Perfect timing

December 29, 2007

Yesterday brought closure to some things. Our only real goal was to check Dasha out of the orphanage for good. This is a day that we have looked forward to for some time. We were looking forward to the pomp and circumstance or whatever Ukrainian version there might be for this "ceremony." We've officially been her parents for five days and we really haven't felt like she belonged at the orphanage since we got into town four weeks ago. We've spent a lot of time together and it has been good for us to have this time. We made it out to the orphanage around 11:00 am.

Along the way, we stopped at the Rainford Supermarket. This was our first visit and man, were we impressed. Imagine Ukrainian Publix. It had everything and was neat and clean. The Hartsocks and Kemps had told us about it, but it must be experienced to be appreciated. We had stopped to pick up some goodies for Dasha's class to have a small going away party. We picked up some cake, candies, fruit and juices. I'd say we made pretty good time in there. We were a little pressed, because the director had asked that we be there at a certain time and we were pushing it a little.

Side note: When traveling in Ukraine, one should always leave time for the unexpected travel crisis. Although, punctuality is not always priority one. End side note.

We got up to the register to pay (Gina, Denis, and I). We got a buggy full for less that $40.

Side note: Their buggies here have four wheels that swivel as opposed to only two in the states. This makes it easy to pick out the Americans in the stores. It looks like an optical illusion or something similar to a drunk shopper. A sight that also must be experienced. End side note.

So I am digging in my pockets for some money. A skill that I've become very proficient with while here. Gina is still bundled up in her coat and she is leaving the check out. I've mentioned before how tight security is here. This is the only place that I've ever seen fingernail clippers that have anti-theft devices. Not special ones - just the plain ol' clippers that your grandfather carried around in his pocket. I actually had to wait for a clerk to remove the device before I could leave a store a couple of weeks ago! So at the Rainford like in many other places they have one of those walk through things to pick up what ever you stole that day. So Gina goes through and - what do you know? A thief has been identified! Here comes the SWAT team to pat her down.

OK, I'm a little nervous, but I know that my sweet wife is no thief. So they ask her to step back through - beep! OK lady, what do you have? Take off your purse and try it again..... beep! OK empty your pockets...... beep! Open up your coat and let us take a look. Nothing. Try it again..... beep!

By this time, I've settled up with the cashier and am spectating. They aren't being rude so I'm probably more relaxed that I should be. Nobody's upset. They just have a job to do. Then guard 1 (of 3) and I have the same idea. We've both spotted the security tag in her coat that was not removed when she bought the coat. We're both pointing and saying the same thing but in different languages. I offer my pocket knife to extract the offensive device, but he has his own. He cuts it out and she tries it again. Whew! That was it. We all smile (as much as the guards are allowed to) and we are released.

We pack ourselves back into our taxi and continue to make our way to the orphanage. I don't think we've lost more that about 10 minutes to this. Once we arrive, we see that some of the younger kids are having a holiday program. This is the last day of class and there are many family members there to pick up children. Isn't that just weird? Anyway, the director is busy observing this performance and tells us that we'll have to wait. No problem. We'll head upstairs and "get the party started." There were more kids in class than we expected, but we managed OK. An hour and a half later and the director is free and can see us now.

So here we go. We are expecting a speech and pleading and weeping a gnashing of teeth. She apologizes for our delay and produces two blank forms and asks us to sign on the line. She will complete these forms later. That's it. No speech. No ceremony. Nothing to drink or eat or burn. We're done!

Free at last! Free at last! Thank God almighty she is free at last!

So we say our goodbyes to her caregivers and teachers and some of her friends that are ripping out our hearts because they are so sweet. (KB even asks if we can come back to adopt one of Dasha's friends that has really taken to her - Oh my.) We pack back in again and we left with our new daughter.

We had some gifts for Anna and Nicolae (still not sure about that spelling) who do so much work with the kids here. It was early in the afternoon so they were not at the orphanage yet. We called their home and asked if we could drop by and leave those things with them there. She is delighted to have us stop by. They live close by and so we make our way there. We are planning to stay about 15-20 minutes, but..... she has prepared sandwiches and tea and candies for us. So we must not be rude. We end up staying for close to an hour.

And now back to our theme for the day... we were all hungry and didn't really know what we would do to squeeze in lunch. It was about two o'clock and we had somehow managed to missed lunch at the orphanage. So far we have been lucky with the wheel of menu at the orphanage. Everything we have been offered was recognizable and fairly good, but that luck can only last so long. That pickled herring is looming out there for us - I just know it. (BTW, we always carried plastic bags with us just for emergency disposal of food which cannot be forced down.) Our kids all loved the sandwiches that Dasha had prepared with Anna's help. So we are aimlessly going about our day - sort of - and God has provided lunch from the charity of another

Guys, they (Nicolea and Anna) are (to steal a Brockism) the "real deal." They are always looking for ways to instill something of value into these kids. Nicolae couldn't be there. We had crossed paths with him between his home and the orphanage. He had a line of young men standing at his door waiting to recite scripture in exchange for little prizes. This was something that I had observed a couple of weeks ago and it touched me so much. It has really caught on. He has become strict with them. Their recitation must be near perfect to qualify for the prize. Little do they know that they are opening their hearts to have the seeds of God's Word to be planted. Oh, how beautiful is this sight!

So we get back into our little car again and are headed back to the flat . (?) Nope, Yanna (a friend who has helped us at the orphanage in the past) calls to tell us that she has not been able to pick up a letter from a relative here for some of our friends back at home. She and Gina and Dasha had visited the aunt of some girls that live close to us to deliver some photos and correspondence. And also just to follow up with her to let her know that her nieces are doing wonderful and have a great life in the US. She wanted to send a letter back with us, but she is blind and had to wait for her son to come and take it down. We were to pick this up and take it back with us to deliver to our friends back home. Since we are out we decide that we can go ahead and do this to save her a trip. We get the address and we are off. Now she lives across the river - a place that I had wanted to visit, but had not yet had the opportunity. Oh well, last night in Zap - why not?

While we are speaking with Yanna, we ask about the status of the passport. No word. The mail from Kiev has not yet been delivered, but they should be working tomorrow (holiday weekend, yeah right!)
and we will just check in with them and see. Worst case, they can send it to Kiev next week. I'm already thinking of the implications of this action. Might cost us a week b/c the embassy is only open 3 days next week due to holidays. Does mail run on Monday? What if it doesn't arrive until Friday? Oh man, this could be bad.

So our visit with the aunt goes so well. We were so happy to be able to tell her all about her girls. She was so kind to us and I think the visit helped to bring peace to her life - just to know that God had provided for them and they were in good hands. She lives alone. She does have one son that visits when he can, but he works on the road quite a bit. Oh, how my heart aches for her, but she is in such good spirits. She has happy memories of the girls and is kind to share them with us. When we are packed back into the car all I can think of is the phrase from James 1:27 "...orphans and widows." Finally I whisper this into my wife's ear and she says that she was thinking the same thing. God is loading up our hearts with this burden.

Once again, we stayed longer than planned. It is now dark outside and stomachs are growling again. How do I know? Because as we are driving down the road, with my sweet wife all up in my space, I keep feeling my phone buzzing in a pocket that cannot possibly be accessed. By about the third or forth ringing session, I comment to her about how I wonder who that could be. She breaks out in uncontrollable laughter and informs me that this is not my phone but her stomach. Dude! That is serious. A check of the phone at the next stop confirms this.

Traffic is pretty heavy headed back into town and we are not making very good time. Yanna calls back just as we are getting back into town to make final arrangements for tomorrow. She and Nina (another friend that has been helping us) want to come by and visit in the morning to say goodbye and to give some gifts to take back. She also informs me that the passport is ready and that she will try to get by the office in the morning to pick it up so that we can take it back with us. As God would have it, we are within a block of the office and so Denis asks if we can just swing by and pick it up. We all agree this is best. He comments about how perfect the timing was for this.

When we arrived, a new year's party is brewing. I observed the rare smiling Ukrainian government worker although I could not get a photo - so you'll have to take my word for it. They were all scurrying around and had already placed a bench across the entry way with a sign that said "closed" in Russian, of course. We walked right in, found our dude and he quickly found the passport. A check of my ID and a couple of signature later and... WE HAD IT!

I must admit this was an overwhelming thing for me..... to open up that little booklet and see her pretty face and her new name....

.....and the way she signed her name..... in very neat printed hand writing was one single word....

GRACE...

I suppose that she was in a hurry and couldn't put together the english letters for her full name. Oh God, how perfect is that? Excuse me a second while I dry off the keyboard.....

Fade to black and roll the credits - what a perfect ending. This one was written, directed, produced by none other that God, Himself.

We finished up our last day here in Zap at the train restaurant. All through supper, I couldn't help but keep pulling out that passport and staring at it. I just can't believe it. So many times during this journey, God has provided for us at just the right moment. This has truly been a journey of faith - and it has been rewarding. Grace.

That sums it ups. His timing is indeed perfect.

Love,

The Graces