9/29/2012

Just Pictures, Part II

Arriving at the Courthouse while anxious parents waited!

Waiting for court - playing on the iPhone.

Still waiting for court (3 hours actually) - working on English flash cards.  

Birthday party to celebrate V & V's birthdays. 

Farewell party at the orphanage - Galina, Zhenya, Vera & Dima.

Singing by K at the party.  Beautiful girl, beautiful voice!

More singing and dancing at the party!

The food table - it's not a Deller party without food!!
Zhenya with his suitcase packed.  The fellas are saying their last goodbye.
Zhenya with our new friend, Alexey.  And do you notice the cute blonde boy's haircut??

Latest happenings


We finally had a low-key day yesterday, which was much needed.  Zhenya actually woke up before me, so he and Mike had a fun time waking me up.  Zhenya jumped on the bed, scaring me to death, yelling “Mama, Mama, get up, get up!”  After more jumping, he finally stopped, hugged me and said, “Good morning, Sunshine”.  (That’s what I always say to him in the mornings.)  Even though I hate to be woken up, this was a good start to our day!

We spent some time doing schoolwork – no need to wait until we’re back home!  Z completed a math worksheet and the first lesson of Rosetta Stone.  He did really well on both, but did get frustrated with the English.  He said it was crazy.  I just laughed. 

We went to a really nice park here in Kyiv to help get rid of some energy.  They have 4-wheel bikes you can rent to ride around in the park.  So, Mike and Z had a fun time with that.  We also paid a visit to the Roshen candy store to stock up on goodies to bring home.  Candy and chocolates are really big here.  In America, we gift people with clothes, purses, gift cards, etc.  Here, you gift with candy, chocolates and fresh flowers.




Our day ended by having dinner with a very special young man that we met this week.  Alexey is another adoption facilitator / translator that helped us earlier this week with several appointments.  He is 24, very handsome and very kind.  But that’s not why he’s special.  He received his very first Bible from another adoptive family that we met in Kyiv earlier in September.  The Bible was in English, but he is so interested in learning more, that he bought a Bible in Russian.  This family was able to share the Gospel with Alexey and now he is seeking to know more.  He was raised with no religion in his life (former Soviet Union), so the Bible is very foreign to him.  He desires to know so much more, so Mike and I were able to talk to him last night and help answer some of his questions.  Standing in the middle of Khreschatyk Street (the main street in Kyiv), with hustle and bustle everywhere around us, talking about having a relationship with Jesus, is priceless!  What an awesome privilege that was!  How amazing is our God!  

Clemson in Ukraine - Go Tigers!!


We look forward to visiting the WWII museum today with Becky and Nadia.  We understand it is one of the best such museums in the world.  Tomorrow we will attend The Church of the Big City again – there are several folks that want to say goodbye to Z.  Monday we expect to get Zhenya’s Passport and make our first visit to the Embassy.  Tuesday should be our second Embassy appointment and medical visit and then we should be cleared for take off!!  What a good feeling….

Mandy

9/26/2012

Second Trip

We made it to Kiev for our second and final trip!  This trip should be rather short, compared to the last.  We are hoping to return home mid-week next week.

I neglected to post during our short trip back home.  It was great to see our boys again and to be in our comfortable home with comfortable surroundings.  It has amazed me how much I take for granted.  We all need to be thankful for the country we live in and all the "stuff" that we have.


We arrived in Kyiv Monday afternoon and have been in a whirlwind since!  We now have Zhenya’s new birth certificate and have his new passport in progress (expedited passport takes 3 business days).  This doesn’t sound like enough to take up a day and a half, but I promise you it is!

This whole adoption process has been filled with emotions that I haven’t even touched on in our blog.  But today was extra emotional.  We met Zhenya’s birth mother, sister / husband and two nieces.  We also celebrated with all the kids and caretakers from the orphanage by having a going away party.  It was such a fun time, but also sad knowing Z may never see his friends again.  Several of the younger children helped in the celebration by singing.  Zhenya even finished off the evening with a song!  He is quite the entertainer!  And of course, there was food. :-)  A huge thanks to Becky for completely handling the food for us.  (We ran out of time due to other appointments and she jumped right in and took care of it.) 

Today also marks Day 1 of our official lives together with Z.  We signed paperwork to release him from the orphanage and to be in our care forever!  He is sound asleep in our apartment tonight and our hearts and nerves are finally calm.

So you want to know the highlight of my day?  After coming home to our apartment tonight…I was in the kitchen and Z walked down the hall yelling “Mom”!  I turned to see what was going on and he gave me a big hug!

Thanks again to all who have prayed with us and for us!  More to come later…

Mandy

9/10/2012

Court Day!

Today, September 10, 2012 will be one of many to remember! After waiting in the court house for approximately 3 hours, we were finally seen and able to present our case for the adoption of Zhenya. Our adoption has been APPROVED!

We still have a 10 day waiting period, so continue to covet your prayers. Mandy and I will return home on Tuesday, 9/11, and look forward to seeing our precious boys.

The Deller Family of 5 at the Mets game on July 7, 2012.
We have been waiting a long time for this moment and the joy we have felt with the approval was worth the wait!

After court!  What a relief!

9/04/2012

A Letter of Thanks

As Mandy and I anxiously await a court date, we continue to covet your prayers. We are eager to get home, as we've mentioned, and see our boys, give Mandy's parents a break (we're not done yet!) and enjoy the comforts of home. We knew our travels would be hard and God has given us new friends for us to realize our travels could have been more difficult! 

Before we leave Ukraine for a short break, we wanted to say thanks to all of you who have been faithfully praying for Mandy, Zhenya and I in Ukraine. It has truly been a blessing to have prayers rained down on us daily! God has answered so many prayers of ours and given us tremendous joy. There are some special thanks I want to include.

To my wonderful and amazing wife, who has brought me to this point, many THANKS! It is hard to believe that less than 11 months ago, I was not aware of hosting, nor thinking of adoption. God used you to open my heart to hosting and adoption and expand our family to include Zhenya. I am so very blessed to have you by my side!

To Nana and Pawpaw, words cannot express the gratitude I have for you. From the start of the adoption process in January, you have been so very helpful. One of our greatest and primary concerns was the care for our boys while traveling. We did not even have a chance to discuss that with you! You immediately told us you would keep the boys and the dogs and stay at our house! You have released an immense burden on Mandy and I, allowing us to focus on Zhenya and the adoption process. And, every time we have Skyped and talked, you've been smiling and joyful! You will forever be a part of this long journey that we hope will soon bring Zhenya home.

To the Daley's, you walked the road ahead of us and provided guidance, direction, prayers and friendship throughout. It was great to see Bob & Dima in Kyiv and get some much needed travel information! Praise God they are safely home!

God Bless each of you for the part you have played in "Operation Z." (Thanks Jim for that!)


9/03/2012

Pictures

Dima (Storms family)  Such a cutie!


Two little brothers from the orphanage.  They love getting attention when we visit.

Penner family, adopting sisters Valya and Katya.  Beautiful girls!

Meredith and Vera (Storms family)

Galina with two guys from the orphanage

Zhenya's class - not sure if this is the whole class or only the kids that came to First Bell.

Beautiful "K" from the orphanage - She has a family pursuing adoption, but I'll keep tabs on her just in case :)

Stray dogs are everywhere here.  As a dog lover, it's been really hard to look away and keep walking.

Zhenya and Vera.  Such a beautiful girl :)

Billy and Dima walking to First Bell (Storms family)

I just love these 2 little guys!  This was not a posed picture.  They just want to be loved on.

Still Waiting

Today is Monday (Sept. 3) and we still don't have a court date.  Please pray with us that it will be Tuesday or Wednesday of this week.  We are anxious to get home, see our boys and dogs and sleep in our own comfy bed!

Zhenya's last movie filming was canceled last week due to the camera breaking, so he was able to spend Tuesday - Friday with us in Kyiv!  We were excited to get the news!

We did a little sight-seeing, but the highlight for Zhenya was spending Thursday at an indoor water park.  This is like nothing we've ever seen before - it is huge, taking up the entire top floor of a mall.  And not having to fool with sunscreen....priceless!

Zhenya after a 35 foot drop.  I did this once and decided I was done :)

The first day of school in Ukraine is September 1, which is also known as "First Bell".  It is a huge deal here, nothing like I've ever heard of in the States.  The boys and girls dress up and bring fresh flowers for their teachers.  The kids and parents circle around the courtyard of the school, listening to speakers, singing and then the ringing of the first bell.  The kids are then dismissed to go inside to meet their teacher.  Galina, the orphanage director, asked us to come to be with Zhenya.  Of course, we were excited to be there!  We were able to meet his teacher and talk to her about Zhenya (via Nadia, our wonderful volunteer translator!)  It was a wonderful time and another opportunity to bond with Zhenya.  As a mom, I have to tell this little tidbit...Zhenya was already at the school, helping set up tables, etc.  He was looking out for us when we arrived and when he saw us, he started waving and running towards us.  We were greeted with big hugs and a big smile :)  Should I remind you that he is 14?!?  My heart melted.

Families walking to First Bell

First Bell




Mike and I were able to enjoy another Sunday worship service in Kyiv yesterday.  We attended The Church of the Holy Trinity, which is an evangelical Presbyterian church, much like the PCA.  It was another wonderful experience, with the entire service translated in English.

We are headed back to the orphanage this afternoon to take Z and a few of his friends out to dinner.  Let's hope they don't all eat as much as he does :)

Mandy, for M&M