Day 2....

Lamentations 3:22-23

"Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.  They are new every morning;  great is your faithfulness."

This promise is especially sweet today...especially after a good night sleep!

We ended yesterday on a high note.  Our pastor and his wife, Richard and Toni, are on this adventure with us.  They are hosting a 15 year old boy from Lativia.  Tetiana and Nikita do not know each other, however they did fly in on the same plane; and they can both speak Russian.  Last night Richard and Toni invited us over for a Russian dinner compliments of a Russian lady who goes to church with us.  We enjoyed cabbage rolls, stew, and great conversation.  Russian is not Tetiana's primary language, but she can understand and speak it.  So we were able to have a great conversation with her about where she is from, what she is hoping to do here in America, and even what she likes to eat.  She also let Olga know that she was happy, liked our house, and was glad to be with here.  This was really what the doctor ordered for my heart!   It was wonderful to see her amazing smile, to see her laugh, and to see her, Nikita and our kids play basketball and chess together - with no language barrier. 

After a great evening, she and I made a quick run to Target to grab her a few essentials.  She came with one outfit...and since they still have not located her bag...she had NOTHING more!  After steering her away from the super short shorts, we settled on a few things to get her through another hot Wyoming day! 

Thank you for your continued prayers....we are all still fairly tired - Justin was called into work this morning at 4a.m. and has to work this afternoon as well; but with one great night sleep under the kids and my belt we are all a bit better today than yesterday!!

 

Paige moved out of her crib, and into Eli's bottom bunk (without any trouble I might add).  Tetiana will be using having Paige's room.  Our neighbors donated a beautiful desk, dresser, and bookshelf (in the corner) that are all matching and really helped the room feel bigger and finished.   The Zebra throw is something soft to send back with her.  One of the few things she will be allowed to keep when she gets back to the orphanage.  Almost everything else will end up in a pool for all kids to share.

 

 

Our Welcome Poster.  It says "Tetiana Welcome to America" in Ukrainian.  All the kid's names we wrote in Ukrainian as well.

 

 

At the airport.  Not too bad of a family picture considering it was 1:30 a.m.

 

 

 

Us Along with Richard and Toni...We are so excited to be doing this together with them!!!

 

 

 

After the boys' baseball game.  She just came to watch the last 30 minutes. 

 

 

Chess!  Seth versus Nikita...no language necessary.  Richard versus Tetiana. 

A New Kind of Adventure...

As usual it has been a long time since I have blogged, but by now that shouldn't be a surprise to anyone.

We are embarking on a new adventure and I am hoping to keep you all up to date on how it is going, primarily so you can keep us in your prayers!!

 About 6 months ago a friend of ours approached us about working with an organization called New Horizon's For Children. They are an organization who works with orphans in the Ukraine, Latvia, and China through a hosting program. I won't do them justice by trying to explain their program for them.   Here is a link to their home page if you are interested in knowing the nitty gritty.  Fast forward through many conversations, questions, and prayers, we decided to host a young girl named Tetiana.  She is 16 years old, and has lived in an orphanage since she was 7.  Although we had some training done, have talked to friends who have hosted, and done a bit of our own research we are still heading into this adventure blindly.  We don't know what to expect, we don't know what she expects, and we don't know how she will ultimately respond to us.

Yesterday was the big day.  The poster was made; red, white, and blue gear was worn; and American flags were in hand.  After a two hour drive to the airport, we received a phone call saying that there was a mix up and some how, Tetiana was the only girl who did not make her flight out.  She would now be coming in on a later (12 hour later) flight.  We proceeded to literally drive by the airport, drive in a big circle and head back home.  The kids were so bummed (so were Justin and I).   We came home and enjoyed a typical day and headed back to the airport, kids in tow, at 11pm.  We joined other family and excited welcomed 5 kids and one chaperon at about 1:15 a.m....then things got a bit more crazy.  Tetiana can speak a very small amount of English.  She was able to communicate that she had a piece of luggage, but that luggage didn't arrive.  Try explaining to the baggage guys at 2:30a.m. that you are missing a piece of luggage; that you only know it's black; that it has clothes and a photo album; and that you have no idea where the tags or ticket information is...is virtually impossible.  Let's just say we will be surprised if they are able to find the bag.

We loaded up and headed on the 2 hour drive home.  In typical Mulkey style Eli immediately throws up in the back seat...but otherwise the drive home was uneventful.   Tetiana seemed to thoroughly enjoy a hot shower and fresh new pajamas.  There was lots of smiling, lots of nodding, and lots of "yeahs." 

Bedtime came for us as the sun was rising...and after 3 short hours, Paige woke up throwing up.  It could be a long day!!!  The coffee pot is busy brewing as I write this.

Please pray for us as we begin this very interesting journey.  Our desire it to truly bless Tetiana; to show her the Love of Christ; and to selflessly serve her while expecting nothing in return.  On a practical note we want to teach her some English and some life skills that might help her in the future.   We want to send her back to the Ukraine knowing that she is truly loved by a family.  Even though we can't adopt her we want her to know we love her...and most importantly that God loves her!