Artur, Vlad and Vika were embraced  by our family from day one.

I’m sure I don’t have to tell you how awesome it is to have family and friends support you with prayer and encouragement.  The night the children arrived I sent pictures to our kids so they could see them.  I received a text back from one of our daughters telling us they had received the message while they were praying for us.  WOW, that touched our hearts.

The next day most of us gathered together for a family vacation.

The kids and our grandchildren never skipped a beat.  They interacted as if they had known each other for years.

Playing in the pool, at the beach or doing fun activities doesn’t require a lot of words, being silly to make someone smile or giggle crosses all language barriers.

We celebrated our daughters birthday that week and the kids loved being a part.

My sister and her family happened to be vacationing at the beach that same week.

They took time to came over and meet the kids and share a meal.  Our kids were eager to know how we were related and even though they spoke very little English, they learned everyone’s name.

After vacation,  Billy and I settled into our routines of work and farm chores.  The kids were eager to help.  That’s what you do in a family, you help one another, you love each other and you enjoy spending time together.

Vika helped me feed the goats, chickens and gather eggs, as well as giving Margaret her bottle .  She seemed to love it.  If I fed Margaret without her, she was disappointed every time.

Margaret was born just weeks before the kids arrived.  The Mama cow would not feed her.  I remember thinking, I do not have time to bottle feed a calf right now, we are about to have three children to tend to.  However, God must have had a different plan in mind.

I watched these kids take time with Margaret.

Quickly, Margaret became a favorite animal to them.  They absolutely loved taking care of her.

Especially Vika.

She even let Margaret suck her finger, and would giggle with glee.

It seems that Vika could relate to that calf.  Both having a Mama, but one that wouldn’t take care of them.

She would comfort Margaret, telling her it was alright and that she was a good girl.  She would shake her finger at Margaret’s Mama.

At first Margaret tried to nurse from other Cows but they would kick her to the ground.  Margaret had no one, but us to take care of her.

Vika liked being the caretaker.  I often commented that one day Vika would be a really good Mama.  She would shake her head yes, smile and hug me tight.

Since Margaret wasn’t nursed by her Mom she is small,compared to the other calves born around the same time.

All summer long they nurtured her.

I remember one day the boys came running in the house telling me that Margaret was eating.

We all cheered as we watched her grazing daily and gaining weight over the past three months.

Even the day the kids left we all loaded up, before going to the airport, and fed Margaret one more time.

She loved them too, hanging around for a little love even after the bottle was gone.

I don’t know what all they took away from loving and feeding Margaret.  But I know that a connection was made by the kids and by Margaret.

Early on we learned that the boys really didn’t have many men at the orphanages.  They needed a male role model.

They witnessed Billy going to work everyday.  They saw that he worked hard at his job and when he came home, he continued to work hard accomplishing things at the house and on the land.  The boys in turn wanted to go with Billy wherever he went.  There were days they could and there were days they couldn’t.   David, our son in law, works along side us on the land.  The boys  knew him from the beach trip, in no time flat they were inseparable friends.  Wanting to be with him as well.

One afternoon I was watering plants when I noticed that all the kids had spotted David setting a sign at the goldfish pond.  Everyone of them had ceased their bike riding to spend time with him.

They have grown to love one another.

I can’t even begin to tell you all the stories of the family love that has been poured into these kids.  Every act of kindness big and small has been an important piece of their puzzle.  Everything from airing up bicycle tires, rides on motorcycles or just giving them love and attention.  Listening to them, watching them play or taking them for a few hours to spend time with them.

Including regular visits to spend time with Billy’s parents.

It has been really good for the kids to be able to experience love from grandparents.

Bonds were made, love was shared by both parties and lifetime memories were made.

There were so many instances not captured by the camera.  Love shared from mine and Billy brothers and sisters, Aunts and Uncles, nieces and nephews.  It’s been beautiful to watch.  Some of our family have not been able to meet in person, but they followed our journey holding the children up in prayer.

I suppose one of the things that has bothered Billy and I the most was that the kids didn’t seem as close to one another as we would have liked them to be.

Family is important.  I love that they had time with all our kids and grand kids through the summer.

With the children in the orphanage they do not spend the same kind of time together that you would in a home setting.  The boys are closer to each other because for one they are closer in age, they are both boys and have the same interest while living together on the boys side of the orphanage.

Vika sees them at meal time, but is younger, likes girly stuff and lives on the girls side of the orphanage.  We have stressed the importance of loving one another in a way that only siblings can.  No one can take the place of a brother or sister.

Through the months we have seen growth in that area and are so happy that it is headed in the right direction.

We’ve encouraged them to continue to grow close even after they return to make time for one another.

Prayerfully, they have seen the importance of family.  Not just with our family, but with all the families that have touched their lives since they arrived.

There have been many that took time with them, laughed with them and loved them.

Most importantly, I pray they have seen the love of Jesus Christ through this experience this summer.  I pray they feel His love and presence in their lives.  I pray they take that love back with them and share it with everyone they come in contact with.

John 13:34-35 New International Version (NIV)

³⁴ “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵ By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” 

Our children went back to the Ukraine Tuesday.

They took a huge part of our hearts with them.  We love them sure do miss them.

I hope one day I can finish telling the rest of their story.

Meanwhile, please remember them in your prayers.

This is Vlad and Artur, brothers and best friends. This picture was taken the first full day after they arrived to America.  They were so excited to go to the beach.  It was evident from the start that they were adventurous kids.

They love just about anything and everything, except sitting still.  I’m kidding, they sit still….. when they watch a movie.

Seriously, they are fully involved in life.

They love to swim.

Clown around…..

and they have found that Billy is just a kid at heart too.

They have made us laugh over and over.

You just never know what they will do next.

They love anything with a motor.

They constantly call out while riding down the road, Ford Mustang, Corvette, Mercedes and any other car that catches their eye.  In that way, they are typical teenage boys.  They have taken a million pictures of cars like this one that they have seen in parking lots.  They are hilarious.

We took them to a local car show this weekend.  We were admiring a car when we met Mr. Mark.  He allowed the boys to sit in his car.

It made their night!

Mr. Mark also gave each of the boys a Dragster Magazine.

I’m pretty sure they know everything in that magazine by now.  A big thank you to Mr. Mark for his kindness.

You see, they are just boys.  Artur is 15.  If he lived here he would be driving with a permit, and Vlad is 14 he isn’t far behind.   Maybe one day they will drive a car of their own.

They do not have easy access to the same things we do here.  It isn’t a bad thing necessarily, just different.

One day I was vacuuming with the central vac while they were playing outside.  Artur came in to get something, I continued vacuuming.  I saw something out of the corner of  my eye.  As I turned to get a good look I saw Artur on the floor holding the hose in his hands.  He was feeling the vibrations.  He followed the hose to the wall socket.  The look in his eyes were one of puzzlement.  I turned it off and tried as best that I could to explain what this contraption was.  He smiled big.

Another day I was loading the washing machine.  Vlad walked past and watched for a minute.  He saw that the other machine was on.  He reached over and touched it.  He looked at at and with eyes big as saucers said “HOT” —–“What Sonya? What?”  Apparently he had never seen a dryer.  Once I retrieved the clothes and all the kids felt the warmth from the dryer they were amazed.  Vlad still doesn’t understand it all.  The other day he asked me “WHY”?  He pointed that the washer and dryer look almost identical, so why was one water and one hot.  With broken English, I did my best to explain.

Yesterday Artur brought his dirty clothes down to be washed.  As he walked by he said “clothes want shower”.  I couldn’t help but giggle.

They are inquisitive about so many things that they don’t know.  Yet, they are very knowledgeable about many other things.

They absolutely love spending time with Billy.

He really tries to listen to them, stopping long enough for them to show him things that are of interest to them.

He cuts up with them.

I laughed the other day when Artur asked me…What is…”WHAT’S UP”?  His eyebrows furrowed as he tried to understand.  Some things are just funny, especially when you try to explain why in the world we actually say them.

They love making goofy pictures of  Billy.  They thought this was the funniest thing, Billy with Vika’s Barbies and a blanket!

He in turn loves to “monkey” around with them too.

Even the other day I heard a ruckus and went around the corner to call the boys down.

It was two boys alright….but one of them was grown.

Yep.  Busted, kicking a soccer ball in the house!

Most of all the boys just want to be with him, they want to go where he goes.  They love to work along side of him.

They enjoy that Father figure.

Sure there are those times when he corrects them.  Like when it is late at night and the boys are still laughing and carrying on when it should be lights out.  He goes to the bottom of the stairs and says….”Boys, knock it off and go to sleep”.  Now, do they understand every word?  I don’t know, but they get quiet and go to sleep, and arise ready to work along side him once again.  Or when they are mean to their sister, and he explains that she is family and is to always have their love.

Every kid needs guidance, correction and love.

Fortunately, they have been able to spend time with grandparents as well.

I see the boys don’t just need a father figure, they need that mother figure too.

Always wanting me to stop and smile for the camera.

Which most of you know, I would rather be the picture taker, not the subject matter.

But, they have let me take a thousand and one pictures of them, so I oblige occasionally.

They show respect and are kind to me, quick to open a door or unload groceries from the car.

They pat the couch for me to sit next to them when it is movie time, slipping their arms in mine for some quiet time together.

They have even on occasion given me a break from cooking by preparing a meal.

I know they can do a lot of things for themselves, they are big boys.

But at the end of the day,

I think they just might look forward to that good night hug as much as I do.