps growing back together, stronger than before. God is the ultimate example of how far love goes.

Romans 8:38, 39-"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

I think God is using this adoption to teach me how far His love goes- His love for Ruslan and Andrey, but maybe even more, His love for me. He is using a broken, sinner to change the lives of two innocent children. I am so not worthy of this task- but this is how far HIS love goes.

"Before the mountains call to you
Before you leave this home
I will teach your heart to trust
As I will teach my own
But sometimes I will ask the moon
Where it shined upon you last
And shake my head and laugh and say
It all went by too fast

You'll fly away
but take my hand until that day
So when they ask how far love goes
When my job's done, you'll be the one who knows."

-Dar Williams