Revelations...

This being our second time hosting, I've talked to quite a few people who want to know "is it different this time?"

Absolutely, unequivocally, 100% YES!

First, Vladik is from Ukraine and Mareks is from Latvia. That in itself will mean there are SOME differences.

I think the biggest difference is that the language barrier (for the most part) is gone.
Vladik spoke, for all intents and purposes, no English. Mareks, on the other hand,  has been learning it since he was a young boy. What this means is that: 1. I'm not tied at the hip to google translate. 2. He can interact more fully with us and our boys because he understands whats going on.
     I didn't have to explain much about the dentist or the eye exam. What I DID want to clarify, I was able to do so in the car, on the way there.
     We went to the kids' school's Christmas program last night, and I was able to explain things in detail, or point out different people. He was able to laugh at the things that were funny-- because the understood what was going on.
     More so than with Vladik, I know a little more about his daily life. I hope the longer he's here, the more I can discover; but because he can respond with complete sentences (without having to use the computer) I'm learning more about him. Now, I will say that is seems like I'm the one asking all the questions, but I'm making a point of keeping them very neutral. Questions about school, what he does in his free time, teasing him about girls, etc.

Mareks is having a harder time adjusting to the time difference than what Vladik did. Not that that's good or bad either way... it's just different.

Mareks plays with Joe and Kyle differently that what Vladik did. Again, not good or bad... just different. With Vladik, there was always a little competitive edge with Joe. Much of that, I'm sure, is that they were closer in age (6 years difference with Vladik, 9 with Mareks), and even closer that that if you figure "emotional age."  Vladik interacted with the boys as a peer- as a contenporary. Mareks is more like the "really cool uncle." He still plays with the Joe and Kyle- being goofy and having fun, but there's no element of competition. He's a lot less physical with them that what Vladik was.

He eats a lot LESS than Vladik- and that surprised me. Mareks is every bit of 6'... slender, but not malnourished or underweight. Although he did eat 3 BLTs (minus the "L") for lunch yesterday, so maybe his appetite will continue to increase.

Mareks is a lot more brand conscious that Vladik was. Vladik didn't care what he wore, or what label was on the shirt. Mareks is MUCH more aware and desirous of "name brand" items. And we have to be careful with that. Not only are the name brands more expensive, but in some cases having them can make him a target when he gets back home.
Additionally, Mareks seems more... mature? aware? self-posessed? experienced? worldly? I can't put my finger on the right word. But it's like the difference between a "big city" kid and a "country" kid.... urban vs. rural. Mareks is the big city kid, Vladik the kid from the country. Again- one isn't any better than the other-- it's just different.

We ate at Wendys' last night before the Christmas program. During the course of the meal, I asked Mareks if he wanted more to drink. When he said "no," I let him know that refills were free. He looked at me with the disbelief clear on his face. (I'm told there's no such thing as free refills in Eastern Europe.) I assured him that not only were refills free at Wendy's... but at every restaurant in the US that I could think of. He was dumbfounded. Still a bit skeptical, he went and refilled his Coke. Then, when he ran out of ketchup, I told him he could get more if he wanted. When he said "no," I let him know that we didn't have to pay for condiments; that if he wanted more ketchup, he could get more. Again, the disbelief was clear on his face. "Come on... really?!" He said. (I'm told there's no such thing as "free" ketchup in Eastern Europe.)
THEN, because I was having so much fun shocking him... I told him about buffets like Cici's Pizza and Golden Corral.

I don't think he believed me. :-)

Doctors...

Things are going really well.
Mareks has a wonderful sense of humor, and although he's not cracking jokes yet he gets along quite well with good natured teasing.
He's still adjusting to the time difference, which is fine... and probably good for his sanity. Joe and Kyle are "up and at 'em" by 6:30 (if not earlier.) The first words out of their mouths? Not "Good morning, Mom," or "What are we having for breakfast?" It's "Is Mareks up yet?" Poor kid has groupies.

He slept about 14 hours yesterday, and we're going on 13 this morning... but maybe it's not so much jet lag as it is normal sleeping patterns for a 16 year old boy? Regardless, I was going to let him sleep as late as he wanted this morning, but Kyle has a Dr. appt at 9:30.

Dr. yes. Poor Mareks, it's been 3 days of doctors.
Monday was the dentist. (3 cavities down, 6 to go) We'll go back on Friday for the rest of the cavities and then once again probably early next week for the cleaning and to fix a chipped/broken tooth.
Yesterday was the eye Dr. (no glasses needed)
And today I'll have to wake him up for Kyle's appointment. Kyle has a weird rash on his face. It's not 5ths. Joe had fifths and thats not what this is. To be honest, it looks a bit like the online pics of Rubella, but Kyle doesn't have many of the other symptoms- AND he's had both vaccinations. Nor do I want to self-diagnose. So, in case he's contagious Kyle won't be going to school today.

Joe won't be going to school today either. He didn't go yesterday, and we had to pick him up before lunch on Monday. Fever, cough, dizziness, crud. The fever is gone, but he was up coughing so much last night  (and the night before) neither of us got any sleep. I told him he could stay home, but that he wasn't going to watch TV all day and if he DID stay home, he had to take a nap this afternoon. He agreed to both... so I KNOW he's not feeling well.

I'll write more about this in the next couple of days, but it's been interesting to me how DIFFERENT Vladik and Mareks are. Not that I expected them to be the same- I mean after all, they're from different countries, Mareks is 3 years older, Vladik didn't speak English, etc.
But the differences are STRIKING.
They're on complete opposite ends of the spectrum in so many ways.
Not that either way is wrong or bad... it's just different, and I hadn't consciously anticipated that.

Most of the Ukrainian kids arrived last night. It pleases me a great deal that Vladik is back in the US for Christmas and with a family who will love on him. I hope they enjoy him as much as we did.

Sleeping....

Well, it was quite a night :-)

All the Latvian kids, plus one chaperone arrived safe and sound... and early at Akron/Canton Airport last night. And before I go any further, can I just say- here and now- that I LOVE that airport!
SO easy to get in and out of, and easy (and CHEAP) to park.

But let me start at the beginning.

Their flight was due to arrive at 10:15pm. I needed to be there by 9.
I left the house a little after 7 as I was going to stop at Target and do a little Christmas shopping on my way.
So I loaded up the car, and headed out.
15 minutes later, (just north of West Salem for my local readers), OH CRAP!!!  I forgot to grab the "Welcome"sign. It was still sitting at home by the refrigerator.  So I turned around and went home to get the sign.

No big deal... I still have PLENTY of time.

On the road again, headed to Akron. :-)

I discovered, much to my annoyance, that my Garmin needs a map update; because the "Target" it took me to in Akron was actually a Church's Chicken. Yeah, not gonna find what I was looking for there.

So again... I turned around and headed back towards the airport. On the way I found, WITHOUT the help of the Garmin I might add, the Target I was looking for in the first place.

~~I should mention here that before leaving the house, I checked the Target website to see which stores had the item I was looking for in stock. I went to this particular store because it WAS in stock.

Yeah.... no.
None on the shelves, none in the back.  <sigh>

So I continued on to the airport, made it there by 9 and I met up with the other host families. It was neat to see their excitement and their love for these kids!

The kids' flight landed a little early, and since they'd already been through customs at JFK we didn't have long to wait.

Group shot of host families, host kids and chaperone. Mareks  is on the far right.

After pictures, greetings, medication instructions, a little paperwork, and more pictures, we were all off with a bunch of tired and wired kids by 10:30ish. We only had an hour drive as opposed to the 3 I had this summer, so it seemed like a quick trip.

Mareks and I talked a little on the way home. I wanted to let him sleep- and he was definitely tired... but I think he was a little too keyed up.
I can't even begin to tell you how WONDERFUL it is that he speaks English (and speaks it pretty well). That was probably the hardest thing with hosting Vladik this summer. Not that I couldn't get my point across, but because so often our conversations were one-sided. He spoke/read a mix of Russian/Ukrainian, and google translate usually didn't like it. So more often that not, what he tried to tell me- wouldn't translate.

I'm excited to be able to talk to Mareks without having to use the laptop, but even more excited that he can talk back.

Rick, bless his heart, took the boys to school this morning; and Mareks is still asleep. I'll let him sleep another hour and then get him up, showered etc. so we can pick up Kyle at school by 11.

Tomorrow....

Tomorrow, Mareks and dozens of other orphans from Latvia will board planes (most for the 1st time) and head to various destinations in the US.
Tomorrow, chaperones, airline ambassadors and a host of other people will help these precious kids settle their nerves, and calm their fears to arrive safely and with as little drama as possible. :-)
Tomorrow, while I'm still asleep, many of these travelers will receive their letters of introduction written by their host families. This will be their first clue as to what kind of family they'll be staying with.
Tomorrow, host families all over the country (myself included) will rush around checking off the final items on their "to do list" in anticipation of the most memorable Christmas of their lives.
Tomorrow, some families will be reunited with their previous host kids... kids they are in the process of adopting... kids they haven't seen since summer... future "legal" members of their family... already the children of their heart.
Tomorrow, much past my bedtime, Mareks and a dozen other orphans will, after a couple of other stops, land at the Akron/Canton Airport. Many will have been up for close to 24 hours.
Tomorrow, there will be tears of joy... smiles... hugs..... and nerves.

Tomorrow, marks another opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus.
To show love... compassion... patience...
To be a family...
To let the joy of life in Christ be evident, obvious, infections... and something Mareks wants to know more about.

Help Needed!

Ok. So I know many of my readers are local... and I need your help.

There are 12 Latvian orphans arriving at Akron/Canton on December 11th. Along with them will be a Latvian chaperone. Her name is Sandra and she's in her early 50's. I'm still waiting to find out if she speaks English.

We, the other host families and us, are looking for places for her to stay. Before you immediately say "no"... here's a little more info for you...

1. She does not have to stay with one family for the entire 4 weeks. If you can open your home for just one week, that would be AWESOME!

2. There is no fee to host a chaperone. They get a small weekly(?) stipend while they're here. I will note however, that there is some financial involvement as you'll be feeding them, letting them do their laundry, etc.. Also, if your family goes out to eat or to see a movie or something, it would be appropriate for you to pay for the chaperone as well.

3. You will not be completely responsible for her entertainment during her sojourn with you. As host families,  as long as we're within a reasonable driving distance we're to spend time with her as well.

4. I know you're thinking "What would I do with her??!!"  I'm SO GLAD YOU ASKED! :-)
Go look at Christmas lights,  see The Nutcracker, attend your church's Christmas Cantata, share in your family Christmas traditions, learn to cook a traditional Latvian meal, go to a museum, plan family movie night, take her Christmas shopping with you, have a family game night, string popcorn for your tree, take her to a MOPS meeting, attend a Christmas Eve service at church, go caroling... maybe she can teach YOU something!

5. If not you, do you know of someone who might be interested? Someone at church perhaps, or a neighbor, an in-law or a friend?  Help me spread the word.  Give them the link to my blog, or send them directly to the New Horizons website www.newhorizonsforchildren.org.

If you (or someone you know) is interested, please fill out this pre-application:
pre-application
and you'll be contacted by someone with New Horizons.

Thanks for praying about and considering this. You could be a HUGE blessing to someone far away from home and family.

PS... I still don't know if the chaperone speaks any English, but here's a little more about her (as copied from the NHFC website):


Sandra has been an orphanage director for 15 years. She has a Master's degree in Pedagogy which is like a Master's in Education in the USA. She is married with 3 grown sons: ages 20, 22 and 24. She likes to read books, knit, and participate in Latvian National Dance and travel whenever possible. She is not afraid of new situations and can't wait to go to the USA with kids! This is a welcome chance for her! In the USA she would like to see nature and wants to discover what she has heard about US citizens who openly offer friendship and hospitality!

Thanksgiving

Thankgiving is a time for many things... good food, good friends, good family, good fellowship... great memories, and a time to really think about and be grateful for all the many blessings we have.

I know that our version of Thanksgiving is rooted in our national history, but I wonder if other countries have their own version of the holiday?  If Mareks (or Vladik) were celebrating Thanksgiving in their orphanages today, I wonder if they would have anything for which to be thankful?

Good food.....?
Good friends...?
Good family....?
Good fellowship....?
Great memories.....?
An overabundance of blessings.....?

We have so much more than we know... so much more than we understand.

This Thanksgiving, as you overindulge in food and football, please take a moment to think about and pray for the 150+ orphans who will be coming to the US for Christmas. The Latvian kids come in just a couple of weeks with the ones from Ukraine arriving a few days later.  This is an opportunity of a lifetime for them-- and for the host families. For some kids, this is their last chance to find a forever family as they will soon "age out".  For others, they're already past the age they can be adopted. Many are coming to America for the first time. For most, this is the farthest they've ever been from home. Separated from their friends, familiar surroundings, unable to communicate easily; plopped down in a culture and society they don't know or understand.

Pray for the host families- both 1st timers and veterans. Pray for patience, understanding, and love.

Pray for the eyes of others to be opened. Pray for hearts to be burdened and lives to be changed.

A new adventure...

It's been 3 months to the day since my last post and I wasn't expecting to pick this blog back up until next summer.
We really weren't planning on rehosting until summer.

Like most other families, we have a busy, busy Christmas season. Lots going on. Commitments to honor, schedules to keep, places to go, people to see.
We didn't really want an added responsibility... something else on our plate.
Or so we thought.

I'd been monitoring the photo listing of the kids available for hosting since it was released. I'd picked my "favorites" and kept checking to see if they'd been chosen.  We really weren't planning on hosting over Christmas... HONEST. I was just watching and praying for the ones I was keeping my eye on.

No, we weren't planning on rehosting quite this soon, but the Lord knew better.
And once we felt the nudge, well, we could think of a million good reasons to host, and not one good reason to not host.

So, we are expecting 16 year old Mareks in early December.
Mareks is from Latvia, speaks some English, (YAY!).... and that's about all we know at this point.

There's a bigger age difference between Mareks and Joe and Kyle than what we had with Vladik, and to be honest, I'm not sure how that will all work out.
The fact that he speaks some English is HUGE!  I can't even tell you how much easier it's going to make things. Also, for whatever reason (maybe his age?), Mareks is not available for adoption. So that decision has been taken completely out of our hands.

I'm excited for this new experience.
As with Vladik, my prayer is that Mareks see the love of family and feel the love of Christ while he's here.

Speaking of Vladik, at this point, he's not been hosted yet. The deadline for Ukrainian children is fast approaching and he is one of a few with sizeable scholarships.  Please join me in praying for a host family for him.

I'm sure you're wondering why we didn't just rehost Vladik?
There are many reasons, but the two big ones are:
First, Vladik is not the one to which we were led.
Second, I didn't want to remove him from the "available" list and take away his chance of finding his forever family.

I don't know that I'll be as faithful with my blogging as I was during Vladik's stay, but I'll do my best.
Please pray for us as we prepare our home and our hearts for Mareks' arrival. Pray that this will be a fantastic experience for him and that above all else, he see Jesus in me.