ruby slippers

Someone asked if I wished I could find a pair of ruby slippers about now…..the answer is yes.  That would be nice.  But also, Oz isn’t all that bad.  I mean, aren’t you thinking the whole time that Dorothy wants to go home, “Hey Dorothy! Look around!  You’re in a land of talking trees where magical things are happening and where two of your best friends might not even have circulatory systems!  Maybe you could just explore Oz and know that you’ll go home when it is time.  Maybe you could ride that color-changing horse or something.”

So, yes, of course I would love to be home.  More than that, I would love for our whole family to be together – anywhere.   I think the kids could have a grand adventure in Ukraine and we’ve made so many wonderful friends here that I hope the opportunity of a return trip will arise.

Is she really this cute????? YES!!!!!

Zoe is doing just GREAT.  She earns 5 stars for behavior, sleep and all around cuteness!  She takes a nap – no problem.  Goes to bed at night and sleeps all night – no problem.  Bops around town with me meeting new people – no problem.  Even on buses? – no problem.  Sits on my lap when needed for an hour or more – no problem.  Uses the big potty…no problem!

Seriously...do eyes get more blue?

With the help of my awesome roommate here, Helen, we have figured out the Russian words that Zoe knows.  For hello (privyet) she says, “ee-eh”.  For good-bye (paka), she says “ee-ah”.  For may I (mozhna), she says “mo”.   Yes is “da”, no is “nyet” (the Russian words).  She has a lot of babble – even more so since we’ve been together and I’m talking to her all the time.

Helen, the Ferdon family and some other friends have been so kind in helping me learn the Russian phrases for things like, “What do you want?,”  “Do you want to eat?,”  “Do you want to go potty?,” “Do you want a drink?,” “Do you want juice?,” “Does it taste good?,” “Good job!,” “Great!,” “C’mon,” “Beautiful!,” “I’ll be right back,” “I’m right here,” etc.  I keep my list of phrases with me everywhere – they come in SO handy since Zoe can understand everything spoken to her in Russian.   With three siblings at home though, I’m sure she will catch on to English quickly.

We shared a Thanksgiving meal with the missionaries here on Friday, and on Saturday we went with the Ferdon’s to visit an older kids’ orphanage outside the city.  Forrest, Darcy and their kids visit every Saturday.  They take games, crafts, snacks and spend time with the kids.  They also do a Bible study with them.  I was so moved by the beautiful teenage girls who were there that badly need female role models.  They were so kind and sweet – all of the kids treated Zoe extremely well, like a little cousin or something.  Not all of the children there are true orphans, I was told.  Some of them have parents, but have bad situations at home, so they stay at the orphanage.  One boy whose mom dropped him off a few days before was seven.  I had to choke back the tears as I thought of my precious Nash.  Just like in America with the welfare system, you know some people really are in dire straits and some people abuse the system.  I wonder what each of the cases is for these kids – and I’m thankful that Forrest and Darcy accepted the call to come serve here and let these kids know that they ARE loved.

A super-blessed Thanksgiving. Zoe's first American Thanksgiving....in Ukraine. This is the apartment where I'm so blessed to be staying!

Today was Sunday, and we went to church – in a Chinese restaurant called Seventh Heaven on the seventh floor of a hotel here.  Zoe sat on my lap and played with her magna doodle and I again had to choke back tears when I thought of how thankful I am for this journey – how thankful I am for God’s immeasurable hand of provision – how thankful I am for redemption and God’s amazing ways.

Some friends invited me over for lunch and Zoe and I had a great time!  Tomorrow, we will meet another adoptive couple that we met for coffee and do some shopping.   Tuesday is all paperwork and we have to be up at 5am Wednesday to make our flight to Kiev.  Wednesday and Thursday are for US Embassy paperwork and I’m praying to be on a flight home Thursday evening!  Bing, bang, bam!

Our journey in many ways is just now beginning.  The hard part is over as far as I’m concerned.  The good thing about adoption being so trying, is that trying things are strengthening.   If you only knew what we have been through to get this far – to Emerald City, you wouldn’t spend a minute worrying on how we’ll be from here on out.    After all, after you’ve defeated a wicked witch and lived through an opium overdose, Kansas is like falling downhill.

zoya’s “gotcha day”

Happy Thanksgiving one and all!  Today, we can all be extra thankful about Zoya’s Gotcha Day, as it is widely referred to among the adoption community!  I took flowers to the orphanage director this morning, said good-bye to the staff and children (through tears), dressed Zoe in a snazzy looking outfit and off we went!  Just like that.

She is sitting here on m”y lap so I’ll let her say a few words:

” jcvnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnv vbvvbvbnmhbbnnnnnnnnnnbbbbbbbbbbbbb                nfnv7777777777777777777777777766l,uh”  Well said, Zoe!

We are off to the store to buy some important things…like candy, and to see if a US umbrella stroller will actually roll on these sidewalks.  But, first I wanted to share some photos!!!!!

An orphan no more. Bye, bye Zoya's bed.

First car ride! Wow!!!! First gander at what lies beyond the gates.

First, she had to check her email.

Serious business....

We had our first Thanksgiving meal. Soup, apples and bread.

I don't think she'd ever used a fork, but she caught on fast

Sacked out for a 2 hour nap! Go, Zoe! Love this girl. Such sweetness.

part deux: amy’s return

I can’t help but think of Aslan’s return in the Narnia series as I am headed back to get Zoe. The children in the story were kept from losing heart, because their hope was in Aslan returning to make things right. When Aslan first came to Narnia, the snow melted and it became spring! I wonder how many children are waiting to be thought of while holding on to hope in the middle of their seemingly endless winters – waiting for spring to come to their worlds. I wonder if Zoe has held onto the hope that we will return from her. We met, cuddled, played and told her that we are her mama and papa. We knew fully that we would return and now we are fulfilling our promise. I wonder how she will feel when she realizes that it’s all true – it’s a reality. We are returning to take her home.

I love that Christ says that he wouldn’t leave us as orphans. We are not abandoned. I wonder how it feels for him to have walked the earth and gone away. I wonder how much he longs to return right now.

From John 14: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” READ the rest of John 14…really moving stuff. Deep.

Bob Dylan’s song, “When He Returns,” comes to mind, too. Here are the lyrics:

When He Returns

The iron hand it ain’t no match for the iron rod
The strongest wall will crumble and fall to a mighty God
For all those who have eyes and all those who have ears
It is only He who can reduce me to tears
Don’t you cry and don’t you die and don’t you burn
For like a thief in the night, He’ll replace wrong with right
When He returns

Truth is an arrow and the gate is narrow that it passes through
He unleashed His power at an unknown hour that no one knew
How long can I listen to the lies of prejudice?
How long can I stay drunk on fear out in the wilderness?
Can I cast it aside, all this loyalty and this pride?
Will I ever learn that there’ll be no peace, that the war won’t cease
Until He returns?

Surrender your crown on this blood-stained ground, take off your mask
He sees your deeds, He knows your needs even before you ask
How long can you falsify and deny what is real?
How long can you hate yourself for the weakness you conceal?
Of every earthly plan that be known to man, He is unconcerned
He’s got plans of His own to set up His throne
When He returns

Copyright © 1979 by Special Rider Music

In a day or two, I will have my hands full with a cute, adorable, sweet little girl.  Stay tuned…

nash, the 6-year-old

The day Nash turned 6 (yesterday), I was in route to Kiev.  We were able to Skype from minutes that I purchased at the Boryspil airport, but I was sad to not have been there to give him the best of everything on his special day.

In lieu of a party on the 22nd, we had a Friday-Night-Party-Night a few days before with pizza, cake, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas and some very dear friends!   Nash was thrilled to be surrounded by the people he loves – it was a special night.

My Ode to Nash at Six:

Monster trucks may be strong,

but they are not stronger than your heart.

Brachiosaurus may be tall,

but they are not taller than your courage.

Da Vinci had brilliant ideas,

but I’m sure he didn’t think to ask for an auger for Christmas to finish building his underground house.

Spring water may be pure,

But it is not as pure as your intentions.

Trusted and faithful-hearted,

protective and kind,

I see bits of the noble man you will become

gathering in that steady glint in your eye.

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Happy Birthday to my engineer, my right-hand man, my firstborn who asks questions that challenge me and says clever things that keep life real, interesting and very, very fun.  You rock.

A Nash quote: “Sometimes I wish I didn’t have to explain things that I’m thinking, like every single thing….I wish that I could just say one word and everyone would understand.  Like, I would just say “F” or something like that and everyone would say “Ohhh, I seee. Yeah.”  That would be great.”

we are home for just a few days!

The court announced last Friday that Zoe is not officially Zoe June Imboden!!!!!!  We are thrilled with this news!  Just look at our sweet girl….

She will soon be joining the rest of us….outside of the orphanage walls, in a family that adores her, in a home where there is freedom and in a land where there are opportunities for her future.

Our journey home was looooong – like 40  hours total – but a complete and blessed adventure.  Here is Marc upon our return.

I leave in less than a week (Sunday) to return for the paperwork that will allow Zoe to leave her country and come home!!!!  This trip home is short, but it is amazing to see my kids after 3 weeks.  I told them how God provided friends for us while we were away and asked if they felt like God provided for them, too, to help them not miss us so much.   “Yeah.  I think so,” they nodded.   I think so, too, because as we stepped in the door of our house, it felt like we had never even left.   My heart is warmed to the core at the sight and smell of my 3 sweeties here, and looks forward to the day when our 3 becomes 4 – under the same roof.

And to end on a worthy note, I must add this:

It is one thing to know there are orphans in the world.   It is quite another to know a few of their names, faces and personalities.  Those two things are just very, very different.  So different, in fact, that I believe if every family personally knew an orphaned child, it would be the most natural thing in the world to invite that child into their home.

How are we able to remain so distant from true needs in the world that when we look upon them, they appear to us as a page in a book – flat, fiction and mostly construed?   Or perhaps a like a shifting imagine in a large windowpane – a mere reflection of reality and completely unreachable.   It is worthwhile to consider what is truly flat and fiction and what is not.

getting to know zoe

The first time we met Zoe, we were complete strangers to her and she treated us as such – more or less.  As we have continued to visit with her, we have all come to know each other a little better.  Now, when we show up, she reaches for us and today, for the first time, she did not want to go back into her room with her group.  As I was helping her out of her outdoor clothes (like a snow suit), she began to put her clothes back on to go back out with us.  Also, today we received lots and lots of Zoe-kisses.  She is just too precious for words.  We feel like she is a perfect fit for our family: full of laughter, lots of personality and a certain glint in her eye hinting to a strong will underneath it all.  Sounds like an Imboden to me!  There are other things, too, that affirm God’s hand in this decision over and over.   We visit with her once a day and have asked if Marc could play guitar some day for her whole group (we brought egg shakers).   Without further ado…Miss Zoe June!

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Saying Yes to the Nudge

Written by a mama who adopted a sweet girly out of the same orphanage as Zoe.   I have wanted to post something like this noting the nudges and the ‘yes’es, but why reinvent the wheel?  If you are wondering  how to take that leap of faith  or how and why people do some inexplicable things….or to receive some encouragement on a path where you may feel alone – read this.

Saying Yes to the Nudge.