OH MY and The "A" Word

So, we're about 24 hours away from meeting Dimitry (if all goes well with his Visa and travels!).  He should be boarding his first flight around midnight tonight and then continue his travels for about 24 hours before we pick him up tomorrow night at Charlotte Douglas.  Please pray for him and safety for his travels as well as the other children being hosted through New Horizons around the country. 

We have so many mixed emotions right now.  We are nervous and scared--wondering how crazy we are!  We are getting excited as well. =)  We have many things planned while he's here and are hoping that he will be able to do them once he gets adjusted.  Thinking about this makes us happy, but we're already starting to feel the sadness of knowing we'll have to say good-bye.  Please, please, pray for this.  Pray that while he is here that we will be able to show him love and kindness with our whole hearts, and teach him about God and yet, be able to let him go after five weeks.  Dimitry will be prepared to say good-bye as he has been told that this is a "vacation" a break from the orphanage and an opportunity to get out of "work camp."  We, however, already feel pain knowing that we can't do more to permanently change the physical conditions in which he lives.  Some comfort comes from the understanding that we are working to teach him about a Heavenly Father that cares for his eternal needs and salvation and that we may have an opportunity to impact these aspects of his life.  Again, please pray for us and our emotions and perspectives throughout this experience.

Now for a piece of business...The "A" Word...ADOPTION!  As we previously stated in an earlier post, we are not eligible to adopt Dimitry.  Latvian law doesn't allow adoptions unless the adopting parents are 18 years older than the child...we are not.  However, this doesn't mean that he may not be adopted by someone he meets during his time here.  While he is here he will meet many people and families and it may be part of God's perfect plan for him to meet his adoptive family through us.  However, it may not be.  For this reason we must warn you not to use the "A" word in front of Dimitry.  While the children know little if any English, we have been warned that as orphans they are very aware of the word adoption.  Some even know that other children hosted on American programs are sometimes adopted by their host families.  For this reason, if you are ever around us with Dimitry PLEASE refrain from using the word adoption or asking any questions about his current living situation (in the orphanage), history/past family, or anything related to these topics.  We appreciate your awareness and your careful use of language around him.

Thank you for your prayers and continued support.  Even this week, we have been so moved by the overflowing amount of messages, cards, texts, and goods for Dimitry that we have received.  We feel so blessed and hope that those who have been a part of this process have and will continue to be blessed by being a part of this experience.  

Four Days...

Only four days remain until Dimitry arrives in America.  Four days until our home goes from two adults and two cats to two cats, one 11 year old boy, and two "adults" wondering what the heck they're doing.  Four days until an orphan treks from his institutional setting that he calls home to a foreign country where he doesn't know the language, doesn't know the two people who have invited him into their home, and doesn't know which stories of life in America are true.  Four days until God changes our lives forever.

Dimitry's room for the summer.

It's hard to believe that the time is already here.  We've been on this journey for over a year and now the reality is here, sinking in deeper and deeper with each day (and sometimes every hour and minute).  We are simultaneously excited and nervous.  The past few days we've been panicked, reassured, panicked again, and determined to have everything ready for Dimitry when he gets here.  We've used this weekend to get his room prepared and tried to furnish it with items that someone his age will enjoy.  We've also added a few items to help him learn some basic English words and aid in communication. Many items in our house are now labeled in English and Latvian (thank you Google Translator!).  There are still a few things that we'll be wrapping up in the next few days, but things are mostly good to go!

We know that this is a short update, but we wanted to post something since everything is getting very close!  Please pray for Dimitry's travel, especially that all legal stuff (mainly his Visa) is solidified, and our final preparations.  We also want to say a special thanks to the Bleavins family, who reassured us over the weekend after discussing their hosting experience last summer (their blog can be found here)!

Yard Sale and a Day in the Life...

This past weekend Casey's parents hosted a yard sale to raise additional funds to support us while Dimitry is here.  It was a huge success and we raised exactly the amount that God intended for us to have!  Beyond the money, many people were able to pitch in and get involved which makes this much more than just our missions opportunity!  King's mom picked up donations from her friends and drove them up to Richmond and many of Casey's parent's friends donated items as well.  Casey's mom, dad, and brother really went all out in giving their time and resources to pick up items and advertise the sale for weeks-even months!-prior to the big event.  We are SO thankful for everyone who got involved and hope that you each feel like you are a part of what's going on here!  Thank you!

We also wanted to clarify something.  In our last post we mentioned that we had reached our initial fundraising goal, so some of you may be wondering why we are continuing to fundraise.  While we have an idea of what it will cost to host Dimitry and that is where we set our goal, there are many uncertainties.  We aren't sure what his eye, dental, or other medical needs are and what it will cost to provide for those needs while he is here.  For this reason we are continuing to raise funds and seek donations.  So, what happens if we have money left over?  We can use these funds in three different ways:  1) save it for another future hosting, 2) put it towards a potential adoption in the future, or 3) use it for a scholarship for a child to be hosted by another family through New Horizons.  Rest assured--all funds raised will go toward orphan care!

While we were at the hosting training a couple of weeks ago we learned about the typical day in the life of an orphan from Ukraine, Russia, or Latvia (Dimitry is from Latvia).  This helps us to better understand the differences between where Dimitry is coming from and what he will be experiencing here with us.  It was also enlightening as it helped to explain some behaviors we may see from him that are not typical for his age, based on American societal standards.  So, for the remainder of this post we will share with you what a day for Dimitry is probably like...

Dimitry probably wakes up in a room with about ten other children that smells of bodily waste.  The doors to their rooms are locked at night, and they are unable to leave for any reason.  As a result, most children relieve themselves in their beds since they cannot go to the bathroom.  Once the doors are unlocked, Dimitry and his roommates will join the other 240 orphans for breakfast.  Here he will likely have something very bland to eat or possibly just bread and water.

After breakfast the children go to school.  The teacher for their class will likely not be very effective since teaching in an orphanage is not a desirable position for a teacher in this country.  Even the smartest children are likely two or three grade-levels behind in at least one, if not all, subjects.  Dimitry and the other orphans will have a break in the middle of the day for lunch, where they will have bland food again.  School will end at about 2:30 and the children may be given a snack.  This is followed by a two hour "nap time," when Dimitry will be sent back to his room and locked in again with his roommates for 2 hours.  During this time it is unlikely that the children sleep, but they aren't permitted any toys, supplies, or school work.

After nap time, he may have about an hour and a half of free time, which is the only time of the day Dimitry will get to spend outside.  However, "outside" is limited to the outdoor areas of the orphanage, so it is not very extensive.  Not only are the grounds limited, but so are the outdoor toys and games as well.  After free time, Dimitry and the other orphans will come back inside for dinner, followed by homework until bedtime at 8 PM.

As you can see, his day is very structured, and he has little freedom to make decisions for himself.  In fact, his clothes will likely be chosen for him every day and will be based on what is available by the time it is his turn.  All items in the orphanages become community property-including clothing and shoes.  The only time that Dimitry will get to pick his own clothes is if he has laundry duty.  On those occasions, he will have "first dibs" on the clean clothes. 

So that's what a day in his life may look like.  We want to emphasize that while this is the run down that was shared with us at our training for orphans from these countries (Russia, Ukraine, and Latvia), it may not be exactly what his life is like.  However, we were assured that it would not vary much from the details we shared above. 

As you can see, Dimitry's life is very structured.  We're in the process of figuring out a general daily schedule so he's not in completely overwhelmed by all of the down time, but he will definitely get to experience more freedom than he has become accustomed to.

Please continue to pray for us as the day he arrives is quickly approaching (2.5 weeks!!!!!)  Thank you so much for all of your prayers and support.  We are truly grateful!

*Update-we have had a suitcase, hat, gloves, two summer shirts, a pair of shorts, a pair of swimming trunks, and underwear either donated or spoken for by friends who have committed to provide these items upon his arrival.  Please see our last post if you would like to contribute toward his needs.  THANKS!