Well...we had our appointment this morning....and it went very well. We saw a profile that we are very interested in and we are leaving by train tonight to go to Kharkov (if you download the map on the right side of this blog, you will find Kharkov (spelled Kharkiv) almost straight east of Kiev, with the Russian border 20 miles to the north of it) and will get to meet her in the morning. We will let you know more after we know more. Kharkov is a big city (population 2 million) so internet cafes should be easy to find.
Keep the prayers coming as God is answering them :-)
Tom decided yesterday that he wasn't sure about getting his hair cut, since we weren't sure how to communicate with them. Wow! After reading Clayton's comment, I think we made the right choice! That would have been wild to have his ear hair burnt! He has decided to just let his hair grow out for now. LOL!
We have to go pack, eat, and hop on the train. We will take our cards with us. We have a ongoing game of rummy (first one to 30,000 wins, ha!)
Our love to you all!
Tom and Valerie
15 comments:
Tom and Val,
Soooooooo exciting!!!! I will be thinking and praying for you at all times today. I can't wait to hear back from you. Be safe and healthy. Love to you both!
Love, Machelle
Tom & Valerie,
Oh how exciting! I know things are going to go great for you! we are praying for you all the time! God does answer prayers! Does your camera take movies? It would be neat to see something from the train ride. I guess it will be dark there while riding the train though.
Try to get some rest!
We love you
Trent Consetta Micha & Alaina
Hi Tom & Valerie- What an amazing journey you two (soon to be 3)are on!!It's incredible!Soak in the moments of this time, relax and enjoy yourselves(especially you Tom). It's 10:30a.m. here and I have just finished reading over your entire site. It took a while. It's wonderful to hear of all the support you have.Machelle called yesterday and gave us your blog site. I was very happy to hear from you through her. Machelle said Tom would be happy to hear from Tim. I'm not so sure. Tim said to tell Tom that all area farmers are finished in the field except the Hagans (ha ha). I know you expect that from Tim. I just think Tim likes to bring out the spunk in people.
That is too funny about Tom's haircut (or no cut).
I read the note from Nancy & Tim (I don't know them)& also feel you two are very adventurous walking in all directions of the city.I'm happy for you, it sounds fun.
Well, it sounds like you have a big day tomorrow.I hope you can sleep. I'm sure it will be hard but try. You want to be rested for this important day.
In closing, we too, are supporting you in prayer.You know, you're an inspiration! Love- Tim, Lennie, Ashley, Abbie, & Toby
Tom and Val,
Will Igor be traveling with you on your train ride? How long of a ride do you expect one way? Watch out for the "Hole" on the train, one wrong move, and you will be in trouble!
Love Ya!
Machelle
Reading your story today, gave me "God Bumps". I can't wait until the next leg of this journey. I can't even imagine how excited you all are. Got your note & you are very welcome. Hopefully, the next piece of information will be about you holding your precious Elizabeth.
May God hold you in the palm of His hands.
Love & Prayers,
Phil, Donna, Megan & Lauren
ahh so exciting!!!! cant wait to hear how it goes.
im praying for safe travel and good luck! -wendy-
WHOOOO HOOO!!!!
Best of Luck in your travels and in your finding precious Elizabeth!
My nerves and blood pressure would be sky high by now with all the excitement. Yours probably are too.
We're all waiting to hear about the next steps. Hoping those steps are homeward bound with your little girl!
I guess you realize by now that this blog will have to continue until Elizabeth is at least 18 years old! Ha!
Lora
So close! Anticipation is half the fun! I still hoping you'd get to see the Black Sea. Like Wendy, I too heard the Russian preacher Sunday evening at Youth, although I didn't notice his shoes. It was very moving to hear someone who had suffered for what he believed. Guess there has been a lot of change there.
So glad you got to meet Tom Ragsdale. I printed off the picture of you with him and passed it around the church office. He left here before I came, but he came back not long ago for a short visit.
Well, enjoy the journey. I'd love to be a little mouse in the room when you first see her!
Hugs & kisses,
Aunt Debbie
Tom and Valerie,
Hey, it's good to hear about all this stuff going on. To be honest I had no idea what the living conditions were going to be like for you guys over there. All I ever learned about Ukraine was in World History, so I figure'd you guys would be riding around in carraiges and running from vampires and what-not. Took me a while to figure out how to post a blog on here so that's why it's been a while. Good luck tomorrow morning with the kid! See you soon,
Eric Parn
p.s.-college is good
TOM AND VALERIE THE GIRLS AND I READ YOUR BLOG SITE TONIGHT. IT WAS FUN TO SEE THE PICTURES AND FEEL A PART OF THE ADVENTURE. TOM WE ARE TO HAVE OUR FIRST FROST TONIGHT PEOPLE ARE COVERING UP THEIR FLOWERS. BE PATIENT AS GOD WILL PERFECTLY MATCH YOU WITH YOUR ELIZABETH. WE CAN'T WAIT TO SEE ELIZABETH AND HAVE YOU HOME SAFELY. YOUR IN OUR PRAYERS. TOM GET OUT YOUR CAR KEYS FOR ELIZABETH TO PLAY WITH ON THE LONG JOURNEY HOME.LOL TOM YOU'VE NEVER EXPERIENCED A BABY SO I'M TELLING YOU TO GET LOTS OF REST NOW BECAUSE YOU'LL NEED IT FOR THE NEXT 21 YEARS. YOUR BOTH SPECIAL PEOPLE AND DESERVE LIFES RICHEST BLESSING A CHILD. LOVE
DENISE, CLAIRE AND
ANNA
Valerie and Tom,
So exciting to hear your news and so deja vu to read your tales and see your photos. We were just there!! Your apartment looked WONDERFUL - you did get one of the nicer ones :-). And the turkish toilet you took a photo of was luxurious compared to the one I used at the orphanage - no toilet brush to be found OR toilet paper!
Jill and Mike Sanders
Parents of newly adopted beautiful Ukrainian girl - Reagan Viera :-)
P.S. Come home soon!
Tom & Valerie,
It did front last night and was beautiful this morning. Every time I woke last night, i thought about you guys and what you must be doing.
Trent hope that the frost will finally kill those green beans so everyone can get finished up.
Just wondering if Halloween is a big deal in the Ukraine as far as decorations and such.
Eagerly waiting to hear any more news!
Love Trent Consetta Michaela & Alaina
Tom and Valerie,
This is Mike (of Mike and Jill, see a couple of comments higher up). Just wanted you to know our thoughts and prayers are with you.
By now you probably have had the opportunity to meet the child whose profile you selected in Kiev. What a wild ride it has been, huh? Sleep-deprived from the train, you got right in the car and went to the orphanage, I'll bet.
No doubt you found out that the way you met your daughter and the experience you had was far different than you dreamed. It was for us. Thankfully your faith is strong, and you know that God has His hand on your trip and your decision. I will tell you that even with all of the twists and turns and disappointments (we were in Kiev 11 days before we selected our child - your experience seems to be the same), we got the PERFECT child for our family. After now being home for four and 1/2 weeks, I must say we COULD NOT BE HAPPIER with the little girl God has blessed us with. She is sweet, funny, getting very affection (that has taken a lot of time for her to get used to) and while she is still a handful sometimes, she is joining her 10-year-old brother (bio) as the lights of our lives.
Best wishes. We're keeping close tabs on you! Please tell Serge, Igor, Irina, Sergei (the driver) and Marina (especially Marina - we have a very special place in our hearts for Marina) that the Sanders say hello and Viera (her Russian name) is doing wonderfully!
God's Blessings Go With You,
Mike and Jill Sanders
To anyone who reads this, just wanted you to know that Valerie and Tom did not leave until today and should see the little 19 month old girl tomorrow, Thursday.
Holly P.
Just wandering if they move their clocks back one hour there. If not that would mean you would be 9 hrs. ahead of us. Can't wait to hear from you guys.
Love,
Randy
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