Hello everyone. We hope all is well with you back in America. It has been a very busy week for us, and we are now getting comfortable in our new place. We have travelled about 6 hours out of Kiev to Odessa, Ukraine, also on the Black Sea and the main port city in Ukraine. The weather is beautiful and we even went to the beach yesterday.
Now to get past the suspense! We have found our Ukraine Angel! He is a little 2 year old boy with blue eyes and curly blond hair. His name is Dima (short for Dmitri) and everyone at the orphanage seems to love him. Dima has a very sweet personality and interestingly enough reminds us of both our boys. He likes to pick up trash around the orphanage and throw it away and also hates his hands being dirty (sound like Bennett?). He also looks alot like Samuel and reminds me of Sammy when he laughs. The first day we met him, the poor guy had a hard time accepting new people in his life (which we will have to remember when we get home!). He cried and did not want us to come near him. Two days later, he actually cried when we left. He is quickly bonding with us and smiles when he sees us and loves to get hugs. Of course, I am sure that the cookies and juice that we bring him everyday have nothing to do with it! We are very blessed and love going to see him every day.
In Odessa, we are staying with a host family about an hour from the orphanage. While we think we are really only about 10 miles away (as a crow flies), the streets are all curved and packed with traffic. We were very happy to learn that the family is Christian and also speak English. After about a day, we already felt like part of the family. This is exactly what we needed after such a hard time in Sevastopal. The cooking is wonderful and Dave is experimenting with food once again! While many of the new things that we have tried have been very good, we highly recommend NOT drinking KBAC (pronounced kvaas). It is an Ukrainian version of non-alcoholic wine. They call it Ukrainian Coke and you can find it practically on every street corner in big tanks.
Below is a picture of little Dima so you can put a face to those prayers you are sending--the prayers are working! Please continue to pray for us and little Dima. Today we found out that he had an ear infection. We really don't know how bad it is, but we went and bought some medicine for him. He really has a tender heart and we already love him dearly. Please continue to pray for a quick process and safety for us with everything going on in this region. We love and miss you all and hope to see you soon.
Candace and Dave
Now to get past the suspense! We have found our Ukraine Angel! He is a little 2 year old boy with blue eyes and curly blond hair. His name is Dima (short for Dmitri) and everyone at the orphanage seems to love him. Dima has a very sweet personality and interestingly enough reminds us of both our boys. He likes to pick up trash around the orphanage and throw it away and also hates his hands being dirty (sound like Bennett?). He also looks alot like Samuel and reminds me of Sammy when he laughs. The first day we met him, the poor guy had a hard time accepting new people in his life (which we will have to remember when we get home!). He cried and did not want us to come near him. Two days later, he actually cried when we left. He is quickly bonding with us and smiles when he sees us and loves to get hugs. Of course, I am sure that the cookies and juice that we bring him everyday have nothing to do with it! We are very blessed and love going to see him every day.
In Odessa, we are staying with a host family about an hour from the orphanage. While we think we are really only about 10 miles away (as a crow flies), the streets are all curved and packed with traffic. We were very happy to learn that the family is Christian and also speak English. After about a day, we already felt like part of the family. This is exactly what we needed after such a hard time in Sevastopal. The cooking is wonderful and Dave is experimenting with food once again! While many of the new things that we have tried have been very good, we highly recommend NOT drinking KBAC (pronounced kvaas). It is an Ukrainian version of non-alcoholic wine. They call it Ukrainian Coke and you can find it practically on every street corner in big tanks.
Below is a picture of little Dima so you can put a face to those prayers you are sending--the prayers are working! Please continue to pray for us and little Dima. Today we found out that he had an ear infection. We really don't know how bad it is, but we went and bought some medicine for him. He really has a tender heart and we already love him dearly. Please continue to pray for a quick process and safety for us with everything going on in this region. We love and miss you all and hope to see you soon.
Candace and Dave
10 comments:
We are so happy for you! What a cutie!!!!
Oh you guys...he is just adorable! I really hope and pray this works out for you. I think he will fit right in with your boys. I know this has been a tough process, but I have a great feeling about Dimi. I feel like he is already part of the Steyn clan. I hope that everything goes smoothly and that you will be home soon with your new angel!
Love you ALL!
Teri & Dave
He is adorable. Congratulations to you and your family. We adopted a five year old little girl from Ukraine in December. It is so wonderful to see how fast these children learn and grow in such a short amount of time with good nutrition and love. God bless you and I hope that everthing goes well for all of you.
What a precious child! We can sense his sweet spirit as you describe him. We love him already! Samuel and Bennett have already added him to their prayers at night and tell people about their little brother. We can't wait to meet him. God bless you both for taking this step. Your lives will be the richer for it. We continue to pray for all the details that will make this dream a reality.
Love, Mom and Dad Crowder
What a beautiful boy - congrats. I pray your journey goes smoothly from here on out.
I'm so so so happy to see this! He is truly an angel, that cherub looking face. Praising God! :)
Hey guys! We are so excited to meet Dima. He sounds so sweet and loveable. I can only imagine what the love of parents will do in his life. God is so good! We are praying that things go smoothly from here. We miss you! We can't wait for you to get home. Stay safe.
Brooke, Anthony, and Caleb
Great news. We are here and we are leaving Wednesday to see our referral. He is adorable.
Tammy and Kevin
Congratulations! What a relief to have found him! We continue to pray for the other child that their life with their family will be blessed. Odessa is beautiful, and how nice to be near the water when it is soooo hot! Maybe you can take your guy for a day excersion? God Bless!
How wonderful!! We can't wait to welcome this precious addition to our family. We love you both and hope your journey ends soon.
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