Why Ukraine?

It all started 3 years ago... spring of 2008 to be exact, while the hubby and I were stationed in Germany, we started volunteering (we say we "hung out with") with high school military teens through an organization called, MCYM (Military Community Youth Ministries) and were asked to be leaders/chaperones for the missions trip to Presov, Slovakia. The hubby and I JUMPED on this opportunity, even though we had NO idea what we were in for. It started with a grueling 20+ hour bus ride... enough said. What was our mission while we were there? To serve and minister to the people of Slovakia, and help build a fence for a school to help keep out vandalism. All in all, it was an amazing time... while my hubby and his guys helped out with more of the construction side of building the fence, my group of gals and I did more of the relational ministry with the kids from the school, and in the surrounding neighborhood. Our days were filled with TONS of frisbee playing/football throwing, teaching English, face painting, and just LOVING on these little ones (and sometimes even the "cooler" older kids). The point is, this is when the hubby and I officially fell "in love" with Eastern Europe... this was the starting point of it all.

Throughout the week, I received "Slovak" language lessons from one of the sweetest little girls, Tamara... she was my "Opica", which means "Monkey" in Slovak. She would climb on me and try and tackle me any chance she had.... and I let her... it warmed my heart. While the hubby was helping out with the construction side of this service project, the kids in the school would sweetly stick their heads out of the window, and want to say "hello" to him and everyone else who was helping out with the construction. Everyday, little heads would stick out the windows and would want my hubby's "autograph"... they would hand little pictures they drew specifically for him, and just shower him with smiles. Later (as documented by the picture below), I figured out, it's because he won over their hearts when he showed up at the windows with a big bag of lolipops to hand out to the little ones.

Friends... this was a very special time for the hubby and I. I loved on those little ones like I have never loved on a little one before... and as the bus pulled away (with all the kids surrounding the bus, including my little "monkey" waving goodbye) my heart BROKE. I felt like my time there wasn't finished... like I needed to stay longer. I felt like a piece of myself was left behind. And that's when I knew, I knew that I could be a mom for a child that wasn't "mine" biologically... I knew that I had to come back to Eastern Europe for a child... and this is how the "serious" ideas of adoption (the hubby and I have always thought it would be "neat" to adopt and have an international family but never put it in the forefront of our lives) came about. So why Ukraine? Well, it's one of the only Eastern European countries where adoption is still "open"... most of the other countries have closed up shop. Everyday my heart yearns to be back there, in Eastern Europe, and I have NO doubt, that God has someone(s) special waiting for us there. I'm almost positive that my heart will feel "at rest" when the time comes that we finally meet our little one(s)... and if not, maybe we need to start round two (wink wink)!