I definitely did not want to miss out on sharing with everyone about how we got to see God work during our time there. It may take me a few posts, but I'll start from the beginning...
We were met at the airport by our wonderful and friendly drivers and our translator. It took 3 carloads to get us to our hotel. One van was completely dedicated to all of our suitcases with all of the equipment and toys! Karen and I rode with our translator and her boyfriend. I was trying to balance getting to know them while also looking out the window at my first glimpses of Ukraine.
To be honest, it took me a few days to feel comfortable in this new culture. By the third day, I was loving it! Trying new foods, walking new streets, meeting new people, playing with beautiful children...I was soaking in every moment.
On Monday, we were able to meet with the director of the orphanage and his wife. They were very welcoming and were eager to hear more about our plans for the week. He told us to expect around 30 doctors and caregivers from 3 different orhanages for our presentation and demonstrations. Then Kym, Amanda, and Karen shared a picture book with photos of their children whom they had adopted from the very orphanage we were sitting in. The director and his wife just oohed and ahhed over every picture, amazed to see the kids in the swimming pool, horseback riding, and on a "quadracycle" (four wheeler). They remembered each of the kids and they absolutely loved getting to see how they were doing.
Then we got to go up to the special needs room and play. When we walked in, it was a bustle of activity! A little boy on a rocking horse, one bouncing on a ball, and another up in a walker. The caregivers have really been working with these children since the girls' last trip. It was a blessing to get to see these kids up and out of their beds and playing. Two of the little boys I held were so giggly and happy. When I set each of them down, they began to cry, so of course I scooped them right back up!! It was fun to just love on them a little bit. The caregivers really care for these children, but they can't give them all one on one attention all of the time, so it was fun to see the kids enjoying LOTS of attention!
Every afternoon we had to leave because of naptime. Couldn't they have just skipped naptime for the week? :) I wanted to keep playing!!
I will post more about the rest of our week soon. Here are some photos from our first day...
One of our rooms
Lunch Time
He was such a happy little guy!
He loves the walker and even got a little rambunctious in it!
Cute boys
Meeting with the director
1 comment:
Great post. Is the boy with the girl in red named Kirill?
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