June 24, 2011
"MOM WHEN is he going to be here?" I have heard that question for the past month....and today as we waited and waited at the airport, you are reminded again how hard it is to WAIT for something.
Waiting sucks to be honest. Even if you are waiting for the dreaded or the inevitable.....not to mention waiting for something wonderful and much anticipated! It's hard!
We got there about 4 pm having spent the past 24 hours in a tizzy of preparation, swimming our "biggest" swim meet of the year and then finally getting it down to the last few minutes before going to the airport.
So we were standing there, holding signs, waiting, waiting waiting at the top of those escalators in the "arrivals" lobby of ----- when all the sudden, up the escalator comes a man, a woman (chaperones) and a GAGGLE of children, looking tired, travel weary but with eagerness on their faces despite that.....
The first thing that happened was those in the crowd who recognized children they had hosted previously, ran towards the group and grabbed the children they knew (and were "A-ing" for the most part)... the rest of us held back a bit and then dazedly, like confused penguins looking for that chick, we moved into the mee-lee and started looking for the face we all had been looking for over the past few weeks (or months!) for some folks.
Finally, H-----, ( our sitter) and J1 and C spotted him. They immediately knelt down and started to talk to him in the Ukrainian and Russian phrases that have been going around the house for the past few days. "Yak te be zhvate?" and when he said "Z---" ....eureka!
"MOM WHEN is he going to be here?" I have heard that question for the past month....and today as we waited and waited at the airport, you are reminded again how hard it is to WAIT for something.
Waiting sucks to be honest. Even if you are waiting for the dreaded or the inevitable.....not to mention waiting for something wonderful and much anticipated! It's hard!
We got there about 4 pm having spent the past 24 hours in a tizzy of preparation, swimming our "biggest" swim meet of the year and then finally getting it down to the last few minutes before going to the airport.
So we were standing there, holding signs, waiting, waiting waiting at the top of those escalators in the "arrivals" lobby of ----- when all the sudden, up the escalator comes a man, a woman (chaperones) and a GAGGLE of children, looking tired, travel weary but with eagerness on their faces despite that.....
The first thing that happened was those in the crowd who recognized children they had hosted previously, ran towards the group and grabbed the children they knew (and were "A-ing" for the most part)... the rest of us held back a bit and then dazedly, like confused penguins looking for that chick, we moved into the mee-lee and started looking for the face we all had been looking for over the past few weeks (or months!) for some folks.
Finally, H-----, ( our sitter) and J1 and C spotted him. They immediately knelt down and started to talk to him in the Ukrainian and Russian phrases that have been going around the house for the past few days. "Yak te be zhvate?" and when he said "Z---" ....eureka!
I took one look at him, felt my heart jump to the back of my throat and all I knew was I had to MAKE SURE with the chaperone that this was our visitor or I was going to be in danger of making a scene because I wouldn't not take this one as well as whomever we were supposed to host! Ha ha!. So pretty quickly we got K---- over to ensure we had the right little one. How in the world I could have not been sure, I don't know, but from his picture I was expecting strawberry blonde, fair skin and freckles and honestly he looks like a California boy. Tan, blue eyes and blonde hair. He really looks like mini J1 ! Ha ha.
Anyhow, so we surrounded him, introduced ourselves by name, pointing and the kids and H---- trying out phrases in Ukrianian....it was quite a moment.... We gave him a balloon, a lunch box with some food and then dear C---- just wrapped her arms around his shoulders and walked that way with him all the way to the car. He seems to speak both Russian and Ukrainian by the way.....for those of you who asked.
Jump ahead, he fell asleep on the way home, it took forever with traffic and rain, but we got here and J1 took him up to show him room, bathroom, help him shower and get into "Dash" pajamas and he sat down and ate everything we offered very politely and smiled and smiled. I have then never seen my three so happy to change into PJS and everyone jumped in the bed and went to sleep immediately. He's in the large room over the gargage in J2 s bed and J1 and J2 are in there too, (we added a bed).
We can't have imagined a better start.
Thanks for all the texts, emails and messages of support. It's been probably one of the most phenomenal past 24 hrs we have ever experienced. Meeting all the families from around the country who arrived yesterday to pick up the kids (2 chaperones brought 29 kids from a total of 7 orphanages) was also incredible. So many amazing stories of God working in peoples lives to make this possible and not one of them were people who didn't already have an "as full" if not fuller plates than we do. There was even a couple who's youngest child was 20, and who have a grandchild-- who were hosting a 12 year old. They flew in from Texas. Many families were hosting 2 or more children and many of the kids are young teens or tweens. WOW! It's amazing how God can move and shake up things!
Anyhow, thanks and more fun stories to come!
The ----- and Z-----!
Day 1/35
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