A Season of Singing

 In Ukraine, the people adamantly declare that the season of spring begins on March 1st.  Accordingly, summer on June 1st, fall on September 1st and winter....you guessed it, December 1st!

Now, with my western mind-set this has always been hard for me to embrace. When I see snow on the ground on March 5th and hear Ukrainians declaring that spring has arrived, I kindly like to remind my Ukrainian counterparts that we in the west don't welcome spring till 21st of the month- when the calendar tells us and the weather and the flowers generally look a bit more promising than their snow covered state on the 1st of March.

After all, how can it be spring when it doesn't look like it? 

No sun. No flowers.  

Clearly...no spring.

I don't know about you, but the months of January, February and March have always been hard for me.  Christmas has passed, the cold has set in, the sidewalks are miserable, the days are short and the summer dresses that are stuffed in the back of my closet seem a distant memory!

I have never enjoyed being stuck in the winter.  Who really does?

While I was studying in England this past fall, I had a very meaningful prayer time with two older women who prayed for me and ministered to me one day in late October. I had felt rather 'stuck' in some areas of my life and in my relationship with the Lord, and God used this time of prayer to speak truth and life to me and bring restoration to my spirit.  At the close of our prayer time one of the women shared with me a verse that she felt the Lord brought to her mind for me as we prayed.

"My lover spoke and said to me, Arise my darling, my beautiful one, and come with me. See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of signing has come!  Song of Songs 2:10-12

I'd never heard this verse before, or if I had, I'd forgotten it.  But as she read the sweet words, they each spoke to me in an instant.  There was something strange, and yet oddly refreshing to hear a verse about the winter being past, just as winter was on the verge of dawning around me in the beauty of the English autumn.  In that moment, it seemed both a promise from the Lord and a reminder about what it means to have eyes of faith when you can't see past what is in front of you. And prior to that prayer time all I had seen was the looming of winter.

 

As I lay awake the other night, staring at the ceiling above me, I started reflecting on all the things that God has been doing in my life and the amazing way he has been taking care of me.  From the provisions of this new apartment, to the friendships I have here in Kiev, to growing ministry opportunities, to just the fact alone that I am loved by the creator of the universe and he takes care of me!!  Tears began to fill my eyes as I started to reflect on all of this and I lay there just in awe of who God is.

 The verse from Song of Songs that was given to me this fall was yet again brought to mind as I suddenly realized that those words had indeed become my reality.  

 These past few months I have been living in 'winter' and yet- in spite of the cold and snow, God has put a new song in my heart and given me the eyes to see the spring.  

Window to Hope

I am excited to announce that this summer I am partnering with a team from my home church (Northshore Baptist) to bring a group of Ukrainian orphans to Washington for 3 weeks July and August!!

We will be bringing 9 children from the Khemelnetsky region.  I had the opportunity to travel and meet these precious kiddos this past week--- and let me just say that now that I've seen their faces, and heard pieces of their stories I am even more motivated and excited to bring these kids to the US for hosting this summer.

Each year our ministry partners with Ukraine Orphan Outreach in Colorado to bring kids to the US for a summer hosting camp (which we will continue to do this summer as well).  But this is the first time I will be brining kids 'home' with me, and for that opportunity I am extremely grateful. It is a privilege to be given this possibility to expose my home church to the needs of orphans and give them a window into my world in Ukraine.

But we need help to make our plans a reality!  By June we need to raise close to $18,000 to pay for the airfare, visas, documents and needed supplies in the US.  When looking at that sum it can seem like a lot of money and a bit daunting, however when I start to think of how many people I know, and how many people have a heart for these kids, and I take into consideration that God is able to do immeasurably more than I could ask or imagine- I know that this sum is really not big at all!

So I am asking you to pray for this project and also pray about how God may lead you to give.  We have a blog set up here: (Window to Hope) that you can visit to find out more about the project, and learn how to make a donation online.

Checks can also be sent and designated through CoLink:

To Donate...

You may make a donation to CoLink at any time by mailing a check to us at:
PO Box 82188
Kenmore, WA 98028-0188
Be sure to include the account #828 in the notes section of your check 
(this is the account set up for the 'window to hope' hosting project).

I won't be able to post pictures of the kids online at this time, just for their protection and for ours- but I will just say that there are 9 adorable children anticipating a fun filled 3 weeks in the US this summer, and I am praying we will be able to see it happen!

"And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.   Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!  Amen."  

~Ephesians 3:17-21

I will keep you updated as things move along...

2 years later in Germany...

Last week, over the women's day holiday weekend (a beloved Ukrainian holiday) I was able to spend a few days in Germany with some dear friends of mine, the Cardens.

I have known Kristina since we went to college together at SPU- but we weren't really friends back in the Seattle days.  Looking at our stories now, it is amazing to see how God orchestrated everything to bring us to the friendship we have today!

 Kristina and her husband decided to pursue an adoption from Ukraine nearly 3 years ago, and heard through our mutual friend that I lived in Ukraine and was working in the realms of adoption and orphan ministry.  Kristina and her husband Chris were at the time living in Italy, where Chris was serving with the military- and they brought me out to Italy to get to know them better and share with them about all things Ukraine and adoption.  A beautiful beginning to a beautiful friendship!

Cardens in 2009

I got to walk alongside the Cardens during their journey in Ukraine while adopting sweet Nataliya and Matthew in May of 2009 -and we've remained dear friends ever since!  So it was a real treat to get to reunite with them in their newest home (Germany) and get some extended time with their family.  I joked with Kristina that we weren't really friends while were in Seattle, but God has seen it fit to grow our friendship in Italy, Ukraine and Germany! Gotta love international friendships! :)

sweet Charlotte

It was so much fun to see Nataliya and Matthew- now nearly two years in their home. They are both doing so well and are the most delightful and well-behaved 4 and 5 year-old I've met in a long time! It was fun to tell them that I met them when they still lived in Ukraine--already a distant memory for them.   The Cardens have since added the adorable miss Charlotte to the family since I last saw them, so the baby time was an added bonus! Such a precious baby she is!

Highlights of the weekend included a trip to a castle for dinner, playing in the park, reading bedtime stories and saying bedtime prayers and sweet conversations with Kristina  (oh and not to mention a much needed trip to IKEA to stalk up for my new apartment! Gotta love Germany for that!)

I am so blessed by the people that God has brought into my life through the means of adoption. What an added joy when we get to continue to walk out life together in the years that follow-- like I have with the Cardens.  There is a special bond that seems to form when you go through the craziness of Ukrainian adoption (as many of you know!)

Weekends like this are just another sweet reminder that God has me exactly where I'm supposed to be.

beauty of the their quaint German village 

Hospitality House

I am very excited to use this post to announce a new development in ministry here in Ukraine-- A ministry to house Adoptive families while they are in Kiev!

In the six years that I've been living in Ukraine, I have been given the amazing privilege to walk alongside countless adoptive families on their journey to bring children home.

Through the relationships developed, I often ended up with a couple spending a night or even a week on my pull out couch in the living room of my last apartment. These couples didn't seem to mind the simple living conditions, but instead were grateful for a free place to stay and some English fellowship.

Hanging out with the Bollingers this past summer

This past summer I developed a dear friendship with Jason and Holly Bollinger, a couple from Texas who had a roller coaster of an adoption ride, and as a result ended up living with me for a week to save on cost.  During this time with the Bollingers, the Lord again reminded me how much I enjoy opening my home to adoptive families and helping them get adapted to their surroundings.  So I started to pray about what this could mean for the future.

I knew I was leaving for England for several months, but I began to put this vision before the Lord and asked that if it was His will, He would open the door for me to find a new place when I returned, one which would allow me to accommodate more people, one that would be in a central location for getting around the city AND that He would provide the financial resources to make it possible.

What followed were a series of amazing open doors and a rallying of support from so many resources!

Upon moving back to Kiev in January, I was able to find an adorable, spacious apartment to rent in Podol (a historic part of the downtown) for a great price! Upon finding the apartment I immediately had ministries wanting to partner in what I was doing. 

I had shared the vision for the hospitality home with the ministry I work for, Orphan's Promise, while I was at our headquarters in Virginia in January. My leadership was very excited about the opportunity to minister to families in this way and gave me a green light to go forward.  Orphan's Promise is standing behind me in this endeavor and graciously providing a portion of the rent.

my friend Mary helps paint!

When I returned to Kiev I learned that my church, International Christian Assembly (ICA) also desired to reach out to adoptive families in Kiev and they too stepped forward to offer financial assistance, for the endeavor, a paint team to get me started, and prayer support for families that will stay with me.   In addition, Grace Place, a church in Colorado (from which many adoptive family friends have come) donated a sum of money to help me purchase the guest bed and needed linens to get started.   To say I am grateful would be an understatement!

newly renovated living room!

I have been absolutely overwhelmed by the support and the people that have come alongside me to make this happen-- front paint crews, to financial support to remodel help- I am feeling VERY blessed.

It is AMAZING to see God's timing in how this has all come together as well.  Within the first week of living in my apartment, I already was able to host 3 separate families.  Graciously they were willing to live amidst the vast number of boxes and some remodel projects that were still going on!  But we had fun and it was wonderful to see how God was already bringing forward families that were in need of housing and knowing that this apartment could meet their needs.

2nd night in my new home with the Roges and the Pecks.

I have just created a new website devoted to this hospitality home and you can visit that here and learn more information...as well as see a repeat of the above post! :)  I look forward to seeing who God brings my way in the coming months!

An answer to prayer- 3 years in the making

Meet Elizabeth (Lizzie) Roge.  

Lizzie is my hero.  

Lizzie is a young girl of great tenacity and of patience.  Lizzie is a girl of prayer and of great faith.  Lizzie is a warrior and a sweet spirit, a princess and a friend.  Through years of great trial, many shed tears and uncertainty Lizzie has retained joy in her heart and has impacted many as a result.   Today I can say that Lizzie is a young girl who has finally seen victory.

I first met Lizzie (then Zina) when she was 11 year's old at a 2 week summer camp we put on in the Kherson region in July of 2007.  I got to know her better during the Christmas season of 2007 when she traveled with our concert group to Virginia and Colorado to perform with a group of 17 orphans in the 'Old Shoemaker' musical.  

In Virginia with Rimma and Zina in December 2007

From the moment I met her I knew she was different then other kids I'd met.   She had a sweetness and a kindness about her that very few children who are raised in institutions possess.  She asked deep questions and had an honest desire to be known, and also had a longing in her heart for a family.  

It was during this trip that Lizzie, along with her friend Rimma, stole the hearts of the Roge family in Longmont, Colorado, and after the girls' departure, the Roges embarked upon a journey to bring the girls home.  They didn't know at the time the kind of journey it would be....or how long it would take.

Since both girls were not registered for international adoption, the outlook of bringing the girls home did not look good for the Roges.  But this did not stop them.   Opposition didn't stop them.  They had heard from the Lord and they were determined to fight all odds to bring these two girls home.  I have the utmost respect for Heidi and Felix Roge, who sacrificed countless resources, time, and so many tears to bring Rimma and Zina home (and in the mean time 3 other kids as well)!  They are on my list of heroes.  They are fighters and people of their word.

Rimma was able to be adopted and go home last year in February (2 years after they met her), and with the future of international-adoption looming uncertain the Roges once again had to say goodbye to Zina- praying that a year later her time on the international adoption database would come up and she'd be available for adoption. 

That year has passed.  Her time has finally come! 3 years of waiting, 3 years of waiting in a bureaucratic system and an institution are finally over. 

with her Daddy holding the 'golden ticket' - the US visa

The little girl that I met nearly 4 years ago is now a 15-year-old beauty full of grace and strength and wisdom beyond her years.  And as of yesterday she is now a US citizen and is sleeping under the roof of the place she belongs, the place she can call home. 

Tears of gratitude fill my eyes as I write this post.  Recognizing that years of prayers have been answered.  I will never understand why it had to take so long for Lizzie, and why 3 precious years of her life had to be spent behind orphanage walls when a family was ready and willing to call her their own.  Her story, unfortunately, is like so many others.  It's just another reminder that this is a battle. This is a war against children.  But there has been victory won today!

As Lizzie slept curled up next to me 2 nights ago, the night before her and her Daddy flew to America, I lay awake with a heart full of gratitude and joy.  We don't always get to tangibly see the answer to our prayers-- but that night the answer was sleeping next to me....no longer an orphan.  Wow.

Thank you Lord for that gift! Thank you for your faithfulness and thank you for answering prayers.  You are mighty to save....and we are forever grateful.

"Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of JOY.  He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of JOY, carrying sheaves with him."

  Psalm 126:5-6

What a week!!!

This has been a week for the books!! In the past 5 days I've moved into new apartment, finished a remodel project, hosted 3 adoptive families in this new apartment, seen on of my favorite girls who has waited 3 years for her adoption finally get to go to her forever home, and witness God move the hearts of governmental officials in the US on behalf of a 16-year-old orphan!  Whew!! What a week!  Each story is unique on it's own, so the next posts to follow I'll share more about Zina's (now Lizzie) adoption, the Peck family adventure and my new hospitality home for adoptive families. Stay tuned for more news in the coming days...

If your Presence does not go with us...

Last week my team and I had a wonderful prayer/planning day out of town.  These two ladies (pictured left with me), Galina and Yuliya have worked under my leadership for 3 years now and enable me to do much of what I do.  I always joke that these two, Galina and Yuliya, are my right and my left hand here in Ukraine. I depend on them for so much!  In addition to all they do for me on a daily basis, they also stepped in and picked up all my responsibilities while I was away in England and the US these past 4 months.  They bless me day in and day out, and it is an honor and a privilege to get to serve the Lord together with these Jesus-loving women. I love praying with them, dreaming with them, crying with them and living life together as we see God do amazing things in our midst.

the view from our 'retreat' spot

While in England I sensed that God was preparing me to enter a new season of life in many aspects. To expect newness.  And more than anything, while I was away, I was praying for the Lord to bring newness and rejuvenation to much of the ministry projects we currently have going on through Orphan's Promise. It is so easy to do things just for the sake of doing them, or because it is the way something always has been done, instead of asking God for what he would have us do and follow him with a deeper level of trust.

So we took a day away from the office last week and spent some good time remembering why we do what we do and prayed about things we'd like to see happen in the future. We also spent some time praying for the many adoptive families that we've seen come and go over the years and for the sweet children we know that still remain in the orphanages-- praying for a revival and a spirit of adoption to fall on this country.

In the morning, prepping for our day away, I was reading in Exodus, and my day's reading had me in Chapter 33.  Moses is speaking to God and is basically saying that he cannot lead the Israelites further if God will not go with them.  v. 14 "If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us?"

As I read those words, they resonated with something deep within.  It is so easy to spend our days, weeks, months and years doing 'good deeds' for the orphans of Ukraine, and to do so without asking for the presence of God to go with us. I have been guilty of this before.

 Ultimately if God does not go with us, if He is not leading our feet, our work will not produce fruit and will be done in vein.  Above all this year, I am praying for God's leading, for God's sending and for His Holy Spirit to show us where to put our time, money and efforts.

Our prayer this year is the prayer of Moses...that the presence of God will go with us and give us rest and that we will not move forward if we are not moving forward with God in sight.

"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.  See, I am doing a new thing!  Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland."

 Isaiah 43: 18-19

How was England?

Question of the week: "How was your time in England?"

This is a challenging question to answer...let me tell you!

Of course the trivial answer is: "amazing."  But that word does not even begin to do justice to the things I learned, the friends I made or the experiences I had.  It doesn't do justice to the greatness and the faithfulness of God.

There is so much that I could share, and so much I feel like I'm still processing in my head and trying to sort through in my mind.

While studying at Ellel our group was given a free-writing day near the end of my time there. They said we could write on whatever we wanted.  My mind raced about all the things I could write about, and the things I felt like God had been teaching me, but I didn't know quite where to start. The woman leading the session said if we were 'stuck' we could pick up a slip of paper from the front with some words on it, to use it as a sort of prompt.  So that is what I decided to do.
The words were these: distant. pathway. whisper.  As soon as I saw these words, I knew instantly where God was leading me to write.

The result is what follows.  I decided I would share this here (for those interested) as it is just a good window into some of the things that God was speaking to my heart during the sweet season he had me in England.

I've been walking on a pathway for as long as I can remember.

Straight and narrow the path has seemed to be.

I have strived to keep you in my sight and guard your words in my heart,

And yet you've often seemed so distant. You've seemed far.

Beyond grasp.

I am told time and time again that you are near- that you are close.

But I can't quite grasp that with my mind.

The creator of the universe near to me?

Choosing to dwell in me?

You who set the moon and the stars in place,

You who spoke with the patriarchs throughout the ages and the saints of days gone by.

Can I be so bold as to wait with similar expectation?

With a longing in my heart for the God of creation to speak with me?

Your Word says you speak in whispers, in a still small voice.

Gentle.

Quiet.

Even faint.

Is that it Lord?

Have I looked for writing on a wall,

When instead you have written the answer on my heart? 

Have I longed for you to part the raging seas of my life,

When instead you have walked me through them, holding me by your mighty hand?

Have I wanted to see your glory in a burning bush,

When instead you have given me a blazing passion in my heart?

Have I demanded a sign like a wicked and adulterous generation,

When instead I should see that in my life you have never left me or forsaken me?

Distant you cannot be. I will believe this lie no more.

On this familiar pathway I will remain.

Listening for your whispers.

Knowing they are all around.

Testing testing 1,2,3

Anyone still out there?  It has been awhile! And a much needed break I have to say!  I have finished my season in England with Ellel Ministries and have nearly come to the end of my time in the US (where I have been for the past few weeks seeing family & friends).


 I head back to Kiev on Friday and will jump straight back into work and life there! 2010 was definitely a whirl wind of transitions, moving about, letting go, trusting, and learning so much about myself and the Lord in the process. I'm excited for what God has in store for 2011!!

I shall be back 'blogging' more soon and sharing some thoughts from my time at Ellel and other things that are lining up for the coming year. Until then, I'd appreciate your prayers as I transition back to 'normal' in Kiev....whatever 'normal' happens to mean!

More of Thee

For 2 weeks now I've been here in Farnham at Ellel. I've already been blown away by how BLESSED I am to be in this place in this time.  I have never been immersed in the Word of God as much as I currently am now and I find myself falling in love with scripture for perhaps the first time.

We have this amazing little stream that flows through the lower end of our property and we've been encouraged to seek out the Lord by the river there... I guess it is a place where many have heard that still small voice and have found comfort and even direction.

Last weekend I was by that stream praying and asking the Lord to speak. I'd been praying for quite awhile and just crying out to the Lord and waiting to hear something-- waiting for the still small voice.  Nothing.  I don't know what I wanted to hear but I longed for something more then the sound of my own breath. In that moment I turned my i-pod on shuffle and on came a song I'd never really listened to before. Do you ever have those moments when you feel like a song could not have been written for anyone other then you?  Because the words just speak to the core of what you are feeling.  Anyway, as I began to listen, the words of the song resonated so deeply and directly confirmed a lot of things I had felt the Lord has been speaking to my spirit lately.  Namely about the concept of Jesus increasing in my life and letting myself decrease.  Dealing with my own pride, my own selfishness-- you know, all the fun things I can see in the mirror when I'm being honest.

This thought of needing to die more fully to the things of 'self' has been weighing on my heart for the past several weeks.  As I listened to the words of the song and stared at the river stream gently flowing in front of me, the tears just began to flow from my eyes...

Friend for life

Who took my pain

The cleansing flood

You remain

Wash over me

Till I can't be seen

Living Water swallow me

Deepest river wash me clean

Jesus, Savior more of thee

Jesus, more of thee

Come and ruin me with Your love

So no other is enough

Come and leave Your mark on me

Jesus, more of thee

Jesus, more of thee 

Friend for life

I'll carry on

Through the power

Of this flood

Let it spill over, over

Till I can't be seen

Deep is the stain

Inside of me

But deeper the river

That washes me clean

I've been the one

Who cries in the night

But you've been

The friend of my life

Living Water swallow me

Deepest river wash me clean

Jesus, Savior more of thee

Jesus, more of thee

Come and ruin me with Your love

So no other is enough

Come and leave Your mark on me

Jesus, more of thee

(Friend for Life by Watermark)

So I write all this to say,  I am going to be taking a break from writing on this blog for a little while. As much as I'd love to use this as my processing point and share what God is teaching me here in England as it happens, I just have this conviction and sense that part of the dying to myself involves dying to things that can bring glory to myself.  And this is one of those things.  

"He must become greater; I must become less."  (John 3:30)

So I'm putting down my 'pen' so to say for a season.  I do hope to be back...but for now I just need to be a little nearer to the feet of Jesus and a little further from my computer.   

Temporarily to be found drinking English Tea...

My English adventure has begun!! I arrived in London on Tuesday and have had a VERY full week prior to arriving at my ministry course today.

I was able to visit our CBN office in Hereford and meet our staff there, spend an afternoon in Oxford and then 2 days in London with my dear friend Jenny. I've been to England a couple of times before, but I just adore this country (apart from the effect it has on my wallet)! I have been enjoying the long walks through the various parts of London, hearing the English language all around me without needing to focus on what is being said, beautiful buildings, Starbucks coffee, shopping, and the multiple tea times per day!  I think I'm going to like it here...

My friend Jenny and I on a walk along the river...

I arrived in Farnham this afternoon, which is where I'll be for the next three months as I take part in stage one of the NETS course offered at Ellel Ministries Pierrepont.   Farnham is a small town about an hour south of London by train.

It is like a breath of fresh air out here in the English countryside and upon pulling up to this beautiful old English manor (pictured here) I felt an overwhelming sense of blessing as I stood back and took in the fact that this will be my home till Christmas time!

The vision of Ellel ministries is to bring healing and discipleship to the body of Christ and to do so through teaching on a wide range of subjects and offering prayer ministry in order to bring people into freedom and wholeness.  The ministry is based on Luke 9:11 in which Jesus welcomed the people, spoke to them about the kingdom of heaven and healed those who needed healing.  I'm not only excited for how this time will be used in my own personal life, but also how God will use it in my ministry with orphans in Ukraine.

There are 58 people in my stage of the course...from 25 different nations.  The age range is amazing too- we have people ranging from 18-65 in the course. I love the fact that I'll be studying among people of all ages and walks of life and it is truly a group full of so much life experience and wisdom.  It was amazing to sit through the introductions this evening and just hear a bit about where people are from and how God brought them to this time of study here at Ellel. I'm sharing a room with 8 women who are from 8 nations! Canada, Australia, Norway, Mexico, USA, Netherlands, Malaysia and Sierra Leone!  I think I'm in for a cultural education! :)

As many staff members and previous students shared tonight, they all said the same thing, "You'll never be the same after taking this course."   I can't say I have come here with a lot of expectations-- and change can always be a little scary-- but that statement which was spoken over and over again has left me very challenged and intrigued. I'm very excited to be here and see what the Lord has to show me and teach me-- and I know that change will ultimately come as I enter into a refining process.

I'm excited for this new journey.

Amidst heroes

 

My new friend Wendy-- super mom! :)

This week has been FULL and even better than full...it has been FULFILLING!

 I had the joy of meeting with 7 different adoptive families...all in the last 7 days (this explains why my bags still aren't packed to leave on Tuesday)!  From all parts of the US, from all different back grounds, and adopting all different types of kids, I got to hear the hearts of these couples this week and I have been so blessed as a result.
2 threads linked these families together...their love of Christ and their adoption of Ukrainian children.  Some of these families were adopting their first children, others adding to their family, one family adopting HIV+ children and another 2 children with downs syndrome, one family adopting younger children and another adopting teens. All very different callings, and yet with one calling the same...to come to Ukraine to bring their children home forever.

Lewis family with their 4 beauties 

 I had lunch with several of these families today after church and as I sat there amidst the chaos and noise of the restaurant (some of them being our screaming children)... I couldn't help but have this overwhelming sense of peace and excitement.  I was sitting amidst my heroes, and seeing people who get what James 1:27 is all about.  I couldn't think of a place I'd rather be.

I'm getting ready to leave this week for England for 3 months, and yet today as I sat amidst these heroes of the faith I felt more certain then ever of my calling to return to Ukraine.  It is an honor and a blessing to walk with and  encourage families like the ones I met today.  They are walking out their faith in such tangible way and it is chaining lives.


15.  That is the number of children that will be going home to their forever families in the next days and weeks.  15!

That is a pretty good start to denting the statistics I mentioned in my last post.

 There are about to be 15 less orphans in Ukraine...and that is a reason to rejoice today.

Holly and I at the orphanage- with princess Olivia

Holly and Jason with 1 of their 2 princesses- Natalia

Others are still waiting...