Goodbyes Are Hard.....

Grandpa Ehnle died suddenly last night and passed from this life into eternity. We will miss him dearly, but are so thankful that he is able to celebrate in heaven today. He no longer has the headache that has plagued his life ever since he had a brain tumor 60 years ago. And he has new ears to hear the beautiful, powerful praise and worship of his heavenly Father.

We will travel to Illinois this week to say our last goodbyes to Grandpa, a man that I have learned to deeply appreciate and love over the last 13 years I have known him. At the same time, we are preparing to say goodbye to a dear boy that we have known only 3 short weeks. Vitaly will be leaving us next week, and I find myself making comparisons today. On one hand, we are saying goodbye to a man, who, despite his doctor's prediction that he would not live to see his 7th birthday, has lived a life of 90 years. A man who is going to a much better place. On the other hand, we will say farewell to a boy is going back to a very hard and difficult place. A boy who will age out of the orphanage system in 5 short years and will die at a young age if someone does not step forward and help him get the medicine he needs to survive. 

I will admit that I am burdened and struggling right now. My emotions have been riding a roller coaster for the past several weeks. The first week Vitaly was here, I wondered what exactly we were getting into. We had fun experiencing new things with him, though, and kept busy with Christmas celebrations. The second week, he settled into a routine and became comfortable with our family, and we stayed busy with the holidays. By the third week, the emotions and extra work were taking a toll on me, and I was exhausted. I selfishly wanted my own life and routine back. I was convicted and comforted by the verse in Galatians that says:

"And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not."

Now, heading into the 4th week, I am realizing that V's time with us is rapidly diminishing. I am so overwhelmed by the thought of sending him back. I have pleaded with God to show us His will, and have asked Him over and over if we are supposed to be V's forever family. But we are not getting the signal to move forward. I pray that God has another family picked out for V. I know that God loves him so much more than I do, and that he has a plan for V's life. And I don't need to know that plan; all I need to do is trust. That's where my faith must take over. I just memorized this verse, and it is ministering to my heart right now:

"Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear." Isaiah 59:1

Yesterday, we mailed out a care package that will be delivered to Vitaly a week or two after his return to his orphanage. In it, we packed up some things that we know he loves (tea, smoked sausages, candy, and a few small toys) along with some necessities (toothpaste, deodorant, etc). Chris sat down at the computer to type up and translate a letter to him, and we both found ourselves bawling at the thought of him returning to his life as an orphan. Please say a prayer for Vitaly this week as he prepares to leave. May he always remember that no matter what life brings, Jesus is there for him.

More "V" Memories.....

1. Vitaly had his dentist appointment yesterday, and.........(drum roll, please)...........HE HAD NO CAVITIES!!!!! Woot! A lot of kids on this program have had 15 to 20 cavities, root canals, teeth that had to be pulled, etc, but V? Just a cleaning, a fluoride treatment, and removal of some stains. I am so thankful that the twins' pediatric dentist in Fort Wayne donated his time and services for Vitaly!

2. Today was Chris's first day back to work since V got here, and the kids went back to school as well. I was a little nervous about how the day would go without everyone here, but Vitaly actually slept in and has kept himself occupied this morning. As I write this, he is cleaning Adrian and Ashton's room (by his own choice), including their horribly messy closet!

3. Vitaly is very comfortable with our family at this point, and informed me the other day (through the translator) that he likes America better than Ukraine. I hope he won't be too sad when it's time to go back in two weeks, but I'm sure his departure will be hard on all of us. He likes to tell us how much we're going to cry when he leaves.

4. Chris ran some errands the other day and took V with him. When they got back, V presented me with these flowers that he had picked out himself:

5. Vitaly is quite the little prankster. The other morning, he brought me a banana and told me to eat it for breakfast. I thanked him and took the banana he offered, realizing after I grabbed it that it was just the peel. He had carefully removed the fruit without damaging the peel too much, so that it would still look complete. He then ran away, laughing merrily to himself. Each time he eats a banana now (which seems to be his favorite food), he tries to pull the same joke on someone else. Below is a "banana," lying in wait on the counter for the next unsuspecting person that wants one:

6. I have discovered that V loves to play the piano:

7. He loves to play outside as well.

8. We went to the mall yesterday, and Vitaly was enthralled with the escalator, the glass elevator, the carousel, and mannequins. Yep.....there was a mannequin that had its arm extended, so V tried to shake her hand. But the whole arm came off.......oops!

Goodbye, 2012.....

From our home to yours.....

 Happy New Year!!!! 

May God richly bless you throughout 2013 and always.

V's First American Christmas.....

Whew! It's been awhile since I've posted any updates on Vitaly, but we've been busy with Christmas celebrations and have experienced some internet issues. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! V has enjoyed his first Christmas in America (we still have one more to go to this weekend), and he continues to pull at our heartstrings more every day. What an amazing little boy! He calls us Papa and Mama, gives hugs and kisses freely, counts down the days until he returns to Ukraine and makes crying motions, loves to experience new things, went to church twice and even attended Sunday School (where he painstakingly wrote his memory verse in English, even though he can't read any of it. It brought tears to my eyes to see how hard he worked to be like the other kids), cleaned my scrapbook room because he thought it was too messy, continues to be a big help around the house, loves to play in the snow, visited Dedushka's (Grandpa's) farm where he climbed around on some of the tractors, had an exam at the eye doctor's office, got a haircut, and adores his new Christmas gifts. We continue to have hilarious language barrier moments, too, and at other times I find myself wiping tears as I think of this sweet child aging out of the orphanage system in just 5 short years. He, along with many other orphans, will "graduate" out of the orphanage onto the streets, where they will be neither mentally nor emotionally prepared.  V will most likely not have the money or means to receive his medicine, which in his case means death. I lay awake at night wondering about this dear child's future, although I know that God has a plan for him.

With 9 people in the house, I find myself flying by the seat of my pants. I do believe that 6 kids is my limit if I want to stay organized and put together, and I can feel God using this time to stretch me and teach me that I am not in control. That I do not always have to have everything in order. That's kind of hard for a perfectionist like me, but I am learning that these are the moments that really matter. As I've heard before, in 100 years it will not matter how clean my house was, what kind of a vehicle I drove, or how much money I had in my back account. What will matter is whether or not I've made a difference in the life of a child.

We were so encouraged to learn that Vitaly knows, loves, and prays to God. He loves to read the Russian Bible and Bible Story Book we gave him, and he enjoys listening to the Russian Bible story player that he got for Christmas. He loves to say the prayer aloud before mealtimes as well.

Here are some pictures of the things we've been keeping busy with:

Christmas with Chris's family

Jalen's afro got a little unruly one day... ;-)

All dressed up!

V's first American haircut:

Adrian got a tad bit excited about one of his gifts. Can you tell?

Sweet boy loves his Papa.

A new backpack to take back to Ukraine:

V calls the twins his "chocolate boys."

 The aftermath.

Hopefully I translated these Bible verses correctly!

Checking out all the farm equipment:

Eye exam. V has great vision!

And that's all for now! Have a great day, everyone!