Life back at home

Our time has been full of joy....laughing, adjusting, bike riding, swimming, resting, unpacking, playing Mario Cart (I always come in 12th place), learning the rules, learning each other, having English lessons, listening to rap music, etc. When we talk to Valera about going to school, he asks for a "rap school". We tell him that we don't have those in America.

For me, the "re-entry" has also been full of exhaustion, and overstimulation. I am still recovering from the intense 7 weeks while also trying to make sure everyone adjusts.... Myself included. Prayers for us as we all adjust would be so much appreciated.

Two quick stories....a friend brought us dinner and cupcakes...we handed a cupcake to Valera and he had no idea what to do with it. We had to show him how to take the paper off. How wonderful that he got to experience one of life's treats.

On a deeper level, last night, on day 60 Valera asked me to sleep with him. This is a child who has barely given me REAL hugs. We laid on our pillows in his twin bed. He pulled the covers over me and we talked for about 20 minutes. I know....hard to imagine what we could talk about for that long since we don't have the same language. It was special.

I am typing again right now in the same twin bed. It could go against all that I should be doing as a parent, but the way I feel is....he may have never had a motherly figure lay down and comfort him.

I am privileged to do so for him. Kink in the neck, bad night sleep....it's worth the bonding for now.

Pleasant dreams.

Home sweet home

We made it home safe and sound. We knew that my sister's family was picking us up in Dulles but were super surprised to see my mom, Ted, Delaney and Mary Kate. We were so very excited and overwhelmed with emotion.

We had a great ride home to Virginia Beach. We sat in traffic, it was raining, we were exhausted....but all was right in the world in the presence of our family.

Valera noticed on the ride home that he had a watch on, and that Mary Kate and I did too. He pointed to Delaney and noticed that she did not have a watch on.

Keep this in mind as I tell you that he has been carrying around a 20 dollar bill in his pocket for weeks. At any chance he pulls out the 20 to show people....complete strangers even. He is so proud of this 20.

So, back to the car ride. When he realized that Delaney did not have a watch while the rest of us did, he pulled out the 20 dollar bill and explained through hand motions that he would buy her one with his money.

An already emotional day, in that moment, became even more emotional.

The first 24 hours or so have gone very well. We have swam, gone on a family bike ride or 2 or 3 or 4. We went to Mary Kate's soccer game, had a family dinner, watched a movie, popped popcorn.

I think Valera is so brave. I can't even imagine how wonderful this is for him, and how hard it is for him all at the same time.

Thanks again for your prayers, love and support. They continue to help me in more ways than I can say.

As the girls' shirts said on the day we got home, "Love is here!"

Last Day in Ukraine

It is no coincidence that my devotion today was exactly what I needed to hear and to be reminded of:

"Go gently through this day, leaning on Me and enjoying My presence. Thank Me for your neediness, which is building trust-bonds between us. If you look back on your journey thus far, you can see that days of extreme weakness have been some of your most precious times. Memories of these days are richly interwoven with golden strands of My intimate Presence."

As I look forward to going home tomorrow, I pray that I don't lose the tight grip I have on God.  I have never had to rely on Him as much as I have during the past 49 days.  I have only just begun to learn what it really means to trust Him. I hope that I do not let the comfort of America, and suburban life distract me from my total dependence on God.

This whole journey has been about following God's will. I pray for the strength and courage to continue the work He has begun. Please join me in praying for Valera, as he adjusts to life in America, and to life in a family...the Miller family.

Ted, Delaney, and Mary Kate....I just may tackle you all when I see you tomorrow.

Back in Kiev

We said our goodbyes at the train station. Some of us cried more than others. I will let you guess who that was.

We got back to Kiev at about midnight last night. Got to sleep a little after 1 am. We shared an apartment with another family from New York. They adopted a 16 year old girl from Valera's orphanage.  Oksana and Valera enjoyed being together.

We had to get up at 7 am to start our day. Oksana's dad and I went to the US Embassy to apply for Visas.  We loved being with English speaking people.

From there, we went to the medical center to have Oksana and Valera checked out. We spent a few hours there.

We checked into new apartments this afternoon.  Look forward to more sleep tonight.

Tomorrow we are going back to the Embassy.

Please continue to pray for us.  We are praying for you.

We Are Off

We will be leaving in about an hour and I don't know when I will have Internet access again.  Thank you for caring about us and for praying for us. Please continue to do so.

I thought I would leave you for now with a funny story or two.

A few weeks ago Pa, Valera and I went to play some soccer. We stopped at a roadside stand on the way home to get some lunch and some drinks. Pa and I needed Valera to do some ordering for us as the employee did not speak English.  Valera ordered our food and continued talking with the employee. I could tell that she asked Valera, "who are these people?" and I am most certain that Valera responded with:

"oh, some Americans!"

It has become a running joke as we shared this story with Anya and Den.

Hopefully, as time continues on, we have become and will continue to become much more than "some Americans".

Last night, Den and Anya gave Valera a clever gift...a soccer referee's kit...including a whistle and two plastic cards (red and yellow).  My dad and I joked that we could use the cards to explain to Valera when his behavior was becoming inappropriate. We could hold up the yellow as a caution, a red when we were at our limit.

Valera has a small nerf gun that he likes to shoot, he isn't always careful about where he shoots. Yes, that would require a red card!

And most definitely, if he refers to us again as "some Americans", I am pulling out the red card!

Last Full Day in Donetsk

We went ice skating one last time today, then Anya and Den came over to be with us on our last night. As a reminder, Anya has been our adoption facilitator/translator and Den has been our driver. Just so happens, Anya and Den are dating. They met in Christian Seminary in Kiev. They have been so great to us. Anya has really helped me with so much...more than she gets paid to do, I am sure. She has been a great listener to me as we have walked in and out of buildings, eaten meals, driven hundreds of miles, and signed countless documents.

She is the total opposite of me. She is care-free, free-spirited.  She recently said to my dad, in her Russian accent, "your daughter thinks too much...about nothing".  We cracked up. Didn't take her long to figure me out.

Den is awesome too. He told us the first day we met him that he knows 10 words in English. Tonight he told us that we helped him become fluent! He has been a great male role model for Valera....not that my dad and Ted haven't been..but Den can speak his language. All Den has needed to do is drive us from point a to point b.  But he has taken the extra steps to teach Valera what it means to have "good character", what it means to honor your parents. Den also likes rap music. He downloaded Christian rap music (in Russian) on our laptop and tonight helped me buy some songs on iTunes - Russian rap music (with no bad words).

Den and Anya have become quite special. It will be easy to say goodbye to Donetsk, but hard to say goodbye to them.

Tomorrow we have some more paperwork to do. We will pick up Valera's passport then will get on a high speed train to Kiev at 4:50 p.m. We should get to Kiev at midnight.

Please pray for Valera. He told Anya tonight that he is a little nervous about going to America, but is mostly excited. I think he is one brave kid. We have spent over 40 days in this apartment, and have gotten into somewhat of a routine. I am sure it will be hard for him to leave Anya and Den. I appreciate all the prayers you could say for him, and for all of us as we travel to Kiev, then home.

Love, Lisa

Seasons Change

Fall was certainly in the air here today. It was cool, breezy and overcast. We had a nice relaxing day. I actually laid in bed for three hours with a washcloth on my eye, while Valera watched a movie and my dad made some yummy potatoes.

Afterwards, I walked to the grocery store for what should be the last time.

Valera and I played a soccer game on a field outside of our apartment. We made goals out of tree branches. He beat me 10-3.  I tried really hard.  This may have been our last soccer game here in Ukraine. Even if we have the time, we have worn out the ball.

We watched our last soccer game for sure. We went to another Shaktar game. We won 4-1. It was a joy tonight to watch Valera celebrate every goal. He was really into it.

When we got home, the three of us watched Ratatouille. While I am certain we will watch it again, it will be the last time while in Ukraine.

Tomorrow is our last full day in Donetsk. We will leave for Kiev on Tuesday (on an overnight train), spend two days in Kiev then fly home on Friday (assuming that all goes according to plan).

We had a fun Skype session with Ted and the girls last night. Valera held up six fingers and said, "Americ". He wanted to show them all his "tricks" with the ball, and had them listen to his "rap" music. He watched the girls do flips on the trampoline.  Valera seemed excited to be a part of our "family time".  As a friend pointed out to me, the culture shock, language barrier, strange food, etc. will hopefully help me sympathize with him as he adjusts to life in America.

So, just as the weather is changing, this "season" of our journey is about to change. We are preparing for the next phase that will lead us "home". We ask for prayers that we continue to stay healthy, that all logistics fall into place, and most of all....that Valera will do well with the travels and all the change that he will experience.  As I anticipate all that is about to happen, I hold on to the fact that God never changes.

Happy Fall!