A picture is worth a thousand words....

I plan on sharing some more specific stories soon...but since a photo is worth a thousand words...in the mean time, here are a few thousand words I have to share about our time in Odessa last week with our 54 kiddos at camp....I'll let the emotions fill in the blanks...

enjoy!

Orphan's Promise Conference

God's timing amazes me!  As many of you know, I spent the fall in England studying with Ellel Ministries.  While at Ellel, I was given the opportunity to look at God's heart to set the captives free, through discipleship, healing and deliverance.  Through prayer and counseling I saw God set many people free from deep wounds they had long carried and from sin patterns that they had been entrapped in. 

Upon arriving back Ukraine and delving into my work with Orphan's Promise in Kiev, I was tasked with planning a conference for all our OP workers in the field, a conference on the topic of healing and deliverance!  Go figure! 

So the past several months have been quite full as my team has been planning and preparing for this 3 day event for our 130+ staff and volunteers serving in the former Soviet Union.

The conference took place in June (literally right before we left for camp).  After reading so many field reports over the years, it was a privilege to meet all our staff and volunteers who are loving on orphans all across Ukraine, Moldova, Armenia, Russia and Kazakhstan. 

One of our OP teams in Armenia

Terry Meeuwsen, our director of OP, was here in Ukraine filming several several stories about the work we are doing, and so was able to begin our conference with her own personal testimony of seeing the need for healing in the lives of orphaned children. Terry recognized that when she adopted, bringing the kids home was just the beginning, and that the healing work that God would need to do in the lives of her daughters would be extensive.   Terry is an amazing woman, who herself has adopted 5 children (3 from Ukraine) and has a deep burden for those kids left behind in this country. I am so blessed to work with this awesome woman of God and am grateful for the time she was able to spend with our team while she was on this trip.  She is a woman of much wisdom.

Chester & Betsy Kylstra

Our main teachers/speakers for the weekend were Betsy and Chester Kylstra from the ministry "Restoring the Foundations" based in North Carolina.  They are a lovely, Godly couple who have a calling to see God's children set free from strongholds we face in life.   In preparation for the teaching we had one of their books translated into Russian for all of our conference participants.  It was not only a time of education for our staff but also of personal ministry, as people were given the opportunity for personal prayer, which was very significant.  It seemed that people left refreshed and encouraged and with new energy to return to their various projects in the field, now having a new understanding of the deeper issues that face their youth day in and day out.

Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget none of His benefits; Who pardons all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases; Who redeems your life from the pit,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion; 

 Who satisfies your years with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.

Psalm 103:1-5

   

Nataliya and I doing introductions of the teams

Happy Independence Day

Well, after 10 challenging, heart aching, tiring, yet very blessed days of camp-- I am now back at home.  It has only taken me about 3 days to recover my energy!

I will plan on posting some pictures and stories this week about our adventures in Odessa with all of our youth-- the highs and the lows and how God was at work in our midst.

But for now I'm in the kitchen today trying to make several 'traditional' American dishes to take to a 4th of July party this afternoon...it is a privilege to celebrate our freedom even if it means I'm doing so in another country!! Living in Ukraine I am reminded even more about the freedom I have as an American-- and I thank God for my country and all the blessings He has provided.

Though the freedom I am even more thankful for and more passionate about is the freedom that I have found in Jesus-and the renewed freedom he gives me each day.


"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."  Galations 5:1

Off to Camp we go...

Well after a very full week of putting on a conference/training for 130 people (more on that later)- we are now off to put on a camp for 70 youth.  Call us crazy for planning two such large events back to back or perhaps we are just living on a lot of FAITH!  One thing is for sure....my girls and I are very TIRED.   So please be praying for supernatural strength to be with us as we venture today towards Odessa to begin our 10-day camp.  May our strength and faith be renewed and may our eyes be fixed on the author of perfect PEACE.

last year's camp in Melitople

team of leaders (may the same this year)

We will be working with 8th and 9th grade orphans from the Kherson region and partnering with our dear friends from the ministry Agape to put on this camp. Please please keep our team and these youth in your prayers.  I always need to remind myself it is like going into battle when we do these camps.

these are always put to good use...but for a different kind of battle!

Our prayer is that these kids would have eyes to see and ears to hear and hearts to receive all that Jesus has for them.  Will you pray that prayer with us?

We return July 1st and I'm sure to have many stories to share.

Stay tuned....

THANK YOU!

Since I last posted, we've had over $5,000 come into our account for the Window to Hope Project! God is so good!  Thank YOU for being his hands and feet to make this trip a reality.

I have been overwhelmed by the friends that have stepped up to make this happen- old friends and new-- some I've never even met- and from all around the world!! Wow-- it has been humbling to see God's provision and to see so many uniting to make it possible.  Every dollar has helped!

Our 14 visas are in hand (13 kids and a chaperone) and we are about a month away from travel! From our recent calculations, we only have about $3,000 left to raise.

If you've not given already, will you please pray and consider?  Every bit will help....see post below for details on how and where to give.

Now I just need to gear up for escorting 13 children (and one adult) who don't speak english and who have never flown in an airplane on a 3 leg trans-atlantic flight----yikes!  I won't think about that quite yet....

Can you be 1 of 500?

Meet Marina, Vasya, Lena and Ilona. 

These are the 4 sets of eyes you will see in this post... 4 children who are hoping that their eyes will get to see the USA this summer.

Do you want to be 1 in 500?  You can be. 

I'm looking for 500 people to partner with me to make this trip a reality.  And in a world of 500+ facebook friends and hundreds of blog hits- I know there has to be 500 people out there who are reading this and who I am praying can help.

 This summer I am partnering with my home church (Northshore Baptist) to bring 13 orphans from Ukraine to the Seattle area for 3 weeks in July and August through our new project called 'Window to Hope'.  While they are in the US these children will live in host families and experience many 'firsts', starting with flying on an airplane in late July! 

At first we planned on bringing only 9 children, but then because another hosting group backed out at the last minute we ended up having the opportunity to bring 13.  Though it required a lot of faith to begin to raise money for 13 kids when we didn't have money for 9, we prayed and sensed that this is where God was leading. It just didn't seem right to leave 4 kids behind!

But we need help to make this trip a reality.  Our fundraising efforts have been going really well, but we still need about $10,000 to make this trip happen.  This will include covering the airline tickets for all the kids and a chaperone, in addition to the costs involved in preparing their documents and receiving a US visa for travel.

I realize that the money left to raise can seem like a lot- but I know that God is a God of infinite resources- and I also realize that it just takes a lot of people doing a little bit to make things happen-- including raising money. 

 I really don't like asking people for money.  In fact I wasn't even a good girl scout because I hated going door-to-door selling cookies!  But I also recognize that this is an opportunity to be a part of something life changing for 13 kids-- and who wouldn't want to be a part of that?!  And since orphans are closer to the heart of God than thin mints I guess I feel it is okay to ask :)

It's really simple.  If 500 people each donated $20 than we'd have our target goal!  Would you consider and pray about partnering with this effort and asking others to do the same?  Can you give $20 or more?  Every bit will help.

We have our visa appointment on Monday and will then be moving forward in faith to purchase the airline tickets.  If you could prayerfully consider making a contribution in the next couple weeks it will greatly help us along in our process.

To make a tax deductible donation:

You can donate online here:  http://www.colinkonline.org/donate/?acct=828

Or you can send checks to:

CoLink

PO Box 82188
Kenmore, WA 98028-0188

In the memo write #828  and that will ensure it goes to our project!

If you make a donation, please leave a comment here and say that you are part of the 500 people uniting to bring a window of hope to these orphans!!

Thank you for your support and please be praying!

(**project blog: www.windowtohope.wordpress.com).

New Ukrainian Adoption Statistics

Below are the statistics I mentioned in an earlier post.  These are the official Government stats on adoptions in Ukraine for the year 2010.  You will first see a break down of adoptions by foreign families in the first grouping of numbers, and then a break down of adoptions by Ukrainian families in the second grouping.  The left hand column is the region of Ukraine that the adoption took place.  The first list of numbers is the total adoptions in that region (grand total at bottom) and then the following columns break it down by age of the child that was adopted.  


Unfortunately the statistics do not provide information to special needs kids, HIV+, downs syndrome and other health issues.  In my opinion, these cases would make up most of the foreign adoptions of children aged 3 year olds and younger.


You will also notice the large percentage of adoptions from the eastern regions and low numbers in the western regions.  The main factor in this is the socio-economics in the two sides of the country.  The east side of the country has a higher percentage of drug users, alcoholics, prostitution, broken homes and as a result more orphanages and orphans.  In contrast the economy and life style in the west are a bit better and as a result, so is the family unit.  There are also more families in the west that are willing to take children into care.


Here are the numbers.....

	Adoptions in Ukraine by Foreign Families by Region
	Total Children	Under 1	1-2 yrs	3-5 yrs	6-10 yrs	11-17 yrs
Crimea	70	2	11	11	33	13
Vinitsa	22	0	2	2	12	6
Volyn	0	0	0	0	0	0
Dnipropetrovsk	86	2	12	13	43	16
Donetsk	187	1	48	46	66	26
Zhitomer	31	0	3	6	18	4
Zakarpatia	17	0	2	6	9	0
Zaprozhzha	101	4	19	17	40	21
Іvano-Frankivsk	0	0	0	0	0	0
Кyiv	102	3	9	21	48	21
Kirovograd	56	4	9	12	18	13
Lugansk	94	6	15	12	33	28
Lviv	8	0	2	2	4	0
Mikolaev	44	0	13	12	15	4
Odessa	108	4	23	25	36	20
Poltava	29	3	7	7	8	4
Rivne	4	0	2	2	0	0
Sumy	31	0	7	2	4	18
Ternopil	4	0	0	0	4	0
Kharkiv	54	2	8	13	28	3
Kherson	16	2	4	2	6	2
Khmelnytski	23	1	11	4	6	1
Cherkasy	29	1	3	6	12	7
Chernivtsi	6	0	1	2	2	1
Chernigiv	39	1	11	10	11	6
Kyiv city	27	1	3	5	7	11
Sevastopol city	14	1	3	4	2	4
Total adoptions:	1202	38	228	242	465	229

	Adoptions in Ukraine  by Ukrainian families
	Total Children	Under 1	1-2 yrs	3-5 yrs	6-10 yrs	11-17 yrs
Crimea	145	55	42	33	12	3
Vinitsa	64	22	17	16	7	2
Volyn	45	19	10	10	4	2
Dnipropetrovsk	200	95	52	38	10	5
Donetsk	279	133	78	44	17	7
Zhitomer	52	18	19	13	1	1
Zakarpatia	77	26	17	24	7	3
Zaprozhzha	111	60	28	13	6	4
Іvano-Frankivsk	24	9	5	4	4	2
Кyiv	118	47	26	23	19	3
Kirovograd	84	33	24	17	8	2
Lugansk	163	87	41	25	9	1
Lviv	62	30	10	13	9	0
Mikolaev	52	18	20	8	5	1
Odessa	143	59	48	27	5	4
Poltava	68	28	15	20	5	0
Rivne	50	11	15	17	7	0
Sumy	38	16	16	5	1	0
Ternopil	20	4	5	6	5	0
Kharkiv	105	58	30	13	4	0
Kherson	79	36	21	12	9	1
Khmelnestsky	27	9	13	4	1	0
Cherkasy	57	33	13	6	4	1
Chernivtsi	23	5	9	5	3	1
Chernigiv	45	14	18	8	3	2
Kiev city	78	40	15	9	10	4
Sevastopol city	38	19	7	7	4	1
Total adoptions:	2247	984	614	420	179	50

Hope you found these helpful and interesting.

While I was out...

So if you've noticed I never posted the follow-up to my last post...that is because I just 'stepped out' for a couple weeks! (I promise I'll post it soon!)

I headed off to Athens and the Greek Isles for 9 days with my parents...to meet my Greek roots and take a little 'time out' :)  (my great-grandfather immigrated from Greece).

This has been one of my 'dream trips' for quite some time, so it was very exciting to take this adventure and to do so with two of my most favorite people...mom and dad.

we explored Athens

ate a Greek salad just about everyday!

Enjoyed the sites of Mykinos

amazing sunsets!

beautiful churches

wonderful parents

volcano views!

And just plain relaxed!

I read 4 books! Don't remember the last time I read even one!  It was a great break...but I've returned to a bit of 'crazy' here in Kiev!  Lots going on as the summer season begins and we prepare for a conference, two camps, two hosting programs brining 23 kids to the US and many adoptive families traveling over to Kiev!  Alright, enough play...time to get back to work.

Adoption Summit

Last weekend I had the privilege of being a part of the organizational team behind a national adoption summit through the Alliance, "Ukraine without Orphans."  This is a new national movement that is gaining momentum as Christian organizations, churches and individuals partner together for a common goal---a Ukraine without orphans.  The goal of our adoption summit last weekend was to gather key individuals from every region of Ukraine and come together to strategize about the work that needs to be done at the local and national level to ensure that waiting children are placed in homes and that the church is being encouraged, mobilized and equipped to adopt Ukrainian children.  


We had about 60 people in attendance, representing over half of the regions of Ukraine.  Many of the people attending were either adoptive parents themselves, Christian social workers, or adoption advocates in their perspective regions.


  On the last day, the group stood in a circle and shared what had been meaningful about the weekend-- and I wish I could better describe the gratitude that was expressed. It was clear that this is a dynamic group of passionate individuals and that this summit helped bring them the encouragement and strategy they needed to keep running the race.  


When it came to my turn to share, I told the group that I was honored to be apart of the summit, and that I could say with joy that 'I am not needed here.'  This doesn't mean that I have plans to pack up my bags and leave Ukraine, but there was something very humbling about being the only 'foreigner' amidst a group of nationals and to see them praying, planning and dreaming about what God has next for Ukraine in the realm of adoption and orphan care. I've truly seen Christians come a long way in the last 6 years in their relationship towards adoption.  What an answer to prayer!


I have a bunch of new adoption statistics (domestic and foreign) for Ukraine from 2010 and I will do my best to post those soon, as I know they will be interesting to the international adoption community--just need to translate them first.


Stay tuned...

A Picture of Restoration

Ever since I moved into my new apartment, this ugly piece of furniture has been staring at me in my bedroom.  I had goals of doing something to it-- but didn't quite know what...or how to begin!  Well, my best-friend in Seattle has been blogging lately about all her 'restoration' projects-- where she finds seemingly useless or ugly stuff and revitalizes it into works of art.  She was the beginning of my inspiration. 


 I too love the idea of taking something meant for the good-will (which by the way doesn't exist here) and seeing it repurposed with beauty....  


On Easter morning I had new house guests arrive to my hospitality house (aka my apartment!).  Rhonda and her newly adopted 16-year-old daughter Kasey, arrived at my home a little weathered from their lack of sleep on the over night train. It was clear from the moment Kasey walked in that she was a girl in grief. Though excited to be adopted to America (where she had been hosted 3 times) there was a deep sadness in saying goodbye to her homeland and her friends--everything that was familiar.  We sat through a silent breakfast of sorts, Kasey doing all she could to hold back her tears...which ended up flowing by the end of the meal.  Her mother also struggled, not knowing what to do to comfort her daughter, who so clearly was struggling with a variety of emotions.   I told Kasey that what she was feeling was normal and in reality really healthy, as it means she had real relationships-- and that was a gift.  I told her she could cry as much as she wanted....and she took me seriously.  We got through the day and by the end of it things were looking a little brighter than they had in the morning.


The next day I had off work, and decided it was time to tackle the 'restoration' project.  I hadn't anticipated having help, but before I knew it, mother and daughter were by my side helping me sand down the wood and then begin painting.  

Something amazing happened as we began to strip away the layers of the old shelf.  Kasey began to relax and talk. Before I knew it, we were laughing and joking and she was asking me questions about my life and sharing a bit about hers.  As we worked together throughout the morning I began to see life being restored to the sad girl who had entered my apartment the day before--it seemed a full transformation.  With paint brushes in our hands I saw an old Ukrainian bookcase being transformed into something lovely and I saw a glimpse of what God intends for an orphaned Ukrainian girl-- full restoration.

Restoration is an interesting process-- it isn't just one quick paint job to fix something.  After we had finished the coat of paint and let it dry, we pulled out the sand paper and then sanded it again. The second time that we sanded allowed us to strip the bookcase again, to give it an antique look, and to make it porous to absorb the final gloss I would then apply to give it the final finish.  And when we added the gloss it filled in the gaps beautifully. The roughed up parts that remain have this unique quality- giving the whole piece character.


With adoption, I think sometimes we see the restoration part as taking the kids out of the orphanage. But in reality that is just the first coat of paint.  You can fool a lot of people from the outside with new clothes and a happy family photo-- but it is the deeper sanding, or refining that needs to take place-- the layers that must be stripped away so that restoration can take place.  And sandpaper really doesn't sound very good when it is in your hands...in fact it really hurts my ears. But it is amazing the difference it makes.

I love that the Lord allowed me to work on this project with Kasey. I didn't know she would be with me that day, and yet it worked out that she was.   As we painted, it was as if God was giving me a picture of what adoption is about....what it means to see beauty from the ashes. And it really does take work- and time.  I only wish it could be as quick as restoring  an old bookcase.


As I walk into my bedroom now, the first thing I see is this  beautiful piece of furniture.  A piece of furniture that many would have discarded. But I am glad I gave it a chance. It will forever be a visual reminder of one girl, on her path to restoration.

The LORD will guide you always; 
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land 
and will strengthen your frame. 
You will be like a well-watered garden, 
like a spring whose waters never fail. 
Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins 
and will raise up the age-old foundations; 
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.