February 27 - 28

I know that Masha is a professional, but in a weak moment, we goaded her into telling this story:

The quota for international adoptions had been met very early in 2008, before our dossier was ready to be processed. (So some of our documents got stale, like our wedding certificate. So we had to get to married again, or something like that.) Anyway, by November, some of the approved dossier slots had gone unused, so the SDA announced that they would accept a small number of additional dossiers yet in 2008. First come, first served, must be in person, on November xx. Now, think back to the cabbage patch kids craze.

Day xx came, and the SDA announced, “Never mindsky, come back tomorrow.” The facilitators (I think there are 200 or so) decided to make a list: #1 Natasha, of course, #2 Boris, #3 Olga, … Masha was #5, holding our dossier. Big Problem. A second list was started. Masha was not on this list. Big Argument. Eventually they agreed to first come, first served the next morning. So Masha and a friend sat in their car in front of the SDA office all night. They had to stay warm, of course, and by the morning they could not pass a breathalyzer test. Now we have seen Boris. He is a big guy, and ugly too. We are glad he is not our facilitator, but we are also glad he is Masha’s friend. For when the fight started and the gate was rushed, it was Boris who pulled skinny Masha through the mob. Our dossier was indeed submitted, with Masha holding it out at arm’s length with her other hand covering her mouth.

This story was shared while waiting for Olena, a regional social work director. She is an important woman, and made sure we knew it. Masha said, “Did you notice her asking for a donation?” I had not, so I asked, “Was it a subtle request?” “Oh, no, she came right out and said so.” They don’t call it a bribe. It is a bribe if the payment is to do something they are not supposed to do. It is a donation if it is their job. Masha said, “She is going to give us problems.” The social worker and the orphanage director must, by law, be present at the first meetings.

We will continue to leave out the details that you probably want to hear about. We don’t know them either. We couldn’t visit one child Friday because the social worker was busy in the a.m. with court proceedings and the director was busy in the afternoon. We couldn’t visit one child Saturday because of the law mentioned above. We couldn’t visit one child Monday because we don’t know why. We couldn’t visit Tuesday because the social worker wants us to wait some more. There is a sequence to all of this that is complicated, and we’re stuck until this process wears itself or us out.

So. On with the dribble. Friday we stayed put in Kramatorsk. Stas took us to visit one child for the second and third time. Pretty fun times. Can you picture an adorable, smiling child stepping right up and saying, “здрацвите!” While playing outside, we were given a separate section of the playground. Nevertheless, at one point five little girls stood in a row watching us play. Went down the slide a hundred times. Afterwards we learned the children are not allowed to use the slides because they are rusty and ruin their clothes. Tee hee.

We went home. They have a nice Samsung washing machine. You just need to unplug the hot water heater, plug in the washing machine, divert the water away from the house and press random keys until it starts.

In the afternoon we returned to the orphanage and played indoor games. Still has not stopped smiling. :) Enjoyed all sorts of ball games, balancing tricks, and especially figuring out the purpose of every button on our video camera. Spent more time in Pam’s lap concentrating on that camcorder than most college students spend studying for their exams.

Saturday, February 28

Masha and her daughter Lera drove us to Donetsk. Can’t say much now about our visit/non-visit there. We took a suitcase with us and connected with Jim & Margaret Parlow, volunteers at Donetsk Christian University, and we stayed there the next two nights. Margaret taught upper grades at Kiev Christian Academy when Adrienne was there, and Jim, a former army cook, used his impressive cooking skills to make friends and open doors to evangelizing everyone he met. They invited us over for fried chicken, breakfast, and stories. They should square off with Sandy Pomerenke in an outrageous tale contest.

We had spent an hour or so writing a letter, and needed it translated into Russian. Jim and Margaret tried everyone they knew (and they knew everyone), but all were unavailable. Then after dinner a missionary student from Kazakhstan who could do it showed up (maybe for Jim’s cake? Thank you, Lord!). It turns out he is a friend of Kip, a student of mine from the 1980s. We asked him if he and his wife could translate and we would pay them. They tried to refuse the payment but I said if he was going to be a missionary, he needed to learn how to accept gifts. Everyone is short on funds here, so I think this extra work was appreciated.

This campus was a former Communist Young Pioneers Camp. The main buildings are all less than 15 years old, with impressive architectural features but often ultra cheap materials. The Canadian Mennonite church initiated this project, with plans to turn it over to Ukrainian leadership. That transfer happened, but the Ukrainian leadership had no funds for upkeep. There are many signs of summer teams projects that are sadly unusable now (an extensive wooden playground with important pieces missing, a cute gazebo with a heavy tile roof that leans farther than that tower in Pisa, ...).

We appreciate your prayers!