The Forgotten

The standard of living for Ukrainians is bad enough in the large cities, but it is a shock to see how many of them live in the small, rural villages. I took a trip to a surreal place called Limanskoye last summer and it is not an exaggeration to say that it was life changing. As you can see, they have very hard lives. Hot water is available only at designated times and the typical scenario would have a single mom desperately trying to provide for her children.



In the most remote outposts of Ukraine, our friends Alyona and Slava Puzanov are dedicated to sharing the love of Christ with the poorest families and with special-needs children.

In Alyona's words, here is Leonid's story:

"He is very kind and a hard worker. he finishes the school this year and only God knows where he will go then. He is one of those who was left by his mother and even doesn't know his real parents. He would love to have a family. His right side is paralized but there is no work he would say "NO" to. He loves to help.

Today Slava had a conversation with him, when Leonid asked "Why do parents leave their children? Even the animals take care of their babies!" It brakes your heart when you hear things like that. Please, join us in prayer for the family of this boy."

Alyona and Slava will be moving to Limanskoye in February to minister to these neglected children. I recently received a message from Alyona, asking if I would "spread the word" and let our friends in America know about their work. If you are interested in learning more about this vital outreach, you can contact Alyona at: alyona_m@hotmail.com

See their excellent blog at: http://heritageodessakids.blogspot.com/

Vasya receives a Christmas gift

The walls of this gutted Presbyterian Church on the grounds of the orphanage remain, decades after being destroyed by the Communists. Thanks to people like Slava and Alyona, the good news that was once heard in this building is being lived out again.

Vika Comes Home!

Vika has a family! This shot with our Anastasia was taken Monday night, just an hour or so after Vika made her triumphant arrival at Washington Dulles Airport. Vika had been to America on two Frontier Horizon hosting trips in recent years, but she had aged out of the orphanage and was too old to be adopted. The odds of her ever being able to get a visa to study English were not good, but thanks to the relentless efforts of Frontier Horizon, and Vika's new family, her Christmas wish has come true!

Vika and her new mom (for all practical purposes). Ann is a wonderful lady, who I began corresponding with via email two years ago, as we both prepared to host orphans from Ukraine. She and her husband have four children already (one adopted from Ukraine), so Vika joins a very big family with a very big heart. She will attend community college ESL courses two days per week, and spend time with Ann at her veterinarian office the rest of the time. So, she will be learning some very valuable skills while learning English. What a joyful Christmas story this is!

This is also a good opportunity to mention what a special person Ann has been to our family. While we were exchanging emails two years ago, I mentioned to her how much I was struggling with the heartbreaking reality that it was time to say goodbye to our beloved, 14 year old Golden Retriever. Reilly's hips were shot, he was having seizures, and I was nursing him around the clock. I knew it was past time to put him down, but just did not have the courage to do it. Ann revealed to me that she was a vet. She explained what he was going through, and it was her loving encouragement that finally gave me the strength to give him a peaceful, gentle, and merciful end.

So, welcome Vika, and God Bless you Ann!

A Lifeline for Teenage Orphans

We just received a new calendar from Universal Aid for Children, featuring some beautiful and heartbreaking art by two young ladies who have aged out of the orphanage system in Ukraine.

The adoption blogworld celebrates the miracle of our adoptions, and anticipates coming adoptions, but the sad fact is that statistically, very few of Ukraine's 100-thousand orphans will be adopted, and that doesn't count the thousands of "street kids."


The UAC's Orphaned Teen Scholarship Program is a lifeline for dozens of children who are forced to leave the orphanage. Please visit their website to learn more.

Vika's Miracle

On November 11th, I received this message from my friend Ann Matisse ,who, along with many others, has been trying for months to pull off a miracle:

"Now is the time we could really use your prayers,... raise those hands toward heaven for VIKA!!!"

Today, that prayer was answered, as announced by Ann:

"Vika got her visa. I am so excited! ... Please say a "thank you" prayer for His excellent help."

This was a longshot to say the least. It's not easy to get a student visa for children who've aged out of the orphanage, and many of us were despairing for sweet Vika, who is loved by everyone who knows her, in Ukraine and America.

But when I learned that Vika's cause was being advocated by Ann, along with Vinny Rossini and Larisa Papay of Frontier Horizon, I knew that anything was possible.

Vika will live with the Matisse family in Michigan, and study English at a local community college, where she will work toward the goal of enrolling in courses for credit.

This is such joyful news. After spending so much time around the friends of our adopted children last summer, you are assured of returning home with a heavy heart for the vast majority of these older kids who will never be adopted. Dana and I were alarmed at Vika's appearance last summer, and to see how her vivacious personality had diminished as she spent most of her time on the streets. Larisa said she reminded her of a "stray cat."

Well, Vika will now be under the care of Ann, who happens to be a veterinarian!

Thank you Ann, Vinny and Larisa, and praise God from this blessing flows.

Why Not Me?

I intended to dedicate an entire post to Summer Camp....but ever since this little girl entered my viewfinder on our first visit, I've been struggling with something. I wasn't trying to shoot her; I knew nothing about her and did not set out to get her picture. In fact, I almost erased it because of the poor framing. But the cold stare she gave me for several seconds after the shot has left me thinking about how the presence of people like me impact these hurting children. They see dozens of Americans every year, running around with their fancy digital cameras, snapping shots of them as if they were a tourist attraction. It's another painful reminder that nobody wants them. (Hopefully, other people aren't as bad as I am about this. I take alot of pictures wherever I go.)

For some, the resentment of those who are "not chosen" is so strong, that they ridicule the kids who are about to be adopted. Yesterday Galya asked us not to spend time at the camp anymore because it is "embarrassing" and makes it difficult for her. Dana saw this herself as a group of boys walked by and yelled in an ugly tone - "Americanitz!" Galya would not admit that they were making fun of her because of Dana's presence, but a small boy next to her confirmed that it was so.

Of course none of us intend to make the pain and rejection these kids feel any worse. Many of them have had close-up pictures taken, in hopes of capturing the heart of some American, Canadian or Italian who sees them on an adoption website. Many have also been crushed after spending time with a family who had a "referral," only to never hear from them again. I know of one precious boy going through that right now.

I don't know who this cute girl is. I want to think that someone is on their way to take her home to her forever family. I hope that I'm wrong about the reasons behind her seemingly angry stare - and that she doesn't really hate me for not choosing her. Nevertheless, I'm going to be much more mindful about how my presence and my actions affect these children when I visit.

Nowhere To Go

While this is such a joyful time for our family, nothing can prepare you for visiting the orphanage and seeing the faces of all the other kids who have no one to care about them. The sad truth is that very few of the these children will ever realize their dream of having a family. The gorgeous young lady pictured above was suddenly orphaned two years ago when both of her parents died. I'm told she is "brilliant," studying both English and French, and excelling in all her courses. But the future for her, and thousands of other older orphans is frightening. A large percentage turn to prostitution, crime, and ultimately, suicide.

A handful of wonderful people donate their time loving and nurturing these kids. Others spend their time and resources doing everything they can to find families to adopt them. But thanks to the efforts of a stouthearted American woman named Clara Pascal, there is hope for children who age out of the orphanage, with no hope of adoption. Clara's program is called the Orphaned Teen Scholarship Program. Please take a moment to read about it here.

Seen here explaining the program to Dana, Clara focuses on the kids who are about to, or already have "graduated" from the orphanage. Each child is asked to write a profile of themselves as an appeal to a potential sponsor. One girl writes:

My father died in an automobile accident when my mother was pregnant with me. In 1997 when I was finishing the 1st grade, my grandmother died because of Liver Cirrhosis. For that moment, my mother lived with a man. He lived with mother for ten years and I considered him as my father. He brought me up and taught me like a father does his own child. In 2000, he died. After that my mother began to take alcohol and because of it died in 2004. I believe in God and trust Him in complicated situations and He often hears and helps me. I read the Bible. I ask you, dear sponsor, your help and support. I ask to understand me in a difficult moment, to share my success and failures and to be my friend. Thank you in advance.

As important as the $57 monthly donation is to help meet their basic needs, these older teenagers desperately want to know someone cares about them. You can read more of their profiles here.

Vika is one of our Nastia's best friends. She aged out of the orphanage a year ago and is a great candidate for Clara's program. Vika is sweet, motivated and loved by all. But without help, her future is grim.

Volva is a precious 14 year-old boy who greets us happily every time we see him. I have not been able to forget Volva's smile since first meeting him. He is one of many faces we will hate to leave behind when we head back to our comfortable middle class life style in the states.

The Orphans of Ukraine

For the past year and a half, these beautiful young ladies have been known to us as "the girls." It's overwhelming when I think that in a matter of days, they will be my daughters. Anastasia and Galyna have spent most of their lives in that building behind them. When they touch down at Kennedy Airport sometime in July, they will automatically become American citizens!

If all goes well, that will happen sometime in early July. We will be spending Monday through Wednesday in Kyiv (The US State Department has officially changed the spelling from the Russian "Kiev" to the Ukrainian "Kyiv" -- just another exuse to make Putin mad!).

This will likely be our last post before we arrive in Odessa on Thursday, where we'll have high-speed internet at our apartment. Meanwhile please take a look at this brief video to learn more about the plight of Ukrainian orphans.