Days 41 & 42 - "On the Edge"

Hello to everyone who has continued to be interested in our adoption story by following our blog.  We thank you so much for all the kind words of encouragement, all of the prayer and all of your support.   Angelia and I were discussing that this entire adoption process has been a very meaningful but difficult process.  It has drawn us closer to God, closer to each other, and closer to our two children. 

Living in Kiev, Ukraine for the last 42 days has surely made us appreciate our home, our friends, our blessings and our country so much more.  I pray that we will remember our circumstances here for a long time to come in order that we may be thankful for what we have been blessed with.  I pray that our hearts will always turned to use what God has given us to glorify and serve our Lord & Savior, Jesus Christ.

Day 41:
On Saturday, we took it upon ourselves to get out and about by doing a bit of shopping.  The weather was sunny and very mild which meant being outdoors was a good idea.  There was a cool looking, fleece soccer pull-over jacket that I was interested in so we walked to the store which is located just beside the professional soccer team's field.  But, I'm sad to report that they didn't have any in "husky" size.  Probably for the best because soccer stuff doesn't look as cool in America as it does here. :-)  We did notice that the Kyiv "Dynamo" (pronounced "Dee Naaa Moe" by my son Charlie & the rest of Kiev) was playing a game the next day.  Charlie loves the "Dee Naaa Moe"' team so it was only fitting that we attend a game.  Four tickets cost $25 and we were all set for the next day.



Charlie on the loose in Kiev!



Angelia has a part time job in Kiev to cover some adoption expenses



Sushi (or chicken finger) master o' the chop sticks Charlie!

Another adoptive family from Virginia we met in Kiev, son Aaron in tow!

After leaving the ticket office, we had to get something to eat.  Not being able to fit into the soccer jacket made me hungry for some reason.  There is a restaurant across the street from the soccer field that is sort of a chain type place that served sushi and other asian cuisine.  We decided to try it out and sure enough, it was pretty tasty.  After eating, we wandered around the main drag in downtown Kiev.  On weekends, they close the street so it was nice just to walk around in the nice weather.  While in Independence Square, we actually ran into a couple from America whose adoption blog I have been following since I've been in Ukraine.  The have been in Ukraine for three months trying to finalize the adoption of their special needs son, Aaron.  I read many stories of their struggles and how God delivered them.  Their story is much more difficult than ours.  Thank God, they are on schedule to leave for America with their son Aaron on Tuesday. 

The Alabama vs. Arkansas game was on live TV via satellite so we stayed up until half time (until 12:30 a.m. or so here) at which time everyone else went to bed.  The TV is in the living room (a.k.a. Charlie's bedroom) so I had to finish the second half getting updates after they occurred.  I am no Alabama fan for sure, so the fact that I watched and followed one of their games on line shows just how desperate I am for some resemblance of home.  :-)  The AU game started too late for me to listen to.  If everything stays on track, we have spent our last weekend in Ukraine so we can watch many football games next weekend if life allows.

Day 42:
When I awoke on Sunday, we didn't have anything to drink (water or soda).  With my being the caffeine dependent / cold soda in the morning person that I am, a walk down Mount KievKilamanjaroEverestK2 was necessary right out of the gate.  When I got back, we all ate breakfast and got ready to visit the first live professional soccer game attended by anyone in our family.  We walked the two miles to the stadium for the "Dee Naaa Moe" game.  The stadium holds about 12,000 fans.  We grabbed two glasses of warm apple juice and settled in for the big game against another Kiev, Ukraine professional team - the despicable "Aresenal".  :-)  About 15 mins before the game started, these giant sprinklers began wetting down the field.  I got excited because I thought maybe this was Kerosene and they were going to light it and play on a field of fire.  But alas, this was not the case.  A "normal" soccer game was on the menu for today.  It took the "Dee Naaa Moe" 108 minutes to dispatch the cross town rivals by a score of 21 to 14 (converted back to the soccer / metric system, this was a score of 3 to 2).  I didn't expect such an offensive display today!  During the game, we saw two head injuries, one shoulder injury, one injury to the pelvic region during a penalty kick (which got the whole stadium laughing) and one green card.  I'm not sure what the card was for but it being pulled out got a reaction from the crowd.  Another thing that really got the crowd fired up is whenever anyone (whether on purpose or by accident) touched the ball with their hands.  This unthinkable, nasty, despicable act occurred three times in the game but was only called once by the ref.  I'm sure that my children heard some very foul language in Ukrainian today but I don't speak it so I don't know how bad it truly was.  Also, I will say that large groups of Ukrainian young people get pretty enthusiastic during soccer games.  They had organized group cheers, taunts, dance moves, etc. that were on display during the entire game.  I guess they have to find some way to entertain themselves because they don't expect much action on the field.  I mean, the field was not burning with Kerosene!  :-)

Dynamo (Dee Naaa Moe) Kiev (in white) vs. Arsenal Kiev (in blue)

What a "blowout" score looks like in soccer!  This is 21 - 14 in American Football

We made our way to TGI Friday's to celebrate the huge blowout of the Arsenal.  We haven't eaten here since August 21, 2010 and it was a welcome change.  Up the hill we came after dinner.  We finished the evening by completing all of the paperwork that is needed during our visit with the U.S. Embassy tomorrow at 10:00 a.m.  At this meeting, we will turn in visa applications.  If all goes well, we would pick up visas for the children at 2:00 p.m. on Monday.  After we have these visas, we are coming home on the very next available flight which would be on Wednesday.

Please help us by praying that we finish the last steps without being hindered and that we would come home quickly and safely on Wednesday of this week.

Goodnight from Kiev, Ukraine!