21 Days in Ukraine

 Yes, I am finally writing about my trip to UA, almost three years later. It's a long story! But I'm ready to tell it now.


We left for the airport around 7am, on May 27th, 2011. Our aunt Kara came to the house to stay with Jude and Zane for that weekend. We picked up my grandparents on the way, so that they could drive our car back afterward. Plus we could spend some time with them before leaving the country for three weeks. We arrived at Tampa International Airport at 8ish, with plenty of time to spare. So the five of us ate breakfast at Burger King. Eventually, we said our goodbyes and boarded the plane to our first stop, Charolette, North Carolina. It took two hours to get there, and we had another two hour layover in the NC airport. At this point, my ears were all popped from the pressure and I wasn't very happy about it. But I learned to deal with it, because it would stick with me for the next four days. We finally boarded for our nine hour flight to Munich, Germany. Despite the distance, this was actually our favorite flight out of all three. Mainly because there were little TV's on the back of each seat. Once we landed, it was about lunch time there, (Germany is six hours ahead of us) so we ate at the only actual German food place in the airport (the rest of the restaurants were Asian).

I ordered some sort of crepe thing, but didn't finish it. I wasn't crazy about it for some reason.

 My dad was in desperate need of caffeine....

 The tiny coffee cups were quite amusing.

 After our five hour layover in Germany, we were finally on our way to Kiev, Ukraine!

 Thankfully, this was only a two hour flight. I don't remember much at all, I slept the entire time.

 Once we landed, we were greeted by our awesome facilitator, Niko. (the piece of paper in his hand said "House" on it) He drove us to our apartment, then he and my dad went to the market to get a few essentials for the day. (meat, cheese, bread, chips, and water)

 I love, love, loved the view from our apartment! I adored the vintage buildings that covered the city.

 Later that night, we got a special treat of fireworks! There was a Ukrainian holiday that was being celebrated that weekend.

 The next day, we ventured out to go site seeing. We quickly learned, everyone walks, everywhere.

 We went to the mall for dinner, and found McFoxy! No idea. It was sort of like a combination of McDonald's and KFC.

Now this was interesting. We were out in Independence Square, when this random guy walks up to us with two doves. He didn't speak or understand one bit of English. We could not figure out what in the world he was trying to tell us, but we somehow figured out that he wanted my mom to take a picture of me with the doves. He then asked for 50 hyrvnia (which is about four US dollars)....

 We explored the playground near a park in Kiev. 

 This was one of their actual markets . The rest were more like grocery stores.

 On the 30th, we had our DAP appointment, which was called SDA at the time. This was taken before.


The appointment took all of ten minutes, and went great. We had to wait a day for our 'letter of approval' to go get the boys. Once we had it in hand, we celebrated with a late lunch at a pizza place across from the SDA office, before making our way to the train station.

 We waited in this big, beautiful room until our train had arrived.

We finally boarded our 12 hour train ride to Zap. It was much better than expected- we were told there would be no a/c. But there was. The worst part was probably the stops it made every 15 minutes or so. Especially because you couldn't use the bathroom when they weren't moving, sense the so called "toilet" was basically a hole with a small lid to sit on. There was no flushing needed, everything just went straight down the tracks. 

We arrived early the next morning, on the first day of June. A driver picked us up from the train station and drove us to the church we were fortunate enough stay at in Zap. 

We ate breakfast there with the lovely staff, before driving to the orphanage.

 Cake for breakfast man!!!

The day we met Gabe and Levi was unforgettable. How could I? It was the day I first met my baby brothers. A day I'm sure every big sister holds in a high place. 

 The next couple of weeks were pretty terrific. We fell more and more in love with the boys each day, and learned more about their beautiful country through every day of exploration.

 This was our favorite restaurant of all time. Well, definitely mine anyway. It was within walking distance of the church, and they had a menu in English! That's what sold us. The food too, of course. I ordered a calzone every time. There was always a 45 minute wait, but it was well worth it.

  There were several stores right next to our beloved pizza place, including a mall. We went to the market, or grocery store, but I like to call it a market because it sounds cooler. It was quite the sight. Very different from Walmart, that's for sure.

 They had the most interesting potato chip flavors.. (FYI, bacon is the bomb.com!)

 The squid one wasn't too appealing to my taste buds though...

 The church served three meals a day. Most of the time, I just ate bread and butter.

Oh, and they put sour cream on pretty much everything. It's like their ketchup or bbq sauce. Also, dill. That's a big staple for seasoning over there.

This, is a bank. Also a jewelery store. They had legit security guards standing on the inside. Sort of scary..but very elegant!

Court day!

 We had lots of running around to do afterwords. We were to travel to each of the boys' regions they were born in, get birth certificates, visas and best of all, officially ADOPT them!

 All of these pictures shown are of Gabe's region. He was born in more of a "high end" region..especially compared to Levi's. His was in the middle of no where with nothing but trees.

 The next day was gotcha day! We broke the boys out of the orphanage that evening, and went straight to the train station.

 I don't know if it was just me, but this train didn't seem to have air conditioning..



This was our second apartment in Kiev. It was much bigger!

Our room number/address. Which was appropriate considering we were now a family of seven.

We spotted a pizza place (yes, if you couldn't tell, we like pizza...a lot) called Papa John's.

 It was definitely not like our Papa John's. (this was Hawaiian bbq chicken)

 

 McDonald's was a staple for us over the next few days.


We had the privilege of meeting up with some fellow RR adopting families, at T.G.I Friday's.

 (we did not notice the poster photobomb until after the picture was taken...unfortunately.)


Later on that night, we walked to Rachel and Joel Golden's apartment. My mom, Rachel and I became good friends over the few days we spent in Kiev. The four of us (me, Levi, my mom, and Rachel) walked to a nice little cafe near their apartment, while my dad, Gabe, and Joel stayed back at their apartment.

 Rachel took us sight seeing in another area in Kiev, that had several shops. We had to take the subway for the first time. It was very crowded and hot, and smelled terrible, but I'm glad I got to experience it.

 Everyone that travels to UA gets a kick out of the elevators. They're suuuper tiny and make noises as if they could stop at any moment. We took the massive flights of stairs instead.

 The day we went to the embassy, we ran into another RR fam. And got to meet sweet Mia Cox.

 The van was so. hot.

But Levi didn't mind.

 Rachel and Joel had told us about this authentic Ukrainian buffet, and insisted we try it.

 I, being relatively picky, enjoyed most of it. I made an effort to try almost everything. Only a few things were a little too "strange" for me. 

 Our apartment, like I mentioned before, was well..huge. We had two bedrooms, a full bathroom, a living room and kitchen/dining room. The tall ceilings made it feel that much bigger. But most of the apartments there only had one bedroom, so we were grateful to get this one!

 This is a closet. With a ladder. And a balcony. Why don't we have these in the states?!?

 If I can remember correctly, we got up around 4am on June 15th, to make our way to the airport.

 We said our goodbyes and thank yous to Niko..

 Then made our trek HOME!!

The boys both did great the entire trip home. Mostly because we gave them melatonin... a.k.a. lifesaver. 



Aaand the rest was history. It's rather strange, when I was there, all I could focus on was getting home with the boys. But ever since we've been home, I haven't stopped praying for an opportunity to go back. I have longed to visit and hopefully some day, do ministry in that gorgeous country again. I may never understand why I have such a strong desire to do so. Or why I even have a passion for Ukraine. All I know is that it's there for a reason. I pray without seizing for protection and peace to cover every corner of that place, and I trust God will do so in His timing. Sometimes, things must be broken in order to shine. 

A Great Teacher.

Today is April 16th. To you, that may just be another day in your year. But this is the day of my mother's birth! Therefore, it is not just another day. It is a GREAT day. 

To put it into one word, my mom is incredible. She teaches me so much every day. Not only through her words of advice, but simply, her actions. In fact, we could all learn a little from this woman. Ever since I can remember, she's stressed hard work to us. Of course when I was little, I didn't like those words very much. But now I see just how important it is, and that it goes way beyond cleaning my bedroom. Because you won't get anywhere in life with laziness. I've also come to realize that she, and my dad, have been training us. Which I now thank them for. Cause, when I'm married with a family and our own home, I'm not going to need to learn how to do laundry. Or cook. That of which I know my husband will also thank her for.

When I was younger, probably ever since I could talk, I would always say "but that's not fair!" to which my mom would reply with, "well, life's not fair." I got so mad at her for that. Every time, I just wanted to throw myself on the floor (I probably did) when I heard her say those words. But once again, I am now thanking her for it. I often find myself in situations where I would much like to throw myself on the floor like a 3 year old and cry because "it just isn't fair". That's when I remember my mom. Life. Isn't. Fair. And even though it doesn't seem like a very comforting truth, it does for some reason help. Maybe it just reminds my selfish being that I'm not suppose to have the perfect life. At least not here on earth.

Every single day, I stand in awe of the patience and forgiveness she has. No matter how many pointless questions are asked through out the day, or how many cracker crumbs she vacuums, or repulsive (yes, repulsive. If you have a former Ukrainian living with you, you know what I'm talking about) diapers she changes, she STILL gets up in the morning to do it all over again. I guess it comes with being a mother, but I don't know. She seems to be pretty darn good at it. I really hope I take on that trait with my kids someday. Speaking of my kids, I know without a shadow of doubt that she will be an amazing grandmother! And that to me, even right now, means a lot. 

She's also crazy beautiful. Which I secretly envy sometimes. But then, I remember that she's my mom, so I will most likely grow up looking at least somewhat like her. That's a nice thought.

She is always, always there for whomever may need her. She never leaves any of our family members hanging, and leads a great role of loyalty in her friendships. She teaches me to do these things as well. To put others before ourselves. Selflessness is another key word I would use to describe her. She has taught me that it is way better to give than to receive. That's a gift that I could never repay her for.

Happy birthday, Malinda Jean House. We love you mom!!

Broken.

There are so many things being broken in this world. Commitments, realtionships, marriages, families. Which is not the way God intended it to be. Lately the "broken reality" has really just slapped me in the face. Too many kids are hurting themselves because they feel broken. Because they feel there's no end to the pain they are carrying. They're falling apart. And they're just kids. Some have endured more pain than some of us probably will in a life time. So you might be asking right about now, "where is God?" "why would He let this happen??" Honestly, I've asked myself the same question. But then I remember verses like Deuteronomy 31:6- Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. and Proverbs 3:5-6 which says, Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

We MUST trust God with every inch of our lives. If we push Him away and hide in sorrow, nothing is going to get better. If we push our friends and family away, we're making things worse. God gave us the people we have in our life, for a reason. "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching." (Hebrews 10:25)

God never, ever, everrrr even THINKS about leaving our side or abandoning us. That's pretty incredible if you ask me. So with that being said, when we are going through trouble and hurt, we need to seek Christ even more diligently. I think whenever we encounter some kind of hardship, our automatic thinking is "where is God?" and we close ourselves in a box of loneliness. We just assume we're all alone now. Which obviously, as God has proclaimed several times before, is never true.

"Seventy years are given to us! Some even live to eighty. But even the best years are filled with pain and trouble; soon they dissapear, and we fly away." - Psalm 90:10 

I love this verse. We are reminded that pain can not last forever. Because when we rely on Christ through our trouble and grow in our realationship with Him, we will spend eternity with Him in the one and only perfect, pain free place. Heaven. Our home.   

Release

Today I was holding my 3 month old cousin, Andrew. He was kind of fussy, and dropping his pacifier didn't make it any better. As I was trying to put it back in his mouth, I was having a difficult time because he had his little fists right by his lips, trying to find something to suck on. I was thinking, "If only he knew what was coming. If he could understand that if he moved his hands he would get what he wanted- his pacifier!"

And that's when I realized something. We all do this. Most of us hold this thing in front of us, not knowing that it's keeping us from the bigger picture. That we're blocking the road that God is trying to reach us from. We are upset, lonely, unsatisfied, just like a baby when they lose their pacifier. And if we would only LET GO, God could hand us exactly what we need!

If we released whatever sinful habit we're holding on to, (such as materialism, a broken past, a grudge against someone, drugs, alcohol, etc.) we could receive God's gift to us. Whatever that may be. He knows exactly what we need. It may not be what we want, but what is best for us. He sees our future and holds the 'map' to our lives. Only He knows where we will be in the next 10 years. Or even the next 10 minutes! He has a bigger and better plan for us, than anyone could ever dream or imagine.

We just need to release our hands so we can receive our pacifier.

Set Apart

My son, do not walk in the way with them; hold back your foot from their paths, - Proverbs 1:15

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. - Romans 12:2

That you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, - Philippians 2:15


Ever since I can remember, I've always wanted to 'fit in'. If my friends had a certain thing, I wanted it too. I mean, I didn't want to be left out! Most kids do this too. In fact, probably 99% of kids and teenagers do. They are always trying to get what everyone esle has, trying to live up to the latest trends and be like all their peers and friends.

Well you know what?
I am going to be that 1%.

I recently figured out that we aren't suppose to be like everyone else. We aren't suppose to fit in. We aren't suppose to follow the way of this world. God called us to be different. To be a light in this world of darkness. To not "go with the flow" or simply "do what everyone else is doing".

Is it easy? No. But God never said things would be easy. He said all things are possible through Him. (Phil. 4:13) Not easier.

And so it is, my latest mission. To set myself apart from the world. To not be 'normal'. To stand out. To be a light.

Because NORMAL IS NOT ENOUGH.