Charles Pasha Dailey finally at home.

In his bedroom and bed. 

He and his momma finally landed arrived around 11:30 PM.  After we took my father-in-law home and our daughter we arrived home around 2:00 AM.  He had to investigate the house and meet the dogs, and I mean this was the highlight of his homecoming this child LOVES dogs!!!  We finally got him in bed around 2:30 AM he went to sleep and was up again bright and early Monday morning around 7:00 AM and did not stop until I got in him bed again Monday night at 10:00 PM.  He played has hard as he could Tuesday and got in bed at 9:00 PM, and Wednesday night it was 9:30 PM but that was because of church.  

Did I mention he really likes the dogs and I think they like him just a little!!! 

Day 70 and our Adoption Journey is now complete! .

Well after what started over two months ago is about to come to an end and the next part of the saga will begin.  We waited and prayed for passports every day last week and on Thursday we finally made a decision that I would have to travel home and  because I need to be back at work on Monday.  So after we had not heard anything about the passport I booked my flight.  I then packed and got up at 2:30 AM Ukrainian time and began the almost 24 hour trip home.  When I finally landed in Chicago I turned my phone on and I had a message from Kathy that said, WE GOT PASHA’S PASSPORT and we are coming home Sunday.  PRAISE THE LORD. 

It was good that I came home early because Saturday morning the AC quit.  I thought it may have just froze up because our daughter had turned it up higher since we were not home and I turned it down some.  But I turned it off all day Saturday as I was doing all of my shopping that I needed to do for groceries and other necessary supplies.  When I arrived back home late Saturday night I turned it back on and it cooled a couple of minutes and then started blowing hot again.  So last night I slept with no air but I had a ceiling fan that I was able to use and also I was acclimated to the temperature from being in Ukraine in a couple of apartments that were very nice but had no AC.  So I called my sons Sunday morning and they were able to get the part I needed and got the AC back on.  They were working on the Stove trying to get it going again but the small tank I had gotten to get us by a couple of days uses a regulator and the stove also has a built in regulator so the two regulators combined kept the pressure so low the gas could not get through to the Stove.  But thank God yesterday we finally got a tank that allowed Kathy to cook us a regular meal of cube steak, mashed potatoes and gravy, Paula Dean's Green beans (Fried with Bacon and onions, WONDERFUL DISH), and Fried Green Tomatoes and biscuits.  Oh yes this ole boy eat till I thought I would pop.  Pasha on the other hand is still having eating issues, I think it is because his teeth are in such bad shape, and we will be getting him to the dentist for that soon.

There was a good bit of storm activity Sunday between Washington D.C. and Charlotte NC and because of it Kathy’s flight was delayed but she and Pasha finally arrived safe and sound at 11:30 PM Sunday evening.  What should have taken only 5 or 6 weeks max, actually took us 10 weeks.  And while there were times we did get home sick, we are truly thankful for the experience and the opportunity that we had.  Pasha is a great joy to be with, but at the same time he is a 10 year old boy with lots of energy and our Jack Russell’s don’t know what to think of him.  He loves them but they are trying to learn him.  The one dog I thought would be the one to take to him, is the one that runs from him and the one I thought would run she is eating him up.  She will let him do whatever he wants and she don’t mind.  I know the others in time will learn to love him and enjoy being with him, but right now they just don’t know what to do with all of this attention, and they don’t understand his playing methods but they will with time.

But we are so glad to be home and SO IS PASHA, the little man goes from the time his feet hit the floor of a morning until he goes to bed at night. He is loving his new home and surroundings, and we are losing weight keeping up with him.  But there one that I will like to say as I close out this saga, there is NO PLACE LIKE HOME!!!

Day 62 of our adoption and spiritual journey

“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6 KJV).

Today a scripture I really needed was in an email “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves” (Philippians 2:3 KJV).  Why did I need this and why this particular email?  Well I am a child of God and God knows me even better than I know myself or am willing to admit.  He knows that right now we who are here in Eastern Europe (EE) waiting on passports are frustrated because the only thing that keeps us from going home are the passports that must be printed by this EE country.  Right now it has been four weeks since a passport was printed and we are told each week they will be printed next week and when that week comes, no passport.  So you see the frustration that many of us are having to deal with.  Also we paid additional money to have the passport print expedited within five working days.  It is going on three weeks now and we still have not gotten a passport for “P” so you see how our frustration can excel to great heights during these trying times.

God I know is helping me each day and he keeps reminding me of the words of his servant Paul, “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.  I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.  I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:11-13 KJV).  And I am also reminded that one night while on a ship that was being tossed about in a very bad storm that had lasted many days, Paul said “The angle of the Lord of whose I am stood before me this night.”  I really like that “The Lord of whose I am!”  Those words alone should make any child or God stand up and praise him because we are HIS CHILDREN!  And he is watching over us and he is protecting us.

You see from the scripture above we need to learn contentment because we have been raised in a Burger King society of have it your way, when you want it and accept nothing less.   But this is not the attitude that God wants us to have.  During the first few days that “P” was with us we bought him some toys and things because he had nothing of his own, because everything at the facility he was in belonged to the facility and was shared by all.  So as we bought these things he began to expect that whatever he wanted we would get for him.  And when we started saying no he began to get angry and pitch his little temper tantrums just like we do when we don’t get our way in society or the world.   We stop and we pitch our temper tantrums, why?  Because of our Burger King attitude, we did not get it our way, our style, color, size or when we wanted it.  God is not pleased with this and when we do God like this, he loves us enough to ignore us until we finally calm down and allow ourselves to finally listen to him. You see God’s ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts, His ways and thoughts are so much higher than ours.  He will take care of us but we must put our complete faith and trust in him.  Yes sometimes he says yes when we ask, sometimes no and sometimes I’m working on it which means we need to waiting upon the Lord and when we do we shall renew our strength.

Yesterday there were about eleven families that got together at a favorite hot spot for most U.S. Citizens that come here for adoptions.  We met there and had a great time together and yes they are also frustrated with the situation but right now there is nothing WE can do.  But we must put our trust, faith and hope in GOD because He is the only one who can correct this situation.  I am reminded of a song titled “I Will Talk to My Father for You,” and performed by the Nelons, and the words are:

Verse 1: If you’ve got a problem, I'd sure like to share;
There's one special way I can show you I care.
I could offer opinions that might prove untrue;
For the only sure answer, here's what I'll do.

Verse 2: I have never prayed fire down from the sky,
but God saw each tear that ever fell from these eyes.
So if you've got a mountain alone you can't climb,
I'll take your burdens, and I'll make them mine.

Chorus: I will talk to the Father for you, and if I know my Father,
here's what He'll do;
He will lay at your feet all the things you pursue.
It's no bother, for my Father will do it for you.

Please continue to pray for us as we wait upon the Lord to provide for us “P’s” passport so we can come home with our son.  Also remember Kathy, a couple of days ago she stumbled and fell and hurt her knee and it is badly bruised and she cannot stand on it long.  And my ear left ear has been infected from the heat and my hearing aids for the last week but praise God I think it is finally getting well.  I found some drops that I started putting in it and Kathy has been doctoring it and it feels much better today and last night I began to hear, as well as I can, in that ear.  So among the dark clouds there have been some sunshine and we are truly thankful for that.  Praise His Name to God Be the Glory, Great Things He Has Done!

Day 60 of our Adoption journey

What should have only been at the max of maybe 42 is now at 60 days and currently we still do not know when we will be able to travel home.  Right now we have everything done but the one road block is the Eastern European country we have adopted in changed the company that prints their passports and no passports have been printed in 4 weeks now.  We have been waiting on ours for 2 weeks now and finally this morning we were told that only test passports were printed and 80% of those were rejected due to faulty printing equipment.  We have been assured, as we have in the past few weeks, they are working 24/7 to correct the problem.  You see “P” is still considered a citizen of this EE country and will not officially be a U.S. Citizen until we can 1) get his EE passport, 2) The U.S. Embassy stamps his visa, 3) reach the First U.S. checkpoint and when they Stamp his passport he will then officially be an American citizen. 

We have contacted several government officials to ask for assistance, not just for us but there are six other families that are stuck here waiting on passports and many of them have children that need medical attention as soon as they can get it.  This situation is putting some of them in great danger and others are quickly running out of funds and one family may not have enough to get back home.  As I said we have contacted many, many government officials including, Senators, Representatives, U. S. State department, U.S. Embassy and the U.S. Consulate office.  Asking of for Emergency Passports for these children and get this we are basically told oh there is nothing we can do!  If they were truthful they would say there is nothing they will do.  What gets me about this is the current administration in office in Washington is supporting illegal immigrants and giving them free medical care, food stamps, lodging and jobs.  But for U.S. Tax payers like me who actually pay their salaries and help fund all of the free hand outs, when we ask for just an emergency passport so we can come home we are basically spat on and said No! “We will not do anything to help you because you are doing it legally and your are a tax payer!

Okay I have been on my soap box and said my peace now what I must remember is that while I am frustrated and aggravated with the system I cannot not let it consume me.  Why, because I had let it and when I realized it today I had to ask God for forgiveness.  You see when we allow frustration and anger to fill our inner being there is no room for the Spirit.  So I had to ask God to forgive me for allowing this to fill me to the point I could not feel Him or His Spirit.  Once I had that done I can forgive, oh I am still upset and frustrated with the situation but I refuse to allow it to eat me up and cause me to not feel the Spirit of God.  I know God is working on it, why?  Because I have asked him to.  We read in His word, “Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name. Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope in thee” (Psalm 33:20-22 KJV).   And then “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31 KJV).  And finally “But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26 KJV).

Maybe this is the lesson God is trying to show me the to be more patient and not keep these feelings of frustration to a point where we can deal with them but not lose sight nor feeling of the Spirit and Will of God.  So please pray that we all can wait upon the Lord, I am reminded of a song the McKamey’s recorded a few years back “You’re Still God.”  You can listen to it here, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLaqFu6SMt4.  Sometimes we need to be reminded we are still children of God and that is what matters. But also the paths we choose in this life as reflected by the late Robert Frost.
 "I shall be telling this with a sigh 
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."
(The Great poet Robert Frost penned this in his poem "The Road Not Taken", one of my favorite poems published in 1916.)  Question is what paths have your chosen?  Will you be proud to tell others of your path in years to come or completely ashamed and wanted to hide the paths?  Think about it?

Each day we are with “P” we are learning more about him and tickled at many of the little sounds he makes.  I love to sit and watch him play a game on the pad because he talks to himself through sign.  I guess to him this is how he thinks because many times I have watched as he spells things out.  We are working on some issues with sleeping and eating and we just discovered why he is not wanting to eat any meat.  His teeth are in horrible shape and one of them broke the other day and he told me it was hurting.  I have noticed he does not chew on that side either and the food that he does eat are the softer foods.  And it must be just the right temperature not to hot and not cold.   We are teaching him to pray before our meals and the other day I saw him open some chips to eat and I watched and he said his prayer in sign.  I am thankful I taught him this and now each night before he goes to sleep I go in and pray with him in ASL.  My prayer is that I will be able to teach him who God is and what Christ did for him so he will understand.  And it would be a great honor for either his mother or me to be the one who leads him to Christ.

Continue to pray for us as we wait on his passport and please pray it comes soon and that our funds hold out.  I was planning to go home today and Kathy and another mom were going to room together but yesterday Kathy stumbled and fell on our way back from lunch and has hurt her knee and foot. So I am going to stay and do the leg work and take care of her and "P".  She is having problems walking on them so please pray for her that God would touch her and heal her.

Day 58 of our adoption journey

 “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not” (Jeremiah 33:3 KJV).

Can you believe we have been in EE for almost 2 months now?  We should have had the passport last week but due to some changes in the company that prints the EE passports and contracts not being settled we still do not have a passport.  We were informed yesterday they were going to start printing today, and we are just going to trust in God that they are and we will have our passport in the next day or two so we can come home.  Please join us in prayer for this because we are so ready to come home!  We are almost there we had our first meeting with the U.S. Embassy on Monday and then we had to go for “P” medicals and today we are going back to for his second Medical.  If everything goes well when we get his final medical and passport then we can get the U.S. Embassy to stamp the visa on his passport.  Then we can book the first flight home!  So again Please Pray. (See final entry below!)

Yesterday we did not have any meetings so we took “P” to the Zoo.  OH MY just let me tell you it was look at this and look at that and go here and go there and buy me this, buy me that and Momma and Dad saying no, no, no.  Then there were rides in the zoo, WOW talk about killing two birds with one stone we did.  He had a blast but I think, no let me rephrase that I know for sure “P” is getting spoiled and Momma and Dad has started telling young Dailey man no.  Oh he does not like it but then that is just being a typical child.  And talk about tired, Mom and Dad was just plain wore out.  And then we got back to the apartment and he played on the playground for about 2 hours as fast as he could go.  And last night he slept all night and I finally woke him up at 8:30 this morning.  Now through the Zoo God gave us three loaves of bread, first was the Zoo and then we had also told Pasha we would try to find an amusement park for him and guess what?  Yep that is right the Zoo had one right in the middle.  And then we needed a good place to eat and Yep you guessed it right in the middle of the amusement park there as a McFoxy.   This was totally chicken and was it delicious.  So God provide three loaves in this one place but he was not finished with his blessings on us yesterday more loaves coming keep reading.

We have been very concerned about Kathy diabetes because one the medications she uses to control her blood sugar ran out week before last and the other medication she takes twice a day she only had enough for one more day.  Well yesterday, through the grace of God, I was finally able for find a pharmacy that had the one she takes twice a day and the other one that ran out prior they have ordered and it should arrive this evening.  Talk about God working things out, just has he has been this entire trip.  I was so afraid that I would not be able to find a pharmacy that carried this, but before I went I had the names of the medications translated and took that with me.  I gave them the bottles and immediately the attendant told me no, so then I gave her the translation and she shook her head yes!  I know it was God that sent to foreknowledge to translate the medication names before I went.  Then I needed to get some money exchanged but the bank had already closed for the day so it was on to the market for food supplies.  While standing in line at the checkout in the market I looked up and lo and behold they had an exchange office right there in the store!  So God gave me a great a double blessing yesterday, medicine, groceries and money exchange, again three loaves of bread (Blessings).

This morning we had the go back for our final medical and we got a negative on the TB test.  Wonderful news so now the only thing that prevents us from going home is the passport so we can get the visa stamped in it.  If we had that we could leave on the 4:00 AM plane in the morning.  So I am asking you to pray for this and to get all your friends and prayer partners, and prayer warriors to send up prayers for the passport so we can go home either tomorrow or Friday!

“And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;” (Luke 11:5 KJV).

The picture of the day is “P” at the Zoo and man this looked so fun Dad really wanted to try this out myself.  Take a look and you will see that I am talking about, he is the one on the left in blue.

Day 52 of our adoption journey

I do apologize for the long delay in posting to my blog but we have been staying with some missionary friends and it has been so wonderful to have fellow Christian here to worship with.  I have been able to attend a bible study, church service and an early Morning Prayer service with them.  Kathy was able to attend a ladies bible study.  We were with them for 5 nights and the hospitality and fellowship we had with them will never be forgotten.  Please pray for Daniel and his wife Janette and Tim and His wife Christine as they work hard here to build a church and witness to the lost.   We would have stayed longer but they have a team from California coming in today and the room we were staying in they had already planned for some of the team members to stay in.  But our facilitator was able to help us get another apartment to stay in until Sunday.

The apartment we are in is very convenient to the market and to the tram.  We can almost walk right out the door to the tram.  WOW talk about convenience and the market is on the next block and it is a huge market too.  We now have that time to be with Pasha one on one and we are learning many things about him.  First of all he loves to kid around and I have to remind him when it is appropriate and when it is not.  Also we are finding out for him bedtime evidently means playtime and last night we had to put him in a time out and take away his computer privileges today.  I also communicated to him that he must obey Momma and Dad and he must also respect us.  We knew there was going to be some issues but as Forrest Gump said, Life is like a box of chocolates you never know what you are going to get; however, we will deal with each and work through them each day at a time.

I told Tim today as he was helping me buy train tickets, that God is teaching me more about myself through my children and grandchildren.  And he is showing me many things about myself through Pasha.  And every day he gets up wanting to know if this is the day we will fly home.  He really wants to go home and he knows which clothes he wants to wear as we make the final journey home.  Each morning he makes sure where all of his clothes and personal items are just in case this is the day.  We will be leaving this region and head to the region where the U.S. Embassy is Sunday because we have our first appointment with them Monday.  And also on Monday we “P” will need to have his medical done.  We will return to the Embassy on Wednesday to complete the paper work we can until we get his passport.  Once we have his passport and we can get a visa stamped in it that WE CAN BOOK OUR FLIGHT HOME!!!  So guys please pray that his passport will be printed soon.

There have been some issues with the passports here and none have been printed in the last three weeks.  They are changing the company that prints the passports and all of the necessary paper work was not completed when the date of the change came.  So we are hoping and praying that passports will be printed next week.

Finally I just wanted to say that 29 years ago today God brought another wonderful little boy into our lives at 11:50 AM and today was the first time in those 29 years that we did not get to celebrate his birthday with him.  But as is tradition at our home on the 4th of July he did all of the grilling since we were not there.   So I would like to say Jared, Happy Birthday, was so good to skype with you today and I do pray that you had a great day.  Love you  from Mom and Dad.