A Ukrainian orphan, into our home and our hearts

is still a bit too overwhelming for me to process right now, I will simply tell you one story from our good-bye time with her. On Saturday, we spent several hours with Tamara complete with mashed potatoes, silver sardine-y fish, and lots of chocolate graham cracker truffle things. Tamara kept exhorting me to eat “more, more” I am as I sincerely tried to down this “un-Cindy-ish” feast that would have been challenging enough anyway, but at 11:00 in the morning was just about impossible … for me. Katya, however, managed to down a lion’s share and feed the remaining silver sardine-y fish to See-mon, a very fat cat who refuses to come near Katya, unless she is offering silver sardine-y fish.

So, after eating my “Thank you” portion, it was time to check out the mammoth suitcase Tamara had packed for Katya to bring to America. Because I felt it important that this sweet Babushka have a good sense of having sent Katya off well, I protested nothing. Finley kids, you will be happy to know that we did not bring home stuffed animals. On top of enough sweaters to clothe a kindergarten classroom, the 101 Dalmatians backpack was packed. Knowing that I wanted Katya to use this as her carry-on, I lifted it out. Tamara preceded to tell me about all the mittens she is sending for all the children, as well as a chocolate bar for each, and put the 101 Dalmatians pack back in. I just made a mental note to pull it out once Katya and I got back to OES.

But, there is no need to pull it back out. As Tamara continued to tell me about the various things in the suitcase, and asked me if I wanted “this” or “that,” she disappeared into a small side room and brought out this:

I really had hoped to never see this again. Since it hadn’t shown up when we were here in August OR October, I think it was a reasonable hope. However, at this point I’m guessing that it had just been put away for safe keeping, until now… So, my hope is that Tamara never looked closely enough at it to see that it isn’t the pink floral backpack I thought I was buying in July 2008. My fear is that she knows exactly what it is and has the completely wrong impression of me - a mom who buys pink skull backpacks for her daughters. Please tell me that you don’t think she ever closely examined this backpack. Please tell me that you don’t think that she thinks that I buy pink skull backpacks for my daughters. I would really hate for her to think that …

Since she really is one of my heroes …

{ 10 comments }

What a DAY! Thanks for partnering with us in PRAYER!!!! Persistency and politeness, just like that widow! Here’s the skinny - too tired for more than that:

1. All documents signed and in my hands
2. Plane tickets bought. We leave Odessa for Kiev on Sunday morning.

Katya is running water in the jacuzzi tub and preparing to take the plunge along with a couple of “Polly Pockets.” Since she’s been riding around in the car or waiting outside of offices since 10:00 this morning, Kateryna Delphina has some serious energy to burn.

Thanks again for all your prayers, and most of all, THANK YOU, JESUS!!!!

{ 17 comments }

We waited from 10:30 - 1:45, after a brief run by #5 to pick up the original of the immunization records because the copy was not clear enough. At 1:45, Alyona was told that the chief official was at a meeting until 3:00, so in 20 minutes, we’ll go back and see. Pray that Alyona will have discernment about when to “push” and when to back off. There’s an art to being both persistent and polite. We’ve seen Alyona demonstrate that she is quite skillful in this balance. Pray for her continued wisdom and gentleness. We have heard that the passport is in; we just have to have this paper signed and “in hand” to pick up the passport. I’ll let you know as soon as I can! THANK YOU for your prayers! Keep them up!

{ 5 comments }

Tomorrow morning at 10:00, Alyona, Katya, and I will camp out at the door of an official in the police department. This is the LAST PERSON who needs to sign a document that will dissolve Katya’s “property rights” finishing up our work in Odessa. This person may or may not choose to sign the document tomorrow. Sometimes, for no apparent reason, people say, “Come tomorrow,” or “Come back next week.” Alyona thinks that this is a real possibility and would delay our travel to Kiev, and then our travel home.

Please pray, and rally others to pray, that this person would just sign the document and Katya and I would be ready to head to Kiev on Sunday.

{ 5 comments }

Cause for celebration! Katya throughout all of our time with her has very rarely said “”Thank you,” “I’m sorry,” “Please,” “Excuse me,” or other polite words. The last time I heard these words, or even rumors of words, was over a year ago. Yet, relentlessly, without demanding, we have made such polite words an obvious part of our vocabulary in both Russian and English.

So … I was DELIGHTED this morning when on the way out of Kakygu (pronounced Cock-a-doo???), I said to Ira, as I always do, “Spa-see-bah! Das-vah-dah-nyah!” (”Thank you! Good-bye!”) and then “Say, Spa-see-bah, Katya.” And, from the mouth of this precious lamb, “Spa-see-bah.”

Lord, would you cultivate this tiny mustard seed of thankfulness into a powerful song of praise for the glory of YOUR Name?

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!

Know that the Lord, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!

For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.

Psalm 100

{ 5 comments }

…than a jacuzzi with red, blue, and green underwater strobe lighting.

So, tonight, after the LAST TIME EVER that Katya has to go to the orphanage (WOO-HOO!), we took a taxi toward Bob and Andrea Burnham’s for dinner. I say “toward” because the taxi driver dropped me off at a very likely address, however it was not the right address. So, here Katya and I were on some street in Odessa. I’m trying to read Russian store names (the streets weren’t marked) to Andrea on the phone who has sent Bob to find me. Katya is chasing “kiskas” (kittens - her name) along the sidewalk, and I’m glad that I have been praying through Psalm 91 throughout the day. Never was I afraid, but I was happy to spy Bob and their precious daughter Abigail across the intersection while I was talking to Andrea explaining that I was across from “Light Cafe” and a “Bosch” store. Abigail and Katya chatted it up in
“little girl international language” all the way back to the Burnhams and we had a delightful time. Katya loved playing with their girls and I was thankful for her to have such a fun time after being drug around to governmental offices by Alyona and me for the past two days.

After dinner and play time, Katya copped a ride back to our apartment on the seat of Bob’s bike (he was pushing, not riding, so don’t worry) where we said our “Das-va-dan-ya’s” and this is where the strobe-lit jacuzzi fits in. After our P90-U trek up the four flights of stair to our apt., Katya was ready for …. something. Three cheese sticks and a cup of pomegranate juice later, it was decided that a jacuzzi bath was just the thing to complete a perfect afternoon and evening. And complete the evening , it did … At least an hour of bath-time fun, including hair-do creations, dolphin surfing, fountain making, was made all the more exciting by grooving to the pulsating rhythym of the red, blue, and green underwater strobe of the jacuzzi. So, I’m trying to figure out where we can put one of these at 641 Montei….. Regardless. Kateryna Ballerina is tucked in for the night and I’m off to mop up the bathroom floor.

{ 3 comments }

Just in case you’re wondering, this fits in the “visiting” category! If you want to give yourself, your family, your community an amazing Christmas gift, bring one or two of these precious lambs into your home.

Siblings - Anya (7 years old) and Alkadiy (10 years old)

Vlad (11 years old)

Andre (12 years old)

Share the true meaning of Christmas - Jesus, the Son of God who CHOSE to leave His Father, walk in the poverty of the flesh, live a perfect life, and die a criminal’s death - all that God may be glorified and we may be adopted as His children and cry out “Daddy! Father!” to the Father of the fatherless. Share this with the children you host, give these children a sense of family, of connectedness, of love. Share your heart for orphans with those in your church community, your neighborhood, your extended family. Perhaps He’ll use you to connect this child, or other children, with a family. What a privilege!

Please, contact KT Bronson, 757.749.3922 or check out the Frontier Horizon website under Host Program. The cost has been reduced from $3,500 to $2,500 for families who are able to pay this full amount by November 15.

And, if you decide to welcome one of these lambs into your home for Christmas, be sure and let me know!

{ 6 comments }

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. James 1:27

“to visit,” in the Greek, has this meaning:

to look upon or after, to inspect, examine with the eyes
in order to see how he is, i.e. to visit, go to see one
the poor and afflicted, the sick
to look upon in order to help or to benefit
to look after, have care for, provide for: of God
to look (about) for, look out (one to choose, employ, etc.)

We’re all called “to visit orphans and widows in their affliction.” What is your part?

{ 1 comment }

This is one of the KEY pieces. Today, Alyona took me and Katya to the passport office where I checked the spelling of her new name - KATERYNA JOY FINLEY - and Katya sat for her picture for her AMERICAN passport!

Now all of these documents travel to Kiev and then back to Odessa. Our prayer is that they arrive by Friday so that we can be ready to hit the ground running on Monday morning in Kiev.

The potential hold-up continues to be property. In Ukraine, every citizen, no matter how old, has to have an official address. Katya’s record of Ukrainian domicile has to be dissolved and she must be cleared of all rights to claim property. The person who does this is out sick and has a temp in her place, but only on Mondays and Thursdays. Alyona is hopeful that we can start this process and then by POA, she can finish it in my absence.

Please pray that NOTHING will hinder Katya and I from getting to Kiev in time to do the work we need to do there and be ready to fly out on Wednesday.

{ 1 comment }