WOW
It is so hard to believe--- one year ago today we were in Kyiv and we had just gotten our info to head to Slav'yansk.
This is going to sound really strange, but if I knew now what I knew then (that I would return to the US to get fired from my job for saving this child's life). It would have been so much easier over there. The constant fear that things were not going well at work--- not well at home-- made it very hard to just chill and let what was going to happen unfold as God had planned.
My perspective is so much better now--
Update: Joey is doing GREAT! He just finished first grade. We have decided to move him BACK to kindergarten in a Catholic school next year. There are so many social skills that he missed in the orphanage-- a chance to be a "kid" will be a good thing! It's a half day program, We will work on academic stuff during the morning and he'll be off to St Jude in the afternoon.
He is now an English speaker. Joey still remembers his Russian. We go to a local dining spot and the host speaks Russian. They will chat as we get seated--- he still "gets it". Nice!
Again this time, the transition has been VERY easy--- easier than we deserve. Joey has blended into our family with few (if any) problems.
To our Ukrainian friends a BIG hello! Peace Corps Katie THANK YOU !!! Lera--- I know we still owe you a package-- it's on the way--promise! and to MAX our translator and even more our.. friend-- MANY THANKS--- It is very humbling to know that if it were not for all these wonderful people Joey would probably be in an institution or worse-- he would be another statistic of the sad truth of Ukraine's struggle to deal with their mentally disabled population.
There are so many more kids that need help. It is overwhelming to even think of it. Please check out http://www.reecesrainbow.com/ and http://www.life2orphans.org/ to look for ways that you can help. We feel called to do more--- we pray every day for the guidance to do the right thing---please pray for us and for all the kids that desperately need help not just to get adopted but just to survive!
Jim
1 comment:
Hi - I hope you can read this. We were involved in an adoption in Ukraine for 3 years. I ran across Joey photo last year. Boarding the train and on the plane. I saved the pictures because they mean so much - represent so much. And it was so obvious what an incredible gify he is. The image will never leave me...or him in my prayers. God is SO still in this world - no doubt! Thank you. Mark in North Carolina.
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