Katya's Story
In order to truly understand the frightening experience we went through in October of 2008, you will need to read our story from the beginning to the end. Each email was written at the time it was actually happening. Our current situation is that we now have guardianship of Katya, she is living with us at home in Kiev, and we have started the one year long adoption process. Click the links in order to read each section of Katya's story.
Day Thirteen - Better Impressions
Sunday, October 19, 2008
- Enjoying a Couple "Normal" Days
- Sunday is Open Dorm Day
- Better Impressions about Food
- The Shower Picture
- I'll Be With Her Tomorrow!
- No Special Favors
- Prayer Requests
ENJOYING A COUPLE "NORMAL" DAYS from Judy
I thought I'd write an update before many of you are on your way to
church. We've had a couple "normal" days since the big meeting on
Thursday, doing normal things! Friday night was a PTF meeting at the
kids' school. They had a "walk thru" of our kids' classes for middle and
high school parents. Mike went to Luke's classes, and I went to
Sammie's. It was fun. They rang the bells every 7 - 10 minutes, so
basically it gave each teacher time to tell us what they were covering in
the class and to answer a couple of questions. We ended with a potluck
supper. Parents with last names ending in K through Z prepared main
dishes, while the others prepared salads or desserts. Since we have
lots of Korean families, and many of them have the last name "Kim" --
we enjoyed plenty of homemade sushi (or kim-bob) and other Korean
dishes. Yum!
We decided not to travel to Katya this weekend, because Luke had his
soccer play offs. We've missed several of his games this season due to
all that has been happening, so we enjoyed going to his game
yesterday. They lost 4 - 1 to Kiev International School, but it is always
fun for us to watch Luke play. He does well.
One of our former youth group members from our church in Belle
Fourche, SD, Eric Moore, is the HS boys' soccer coach. He is also
Luke's Physics teacher, and a very gifted one at that. Luke is learning
so much, and Physics has become his favorite class. It is amazing that
one of our former students (who was on our student ministry team in our
former youth group) is now Luke's teacher here in Kiev. Back then, Eric
was 15, and Luke was 5! Eric came home with us after the game (we
dropped Sammie off for her riding lesson), and we spent the afternoon
hanging out at home. Later, we all went to the Stoddard's for a team
meeting and pizza supper.
It was a fun Saturday, though we were a little worried about Katya. We
couldn't reach Katya on her cell phone all afternoon and evening. We
usually talk to her throughout the day. We couldn't get through to her at
bedtime, either. Katya called this morning, and she was fine. She'd had
her phone off for parts of the day, and reception isn't good everywhere
on campus. She'd had a good day -- classes in the morning, and some
of the kids had put on a concert last night, so she had enjoyed watching
that.
SUNDAY IS OPEN DORM DAY
On Sundays, the dorm is open all day, so she will enjoy the freedom to
be in her room today. This dorm situation, though I understand why they
do it, is sad. They don't want to pay an extra person to watch the girls
and clean the dorm. Plus, everything is so nice, and they are probably
afraid that the girls might not take good care of the rooms.
On Monday through Saturday, the dorm is locked behind the girls when
they go to breakfast at 8:30. It is opened after they finish supper at
8:30. Lights out is at 9:00. For that precious half hour, the girls are SO
happy. Many of them wash their hair in the sinks or showers (though
the water is cold) and they get into their jammies and beautiful
bathrobes.
I wish you could see these girls at night in their beautiful bathrobes!
Every girl got to pick from an assortment of brand new robes, most of
them different colors and patterns. The girls are SO cute, lounging on
the couches or popping in and out from room to room. I need to take
some pictures when I am there tomorrow night. It is so much fun to see
the happy smiles as they enjoy their pretty bedrooms. There are only
two to four girls in each room -- a big change from 12 - 15 in the old
dorms! I love to give them hugs as they climb into their beautiful beds.
(See the photo of Katya's room on our website -- www.
youthdiscipler. com).
The 35 girls who live in the new dorm have been selected to live there.
They are the very best students (grades and behavior) from the 5th - 9th
grade classes. The other students are not allowed to even enter the
dorm.
Girls are not allowed to wear jeans to class, so they wear skirts and
dresses. It is cold now, and the central heat is still not turned on in any
of the buildings. Since the girls aren't allowed to go back into the dorm,
they can't change their clothes after school. Therefore, they are in their
dresses and nylons or tights all day. Katya is cold. She is also sick --
she came down with a cold this past week. It frustrates me SO much to
think that she can't even change into warm jeans (with tights UNDER
them) after class!
BETTER IMPRESSIONS ABOUT FOOD
Even though I get frustrated about some things, I am glad that I had an
opportunity to spend a few days at the orphanage last week, because it
helped me to see that things are not as bad as I thought after our visit
last Saturday. For instance -- my impressions about the food (or lack of
it).
I ate breakfast with Galina (2nd in command) the last day I was there,
and we had a helping of potatoes with sour cream, a small helping of
cabbage salad, and 2 pieces of bread -- one white and one brown.
Galina asked me what we usually eat for breakfast. I replied, "Oh,
usually eggs and toast, or hot cereal, or cold cereal ... and usually juice
or bananas."
Galina said, "All the people in our village eat either soup or potatoes for
breakfast. And for lunch -- all of us eat borscht. It is a must. For supper,
it can be anything we want to make. But breakfast is ALWAYS either
soup or potatoes, and lunch is ALWAYS borscht."
That was eye opening for me. It explained that the lack of variety in the
menu -- mainly soup -- is just normal. The potatoes and salad that
morning were delicious -- just not very plentiful for the bigger kids.
Check out the picture on our website and notice the size of the plate
compared to the tablespoon and teacup. Galina came out of the kitchen
with a very large helping for me, and I asked for an empty plate. I
spooned off a serving for myself and asked if I could take the rest to a
table of big boys. Galina waved me off, and the boys were more than
happy to relieve me of the extra food!
At around 11:00 AM, all the classes got a snack of two cookies and a
juice box. I was SO glad to see them drinking juice. Other than the
apples they found out and about on trees, it was the only form of fruit I
saw them receive. There was no milk or meat served during my time
there. However, the food they had was very tasty, and the children do
not seem hungry, nor are they thin. I know that the staff does their very
best with the funds they have. Nadia (the mayor's wife whom I stayed
with) tells me that the cooks at the orphanage are better than the cooks
at the public school. She says the food is always good at the
orphanage. I also know that the people of Komorovka are generous in
their donations of potatoes and other vegetables.
THE SHOWER PICTURE
I also want to mention that you must not be horrified if you have been on
our website and have seen the picture of the shower that Kate and I
used. The shower room at the orphanage used to look like that, but last
year it was completely retiled and is very clean and nice. However,
maybe because of the cost of heating water (I am making an
assumption there), the kids only get to shower about every 2 weeks.
The laundry ladies were embarrassed for us to use the shower they
have in the laundry room ... but it was the only one with easy access to
hot water. Katya and I assured them that we didn't care, and we didn't.
We made a great memory! I asked if we could come again in a couple
days, but they said no. They explained that if we used hot water for the
shower, the kitchen may not have enough.
A whole new heating system was purchased this year for both the
orphanage and the public school in Komorovka. They are trying to get
everything started now. Hopefully, things will be much more comfortable
for the kids soon. We still don't have heat in our apartment here in Kiev,
either. They start turning on the central heat all over Ukraine on October
15, but it takes some time to get all the systems running.
I'LL BE WITH HER TOMORROW
I will travel to the orphanage tomorrow (Monday) with Doug Stoddard
and the dentist team. Doug and I are bringing some shelves that Mike
and I bought last week with some remaining funds from my country
home church in SD -- Prairie Home Church. The new dorm opened up
some space, and I am going to be allowed to work on putting together a
toy room in one of the old dorms with the toys that the Prairie Home
Vacation Bible School donated last year. Galina has kept the toys in
storage and didn't want us to do anything with them until they had a
room available to create a toy room.
I will stay with Nadia again (where I stayed last week), so I can be near
Kate. Katya is homesick, but she only has to wait one more day till I
come. On Tuesday, if they get the guardianship documents on Monday
night, Mike and Ivan will once again travel to the town where Katya was
born (3 hours north). They will transfer her registration from there, to our
apartment in Kiev! Yes!! This will take time, so Katya and I will not
expect to see them at the orphanage until afternoon or evening. Since I
will be there with Katya, the time will go quickly. Hopefully, we can
spend our time together working on the new toyroom.
NO SPECIAL FAVORS
We have heard more and more reports of how far Katya's story has
spread and how MANY of God's people (entire churches from many
different states) have been praying for us. We are blown away by this
information and realize more fully how God GAVE us guardianship of
Katya. People here are very surprised that we, as foreigners, were able
to attain it -- especially since we were not asked for any special favors
to accomplish it.
In fact, do you remember that the day Katya was taken away, we met
with the director of Social Services in Chernigov? An SBU agent (the
department that was formerly KGB) was in the room with us to make
sure that everything was done legally. Well, this man has called Ivan a
couple times since, to ask if any bribes were required of us by any
authority. Thankfully, not one bribe was even hinted at -- or that person
may have lost their job. God is mighty, and God is in control. And Katya
is coming HOME!! I will write when we get back, to let you know how
everything went.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
1. Pray that everything goes well to the very end -- that the documents
giving Mike guardianship will truly make their way into Mike's hands (or
Ivan's thick folder)!
I just found out that the reason we were not able to get the guardianship
papers finalized till Monday evening was because one of the
guardianship council members was away from Kiev. He won't be
returning till Monday evening. Mia will get his signature on the
documents as soon as he returns.
2. Pray for Katya to start feeling better. I just talked to her on her cell
phone, and she is with the babooshka (grandma) in whose garden she
worked last Sunday. Today she is helping this babooshka husk corn.
Kate loves this kind woman. "Babooshka" saw that Katya wasn't feeling
well today, so she took Kate right into her house and fed her mashed
potatoes with fried mushrooms on top. (It is the season that people are
gathering mushrooms in the forest.) Katya loved the delicious meal and
said that it made her feel better. Babooshka wants Kate to bring me to
her house when I come, so we can meet each other. I told Katya to give
Babooshka a hug and a very big thank you from Mommy for taking care
of her little girl!
3. Praise to the Lord for all He has done, for all the new friends He has
brought into our lives through this experience, and for all the
opportunities to share His love with people who don't know Him.
Galina was asking me on Wednesday morning at breakfast, why we put
our children in an international school. She simply could not understand
WHY we did not put them in a Ukrainian school, where the education is
so superior. I did not want to get into that kind of a discussion, so I
explained that ours is a Christian school, and that our children are
learning about the Bible right along with their other subjects. Galina
said, "Oh, Judy, our schools are filled with Christians. We are ALL
Christians. We are ALL God's children."
I was able to briefly explain that Jesus clearly states in John 14:6,
that "He is the way, the truth, and the life ... and that no man can come
to the Father, except through Him." I explained that Jesus Christ died
on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. Receiving His forgiveness
for our sins is the ONLY way to become God's very own child.
At that moment, someone needed Galina and she had to go. I pray she
has been thinking about that one verse from God's Word this week.
Pray for Galina. I respect this woman SO much. She has a huge heart
of love for the children. It is always evident in how she treats them --
even when she must be a strict babooshka. I see how they relate to her,
how they run to her with their problems, etc. I love this woman and tell
her so every time I see her!