Farwell Mykoliv.....

This will most likely be my last post until returning home so I will do my best to make it count. It has been a very tough few days for us emotionally. It has occurred to us that in 3 days we will be leaving this place and taking our daughter from the only life and family that she has ever known. This has been one amazing journey and it will be hard holding back my tears while writing this.

Though we have been extremely homesick and miss the true pleasures of home, Ukraine has been good to us. We have emerged ourselves into the culture, shown our appreciation, and have been respectful to each and every person we have met. For those of you who will soon travel, do not expect to come here and see the streets filled with smiling faces, the cars will run you over and do not give way to pedestrians, strangers do not hold the door for you, and you will be pushed out of the way on several occasions....but, make one friend ~ and you will see what Ukraine is really about! Watch the caregivers love the children, watch the mommas and poppas walk down the street holding their childs hand, watch the man and lady kiss while waiting for the bus....this is Ukraine. They are kind, giving, and very warm, and simple. Jason and I will forever hold a special place in our hearts for this country and it's people - especially the children.

Yesterday's visit at the orphange was a very special one for us. We were finally struck by the reality of all of this and what was going to happen in only a few days. The caregivers took us to see a play that was put on by some of the older children. There we were...all of the mommas, pappas and thier new sons and daughters. We were all smiling while watching the children dance and sing to the piano, while the "live" snowman told a story that made the children giggle with delight...at that moment I looked up and seen about 30 of the most beautiful children I have ever seen and realized that not one of them has a family! a real family! No moms - no dads! they were all orphans, yet every single one of them were beaming with happiness. The tears just started pouring from my eyes. Why do these angels have to live here? Don't get me wrong, this orphange is spectacular and so is every person who works here, but this is no place for a child to be raised. These children deserve so much more than this. What will happen to Katia - who is so unbelievably clever? or Galia who has this spark of energy and love? and what about Vanya the big brother of the group? or Victoria who is gentle and kind? Will all of these gifts from God one day find a family and flurish into beautiful adults? or will they fade away over the years while waiting in the system? You can see the potential in each and every one of these children. And they have a great spirit and love for life! You can see it in their eyes and you feel it in their hugs. Over the past 4 weeks all 16 of these children have touched me in some way and I cannot even put into words how hard itis going to be leaving them behind not knowing thier fate! A day will not pass that I will not think about them. I will dream about what they can become, I will fear what they may not be given, and I will hope and pray that they will all get the same opportunities as Olena!

As many of you know, I was not a person of faith. In fact I did not belive in much of anything especially God. Through a very special friend who was brought into my life about 6 months ago, my eyes were opened for the first time and I was able to see that I was truly blessed in many ways. All I had to do was open my eyes and believe. Since being here...God has touched me for the second time by letting me share this brief moment of my life with these remarkable children - and has brought Olena into our arms. I will forever be grateful and I will always remember this miracle! Jason and I have grown as a couple, shared tears of joy as well as many tears of saddness. We have grown as individuals as well and have learned that there is so much more to life than we ever thought. We will forever be greatful for our families and our friends and will remember all of those who are so less fortunate than us, and we will pray for them.

Over the next few days we will enjoy our last days with the groupa, share lots of hugs and laughs, then Tuesday is the magic day. We will be busy from sunrise to sunset finalizing paperwork, taking Olena from the orphange and setting sail for Kiev. We have decided to try and go to Kiev by car if the price is reasonable because the train takes too long and I feel Olena will do better with driving. We will arrive in Kiev early Wednesday morning and we will start to complete the final steps before returning home. We will leave Ukraine at noon on Sunday and will arrive on US soil in Detroit on Sunday the 17th around 7pm. It will be a joyous yet sad occassion. We will miss many things we have grown to love so much here in Ukraine, but we know we must move forward and hope for the best...and maybe hope that we can some day have the courage to return and maybe bring home a brother or sister for Olena. Jason and I cannot thank you all enough for the kind words you have shared while we have been here. We have had many days when your posts have made us smile and even occassionally cry. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Our journey is almost complete and a new chapter in our life will begin! We hope all of you have enjoyed it as much as we have! and we wish those of you who will adopt soon - the best of luck. Thank you !
Love always, Jason, Christina and Olena Warchol! God Bless!