Yesterday we decided NOT to go to the water park. It turns out that it is a little more expensive than we thought, so we decided to save money and go to the beach for a couple of hours. All of the kids really seem to love the water.
VJ is a very sweet boy. He wants so badly to learn English so that he can communicate with us. He holds the camera to take a picture and says, "To say cheese!" He has also mastered our polite words, such as "please", "thank you" and "you're welcome." Last night he learned, "See you tomorrow." He always wants to hold our hand, holds every door for Joy, and insists on carrying bags for Joy. He quickly began calling us "Mom" and "Pop".
Alex is also a very sweet boy, but he is very shy. We are certain that his behavior is a product of his previous environment. It will take some time for him to develop trust and love. He will not talk to us, but laughs and smiles occasionally. Although he is 10 years old, I cannot imagine him beginning school this fall with other 10 year olds. He is probably on a 5- or 6-year old level. He definitely looks to Julia as his parent right now...and that is OK. She is helping him to adjust to a family. We are praying that he will quickly adjust and that he will trust us as his parents soon.
We forgot to tell you about the CBN Training Center for orphans. A few days ago we met Ludmila and Mikhail, a married couple who runs this center. We had tea with them and they prayed for us. Although we didn't understand the prayer (Russian), it brought Joy to tears...as does everything lately. The center is absoulutely wonderful. Ludmila said that about 50 children utilize the facility right now. They are working very hard to spread the word and get more children involved. During our 10-day waiting period, Joy plans to go back and volunteer as needed.
So today we will spend time again with all of the children. Victor has gone back to Kiev for the weekend and will be back on Sunday night. We will meet with him then to make a plan for Monday. That will be a very busy day with court and Bryan's departure. Again, let us tell you how wonderful Victor is as our facilitator. While we were in Tokmak picking up the boys, Victor stopped by the Department of Vital Statistics to check the birth records of all of the children. This is usually done after the 10-day wait, when the court decree is issued. It turns out that Jenna's name is misspelled, as well as the parents' names. Normally, a situation like this would set us back for another month...late August trip back home. Victor did some serious begging for us and the judge will allow us to have court as scheduled and the birth record can be changed without another court hearing. Praise the Lord. Victor said that we are very blessed. Amen!
Thank you again for your comments. We can't wait to read them every day. Keep praying!
Love,
Bryan, Joy, Julia, Jenna, VJ, Alex & Katelyn
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2 comments:
Oh LORD I praise you for going before the Tanner family. I thank you for Victor and that you provided his assistance for this family. I pray for Alex that he would continuously improve and amaze Joy and Bryan in his trust and love for them. I pray that you would open all the children's eyes and ears to the English language as I have heard that it can be a difficult second language. I pray the time will pass quickly and things would move smoothly so that they might return as soon as possible. I pray for all the family members who await stateside that you would protect them during this time. Amen!
I love you guys.
Elizabeth Walsh
Good for people to know.
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