Urgent Prayer Request

Ukraine might put a moratorium on all international adoptions. Apparently it might not have just been a grumpy orphanage director who decided not to allow the kids to come to Birmingham this summer. I do not have all the details on this. I saw this posted on the well trained mind forum.

The Rada is meeting on June 2nd (7 hours ahead of EST) to consider a bill that would put a halt on all international adoptions. There is even talk that parents who are IN Ukraine right now could be sent home without their children. Please join me in praying that this bill would NOT pass AND that the Lord would make the way clear for us to adopt Katya this summer. Thanks!!!
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I can't even describe how this makes me feel. Randy and Valerie (the people who the kids in Birmingham) are supposed to be getting the last of their kids this summer. I am not sure what time they were going. I hope that they already have their children. Please pray for these kids. Most of the children who are adopted in Ukraine are not adopted by local people. If they put a stop to, or heavy restrictions on, foreign adoptions, there are going to be sooooo many beautiful children who suffer.

The Orphans Are Not Coming

I got an e-mail yesterday that made me very sad. The orphans from Ukraine are not coming this year. The orphanage director decided against it. What makes this even worse is the fact that kids coming this year were going to be coming from the Belaroschensky Orphanage which is a very poor orphanage. Reach Orphans With Hope has done fundraisers to buy these kids sinks, showerstalls, beds, cooking pots, windowpanes, you name it, they probably needed it. Or even worse, still do need it. Please be much in prayer for these kids. It is the understanding of the people at Reach Orphans With Hope that the kids had already been told they were coming. To give you a kind of idea what life offers these kids read this:

Orphan Statistics for Ukraine

* Ukraine has over 100,000 orphans.
* Only 10% of these are orphaned due to death of a parent; the rest are social orphans – due to alcoholism, abandonment, or imprisonment of parents.
* Every year, more than 2,000 mothers abandon their babies in maternity hospitals. Between 6 and 7 thousand more are abandoned at an older age or removed from home due to crime or neglect.
* Many social orphans have experienced abuse and violence from parents who were drug addicts or alcoholics.
* Orphans typically grow up in large state-run homes, which may house over 200 children.
* Many children run away from these homes, preferring to live on the street.
* Children usually graduate from these institutions between 15 and 16 years old and are turned out, unprepared for life outside the home.
* About 10% of them will commit suicide after leaving the orphanage before their 18th birthday.
* 60% of the girls will end up in prostitution. Those who run prostitution rings target orphaned girls, who are especially vulnerable due to their lack of options and lack of people who care what happens to them. Though promised good jobs, they end up on the streets and brothels of cities across Europe.
* 70% of the boys will enter a life of crime. Many of these will die young of violence or end up in prison. Most inmates contract TB in prison.

That is horrible! These kids need people acting on their behalf. Through prayer and humanitarian efforts, through Bible study and the teaching of job skills, these kids can learn that God has a plan for their lives. They can learn that they ARE precious in His sight and does care for them. I know I asked this before, but please pray for the kids who are in these orphanages. They need someone to.

My Other Kids

We recently got to spend some time with kids visiting Birmingham from Poltava Orphanage in Ukraine. This was our second year to be involved with Reach Orphans With Hope. They are an orphan care ministry that helps kids in Ukraine to understand that God has a purpose for their lives. Last year when we went the only words I knew in Russian were yes, no, and juice. This year I visited a website called Mango Languages for free Russian lessons. I knew how to say hello, how are you, what is your name, my name is Kelli, and goodbye. That is still soo not enough. My husband and I have decided we are really going to make learning Russian a priority. It would be so great to really get to talk to these kids. They are so precious. I wish that we could adopt several of them. There were some last year that i just wanted to bring home right on the spot. This year was no different. I have a few pictures giving a glimpse of what we got to do.

Our youth that went


Andriy sharing his ring pop with a DOG!!!! (the dog was behind the picnic table)


Sergiy showing off the blue mouth he got from his ring pop


The guys from our group got STOMPED at soccer


Samuel and Artem on the slip and slide


Artur was cold when the water hit him


Everybody liked the slip and slide


More slip and slide fun


It started to rain so we went inside for some indoor fun


Tanya shows off the hat she made


I think Jordan and Matt had as much fun as any of the kids


Vlad


Benjamin and Matt


Vicka with an interpreter


Tanya painting a wooden box


Vlad creating


Look what Vlad made!!!


Artur hard at work long after everyone else


Mark and me with Andy


Playing the piano


Sometimes I wonder why we take them places


Legos- the universal language of little boys everywhere



Artem dominating the chessboard, Chris is observing and taking notes


Atrem beating Jordan, Chris is praying that he does well


Aha! Checkmate. Mulah dietz, Artem!!!

There are so many things that pictures do not tell, like how precious the children are, how they are so appreciative of just little gifts like pillows and yo-yos. They love it when you smile at them or just talk to them. I wish I had a camera that could capture their expression when I said some of the few words I could in Russian. I wish that I could find homes for all of them. They are flying home as type these words. Some of them will once again get to experience what it is like to have someone say "I love you, you are special, " things like that. Unfortunately, most of them will not. Please pray for these children, as well as the rest of the over 100,000 other orphan children in Ukraine.