Adoption Journal Days 1-3

Saturday, May 11, 2007 On Our Way
Preparations for the trip lasted most of the night. We stopped at 4:00 AM with the intention of sleeping until 8:00 AM, but by 6:45 we were both up and at it again. Both sets of (grand)parents arrived on time, and we left only ten minutes later than our 10:15 target.
Green Bay is fifty miles north of Oshkosh, straight up Highway 41. However, when we reached Appleton, the traffic slowed to a halt. We took an exit, following a trucker that likely knew where he was going. Then we “winged” it on back roads. Being in the new van, we hadn’t stocked it with any maps yet. Mom Gogolin did have one of the Green Bay area, and we arrived at the airport in good time. Check-in was smooth. By shifting three pounds from one bag to another we even avoided the over-weight charge we expected. Then it was photographs, a prayer and hugs good-bye – to last more than a month.
Our flight out of Green Bay was scheduled for 12:40 PM. After delays we left at 1:20 PM, plenty of time to catch the 5:40 flight out of Chicago. We even had our picture taken by and with Mark at the British Airlines gate, catching our huge plane (a double-decker 747-400) in the background. A nice plane! Each seat had an individual video screen. The headphones were complimentary, ands we had our choice not only of a variety of audio stations, but also 18 video stations – quite a variety of movies shown in two rounds. I watched Seraphim Falls. John watched something else. Dinner included a choice of stew or chicken and rice: both tasty. The head rests had cushions that rotated down along each side of the head, and with the pillow offered very decent support for sleeping. We both slept a bit, not as much as hoped.
Sunday, May 12, 2007 Arrival in Kyiv
We arrived at Heathrow Airport, London on time at 7:06 AM. It took a while to get to Terminal 1 because of the long line waiting to catch the shuttle buses. Once again, in plenty of time for the flight, though. Just as in Chicago, we had a slight delay while they located and removed the luggage of one or two passengers who were not on the plane as expected.
It was two hours and forty minutes to Kyiv. This time we slept so well we never heard the attendants go through with breakfast. We woke up when they served beverages, and they were gracious enough to warm up two more trays for us.
We were the next to go through Passport Control at the Borispol Airport when John heard someone call his name. The man saying it was moving quickly away from us, so we found him on the other side, in the baggage claim area. He helped us load up our baggage onto a cart, called Alexander (Sasha), our facilitator, and moved us quickly through customs. Sasha then loaded us into his car and drove us (quickly!) to the apartment he had arranged for us downtown, just off Krashadik, only twenty meters from a TGIF restaurant. (We have eaten there on previous trips.) It is in a building with a banner that reads “Private Hotel”. We were a bit surprised at the price, $100 per night, but this was already negotiated down from $140/night. It is a very nice, very clean two-room plus sparkling bathroom apartment, and couldn’t be more convenient to a variety of shopping, restaurants and only a ten minute walk to a Metro (subway) stop. We likely won’t be here more than a few nights, and if we don’t leave Kyiv because our children are located in a nearby orphanage, Sasha will find another, less expensive place. Nothing else is available right now.
After a shower and reorganization of our luggage (all items had been evenly distributed between the four in case one or more pieces didn’t arrive), we headed out to do some shopping. On the first round we purchased a dial-up Internet card in underground shops, and sent off a brief e-mail message at an Internet café (2 grv for fifteen minutes). We also located and indoor produce market that would be just like an outdoor farmers’ market at home, with a variety of vendors all trying to attract our business. We purchased tomatoes, bananas, oranges, red bell peppers and a six-pack of large water bottles. We dropped them off and headed out again. This time we located the Krashadik Metro station next to the McDonald’s, purchased tokens and figured out where the Neevki stop on the Red Line was on the posted map. We had arranged to meet our friend Vitaly there at 11:15 the next morning. On the way home, we found a shop to purchase Ukrainian dark bread and cheese from a helpful, patient clerk. What a great sense of accomplishment to walk the streets of a foreign country, locate and purchase necessities and do reconnaissance for the next day!!!
We tried a bit of bread and cheese while we flipped through the television stations (we saw CNN and BBC in English), then at last at 8:50 PM we crawled in bed. We got up only briefly to use the bathroom and drink some water, arising without the alarm clock (because I messed up) twelve marvelous hours later!
Sunday, May 13, 2007
John had arranged for us to have breakfast at 9:30 in the hotel, along with Pierre and Julie, a Canadian couple, and their newly adopted Ukrainian daughter Jennifer. Jennifer is about twelve years old and acted as our interpreter with the hotel person. The meal was served at the only table, and was cooked and served by the same woman who will clean our rooms as needed. The couple is from Hamilton, outside of Toronto. Julie is a clinical educator at McMillan hospital where she was previously an NICU transport nurse. Pierre was a bank officer, and will begin a new job as a CEO at one of their client businesses when they return (this week). They came to know Jennifer after Julie’s sister adopted a child five years ago. It turns out she is from Dniperpetrovsk, the city where we worked with Pastor Roland Syens and Alpha and Omega Student Center with Operation Carelift in 2004. Furthermore, it was through Dima (of Save Orphan Souls) with whom we also worked that they learned of Jennifer specifically when he stayed with Julie’s sister in Hamilton for a month three years ago. In fact, it turns out Jennifer attends(attended) Alpha and Omega, and knew Pastor Roland and Anita, who now live only and hour away from Hamilton in Kitchener. Such a small world!!!
After arranging to have breakfast together again tomorrow we headed off to the Metro station. We met Vitaly as planned and he led us to his church. It is a small university church with very warm and welcoming people. Vitaly translated for us (and for George, whose Russian is also not very good). The message was based on the passage in the Gospel of John where a woman caught in adultery was brought before Jesus. Vitaly spoke before the communion (his good friend Vanya translated then). While Vitaly worked with a student after the service we were invited (by gestures) to partake of the tea and sweets. We also had a lengthy visit with Grady, formerly of Texas. He is married to Liina, and they have four boys: seven-year old twins, one nearly five and the other an infant.
Liira, Vitaly’s wife has been ill and is still recovering from a respiratory infection. This is common for her, having grown up in a city with three chemical factories. We picked up some produce on our way to their apartment and had a short visit with both of them before heading back for a four o’clock appointment to meet Tanya and her mother Svetlana from L’viv at the Globus downtown.
It was difficult to find each other – and would have been almost impossible without cell phones. With them was Anya, a friend of theirs also from L’viv who works at the seminary in Kyiv where Tanya will be taking some classes. She was very helpful with communications, having very good command of the English, Ukrainian and Russian languages. We ate at a cafeteria with Ukrainian food that we have visited on previous trips. They presented us with a beautiful picture Svetlana had cross-stitched. It took her three months to complete it. Then we caught the Metro (back to the Neevki stop) and a Mashutka (mini-bus) to visit the seminary. Anya and Tanya guided us on a tour, then served tea in Anya’s room. There we continued our lovely visit and were able to give Tanya the support money we had promised. Tanya agreed to return the “Happy Birthday” banner I had accidentally taken from New Life church back in February while on the mission trip. Finally it was time to head back. Tanya and Svetlana had left L’viv on a train at 6:00 AM, and needed to catch the return train at 10:00 PM so they could attend classes and return to work, respectively, in the morning. We all expressed our gratefulness to God for his work in our lives, for allowing us to meet at their home while in L’viv, and then further allowing this opportunity for connection. Anya took us to the Metro stop and we said good-bye to her, promising to send e-mail pictures to Tanya that she will forward. She also gave us her cell phone number in case we should need anything here. We got off the Metro station near the train station to say good-bye to Tanya and Svetlana. We got back on the next car to our stop. On the walk home we called John’s Mom for Mother’s Day and then tried mine. We’ll give it another try, but then it is time for bed!
God is good – all the time. All the time: God is good!