Day 16 & 17 - I'm Over Here!

Good afternoon everyone.  It's just before 4:00 p.m. in Kiev, Ukraine.  I usually blog at night before I go to bed but wasn't able to last night because I was just too tired.  So, today (Wednesday) I am going to try and catch up a bit for Tuesday and Wednesday.  We haven't had any progress toward completing the adoption since we gained our court date but we are one day closer to coming home than we were yesterday.

We miss home.  But, while we are here we continue to try to make this small apartment the best home we can.  Still, nothing beats the original.  :-)

We didn't do a bible study yesterday or lift up praise & prayer as we usually have.  I can tell the difference.  God's word is an amazing source of encouragement and strength.  Lifting words of praise and listening for God to speak to us one on one in prayer is a fundamental necessity to grow closer to our Father in Heaven.  I am thankful that God used two conversations today (a note sent to me by a childhood friend via facebook and a conversation with Angelia about the children) to draw my thoughts back toward His word and His teaching.

On Tuesday, we were able to hang out with the children and we decided to walk about 1 mile to a city park we passed this past Sunday on our way to church services.  We took along a ball and nerf type frisbee that we purchased at the toy store just after we arrived in country.  We had a great time being outdoors.  I guess "cabin fever" sets in pretty quickly.  We walked around the park to get the lay of the land and spent a few minutes at a pay-by-the-10-minute-interval bounce house.  This was a hit for the kiddo's.  We then set-up a game of kick-ball which lasted about 45 minutes.  We then walked around some other parts of the park and then walked on back to the apartment.  It started raining about the time we got back so going early was smart planning by my wonderful wife.

Vicka and Tolya on the bounce house in the park

Angelia & Vicka on the see-saw!

I had to pick up a few things from down the hill so Tolya and I walked down to exchange some American money for Ukraine currency.  Then we went on a little shopping spree.  Now, some people might argue that the invention of the wheel serves as the most important technological advancement mankind has made.  Others might argue the bow & arrow. Still others would say our ability to harness the power of the atom.  I am here to say that I think the "frying pan" should rank at or near the top of the list.  I mean, you can fry with it, use it as a weapon, fry with it, fry with it and even fry with it.  So, our shopping trip included chicken mcnugget things (which, according to the picture on the pack, are actually pork) and some other staples.  When I noticed some soft-bread that looked similar to hot dog buns, I grabbed two packs before anyone else could get them and ran back to the other side of the store to get hot dogs.  Yes, you can fry hot dogs too!  :-)

Today (Wednesday) has been pretty much uneventful but we will venture out to grab a bite to eat.  No more potatoes or hot dogs.

In several past blog posts, I have made light of the fact that our apartment in Kiev is located on top of a hill and all other stuff is located at the bottom.  As I was walking up the hill yesterday, I actually felt bad about all the fun I've made of it because it sounds like I've been complaining.  As I walked up the hill yesterday, my thoughts dwelled on the fact that I should be thankful for the ability to walk up the hill.  So many people don't have that ability and I do, not because of any reason accept that God wills it.  1 Thessalonians 5:18 tells us "to give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."  Even though I make light of it, I am thankful for the hill outside this apartment and so many other things in my life, even the difficulty. 

The title of my blog today is "I'm Over Here".  Angelia and I discussed today that in the orphanages we have spent time at, it's clear that orphans crave attention.  Sometimes they act out against each other, sometimes they come running and just jump on you, and sometimes they work (doing dishes, sweeping, etc.) in very obvious ways just to earn attention.  In many ways, they simply are saying "I'm Over Here!" As it sometimes happens, I related this behavior to how we as people often interact with God.  So many times, we do things (good and bad) simply to draw attention from other people.   As followers of Christ, we should never do things to bring attention to ourselves, but rather only to bring glory to our Father in Heaven.  After all, as Christians, we are no longer orphans.

My prayer tonight is that I choose to glorify God with my actions and decisions.

Thanks to everyone for your continued words of care and encouragement.  And especially, thanks for your prayers.  We love and miss you all very, very much!