Powell Family Adoption Story: June 2012

Here we are, back at home, doing lots of laundry, with a new appreciation for our many comforts and luxuries. There is so much we take for granted. Curt has been crossing t’s and dotting i’s for our dossier today. We’ll be sending it off to Victor before you know it. It’s been fun to daydream with the kids: “Imagine the first time the boys ________ (get on the airplane, go to the grocery store, visit the aquarium, see downtown Tulsa, etc).” Cassie and Clay are so excited. There is a lot to do to prepare for Illya and Svyatik to join our family, but we are up for the task.

Although our week in Ukraine was far from “fun,” it was an immensely valuable experience that I wouldn’t trade for anything. The four of us really bonded, and I’m sure the emotions, images, and smells from the trip will never be forgotten, and will forever change the lens through which we see the world. The faces of the orphans at Uglegorsk will haunt me for a long time. Contrary to all logic, there was lots of joy at Uglegorsk. I cannot stop thinking about Dima, Losha, Ola, and Oksana, and all the others that greeted us with big, beautiful smiles. What does their future hold? For some, I shudder to think.

Curt here:

Well, we survived another road trip from Zap back to Donetsk today to catch our flight out of Ukraine to Munich. Overnight stay in the airport hotel and then we fly back to the States tomorrow. Sasha’s driving was masterful as usual and Viktor was wonderful making sure that we made it onto our plane. If we had not mentioned it before……Viktor Rocks!!! It is great to be in Munich where things are clean again and you feel like you are somewhat back to normal. However, we can’t help reflecting on how great the trip has been. If you look at it in one sense, we ended up getting to spend only 1 day at Uglegorsk instead of the 5 that were originally planned since the kids went off to Summer Camp. At least we got a full 9 hours on that day, which is like 3 normal days otherwise. Even though we did not get much of a chance to interact with the children at Zap #3, we did get to see how that orphanage works and what their needs are. We also got to meet Jessica who was wonderful and such an inspiration. We also got to spend several days in Ukraine just understanding how people have to live here, and how everyone generally has so little by our standards, not to mention the orphans.

Another huge blessing has been all of the people we have met. When you start this process it is amazing how many people seem to come out of nowhere that have worked with orphans, have adopted or are adopting. We have run into missionaries working with Young life in Zap (John and Olya), Jessica who has worked for the last 3 ½ years for no pay teaching English to the orphans at Zap, the Canadian missionaries who invited us to their farewell barbeque yesterday, and of course Viktor…….have I mentioned yet that Viktor Rocks!! We feel incredibly blessed to have met these people, and have been enriched sharing their experiences and being able to use that to help us as we go forward.

The cycle continued today. We met an amazing family from Florida at the Donetsk airport. (They are staying at our hotel here in Munich so we were able to talk at length over dinner.) They have adopted four children from Russia and were in Ukraine to adopt a fifth, a girl they have hosted recently, but when they arrived in Ukraine, they discovered that she was not registered for adoption. They are now flying home without her. How devastating for them, and especially for the orphan who thought her new life was about to begin. They can try again in a year.

Speaking of new kids, we have decided to proceed with adopting Illya and Svaytik from Uglegorsk (just in case no one picked up on Jocelyn’s subtle emoticon at the end of her last message). We wanted to tell them in person, but they are away at camp for a month. We have written a letter that Viktor will translate and get to them (he rocks you know). We are now just waiting for our final paperwork with the INS so we can get our final approval from the U.S. Then, we will forward everything to Viktor for the International Dossier and wait for a court date. Of course we appreciate all prayers that there are no hiccups like our new friends experienced. We are hopeful that if all goes well we can return sometime in September or October to get the boys.

Well, I am going to get some sleep in a wonderfully comfortable bed in this modern hotel before the long flight home. This has not been a typical vacation trip, but it has been a wonderful one. We appreciate our blessings even more now, and we have met some absolutely amazing and wonderful people from different countries. Most importantly, we have met two adorable children who we can’t wait to bring home as our new sons. Keep praying that all works according to God’s plan, and we will keep you updated on our progress.

Enjoy some more pics.