January 7-10, 2016
Ever since we got back I have been thinking that I should really update the blog since we are home. Needless to say there have been many things that demanded my attention and it didn't happen. Just trying to get back to Central Standard Time is a challenge in itself.
We arrived in Winnipeg on Jan. 8 @ 2:00 am. It's interesting to note that this was exactly 11 months after we had a presentation in our church about orphans in Ukraine. 11 months to get your children is a very short or really long time period, depending on your perspective.
We left our apartment at noon on the 7th to head to the airport in Kiev. Our first stop was in Warsaw, then on to Toronto, and finally Winnipeg. We flew with Polish Airlines and were extremely impressed - wonderful service and very clean. We had to claim our luggage and go through customs/immigration in Toronto. Everything went smoothly until we boarded our Air Canada plane to travel to Winnipeg. That's when they announced that due to mechanical difficulties we would have to wait until repairs were completed. Our flight was delayed for an hour.
We were overjoyed to be reunited with Kevin and Krista after having been in Ukraine for 10 weeks!
Yesterday we took our new kids to get winter coats as the temperature has plummeted. Later I made pizza for supper - it was wonderful to cook supper in my own kitchen again. It seems that 6 of 6 family members like pizza so it will continue to be a Saturday staple.
It was fabulous to see so many of our friends at church this morning. The support that we have experienced and continue to experience from our church community has been and continues to be amazing. God has blessed us tremendously.
I am looking forward to returning to work tomorrow. Life will return to a more regular routine and my posts will become less frequent. Thanks to all of you for your interest in this incredible journey. The challenges be different but they will continue as our new children adjust to life in a family, living in a new country, learning a new language, etc.
Until next time...
Sunday, 10 January 2016
Thursday, 7 January 2016
Homeward Bound
January 5-7, 2016
We picked up the kids' passports and visas. We're thankful there were no delays and no extra documents required.
We're all packed. The kids are still in bed catching a few more z z z. No one slept much last night.
Taxi should arrive at 11:45 and then we'll be on our wayš
Thanks to everyone for your thought and prayers. We're looking forward to seeing many of you soon!
Monday, 4 January 2016
Happy New Year!
December 31, 2015 - January 4, 2016
Happy New Year to one and all. May God bless you and keep you in his care during 2016. Life is full of joys and challenges and we trust him because we know that he will guide and protect us.
It is cold here in Kiev! I know, I know...we are supposed to be hardy Winnipeggers and able to handle temperatures in the minus 20s and 30s but none of us was prepared for that so we don't have parkas, Sorels, etc. There are days when it is colder in Kiev than Winnipeg which is not supposed to be. Needless to say we are staying indoors as much as possible. We are very thankful for WiFi:)
We had to move on Jan. 2nd as our first place had already been rented for the month of January. Unfortunately the next place was a downgrade. During the New Years/Christmas week it is very difficult to find places because so many Ukrainians have the week off. We are on the 5th floor but the elevator wasn't working:( Dragging suitcases up 128 steps was hard work! Our house will seem like the Taj Mahal!
I have been cooking suppers for most of our time in Ukraine but it won't be happening in this last place. It's a nice break but I will be thrilled to be home in my own kitchen with familiar ingredients, etc. I haven't given much thought to Friday's, the 8th, supper but it'll be nice to get back into making pizza on Saturdays again.
Yesterday we went to Hillsong Church because we'd heard that they had English translation. This was quite a different experience for all us. It will be nice to be back and see our own church family again. Something else we take for granted but miss when you're gone for a significant length of time.
Happy New Year to one and all. May God bless you and keep you in his care during 2016. Life is full of joys and challenges and we trust him because we know that he will guide and protect us.
It is cold here in Kiev! I know, I know...we are supposed to be hardy Winnipeggers and able to handle temperatures in the minus 20s and 30s but none of us was prepared for that so we don't have parkas, Sorels, etc. There are days when it is colder in Kiev than Winnipeg which is not supposed to be. Needless to say we are staying indoors as much as possible. We are very thankful for WiFi:)
We had to move on Jan. 2nd as our first place had already been rented for the month of January. Unfortunately the next place was a downgrade. During the New Years/Christmas week it is very difficult to find places because so many Ukrainians have the week off. We are on the 5th floor but the elevator wasn't working:( Dragging suitcases up 128 steps was hard work! Our house will seem like the Taj Mahal!
I have been cooking suppers for most of our time in Ukraine but it won't be happening in this last place. It's a nice break but I will be thrilled to be home in my own kitchen with familiar ingredients, etc. I haven't given much thought to Friday's, the 8th, supper but it'll be nice to get back into making pizza on Saturdays again.
Yesterday we went to Hillsong Church because we'd heard that they had English translation. This was quite a different experience for all us. It will be nice to be back and see our own church family again. Something else we take for granted but miss when you're gone for a significant length of time.
Wednesday, 30 December 2015
Second Last Stop
December 25-30, 2015
We've had a few eventful days and we are now in Kiev. Hooray!
December 25th is a nonevent in Ukraine. Rodger took our son to apply for another document that we needed. Turning 18 years old has required lots of additional paperwork it seems. They were unsure as to how long the processing would take so we knew that we would not be going to Kiev this afternoon as we had hoped.
We knew nothing would be happening over the weekend so life continued as normal or as normal as it can be when you are in a foreign country adopting. The weather was beautiful, sunny and a high of 17. Considering that Odessa is not known to be a Winter Vacation Hot Spot this was impressive. We've heard from several people that this fall has been warmer than usual and being on the Black Sea means the weather is milder in Odessa than most of Ukraine.
Life is quite different from what we are used to. Here we walk to the grocery store and local market almost every day to pick up groceries for the day. The grocery store was just across the street and the market was about 2 blocks away.
On Monday morning Rodger, our son, and translator went to pick up one document and found out that they needed to apply for another. Screaming wouldn't help but we were ready to! Mid afternoon our translator called and said that there was a possibility that we could pick up the passports at 4:00 pm. Dare we hope that this could actually be? 4:30 - I got a FB message with pictures of the passports:) We checked for flights to Kiev but there weren't any available for that evening or the 29th unless we wanted to pay major big bucks - about the same as it would cost to fly fromKiev to Winnipeg! We heard that you could rent a taxi (minivan) for cheap. It would be a 5-6 hour drive and we could leave first thing the next morning. We booked the taxi and then it was time to pack.
6:00 am, Dec. 29 we were in the van and on our way. The trip was relatively uneventful until we were within an hour of Kiev where farmers had blocked the road. Apparently they had staged 24 rallies and a blockade to protest taxes. A short detour and we were on our way again. Traffic lights were out in Kiev near city centre so the last part of the trip was very slow but by 1:00 we had arrived. After a quick lunch we were off to the Canadian Embassy. They are working on the kids' visas which is the last thing we need before we can head home. This is a short work week with New Years but they assured us that the visas would be ready for Wednesday or Thursday at the latest so I booked our flights. We will depart on Jan. 7th and arrive in Winnipeg very early (1:00 am) on Jan. 8th. Even though it's a few weeks later than we had hoped we are very excited to be coming home. We can count down the days!
We've had a few eventful days and we are now in Kiev. Hooray!
December 25th is a nonevent in Ukraine. Rodger took our son to apply for another document that we needed. Turning 18 years old has required lots of additional paperwork it seems. They were unsure as to how long the processing would take so we knew that we would not be going to Kiev this afternoon as we had hoped.
We knew nothing would be happening over the weekend so life continued as normal or as normal as it can be when you are in a foreign country adopting. The weather was beautiful, sunny and a high of 17. Considering that Odessa is not known to be a Winter Vacation Hot Spot this was impressive. We've heard from several people that this fall has been warmer than usual and being on the Black Sea means the weather is milder in Odessa than most of Ukraine.
Life is quite different from what we are used to. Here we walk to the grocery store and local market almost every day to pick up groceries for the day. The grocery store was just across the street and the market was about 2 blocks away.
On Monday morning Rodger, our son, and translator went to pick up one document and found out that they needed to apply for another. Screaming wouldn't help but we were ready to! Mid afternoon our translator called and said that there was a possibility that we could pick up the passports at 4:00 pm. Dare we hope that this could actually be? 4:30 - I got a FB message with pictures of the passports:) We checked for flights to Kiev but there weren't any available for that evening or the 29th unless we wanted to pay major big bucks - about the same as it would cost to fly fromKiev to Winnipeg! We heard that you could rent a taxi (minivan) for cheap. It would be a 5-6 hour drive and we could leave first thing the next morning. We booked the taxi and then it was time to pack.
6:00 am, Dec. 29 we were in the van and on our way. The trip was relatively uneventful until we were within an hour of Kiev where farmers had blocked the road. Apparently they had staged 24 rallies and a blockade to protest taxes. A short detour and we were on our way again. Traffic lights were out in Kiev near city centre so the last part of the trip was very slow but by 1:00 we had arrived. After a quick lunch we were off to the Canadian Embassy. They are working on the kids' visas which is the last thing we need before we can head home. This is a short work week with New Years but they assured us that the visas would be ready for Wednesday or Thursday at the latest so I booked our flights. We will depart on Jan. 7th and arrive in Winnipeg very early (1:00 am) on Jan. 8th. Even though it's a few weeks later than we had hoped we are very excited to be coming home. We can count down the days!
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| Odessa - Dec. 25 |
Friday, 25 December 2015
Christmas
December 23-25, 2015
Rodger and I and our children (both in Winnipeg and in Ukraine) would like to extend our greetings to all of you who have been following our blog. We are grateful that so many of you have and continue to uphold us in your prayers. We pray that God will bless you all today as you gather with family and friends to celebrate our Saviour's birth.
I will keep this short today but as you have already assumed, we are still in Odessa. This morning was another trip for more papers. This one is actually ready this afternoon and we pray that the rest of them will be ready on Monday. Then we will see if there are any flights to Kiev with empty seats. This will be a challenge as New Years is a big celebration here in Ukraine.
Merry Christmas everyone!
Rodger and I and our children (both in Winnipeg and in Ukraine) would like to extend our greetings to all of you who have been following our blog. We are grateful that so many of you have and continue to uphold us in your prayers. We pray that God will bless you all today as you gather with family and friends to celebrate our Saviour's birth.
I will keep this short today but as you have already assumed, we are still in Odessa. This morning was another trip for more papers. This one is actually ready this afternoon and we pray that the rest of them will be ready on Monday. Then we will see if there are any flights to Kiev with empty seats. This will be a challenge as New Years is a big celebration here in Ukraine.
Merry Christmas everyone!
Tuesday, 22 December 2015
Hurry Up and Wait
December 17-22, 2016
Rodger has said Hurry Up and Wait sums up our adoption journey and I was sitting in a hallway waiting when I began this post...
Last Tuesday, we applied for an Internal Passport for our son which he needs because he's 18. We waited impatiently for this passport as it was needed before we could proceed. Wednesday passed, then Thursday, and Friday.... Saturday - it was ready:)
On Saturday, we had our second farewell for our son at the House of Hope. We have grown to appreciate the house parents and all they do to prepare these orphanage graduates on so many levels for the future. A sense of what family it means to be part of a family and introducing them to the Lord are just two of the social, emotional, spiritual, and physical areas they build on.
Yesterday we applied for new identification numbers (similar to our Social Insurance Number) and for their Ukrainian International Passports. Today some of this paperwork had to be finalized and signed. There were also Adoptee Citizenship Applications that were completed for Canadian citizenship:) Thankfully, for us, Christmas is not celebrated until January 7th so we are hoping that these passports will be ready by the end of this week so we can travel to Kiev on the weekend for the last steps at the Canadian Embassy.
At times it is really difficult not to become discouraged as the process seems to drag on much longer than we would like. We never expected to be spending Christmas here in Ukraine but that is what will be happening. We are now thinking/hoping that we will be in Winnipeg and then we can celebrate Ukrainian Christmas as a new family of 6 Faber.
Praying that you will all have a blessed Christmas.
Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers.
Rodger has said Hurry Up and Wait sums up our adoption journey and I was sitting in a hallway waiting when I began this post...
Last Tuesday, we applied for an Internal Passport for our son which he needs because he's 18. We waited impatiently for this passport as it was needed before we could proceed. Wednesday passed, then Thursday, and Friday.... Saturday - it was ready:)
On Saturday, we had our second farewell for our son at the House of Hope. We have grown to appreciate the house parents and all they do to prepare these orphanage graduates on so many levels for the future. A sense of what family it means to be part of a family and introducing them to the Lord are just two of the social, emotional, spiritual, and physical areas they build on.
Yesterday we applied for new identification numbers (similar to our Social Insurance Number) and for their Ukrainian International Passports. Today some of this paperwork had to be finalized and signed. There were also Adoptee Citizenship Applications that were completed for Canadian citizenship:) Thankfully, for us, Christmas is not celebrated until January 7th so we are hoping that these passports will be ready by the end of this week so we can travel to Kiev on the weekend for the last steps at the Canadian Embassy.
At times it is really difficult not to become discouraged as the process seems to drag on much longer than we would like. We never expected to be spending Christmas here in Ukraine but that is what will be happening. We are now thinking/hoping that we will be in Winnipeg and then we can celebrate Ukrainian Christmas as a new family of 6 Faber.
Praying that you will all have a blessed Christmas.
Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers.
Wednesday, 16 December 2015
MaƱana, MaƱana ...
December 13-16, 2015
I realize that the title maƱana is Spanish but it just fits the way I'm feeling right now. For those of you who do not know any Spanish, maƱana means tomorrow. When we've been in Cuba we heard this word frequently. If you asked when something was going to happen the answer was always, "MaƱana." You soon learned that maƱana might mean tomorrow, 2+ days, next week, or sometime in the future. This seems to be what's happening with our paperwork.
Yesterday we left Odessa at 5:30 am for a 4 1/2 hour trip to get new passports for the kids. It was 12 hours later that we returned to Odessa and I'm happy to say we have new birth certificates:) so they are officially Fabers! Next they need new identification (with their new last name) before we can apply for their international passports.
Today we ran around getting more papers signed. We had a farewell lunch at the orphanage and people said their good-byes. Now we are very excited to have our new daughter living with us.
On Monday, I finally figured out how to respond to people's comments but I can only do it on my iPad! I've tried several times, unsuccessfully, on my laptop. I guess I'm a slow learner but being persistent paid off!
I don't know how many of you use the Today devotional but I have felt that the last few seem to have a message for me, they were titled Worth Waiting For, Impatience, and Waiting Quietly. God uses many different ways to get his message to us.
Being in Winnipeg for Christmas is not looking likely anymore. Please pray for speed and patience for us as we wait.
I realize that the title maƱana is Spanish but it just fits the way I'm feeling right now. For those of you who do not know any Spanish, maƱana means tomorrow. When we've been in Cuba we heard this word frequently. If you asked when something was going to happen the answer was always, "MaƱana." You soon learned that maƱana might mean tomorrow, 2+ days, next week, or sometime in the future. This seems to be what's happening with our paperwork.
Yesterday we left Odessa at 5:30 am for a 4 1/2 hour trip to get new passports for the kids. It was 12 hours later that we returned to Odessa and I'm happy to say we have new birth certificates:) so they are officially Fabers! Next they need new identification (with their new last name) before we can apply for their international passports.
Today we ran around getting more papers signed. We had a farewell lunch at the orphanage and people said their good-byes. Now we are very excited to have our new daughter living with us.
On Monday, I finally figured out how to respond to people's comments but I can only do it on my iPad! I've tried several times, unsuccessfully, on my laptop. I guess I'm a slow learner but being persistent paid off!
I don't know how many of you use the Today devotional but I have felt that the last few seem to have a message for me, they were titled Worth Waiting For, Impatience, and Waiting Quietly. God uses many different ways to get his message to us.
Being in Winnipeg for Christmas is not looking likely anymore. Please pray for speed and patience for us as we wait.
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