Camp & Zoo

Last week my friend, Lauri, and I took the kids up to our camp in the Adirondacks for our annual Water Safari excursion.  This was probably the 6th or 7th year in a row that we've done this and the kids always look forward to it.  

Slava's first ever jaw breaker!

 One of the highlights of the trip into Old Forge is a visit to the Candy Cottage.  

Kids playing card games by the lake.

The big kids and Paul Bunyan!

We take one of these pics every year.

 The Adirondacks in mid-August is a big chilly.  We planned to go to Water Safari on Friday but it rained.  That turned into a huge blessing for me.  Since Wayne and Dennis came up Friday night they were on hand Saturday.  The weather was partly cloudy and a sweltering 69 degrees...perfect weather for a water park day!  It was too cold for the little boys (Jordan & Slava don't have much meat on their bones), so Wayne and Dennis took them along to the Woodsmen's Field Days event.  The little boys loved all the wood-cutting, log splitting, lumber jack stuff...

 ...and I enjoyed Water Safari.  Well, I enjoyed sitting in this here lawn chair for 5 hours straight.  I only got up to get my lunch and go to the ladies room.  I plowed through 2 home schooling magazines.  It was my first real vacation all summer.
The Andersons and Wayne left for home Sunday night.  The kids and I stayed until Monday morning so we could go to the Utica Zoo on the way home.

The lion made me a bit nervous!

 We visited the zoo...we are not the zoo!

Slava enjoying his cheeseburger.

Originally I'd planned to stay up at camp the whole week, but after 5 days at Cherry Plains a couple weeks ago and 5 days in the Adirondacks, I'd had enough.  The kids were happy to come home though.  Andrii got back to his job, Sierra started training for her new job at her uncle's laundromat, and even Anna had a baby-sitting job this week.  I've been busy running kids everywhere and trying to get our school room ready.  Sierra started online college courses on Monday.  She's dual-enrolled at Liberty  University for a couple courses and the rest she's doing at home for 11th grade.  All this talk about school makes we realize that summer is almost over!

What A Difference 5 Years Makes!

Jordan (still Sergiy) in December 2006

This picture was taken at our very first "official" visit to meet Jordan.  We got a sneak peek of him a few days earlier through the back door of the orphanage.  At this first visit we brought a doctor with us to evaluate him.  Here the doc was having Jordy string beads.  We couldn't get him to take a good picture because he really didn't look at the camera.  His nick-name in the orphanage was "Ser-o-sha".  

Sierra & Jordan

 What a difference 5 years makes!  This week Jordan got his stitches out and his cast on.  When we arrived for the appointment Dr. Carl was delayed in the O.R. so we crossed the street to have lunch at Panera Bread.  Jordan was thrilled because we got a front row seat to the major construction project at Albany Medical Center.  We see the doctor in 4 weeks for an x-ray and most likely the next surgery will be in January.

Big Boy

Later this month Jordan will turn 9 years old!  Suddenly he's become a little boy instead of a baby boy. Finally he's growing and even maturing...if we could only get him to stop sucking his fingers!  Adopting these kids was the greatest thing we've ever done.  Adoption by Christian parents is investing in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Happy Kids = Exhausted Mom

Last Sunday our family joined 6 other families from our church for a 5 day camping trip to Cherry Plains.  It was an hour ride from home, so Wayne only came up the first couple nights and left from there to go to work each day.  That turned out to be an exhausting job, so the last 3 days he didn't come up. Work is very busy (thankfully) so he couldn't take the time off.   This worked out fine since our daughter-in-law Kerri came up from Tuesday to Friday.  The older kids begged to go on this camping trip and promised to do all the work...sort of!  

Slava, Sun, and Sand

 There was a small lake with a sandy beach which Slava really enjoyed.  He'd swim around then run out and lay in the hot sand to warm up.  Needless to say he had to then go back in the water to rinse off, then repeat the process all over again.  He was my buddy the whole time since the big kids were off with all the other teens from church.

Andrii the Chef with Poppy Ken

 Andrii promised to do all the cooking.  This worked out well for dinner, but I only brought pop tarts and cereal for breakfast.  Thankfully Kerri brought up some bacon and eggs so we had a yummy breakfast at least one morning!  My parents came up one afternoon and stayed for dinner.  Sierra and Anna did all the dishes.  I was on "Slava Duty" and made coffee morning and night!

Sierra showing off her volley ball skills - not!

 The big kids were busy non-stop with volleyball, swimming (not always legally), corn hole, darts, tag, and tons of board games.  With over 35 kids between the 7 families they had a blast.

Jordan 

 Jordan was such a good sport since he couldn't even go swimming post-surgery.  He
 grew up into a big boy the moment we got there.  I barely saw him the whole time since he was off on his bike keeping up with the big kids.  He stopped by on occasion for a soda, a pop tart, or some chips....well we were camping!

Anna, Emma, Laura, & Shannon 

The 5 days flew by and I did survive, but with the realization that "single parenting" isn't for me.  With all of Slava's issues (post coming on that soon) I barely sat still for 5 minutes at a time.  Thankfully friends did step in to help so I could get a break.  Curtis came up Thursday night and stayed over to help us pack up and get home on Friday.  Once we were home, unpacked, and in the throws of 10 loads of laundry, the exhaustion caught up with me.  Today I took a nap, worked on some home school plans, and now I'm getting ready to go out for a much deserved dinner with my hubby.

My Cup Runneth Over...and so does my calendar!

Somehow I assumed that once school was finished things would slow down for the summer...nyet!  I can't remember a busier summer.  This week I found myself very overwhelmed especially when it seems like every time I turn around something gets added to the schedule.  I am so very thankful for our family, for God's provision, for Wayne's work being busy, for good health, for the help that comes along, and for the privilege for being parents to these precious gifts from God.  Yes, my cup runneth over.....

Kashi & Slava

 Kashi & Slava have a love/barely tolerate relationship.  In the 2 years that Slava has been here the poor dog has been poked, whacked, and tormented by Slava, especially in those first several months.  Slava's poor impulse control made it difficult for him to not do something to her whenever she walked by.  He's not mean to her, just irritating.  I snapped this pic during a moment when they were getting along, probably because Slava was feeding her potato chips.

Dr. Jordan & Patient Slava

 I walked into the bathroom yesterday morning to discover Jordan putting a "cast" on Slava using clorox wipes.

Swingin' Slava

...my cup runneth over and so does the calender:
Monday:  Met my sister-n-law for lunch then met with some ladies in the evening to share about adoption/foster care.
Tuesday:  dropped Anna off at a nearby farm where she works with horses, went to a lunch meeting with friends from Bethany Christian Services.
Wednesday:  Ran Andrii to the church for a fife/drum event at 9am, went with the rest of the kids to the Matthew Project (summer feeding program we volunteer at), ran kids home, ran Slava to the social worker appt, somehow Sierra got to her library and babysitting job (I believe Curtis and Wayne shuttled her around), ran to Walmart on the way back from social worker.
Thursday:  morning phone call warning me of lice exposure, check for head lice (no lice, thank you Lord), treat exposed head with pesticide shampoo, have melt-down due to lice threat, Sierra wakes up with swollen gums, run to meeting with a pastor's wife about Orphan Sunday, run home and take Sierra to dentist (infected gums due to a seed embedded in there...now we get to go back on Friday for a laser procedure), run to pharmacy, run home, go to grocery store.  Thankfully Wayne cancelled a meeting he had in order to get the kids to Karate by 5:30 since the  added dentist appt put me behind schedule.
Friday:  Hair cuts for 4 kids, battery dead in car (thankfully my nephew was on hand to jump it), made it to dentist on time....main dentist not there, another dentist cleaned out the infection but now we have another appt next week for the laser thing.  I crashed in a lawn chair by the pool for an hour and asked Wayne to bring home pizza for dinner.  Spent the evening with my cousin who needed some ministering to.
Did I mention the kids begged to go on a camping trip that several other families from church are going on?  Wanting to bless them, I agreed to it.  So on top of all of the above, we're packing, shopping, baking, and getting set up for this 5 day camping trip.  Work is so busy that Wayne can only be with us the first night and the last, but thankfully my daughter-in-law is coming for the middle days to lend a hand.  There are dozens of other things in between the things I mentioned (cleaning, laundry, meals, parenting, paperwork, bill paying, banking, phone calls etc).  Notice I used the word "run" a lot?  It feels like that is all I do.  No trouble sleeping at night for me...only trouble staying awake!  In the shower the other day the Lord told me that I've been doing things in my own strength.  Yes, I hear from God in the shower.  It's one of the only places I go that I'm not distracted.  And yes, I can see where I've been relying on my own strength, which isn't working too well.  Hence the lice-meltdown.  I can also see the devil at work as I've been a threat to his plans.  The enemy doesn't like orphan ministry, marriage ministry, or helping released prisoners.  The attack shouldn't surprise me.  I'm now reading Ephesians 6:10-18 each morning to remember to put on the full armor of God.
Pretty much I just give the Lord my life each morning as I desire to put on Christ, walk where He would have me to walk, do what He would have me to do, and not worry about what I can't do.  I just want to please God and bring glory to His Name.  I am thankful for my over-flowing cup and calendar!

More Summer Happenings

FISHES!

 Jordan and Slava love swimming.  This summer Slava has learned how to swim under water, without a life jacket or floaties!  He even jumps off the diving board!

Jordan & His I.V. Pole

 Jordy loves to cruise the halls at the hospital.  I steer his IV pole and try to keep up with him!  Albany Med is doing a major construction project, so looking out the windows is very entertaining for little boys who love cranes, construction equipment, and workers in hard hats!

My Drummer

 I was in the right place at the right time to catch Curtis playing his drums.  He's played for about 10 years now and is on the worship team at church.

Jordan on his "new" old bike.

 He found this old bike in the back shed.  It used to be Curt's when he was like 10.  Daddy fixed it up and now Jordan thinks he's going to do all those tricks the bmx guys do!  We'll have to ask Dr. Carl about that!

Orphan Ministry Stuff

Here are 500 Orphan Sunday post cards and 500 bulletin inserts that I'll be distributing to area churches who commit to doing Orphan Sunday.  I didn't realize how expensive this stuff can be and now I'm aware of the fact that a ministry needs money.  Hmmmm hadn't thought about raising support before.  Mary and I are meeting with 2 ladies from Bethany Christian Services for lunch next week.  We've met with them before and had such a wonderful time that they suggested meeting for lunch.  I've also been asked to do a 1 hour radio segment on a local Christian station....this is an exciting opportunity, but I'm also very nervous about it.  For more details about our ministry please scroll down to the post entitled "Orphan Ministry".

Jordan's Surgery

Jordan's surgery this morning went very well. He went into the OR around 8am. I always accompany him until he's under. I even get to wear scrubs, but I look more like a garbage man than a doctor! They let Jordy hold the mask over his own face. He asked them if they were ready, then he breathed deeply, and off to sleep he went. Wayne and I waited until Dr. Carl came for us an hour later. All went well, he lengthened about 9mm. We were out of post op and into his room by noon. Daddy went to work and both Jordan and I took a little nap. Gram & Poppy Ken stopped by for a visit and so did Wayne Jr. The Children's Hospital here at Albany Med is an excellent facility. We were visited by a puppy and Jordy got to do a craft. He hasn't complained of much pain which is better than our visit back in January. Staying the night helps too. They put a drain on him so fluid drains from the surgical site which helps prevent infection, and he also gets IV antibiotics. It's piece of mind for me since scar tissue is more prone to infection, and each time we do rod lengthening it's always the same site. He's more interested in the Tv (I confess he watched Cops earlier). He wants to be a policeman! But right now he's watching the Olympics (now he wants a speedo)! What joy this child brings to my life. My heart aches when I think of the life he would have had had we not adopted him. Since he had crossed eyes and a severely crooked spine, Jordan would have went from the baby orphanage to an institution for the disabled which in Ukraine would have been a nightmare & a death sentence for him. I praise God that He wrote us into Jordan's life story AND that we said YES! Recently Andrii shared his testimony in church. He shared on God's love. We didn't know what he was going to say, but he opened up about living in an orphanage. He talked about he and Anna going to Chicago 2 summers in a row and were hosted by a family who wanted to adopt them, but they didn't want Jordan because he had medical issues. Since Andrii was at the age where he had to consent, he refused to be adopted by that family because he knew he had a younger brother and he wanted his family to be together. Then along came us! On our way to meet Andrii & Anna for the first time we were told about how they'd been to Chicago twice. We didn't know why Andrii refused to be adopted by that family, and we worried that he wouldn't want us either. But on that very first meeting he said yes to being adopted into our family! God honored Andrii's desire to keep his siblings together. The older a kid gets and added siblings greatly reduce a kids chances of getting a forever family. We know that we are part of a miracle. Andrii experienced God's love. Adoption is the greatest way to model the Gospel: redemption, new life, sacrificial love, and the Father's heart. Well I must wrap this up, Jordan wants me to surf the web for speedos!

Orphan Ministry

Last November our church, Gospel Community Church in Coxsackie, NY, did an Orphan Sunday service.  This was a natural fit for our church since we have families who have adopted and families who are doing foster care.  Plus we've always informally done orphan care through short-term mission trips and sending blankets, clothes, etc. to orphanages in Ukraine and we support a ministry that helps children and girls in Cambodia.  Orphan care has always been preached from the pulpit since our pastor is an adoptive dad himself.  After Orphan Sunday my pastor's wife, Mary, and I began to feel the Lord leading us into orphan ministry on a more formal and purposeful basis.  We attend Christian Alliance For Orphans' 8th annual Orphan Summit in Southern California in May.  We came home excited and overwhelmed.
God has been stirring our hearts for the fatherless.  There are some 163 million orphans in the world and 500,000 children in the American foster care system.  The Lord has given His Church the mandate to care for orphans, not the government:  Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means that we must care for orphans and widows in their troubles.  James 1:27a.  Adoption reflects the heart of the Father.  He adopted us and made us sons and daughters not because He wanted children, but because we needed a Father.  God created the family as the perfect place for children.  The Church is made up of Christian families...and we need to be doers of the Word.  The purpose of family is to raise up a generation for God.  We adopt to redeem, restore, to give the Gospel.  The Gospel is the reason why we do what we do.  Justice and mercy flow from the Gospel.  Your Christianity doesn't mean anything unless it is demonstrated.  Stern words I know, but consider the fact that the American church is busy building mega-churches with mega-buildings, mega-worship teams, mega-budgets, and after an ear-tickling-feel good sermon members stroll out to the mega-parking lot, hop in their mega-cars, and go out for a mega-lunch.  I ask why?  How does this make sense in light of the Scriptures?  The Church has been asleep far too long on this issue.

LORD, you know the hopes of the helpless.  Surely you will listen to their cries and comfort them.  You will bring justice to the orphans and the oppressed, so people can no longer terrify them.  
                                                                                                                         Psalm 10:17-18
God uses US, His Church, to bring justice to orphans and the oppressed.  Wake up, Church!

In an effort to rally the Church to awareness and action, Mary and I are putting together an orphan conference for Saturday, October 13, 2012, at 10am at our church.  We're inviting all area churches, pastors, lay leaders, and members.  Orphan ministry encompasses three main areas:  (1) adoption (international/domestic), (2) foster care, and (3) global orphan care.  We know not everyone is called to adopt or do foster care (though if Christians were to actually pray and seek the Lord's will in this matter AND walk in obedience to His will, there would be way less orphans globally and less kids in the foster care system.)  But every member of the church, from Sunday School children to Youth Group kids to seniors...everyone can help in some way.  Our conference will present the Father's heart for the fatherless and share practical ways everyone can help.  Our hope is that people will bring what they learn back to their churches and begin to make a difference.  We will have local families share their experience with adoption, foster care, and orphan care.  Representatives will be on hand from Bethany Christian Services, Albany and Greene Counties, Christian Alliance For Orphans, and others.

Another area that I've gotten formally involved in is Orphan Sunday.  Orphan Sunday originated in Zambia of all places.  A Zambian pastor with a heart for the orphans around him dedicated a service to orphans and he called it "Orphan Sunday."  Christian Alliance For Orphans brought that idea back to the States and has been running a campaign to get American churches to dedicate a service to Orphan Sunday the first Sunday in November annually.  November is National Adoption Awareness Month here in the U.S.  While at the Orphan Summit I learned that barely any churches in NY are doing Orphan Sunday.  I was surprised, assuming since our church does it that most churches do it (naive I know).  Well now I'm the Regional Coordinator for Orphan Sunday for all of NY State!  My job is to get churches on board to bring awareness to the orphan crisis.  Whether a church dedicates 15 minutes or an entire service to the orphan and whether it's actually on November 4th or anytime before or after, the mission is to rally the Church.  I have resources to share and can be as hands-on or as hands-off as the leadership wants.

Mary and I are considering the name "Justice For Orphans" for our ministry.  This is a whole new direction for us to walk in but we believe the Lord is leading.  We've got years of hands-on experience with our own "orphans" and God is directing our steps.  To Him be the glory!