Month 8 -- Holidays and Birthdays!

In pulling photos for this post, I have covered Oct 30 - Dec 4.  In just these 35 days, we have had a LOT going on!  In Addition to Halloween and Thanksgiving holidays, we have managed to celebrate birthdays for Heath, Mason, and Lera. 

I should also mention that Eugene's work has been INSANE, and that he has been traveling a good bit.  Thankfully, he has been home for all of the "festive" occasions, and even took a couple of weeks off in November, but when he works, he works a LOT, and we are all hoping that it will settle down a bit in the new year. 

Of course, with each holiday that we celebrate this year, it is really special sharing our American customs and family traditions with Vitalik and Lera.  All five kids are having a fun time and doing great. 

Here are a few photos.

HALLOWEEN!

Heading out to a neighborhood halloween party with friends Leah and Jeni.

Getting ready for some trick-or-treating on a cold and rainy night.

Vitalik trick-or-treated with pal David.  They hit both of their neighborhoods and had a great time.

HEATH'S BIRTHDAY
Heath turned 7 on November 5th.

MASON'S BIRTHDAY
Mason turned 5 on November 17th.

Eugene is obviously thinking about what a blessing it is that we have
so many birthdays to celebrate during this busy time of year!

THANKSGIVING AT MYRTLE BEACH

We headed out during Thanksgiving, we spent 4 nights in a 3-br condo in Myrtle beach, with a heated indoor pool, a lazy river, and a great ocean view.  We watched the dolphins play in the ocean, celebrated with Mason as he learned to put his face in the water, and relaxed a lot.  L&V had their first Thanksgiving dinner at Golden Coral.  Next year, we'll think about cooking a turkey, but for this year, this seemed just right.

Goofy kids - Vitalik models Lera's eyewear while she tries out poker chips instead.

LERA'S 14TH BIRTHDAY

Since arriving in America, Lera had watched EVERY other person in our family celebrate a birthday, and it was finally her turn!  We generally keep birthdays simple and small, but this time we opted for having a big party.  It was a great night, and she really seemed to feel like a princess.  :-)

Birthday morning.  Presents from the family.

Check it out!!!

 

Lera had a GREAT time opening the most amazing collection of gifts she had ever seen!

 

At one point, Vitalik seemed to think that while Lera wasn't watching, he'd swipe a gift or two for himself! ;-)



It was a pretty cool scene with so many loved-ones gathered to watch her open her gifts.

Last month, we were privileged to welcome home Sophia (formerly Rita), a very dear childhood friend from L&V's school in Ukraine.  Sophie is a really special girl, and we are so thankful that she is home with her forever family!  It was a real treat to have her attend Lera's birthday party!

So, it's been an exciting several weeks...

And now we prepare for our first Christmas together. 

What a rich and exciting life we are enjoying!

Last Christmas, as we were waiting to travel to Ukraine, I somehow just could not hang the "Spencer, Heath, and Mason" stockings until I had found and purchased this new and expanded collection of "V, L, S, H, M" stockings.  This year, seeing them hanging together above the hearth literally makes my heart feel happy every time I look in that direction.  :-)

Harsh-Ukraine Ministries

SO MANY CHILDREN!
During our time in Ukraine, we were painfully aware that happy stories like ours can help only one or two children at a time.  We were blessed with total clarity that this was the right answer for our family, but the problem-solving part of my brain could not help thinking about larger-scale solutions. 

We are told that there are hundreds of thousands of orpahns in
Ukraine (a country the size of Texas).  Here in 2006, these are just a few of the
beautiful kids at L&V's orphanage.  See Lera, age 8, on the back right, wearing blue, waving to the camera.


As we spent time at Vitalik and Lera's school, in the classrooms, on the grounds, playing cards and tossing balls, we were smacked in the face with the reality that our two beautiful children were just two kids in an ocean of beautiful children.  I continue to struggle with the heartbreak that dear friends of my children - people who have been like siblings to them - continue to live their lives without knowing what it feels like to be in a secure and loving home.  I can't fix it, and I have to trust that God has them in his care. 

Vitalik in his room with two of his very dearest childhood friends.   
I'm pretty sure he will still miss these guys when he is fifty.

MEET ESTHER AND JASON HARSH
Since returning home from Ukraine, it has been our family's privilege to support a couple of really special American missionaries who are living in Ukraine, loving and mentoring many of these awesome children and young adults who might otherwise be forgotten.


After spending many years serving in short and long-term missions on various continents, Jason and Esther were married in August, 2010.  They are spending the first three years of their married life showing God's love to the beautiful children of Ukraine, where Esther's ministries have focused since 2003.  Esther and Jason do their best each day to emulate the example of Jesus, showing the orphans of Ukraine that they matter, that they have purpose, that they are important, and that they are loved.

Esther recently wrote:  "By the grace of God, lives are being changed – forever. Jason and I focus on recreational and relational activities that enhance self-esteem, feeling of purpose, coping and communication skills, and, most importantly, understanding love. Knowing youth on a personal level opens up channels for ministry and conversation to help guide, direct, and to be examples of God’s love and grace."


Jason and Esther visit orphanages weekly to build relationships with the kids before they age out of the system.  They teach character development, life skills, decision-making, relationship building, etc. through small group and one-on-one activities.  Here they have invited a group from a local oraphange for dniner and movie night.



Along with working inside the orphanages, Jason and Esther spend several days a week with teenagers and young adults who have aged out, and are basically on their own from age 16.  Their den is used as a ministry room, and is put to great use throughout the week.  





Jason and Esther help meet spiritual and emotional needs, teach life skills, counsel, and prepare them for a more successful life. They help give these youth the opportunity to grow and learn through these spiritually focused groups as well as weekly English clubs and game nights, movie nights, annual conferences, ski trips, hikes, and other fun and healthy activities.



Before we left Ukraine, Esther and Jason hosted us for lunch. 
Vitalik remembers asking her if he could have a soda, to which she responded, "Vitalik, my home is your home.  Of course, you can have a soda!"   It is difficult to convey how radical this must have sounded to Vitailk, who had spent his life as an orphan - to have a "privileged" person treat him with such respect and hospitality.    

PRICELESS PHOTOS!

We are one of several adoptive families who have received the great unexpected blessng of a collection of photos from our new children's past.  Thanks to Esther's photo collection, we don't have to wonder just how adorable Vitalik and Lera were when they were younger.  What a gift to have this window into the years that we missed with them.  What a gift for them to know that they were beautiful children, and that they were loved by people who kept pictures to prove it!

2004 - Vitalik (almost 8) with a missionary friend on Esther's team.

2005 - Vitalik (almost 9) in the middle wearing orange.  Esther left back wearing navy t-shirt.

Vitalik (almost 9) front right in orange.  Check out the attitude. :-)

2006 - Vitalik (almost 10) and Lera (8) enjoying some special
attention from missionary friends on Esther's team.

Lera (8) and missionary friend.  Her hat is covering a shaved head.  Like most orphans in Ukraine, she was accustomed to having her head shaved without warning from time to time.  She can tell you exactly how many times this occurred, and she is very thankful to know that it will not happen ever again. 

2006 - several kids on the playground.

2007 - Esther and Vitalik (10).  He hates this "chubby face" photo.
I think he is adorable.



2008 - Sweet Lera age 10 If she looks happy in this photo, it's probably because Esther
and friends were taking a group of the kids on a trip and making her feel special and loved.  

2008 - Vitalik (11) and Lera (10) enjoying an outing with Esther's team of missionaries.

2008 - Sweet Lera (10) on the playground.

2008 - Vitalik (11) and his special pal Caryn, a close friend of Esther's who accompanied her on many trips to Ukraine, and who spent the last 5 years praying for God to send parents for her sweet friends, Vitalik and Lera.

Sept 2008, Vitalik (12) and many friends playing Uno with a member of Esther's team. 

Sept 2008 - Lera 10.5 with Esther.

Sept 2008 - Vitalik (12)

Sept 2008 - Lera 10.5 on her school's playground.



2009 - Vitalik (12.5) and Esther. 

 



2011 - Our happy ending.  Esther and her new husband Jason invite
Vitalik and Lera (along with their new parents) to lunch.  :-) 

What a joy it was for all of us to look at photos from the past many years.  L&V were very interested and excited to see photos of their smaller selves.  Eugene and I were just ... well, there are no words.



Of course, most of the children Esther and Jason dare to love are not adopted.  We are told that at age 7, an orpahn in Ukraine has a 20% chance of being adopted, and of course, the chances drop each year so that being adopted becomes a real statistical improbability for teens.  This is where Jason and Esther's critical ministry comes in. 



SUPPORT HARSH-UKRAINE MINISTRIES

Esther and Jason run their lives of ministry on a tight budget.  Our contributions of American dollars buy more in Ukraine than they do in the U.S. and every dollar makes a difference.  If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation to support this important ministry, checks may be made payable to "ComeNServe" with "Friends of Esther and Jason Harsh" in the memo line. 

Mail to: 

ComeNServe
c/o Kathy Redmond

12230 Teegarden LN

Independence, KY  41051

An online version of their most recent newsletter is available at:  http://tinyurl.com/cchaupm and financial reports are available upon request.