Friday March 2

Today we rested all morning and early afternoon in an effort to feel better, was at least partially successful. It may be that travelling 3 times is more draining than we realized or appreciated. Anyway, we were contacted by our Nashville friend Heather (hhinukraine.wordpress.com) about meeting for dinner. She knows we have American stomachs and appetites that haven't been indulged much this trip. So our task was simple. We needed to walk about one half mile to the Demivska metro station. From there, we take the train up one station to Lubidska station to get to the Ocean Plaza mall. Simple, right? Well, we managed. It may have been Angela's first time in such a busy place alone with us. As soon as she saw Heather, we became old news! She wanted to hold her hand and walk with her all night! We didn't mind this a bit, because we understand that Angela still probably has more trust for Heather and Lesya (our host in Kiev) than us for at least two reasons. First, they can speak her language. Second, she has known them for 5 years, and for 5 years they have developed her trust. These children have so few people in the world they can rely upon, and Angela is about to say goodbye to to of them. Trust is hardly won, especially after it has been repeatedly destroyed. It was beautiful to see them interact, and also gave Julie and I a little break.

As I said, we went to a large, suburban mall for the evening to eat. I can happily report that I had a steak and french fries and it was delicious. Lesya joined us later in the evening. A good night of fellowship all around.

Angela and Heather

After dinner

After dinner we walked around the mall for a while. It was a very upscale place, so much so that they had a mini aquarium! I hope my oldest son is following this because, we saw, in person, a shark! A nurse shark swimming in a tank, to be specific.

For R, my oldest boy and a shark lover.

Near the exit, Angela wanted us to all pose for a picture in front of a fountain. Most importantly, she wanted to take it. So, here it is.

Everyone but Angela. 

At the end of the evening, we all returned to Lesya's place and watched videos, looked at pictures, and heard stories of previous orphan camps and orphans the girls know. The enormity of this whole situation, being 6,000 miles from home, in a country on the brink of war, filled with hurting children, and about to become the father of one! We have for so long prayed for and anticipated this event and the Lord has accomplished it so perfectly! I found myself praying that we would be worthy of this rich reward. We will rely upon Him alone to continue to go before us.


Michael and Julie

Better late than never

Hello!
Sorry again for not posting more frequently. Julie and I have been down with nasty head colds while here and have been quite exhausted. Ukraine has been in the news quite a it lately. Let me assure you that we are and have been safe, as Kiev is several hundred miles from the Crimean peninsula. We are scheduled to leave tomorrow morning as planned. I encourage you to follow bbc.com for the up to date coverage of the goings on here.

That said, let me try to get you up to speed.

Thursday March 1

Today we hadtwo major appointments. First, we visited the Medical Center in Kiev for Angela's medical appointment. While there a doctor examined her medical records, reviewed her recent X rays, and a physical examination. Everything seemed well, although Angela is always uneasy in these situations. She gets particularly nervous when I leave the room. Afterward, we went to the American embassy to begin processing her exit paperwork. The matter was a pleasure, and we think her passport may be here Friday, which means we could leave Tuesdayas opposed to Wednesday. We will have one more appointment at the embassy, most likely Monday, where we should beable to pick up her visa to travel to the US.

We were done by around noon, and decided to do our soiveneir shopping for friends and family at the Slaba Market.  In the US we would call it a flea market; its popular with western tourists and the vendors all speak English. We got some great stuff and were able to negotiate on price. While there, we got some new pictures in front of sd. Andrews church, which we also visited on our first trip.

St Andrews

We then went to an excellent Chinese restaurant for lunch. We've gotten accustomed to large quantities for low prices, and this place was no different. Angela ate a large helping of salad, rice, and chicken. 

Not one of my better pictures, but of course Angela is cute.

In the afternoon, Julie and I started to feel a bit I'll so we laid pretty low the rest of the day. There was however a skinny balloon fight. 

These were a great investment. 

I took a couple of shots in the evening of the view from our place to share with you as well:

Part of Kiev skyline

Looking down from our street. This fairly standard.

In closing, I can say we are doing well as a family and enjoying being reunited with Angela. We are gaining a better understanding of what our family dynamic will be like when we get home. Angela has been talking constantly about seeing the kids again. We miss them so much as well, along with the rest of our family. God bless you all and we will see you soon.

Michael and Julie

Gotcha Day and more

Hello!

First off we apologize for just getting our first blog up. This trip has been very busy and we are just starting to get some downtime. In addition, we think the power supply, or worse yet, the motherboard on the laptop may have been damaged in transit so the laptop is out of service. All updates will be made by NOOK, thanks to a most helpful Christmas present by my sister. Thanks, Sis!

That said, please excuse any spelling or grammatical errors. I will try to get you up to speed.

Monday February 24

We arrived safely in Kiev. I have to say, the allure and excitement of internationl travel has worn off for us a bit. Either that or we have watched every movie on the Lufthansa DC to Frankfurt flight. Whatever the case, we arrived better rested than either previous trip. At the airport we were greeted by our friend B and of course V, Angela's friend from Kharkiv, ex orphan, now daughter of B and K, sister of R and a new  baby, and current resident of Tennessee! They arrived home last night after more than 6 weeks in country!

After saying our goodbyes, we drove straight to Kharkiv to prepare for gotcha day, which is the day your child leaves the orphanage with you to officially start life as part of your family. I was a little dissapointed that we didn't have time to tour Yanukovychs' abandoned estate but priorities are priorities.

Tuesday February 25

This day was to be the culmination of this process. We were busy from 8am til after noon and then were finally enroute to the orphanage! We had a cake, drinks, cups, plates, napkins, and gifts for all the children, which is traditional. We also planned to talk to the other children in the groupa and deliver some messages from families in the US. However we learned enroute that all the other children were going to a movie in Kharkiv and wouldn't be back until 3pm. So, Angela was there pretty much by herself when we arrived. Not what we envisioned , but still a beautiful moment.

With teacher, a friend and us.

We brought a suitcase of clothes for Angela and were surprised at how much the orphanage provided her with. Overall, Angela seemed a bit subdued.  I think she has just been anticipating this moment for a long time. In any case we were in and out very quickly; probably less than 20 minutes. While not exultant, there was no hesitation, no looking back, no second thoughts about her home of the last 4 years. We were then on our way to Kiev.

En route to Kiev. Note the fancy new hat - thanks, Cheryl!

Up to this point in our trip, we have usually stayed in mid rise apartments in city centers. This time, we spent the night in an eastern suburb of Kiev on the 21st floor of a high rise apartment and it was very nice. We got a great nights rest and had an amazing view.

Mix of old and new in Kiev. 

Still many dirt roads.

Family picture.

Wednesday February 26

After getting to sleep in, we were driven to our home for the duration of our trip, an apartment in southern Kiev. We will be staying with L, a wonderful young Ukrainian woman who knows Angela from summer orphan camps. We spent the day settling in and resting, as we are all exhausted. Angela has a king sized bed and her own room, while Julie and I have a sofabed, which is quite comfortable. I ventured out for a time to try and find an internet café (unsuccessfully) and hit the local grocery store for supplies. Along the way, a nice fellow tried to get me to buy tickets for the national lottery. Tempting, but no. In the evening, our host got home and we had a good chance to have extended conversation with Angela as L speaks Ukrainian, Russian, English, and German. Tomorrow we will have a medical appointment and our first visit with the American Embassy.

Things seem to have picked up right where they left off this summer in terms of our relationship with Angela, which is a true blessing. We're so excited to be reunited and continue bonding together as a family. We can't wait to return to the US to have Angela reunited with our bio kids. She asks about them every day!

Good night, and I will update you in Thursday tomorrow.

Michael and Julie

Hope amidst unrest

Hello All,

I expect you all have heard more about the increased unrest in Ukraine. The situation there has become much more unstable since we left just a week ago. Protesters and police have died, and the government is cracking down further.  There are horrible images and videos of violence, and places we visited only a month ago are now wreathed in flame and smoke. For our purposes, everything is still scheduled, although we've been told we will be staying several miles from the city center this time, whereas last month we stayed within 2 blocks of Maidan Square. We've been advised by the State Department that venturing into central Kiev will be risky, but we will have to do so in order to complete our business at the United States Embassy. To anyone wanting up to date coverage of what is happening in country, I recommend the following this link, provided by a friend who is there:

http://www.rferl.org/contentlive/clashes-in-ukraine-live-blog-kyiv/25267783.html

We intend to be careful, but not timid; cautious, but unafraid. God has cleared our way thus far in the process and we believe He will faithfully do so again. We appreciate your prayers, and ask also that you pray for the people of Ukraine during this sad episode. Liberty is rare and precious in this fallen world.

Here are a few more pictures of our recent trip:

Friends in the Groupa room.

Same picture, but I was making faces at them.

Julie giving Angela the necklace we bought for her. It features the state of Tennessee placed within the borders of Ukraine. 

The necklace close up. 

Dressed and ready to go to court. Angela is receiving a hug from beautiful, happy, A, one of her best friends. She needs a family. 

Very interested in our wedding rings. 

Julie and Angela at the window working on Valentines. 

More Valentines.

My turn.

More tomorrow.

Love, 

The Walls

Rebirth

A little over 48 hours ago we boarded an airplane to once again cross the globe in hopes that we would be one step closer to bringing our daughter home. After 16 hours of air travel, we climbed into our facilitator’s van to make the 6 hour drive to our girl’s region. We arrived just in time for dinner, and were prepped for our court hearing before going to sleep for the night. We were informed that it is more appropriate for the mother-to-be to speak for the family before the judge. Enter anxiety. Michael is such a good speaker and he remembers things much better than I do. I found myself rehearsing line by line what I would say if asked any number of possible questions. I prayed and asked the Lord to calm my fears and help me remember what I had prepared. We prayed together and went to sleep.

This morning, we drove out to the orphanage and spent some time with our girl. It was so wonderful to see her again! After she was told how the court hearing would go, we hopped in the van with a representative from the orphanage and went to the courthouse. Our appointment was set for 11am, but there was a delay. There are only a few courtrooms and they are used for adoptions and criminal cases alike. We waited for an hour and twenty minutes, then were ushered into a room with a platform for the judge and jury, a table and chairs for the prosecutor and social worker and chairs for the rest of us. What courtroom would be complete, however, without an 8’x12’ cage for criminals (guilty until proven innocent). We so wish we could’ve taken pictures inside the courthouse! 

Our judge was young and friendly. He entered the courtroom and apologized for the delay. He began the proceedings and the court reporter typed everything that was spoken. I stood to make a petition to adopt our girl. Michael then stood and supported my statement. It was a bit awkward to have things handled in this manner, but it was customary so we did it. After some time, our girl was asked whether she wanted to become a part of our family. She said “yes” and the judge and jurors smiled. Each person in the room had to stand and give their consent or dissent. There was unanimous support and the judge and jurors left the room to make the final decision. When they reentered a few minutes later, the judge read a long proclamation. When he had finished, our facilitator then translated all of this to us. All of our requests had been granted: to give our girl a new name (our name!), to list us on her new birth certificate as her birth parents, and to officially be permitted to adopt our girl. The proclamation ended with a surprising and wonderful, “You are to be congratulated. You have become new parents again! Please note that the time is 1:10 pm for the rebirth of your child.”  Tears of JOY!!!

Praise be to our great God and Father in heaven who did not see it fit to leave us on our own, but chose to invite us to be adopted into His family! We’re thrilled beyond words that Angela said “yes” to our invitation today and now she has a forever family. We are all given the same opportunity by gracious, Almighty God. He did not have to welcome us into His family. He does not need us. He simply loves us and showed us how much by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on a cross for our sins, allowing Jesus to receive the death sentence that our wrongdoings have earned us and offering forgiveness and eternal life to all who would accept His invitation. He has asked you to become a part of His family. Will you say yes to Him? If so, you would become a part of His forever family.

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:8-9

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 6:23

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9

Thank you for joining us on our journey! We're travelling back home in the morning to wait out a mandatory 10-day waiting period. We'll then return to bring Angela Naomi Wall home with us!! More to come soon...

Still waiting

Good afternoon all,

Many of you who have been following this blog are aware that we began the adoption process and traveled to Ukraine at the same time as another local family. They were there to adopt a young lady who is a friend of A and who resides at the same orphanage. We can now happily report that they had a successful court date, and pending any appeals, are now officially the parents of a beautiful 12 year old girl named Valya, whom we have previously referred to as V. Several missionaries from the Nashville area and Radooga folks in Ukraine know Valya and have been praying for her for years. Join us in rejoicing for this family! 

Ya'll just wait; this girl is going to be a star!

One of our new Ukrainian friends has been in communication with A this past week. We learned that each and every morning, A announces that her family is coming to take her to America today! We were also told that she had been looking at our family picture and crying from missing us! We were able to pass along to her how much we are missing her during this time. To encourage her, we told her how we have permanently extended our kitchen table and have prepared a place for her with her own chair that no one else is allowed to sit in - because it is hers! Apparently, that meant a lot to her because she has jokingly asked how her chair is doing. We also told her we have a special gift for her, which we will share with you all after our court appointment next week. Since then, she has been in much better spirits! Here is a picture of A with Valya and another friend, O, from the orphanage:

From just a few days ago

I thought I would leave you with a few pictures of A taken by another new friend who visits the children weekly and loves them.

From December at the orphanage 

From Spring 2013 

Valya and A in October 2013 

God bless you all and have a good evening. 

Love,

Michael and Julie

Waiting period

Greetings!

We have booked our travel and will be leaving the US again on February 10th (for our court date on February 12th) and returning again February 13th. A quick turn-a-round, for sure! I think we have weathered the jet-lag at this point and are starting to get back into our typical home routine. I want to thank you all again for your prayers and continued support during this time; The Lord has definitely gone before us. 

One idea for a blog post that I recently had was to try to thank everyone that has helped us, by giving us time, resources, or prayer. Needless to say, this would be a long list. I thought it might be particularly helpful to anyone considering adoption who feels the time and cost is too daunting to see how God has worked this out in our lives. Understand, we are not people of great means, nor we do we have much of a social network. We do have an amazing extended family and church family. Most importantly, we serve a God who desires to be a father to the fatherless, to heal the wounded, and to make whole the broken. He is acting here, for the benefit of A, not us. So if adoption has been on your heart, stay tuned; there may be something for you. 

Tonight, I thought I would share a bit more about our impressions of the country of Ukraine. I've talked a bit about the people and our time in two of the largest cities in the country. To a large degree, these cities feel modern, safe, and European or at least western. The country between the cities through which we passed was interesting as well. Here are some photographs: 

Very typical country-side for central and eastern Ukraine. The land was flat and white from snow extending into the distance. Similarly to the US, trees tended be present along property lines, either planted to create a delineation or left in place when the land was cleared. 

The country-side was largely empty, with occasional towns. If there is a town, no matter the size, you can bet there will be a McDonalds. The menu was fairly similar to those in the US. We stopped at one two or three times while in country. 

The ubiquitous bus stop. Whenever we would pass through any small community, you would see these at every strategic place. They all looked, universally, like the one pictured above. I would be surprised if any of these were constructed since Soviet times. During morning school or rush hour times, each would always have a crowd of workers or children. 

More of the country-side. Again, this was the predominant view. 

A few more of the orphanage:

This is a view of the building where A lives with the other kids in her group. 

Walking to the group house. I don't think it was ever above 10 degrees F. Old southern boys like me learn that if you wear long underwear, 4 shirts, wool socks, gloves, water-proof boots, and a wool hat, 3 degrees F isn't so bad.

The view outside A's room. 

The view inside A's room. Much better, I think. 

Have a blessed night.

Michael and Julie