Actually Following Christ ...

A few years ago my friend Kim picked up her daughter Anastasia who was an orphan from the Ukraine. It was a long, hard process and she ended up being at the orphanage a lot more than expected over the course of several months. This is not Anastasia's story -- it is the story of the rest of the children that Kim met in the Ukraine.

You see, my friend Kim has a BEAUTIFUL heart. When she got back to the US with her adorable daughter she could have just sat back and relaxed, the hard work was done. She had followed Jesus' words and cared for an orphan. Case closed. Not good enough for Kim.

Kim laid awake at night thinking about all of the kids still at the orphanage. She wept over them and thoughts of them interrupted her daily life. At a work meeting two years ago she told me her dream (that I fully believe God gave her). She wanted the orphans to come to the US and spend a summer with host families. We began to pray that those kids would be in the US sooner rather than later.

During the past two years she has faced many, many challenges following this dream. Our church didn't have the capacity to run the program -- so she took it on as a personal mission. She didn't have the money to bring them all over here -- so she raised the money. The communication from here to the Ukraine is horrible -- so she stayed up until 4AM to make calls. The American embassy denied the visa appointment for the kids -- so she prayed, and the appointment was granted. Kim laughed and cried and prayed though the whole thing. God was faithful through it all.

Last night, 14 Ukrainian orphans got off the plane in Cincinnati. Many of their host families are smack dab in the middle of adoption processes for them -- but the kids don't know that.

This is Kim and Vadim, an amazing little boy who may not know it, but met his forever family last night:

Here is part of what Vadim's family said about him:

... We came home and got snack (zukruska). After taking a bath (vanna), he was taking a while in the bathroom, so (my husband) checked on him. He was washing his clothes out ---in the sink. So, we worked out the idea of a washing machine and a few other little things before he kissed us goodnight, and he and (our other son) went giggling up to bed. I went up to tuck them in, and he said "ahhhh bed" with a look on his face like he had never been so comfortable or happy in his life ...

This is my friend Beth and her family meeting Zhenya:

Kim described the scene at the airport in an e-mail to me this morning:

Oh - what a night - I can't even put in words . . . Vitali was first one of them off the plane - all by himself - I don't think anyone knew who he was . . . I was BAWLING.

Then came Vadim - I was trying not to attack any of them - he did a HUGE Bearhug, patting my back and most adorable precious smile - the group lost it at that point -

Then some of them were scared to come out - there were hiding in corner at end of the ramp - so I went in - and there was Sasha . . .

Zhenya and Beth's family - oh my - precious precious sweet child. By the end of the night - she was looking at them like she was IN LOVE (they were looking at her like that from the moment she walked off plane)

Vadim (his family has home study completed) - when he got his goody bag (every kid got a bag with monogram blanket, camera, granola bars, sun glasses . . . and candy. Vadim immediatley started passing out treats to "His family." His mama was a bawling mess. His daddy asked me, "I think he looks like us don't you??"

I have to go to bed . . .

Oh - and just got email from Viktor's family saying "We're in love . . . Viktor kept them laughing the whole way home and chattered till he fell asleep and his "dad" had to carry him to bed - wonder if he's ever been carried to bed before.

That's my friend Kim, who is changing the world.