The Polar Express

One of the highlights of our entire trip had to be watching The Polar Express on the train from Simferopol to Kyiv last night.  Picture all 5 kids with us piled into a four bed (bunk style) tiny compartment with the laptop open on the minuscule dining table in between beds.  The awesome-st were the parts made especially for 3D while the whole train rattled.  Granted, there were no dancing waiters or hot hot chocolate and you really don't want to hear about the bathroom (eegads), but the further we traveled the more the snow had accumulated.  Keeper was imagining a ghost on the roof and a caribou crossing.  It was completely dark and I was blissfully on cold medicine while the kids ooh'd and ahh'd about scenes they wouldn't have noticed sitting on a couch.  Here in Kyiv it is definitely polar at 3 degrees!  Yahaw.  Our new friends here are all jealous that it's 40* in North Carolina.

Our Ukrainian American girl

He's still freezing

Olga, Tom, Reagan and Angelina (our facilitators in Crimea)

World's Best Babushka holding pizzas for dinner on the train

World's Best Dedushka

Little Lambs ministry to orphans here in Ukraine is hosting us in their offices for FREE.  http://littlelambs.com/  They run camps all over Ukraine that my brother volunteered for two different years in the '90s.  So Mom emailed their U.S. director who set up a temporary home for us here that wouldn't further dwindle what little cash we have left.  Not only are they hosting us, but two big strong men met us at the train station at *7am* with two large vans.  Our new friend, Marina, had a huge Ukrainian breakfast all set up for us.  After an all nighter on a train, it was such a welcome sight.  I'm on my third cup of nasty instant coffee and even that is a blessing, especially when combined with benedryl and pseudophed. :) I'd like to be home before we run out of medicine in the near future.

The kids are so excited about the snow, and oblivious to the temperature, they would hardly eat before running back outside.  Especially Liza.  October might be coming down with my cold because she went straight to bed with a terrible headache.  Thankfully Dad is on the mend.

Old Man Winter

Freezing our popa's off

Snowball fight

Leaving Simferopol I could literally feel the fog of oppression lifting.  It was like an anchor on our snow boots.  And like the ring of power, the longer you wear it, the heavier it becomes.  It has reminded me that I do not pray enough for our missionary friends who bear that burden always.  The next time (yes I said it), the next time, we know to gird ourselves better spiritually and not just circumstantially.

As for circumstances, we still don't have a return date.  Tomorrow we are hoping the passport will arrive in Simferopol and be put on a plane back to us in Kyiv, where it originated.  We are also hoping for an appointment at the Embassy to start the Visa process.  Our concern is increasing exponentially for our poor dogs who we know miss us terribly and all things home and business related.  Six weeks is just too long to leave our lives unattended.  These have realistically been the most challenging six weeks of our entire lives.  We had things thrown at us that no one ever expected and at times it was relentless.  We are truly, clinically, emotionally and financially exhausted.  In hindsight there are some things we would have done differently.  But the end result is what we hoped for.  A daughter.  And a truer picture of the world for our American children.  You can't put a price tag on that.