More from Memorial Weekend

The festivities on Sunday evening in the courtyard of St. Michael's Cathedral located next door to our apartment.

They had a live band playing traditional Ukranian music.  Different colored lights flashed on the statues & cathedral while some people chose to dance & sing along.  It was a very pretty & fun atmosphere.

We were enjoying a quiet, slow afternoon at the orphanage when suddenely we hear the roar of motorcycles.  Next thing we know 19 motorcycles & a Hummer pull up onto the grounds of the orphanage.  The Hummer is completely loaded from ceiling to floor with food, laundry detergent, shampoo, soap, etc. to donate to the orphanage. 

These bikers come to the orphanage about 4 weekends a year and donate food & cleaning items as well as their time.  This year they helped put up some more equipment for the playground & did some painting.

After everything was unloaded, all the children come out & get to sit on the motorcycles.  They let the kids rev the engines & beep the horns.  It is very, very loud & the kids love it!

The bikers are so good with the kids & have a genuine affection for them.  They gave each of the kids a small photo book with pictures of motorcycles & themselves on motorcycles from the last time they visited.

The girls were content to just sit.

Caleb, on the other hand, is definitely a motorcycle & car guy.  He loved sitting on many different motorcycles & roaring the engines. 

Fathers & Sons

Paul Landry with Kirill & Jeff with Caleb.

Mother & Daughters

Not just a papa's boy.

"When God's children are in need, be the one to help them out..."  

Romans 12:13a

Holiday Weekend in Kiev

Happy Memorial Weekend!

This is also a holiday weekend in Kiev.   On both Friday and Saturday nights there were big concerts, which we could hear all the way up the hill at our apartment and fireworks, which we could see from our balcony.  It was very fun! 

Friday was also the last day of school in the Ukraine.  All of the graduating seniors dress up and wear ribbon sashes.  These sashes are basically their version of the cap & gown in America.  We saw groups of teenagers, like this one, everywhere we went on Friday afternoon. 

Sunday we walked down to Andriyivsky Usviz Street, one of the oldest cobblestone streets in Kiev and a popular tourist attraction. This street is one of the highest points in Kiev.  The street goes downhill (Usviz means to descend)  toward the Dnipro River that runs through Kiev. 

These cobblestone streets are the oldest in Kiev, built around 900 A.D.

Many street vendors sell souveniors, art & antiques in their booths.  This Sunday they closed off the street to cars for even more vendors to display their goods.

St. Andrew's Cathedral

 We met Alex, a friend of Igor's, who runs some souvenior booths.  Alex was very knowledgeable in regards to what was authentic and the history/symbolism in the art and spoke very good English, which is not easy to find in the Ukraine.  We found some wonderful keepsakes to add some Ukranian heritage into our home. 

Many people sing & play music in the streets.

Some of our days here can be quite long both literally and emotionally. This weekend is extra hard as it would be our 10th year of family camp at Shamineau.  We are pleased that Emily, Matthew & Nicholas still wanted to go and keep the family tradition going.  We also are so thankful to many good friends who are up there with them and to Camp Shamineau for their Godly influence in the lives of our children & family over the years and for their generousity in providing food for our kids this weekend.  Wait until they see how much Matthew & Nicholas can eat!   We know God has many wonderful new memories for us as a familly that now will include Alena & Caleb and for that we are truly thankful.

"Sing to him. Sing praise to him. Tell about all of the wonderful things he has done."  1 Chronicles 16:9

 

It's Official!!!!!

We are pleased to announce the adoption of:

Alena Joy Dillner                &            Caleb James Dillner



Our day began earlier than usual which means we hit Monday rush hour.  The temperature has been, and will be today, in the mid 80's and humid.  We quickly realized that we did not really know how many people can actually be packed on a bus until this morning.   To say it was hot is an understatement.  After we arrived at the orphanage we helped get the children ready and then we were off.  There was an accident that was causing major delays, so we took the back roads.  It gave us a nice chance to see the countryside and non-city neighborhoods. 

It was a bit of a drive to the courthouse & Caleb fell asleep with his sister holding him.

 Once we arrived at the courthouse we signed more papers and waited to be called in to see the judge. 

As soon as Katelyn & Alena saw that the courthouse was pink - they knew it was going to go well.

The wait can be anywhere from 2 - 5 hours, even when you have an appointment.  For us it was less than an hour before we were called into the judge's office.  She asked us some questions and then she spoke separately to both Alena and Caleb.  The judge was so caring and compassionate and very kind when speaking with the children.  After speaking with the children things went very quickly and she declared right away that the adoption was approved and final.

Caleb & Alena with the judge.

After court with Victor, our lawyer & Natasha, representative from the orphanage.

We are filled with much joy to have our family complete after nearly a year long process.  We are looking forward to when we can be home with everyone together.  

After court.

Some very happy kids on the ride back to the orphanage.

 When we arrived back at the orphanage we enjoyed the priviledge of being able to take our children from the orphanage and walk to the store to buy an ice cream treat.  We are allowed to do this now that we are their parents.  How wonderful it felt to be able to take our children for ice cream and a walk as a family.  

We now, by law, must wait 10 days until the decree is signed and then the children will move into our apartment in Kiev.  We are counting the days with great anticipation.

His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure.  Ephesians 1:5

Shout for joy!

 

A psalm for giving thanks.

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.  Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.   Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.    Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.   For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.  Psalm 100:1-5


We have finally arrived at the top of this enormous hill.  This morning Igor called to inform us that we are all set for court.  Our official court date and time is Monday, May 23 at 11am. 

God is so good.  Fourteen years ago we closed on our Woodbury home on May 23rd, which also happens to be Rebecca's birthday.  Jeff has always liked to say that he got me a house for my birthday, to which I reply - bet you can't beat that gift.  Well, the Lord just did.  This will be, by far, the best birthday gift ever.

We told Alena & Caleb when we arrived at the orphanage today.  They were literally jumping for joy.  They told everyone they saw that they have court in 3 days.

After court we can begin our down hill journey.  First, we have a ten day waiting period for the court decree to be signed.  Next, is our Gotcha Day which will be Thursday, June 2nd or Friday, June 3rd.  Alena & Caleb will be 100% ours and will live with us in Kiev.  Finally, we have our exiting process which includes new birth certificates, passports, Visas and US Embassy physicals & paperwork.  This exiting process can take 2 - 3 weeks.  We are praying for less.

Thank you everyone for your prayers and words of encouragement.  They mean so much.  We are definitley homesick and missing our other children.  Please pray for continued favor as we begin the second half of our journey in Kiev.  It is God's timing and not our own and we have seen Him at work.  What a priviledge.

We love to play cards & we play alot.  UNO, Go Fish & Old Maid are the favorites.

Snack Time

  

CRAZY TUESDAY

 

Well, Crazy Tuesday at Dominos Pizza in Kiev anyway.  We discovered the other week that if we ride the subway alittle farther, walk about 8 blocks, get our buy one, get one free pizza on crazy Tuesday, walk back 8 blocks, ride the  packed tram up the hill while holding pizza above head, then walk back to our apartment, we can have pizza.  And we will quote from our fellow American traveler Dave Moore, "Worst pizza in the US, best pizza in the Ukraine."

 

OK. On a serious note, we would covet your prayers.  Unfortunately our process has hit another road block.  While the SDA Director did sign off on our paperwork on Friday, our Interpol Background report did not come through as expected.  As of today, Tuesday, it still has not come in and no one seems to know why. (Maybe it's Jeff's speeding ticket when he was a teenager or as one person stated just really bad luck.)  Whatever the reason,  and we know it is not luck but God's perfect timing and good purpose, court can not be scheduled until they receive this information. 
 

Unfortunately, this is causing another delay, which adds greatly to financial and health stresses.  Please pray for quick resolutions for our court date and for physical health and strength.  A few days back Caleb had what we believe was strep throat.  Yesterday we brought Alena to the doctor, who was visiting the orphanage, with a fever and we think strep throat as she was also put on meds.  Both Katelyn & Rebecca's throats have been on fire and they started their antibiotics that we brought along.

 

Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city. We will spend a year there. We will buy and sell and make money."  You don't even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? It is a mist that appears for a little while. Then it disappears.  Instead, you should say, "If it pleases the Lord, we will live and do this or that."            James 4:13-15

 

As a friend stated on his blog, man's plans our subject to change.  We trust in our sovereign Lord who knows and has already taken care of tomorrow.  We rest in His hands.

 

 

A Saturday Afternoon at Cradle of Children's Hope

It's another beautiful Spring day and we had lots of fun outside all afternoon with all the children at the orphanage not just our own.  There are so many wonderful children at the orphanage it is hard not to become attached.  Some of the kids pictured below are in need of host families for this summer's Journey of Hope Program. 

Alena, Katelyn, Anya, Natasha, Anzhelika & Nina

Natasha & Anzhelika

Both these girls are looking for host families for the summer.

Natasha has 2 brothers (Vlad & Koli)

Anzhelika has a brother (Andrey)

Shani is in need of a host familiy.

Sasha

Andrey & Anzhelika

Vlad & Natasha

Shani & Koli

Georgi (left) & Bogdon (right)                          



Masha & one of the girls that works at the orphange.

This is the orphanage dog - Jessie and apparently now our dog/escort.  Many dogs roam free everywhere, even in the city.  This dog has adopted the orphanage as its home.  The children love her and she can be quite protective.   Last week Jessie decided to walk us from the orphanage all the way to the bus stop.  She has now done this every day since.  Jeff even closed the gate the other day, thinking she would have to stay behind, but instead she was right behind us a minute later. Apparently she had crawled under the fence to join us.  Even if we stop at the grocery store, Jessie will lie down and wait for us on the steps and continue the jouney to the bus stop. She sits with us until the bus comes. 

"Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means that we must care for orphans and widows in their troubles, and refuse to let the world corrupt us." 

 James 1:27



Praise to God, the Father of all Comfort!

We have been out to the orphanage everyday this week.  While the trip out there is draining, it is hard to stay away.  When we arrived on Tuesday morning we could tell right away that Caleb was not his normal, cheerful  self.  Then at lunch he grabbed his throat and we thought "Oh, No" but he informed us instead that it hurt to swallow.  I then felt him and he most definitely had a fever.  I took him to the nurse on staff at the orphanage.  She checked him, gave him medicine and sent him bed.  When we left the nurse, Caleb began to cry, this is the first time we have seen him cry.  I asked him if he would perfer to cuddle with mama on the couch and he did.  I held him and rubbed his back for an hour before I tucked him in for a nap.  It was wonderful to hold and comfort him.  On Wednesday he was feeling better and for the first time he did not want us to leave (usually it is Alena who has a hard time).  We feel that we have taken a huge step in the bonding process with Caleb.  While we feel bad he was sick we are thankful for the opportunity for him to find comfort and security with us and we pray daily for the hearts of our new children to find comfort in their heavenly Father. 

"Give praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!  He is the Father who gives tender love. All comfort comes from him."  2 Cor. 1:3

Our paperwork has been filed again at the SDA (State Department of Adoption) and is waiting for the director's signature.  Once this is complete a court date can be scheduled which we pray will be sometime next week.

Please continue to pray for God's blessing through this process.  There is much human factor involved in each step and we pray for God's favor. 

Another beautiful Spring day! 

Caleb is quite the soccer player and was thrilled to beat papa 7 - 2.

As you can see, the game ended on friendly terms.

Two peas in a pod.  They are fast becoming good friends.

Mr. Personality.  Caleb loves the camera.

Learning his letters with papa.

Anything with Lightning McQueen is a huge hit.

Caleb finished this 100 piece puzzle in 15 minutes!

Some major hulu hooping skills!

Some more major hulu hooping skills!

Caleb popping his head into the picture at the last second.