Spasiba dill-ya "Little B"

Sem-ya, inogda legko, inogda trudno. Family, sometimes easy, sometimes hard. This is one of the simple phrases I came up with while Little B was here. Yesterday afternoon he and the rest of his friends flew back to the Ukraine. That was a very heavy moment for everyone. Nobody wanted to see them leave, but this is the next step in their little adventure.

These kids travelled by trains, planes, and automobiles to get to their host family's homes three weeks ago. They arrived in the middle of the night after close to 40 hours of traveling only to go home with a family they have NEVER seen before and add to the mix the language barrier. Russian is not exactly a second language of choice for many kids in the US, much less in NC. That first night was spent getting a little familiar with each other. The boy who flew out yesterday has become a member of our family. Over the three weeks we had our ups and downs, but in the end, we love each other. That's how a family works. We didn't experience any major psychological concerns while Little B was with us. Nothing we don't see in our own young boys when they are tired, overwhelmed, or disappointed in my answer of "no" to their wants.

Our last day together we basically kept it simple. We got up and had a big breakfast. Though I will say that this little guy doesn't eat much, not compared to my other boys. A couple of times it was clearly because he did not like the food or wanted to get back to whatever activity he had been doing prior to sitting at the table. Next we all got dressed for a family picture on the front steps. After the picture we had to get it developed to put into his photo album we made from his time with us. After the photo was printed we headed off to a candy store. We figured he's fixin' to fly back to the Ukraine, why not enjoy the flights with a pound of M&M's and a couple of Lollipop-ish looking things. After, the candy store we grabbed a quick bite to eat and headed home to pack.

I was dreading the packing. We gave him a rolling duffle that we packed with the clothes he came with and several extra items, a VT t-shirt, a VT hoodie for when the plane gets cold (you can never have enough Hokie gear), his blanket, stuffed bear, candy, toys, and his photo album. This was extremely difficult for me to do. I have grown very close to Little B and miss him terribly.

The ride to the airport was quiet and somber. Seeing the kids at the airport brightened up the mood big time. They were so excited to see each other and were showing each other their photo albums and what they did while they were with their host families. We asked a translator to ask Little B if he understood our intentions to adopt him and that we are coming for him. He answered that he both understood and also asked if we were going to adopt anyone else. I love this kid. In his time of potential triumph, he's reaching out to try and get a friend adopted too. I pray we could do this. However, right now, our focus is on getting Little B home. We were not allowed to accompany the kids to the gate due to time constraints so we said our goodbyes and got our hugs at the security checkpoint. After watching them make their way through security, we left and drove home to our beautiful three boys.

In the meantime, I will pray for the other orphans that their prayers be answered and if I can assist in anyway, I will do whatever it takes. These kids didn't choose this life. If you happen to read these words and are moved to know or do more, please don't hesitate to email me. I would love nothing more than to make a difference in the lives of these kids. Each is beautiful and strong in their own unique ways.

Lord, please watch over these special children. Guide them and comfort them. Answer their prayers daily. Work miracles for them and shower them with your love. I thank you for the time you allowed them to spend with us and letting me get to know your special children. I thank you especially for bringing Little B into our home and opening our hearts to him. Your will be done, amen.