Say What?

It occurred to me today at church, that we're doing something way outside the realm of "normal" with hosting Vlad. (Yes, I'm just NOW figuring that out!) Not only out of the norm for us... but out of the norm in general.  I've gotten so many different reactions from people upon their hearing about New Horizons and our involvement with them.  Many are supportive- unconditionally. Some are supportive- conditionally, and secretly think we're nuts. Others are so dumbfounded by the idea that they're speechless. Then there are those who think we have completely lost our minds, and they're not afraid to say so.
The first question for many (and Rick is included in this category) is some variation of "How are you going to talk to him?"  It's a reasonable question; and one I can't answer until Vlad has been here for a while. I'm preparing as best as I can. I have a couple of Russian translators bookmarked on both the laptop and the desktop. I've downloaded translators and dictionary apps for my nook. I'm making flashcards with English on one side and Russian on the other to label EVERYTHING in the house. We're learning some Russian phrases and words. (Thus far, the boys' favorites are ice cream- pronounced something like "mar-oh-jhen-eh" and toilet... which is pronounced... wait for it..... "toilet.")
In the beginning, and maybe through the whole 5 weeks, much will be communicated through facial expressions and gestures... like a game of charades. But I'm sure there will be times (hopefully not too many) where I have to call a translator to unravel things because Vlad and I just aren't on the same page.

Now... how do you say BBQ sauce in Russian??

Home again, home again, jiggety jig

It was a long day yesterday, but very informative.
I didn't get home until LATE last night-- which makes 2 days in a row I was up WAY past my bedtime.
     I'm getting too old for this.

It was nice to meet some of the other host families... and GREAT to learn that one family (who is also hosting a Ukrainian boy) lives only an hour or so from us. Hopefully, we'll be able to get together this summer.
     I was relieved to hear that Vlad will very likely know SOME English as well as the Latin alphabet. Communication will still be difficult at first, but not quite the impossible task I was envisioning.
The English he will learn over the 4-5 weeks he's here is the equivalent of 2-3 years of English classes at school.
      Oh- and by the way.. if you ever find yourself in the position where you need to tell someone "I love you" in Russian, phonetically its "yellow blue bus." I'm told you'd normally only use that in a formal setting, but in a pinch it would suffice.
     We heard a lot about cultural differences, societal norms, and what these kids have seen and experienced in their short lives.  I'm not going to go into detail here, but I was horrified/angered/saddened by much of what I heard.  These kids-- the deck is stacked against them in nearly every way imaginable.
     We should hear sometime in the next week or so specifics on travel dates and times.. I'll keep you posted.

Training...

I'm going to Kentucky tomorrow.
For a whole day.
Just me.
No husband.
No kids.

Nearly 7 hours of travel time.
By myself.
Plus, if I schedule it right, I get to stop at a GIANT outlet mall on the way there.

I'm like a kid at Christmas... I can hardly wait!

Why the trip?
I'm attending a 1 day training for host parents, put on by New Horizons. They'll be covering a  range of topics  all dealing with issues that may arise while hosting. Some if it, I'm sure, will deal with policies and procedures, rules and regulations, as well.
I'm looking forward to meeting other parents who have opened their homes, as we have-- and hoping there are some closer to us than Cincinnati.
     Rick, God love him, will be with the boys all day/evening as I'm driving down and back all in one day.
Unfortunately for Rick, we're fresh out of sedatives.

New Horizons for Children

While wasting time on facebook about a month ago, I came upon an ad... or it came upon me, rather, for New Horizons for Children-  a Christian based, international hosting program, which brings over orphaned children from Eastern Europe twice a year to share with them the love of God and the love of a family.
     I was intrigued and hit their website. http://www.newhorizonsforchildren.org/
You know, sometimes God speaks to you in a whisper- like the barest hint of a breeze that brings with it the smell of fresh blooming lilacs. Faint, but sweet and fragrant all the same. 
     This was not one of those times.
There was no whispering going on here. I knew within just a few minutes of starting in on their website, that this was something we were supposed to do.  So, long story short, we submitted all the paperwork, and are soon expecting a 13 year old boy, Vlad, to come and stay with us for 5 weeks this summer. 
     To say this will be an "interesting" experience, is an understatement. Vlad is from Ukraine and speaks no English, and besides the couple of years of Spanish I took in high school, (¿Dónde está el baño?) Pig Latin is my only foreign language.
     I can't imagine what it would be like for a child- who has most likely never been more than just a few miles from his home/orphanage, to take part in this hosting program.  24 hrs (or more) of travel to a country where he doesn't speak the language or know the customs,  where the food is completely unfamiliar, to live with a family (which in itself may be a foreign concept) he's never met and knows almost nothing  about. To spend 5 weeks away from all that is comfortable in its familiarity, going to a place where the unknowns are abundant and NOTHING is familiar. 
     Thats a daunting enough situation for an adult-- but a child?! 
     This is going to be a learning experience for all of us... patience, kindness, compassion, love, consistency, fairness, generosity, selflessness. I imagine all these and more are going to be tested to their limits this summer.
     My hope is that while Vlad is here he experiences what it is to be a part of a family; something I'm assuming he's never known. Realistically, we're not the Cleavers. (Although I may have a budding Eddie Haskel on my hands.) Rick doesn't come home to a pipe and slippers and I DO NOT cook or clean in heels and pearls. Many of the issues we are bound to face this summer cannot be resolved in 30 minutes, minus commercial interruptions.  Some issues that arise can't be fixed by me... or by Rick. Which brings me to my other hope.... 
     That while Vlad is here, that he experience not only the love of family-- but the love of Jesus Christ. That he somehow come to know greatly he is loved and cherished by a Heavenly Father who loves him unconditionally.