Come One - Come All

Troy is being baptized on Christmas Eve at 5:30 pm. Our Stake Center is 1570 W. 11400S. South Jordan, Utah. Our number is 302-3399

Who would have guessed?

Well, we have celebrated Troy's 10th birthday and his first Thanksgiving. His english is amazing. He is adjusting so well. It's like he has always been here. We are proud of all of our kids for making him feel so welcome. We put up the Christmas tree and decorations and his eyes nearly popped out of his head. He just ran around smiling. Some things you just can't buy. I am grateful that there was room for one more at our "Inn". All of those of you who supported us should feel a smile in your hearts. Happy Holidays.

And they lived happily ever after......

Troy's adjustment has been amazing. He is loving being here. He's his Mommy's boy and Daddy's too. He is loved by his siblings. Our daughter Krista stayed with her two kids until Troy arrived from Ukraine. My two year old grandson ran around calling for "Uncle Troy". I am very surprised at how quickly he is picking up English. We have very little difficulty communicating. He must have my brains. That's okay - I wasn't using them anyway.
The only thing he didn't like was Primary class and Dave took him kicking and screaming. Once he realized he was safe he was fine. He's already started school and had fun with Halloween parties. This Friday is his 10th birthday. His best friend adopted from Ukraine by the Reynolds is coming to visit. It's great he already has a best friend. Troy has a great sense of humor and keeps us laughing. Dave said we had to fight for Dmytro because he is one of the good ones. He's right.

They're Back!

Two of my favorite men finally made it home on Friday night. Back where they belong. Dmytro "Troy" was happy to see all of his family members at the airport. He is fitting in just like he had never left. We are glad this part of the journey is over.

Green light for Friday!

Vladimir is the Man. He got everything done and the boys will head home on Friday. Dmytro passed his medical with flying colors. See you there. United flight 6683 Denver to SLC 7:22 pm
If anything changes I will post it.

FREE AT LAST! FREE AT LAST!

According to Dave he sprung Dmytro "Troy" Edward Luke out of "no parent prison" this morning. He has Vladimir helping him now. When they got to the court none of the papers were ready like they were supposed to be and the copy machine was broken. Dave said Vladimir put on his superman cape and fixed the copier and got the papers ready. They then headed to the orphanage and with a quick "donation" Dima was free. I am so relieved as they have not been kind to Dave and Dima even up until the last moment. They are now rushing around Ukraine to get the necessary paperwork done so they can be on the plane Friday. How wonderful it will be to have them home.
Just Added:
I received an e-mail from Dave. Vladimir was able to get Dmytro's birth certificate and passport in one day. Wednesday they head to Kiev for a medical and interview at the US Embassy. Things look really good for Friday.

A Hero's Welcome

Dave has endured to the end and is hoping to have Dima out of the orphanage on Tuesday. It will be a mad dash to complete all of the necessary paperwork for them to catch their plane on Friday. If all goes very well they will arrive in Salt Lake City on Friday October 24 at 7:22 pm. We will meet in the United Airlines baggage claim. You are all invited to come and help us greet them. Bring your American flags and wear your yellow ribbons. They are both heroes in my book. We will put yellow ribbons up at our house if they are coming. Call me or check the website to be sure they are on that plane. I will update as needed. Your thoughts and prayers have pulled us through. THANKS EVERYONE.
Love,
Lee-Ann

I made it just in time

Well, I made it home on Thursday night. It was a surprise at the airport because two other families, Millers and Reynolds, returned just after my flight with their new kids. I wasn't aware they were coming in. It was so good to see them. My daughters, Krista and Ruth were not feeling well when I got home. They needed back up. Friday, our 12 year old Zane flipped off his scooter and knocked out his front teeth. He had quite some repair work to do and still do. He was glad his Mom was there for him. Dave continually fights with the orphanage to visit Dmytro. They have alot of fun together and Dave says Dmytro is back to his trusting self. It was like a big weight was lifted off of him when he finally told the judge yes.
We are hoping they will come home on Friday October 24 United Airlines [between Denver and SLC] at 7:22pm. We will post it and you are all welcome to come to the airport and help us celebrate.

Dmytro said Yes

After all of the twists and turns Dmytro finally said Yes to being adopted. The judge ruled in our favor. It has been an exhausting and difficult road. Your prayers have helped. It took multiple miracles. I will return home Thursday night. David will stay and finish the adoption and he and Dmytro should return home around Oct. 24. I will post it. Continue your prayers for David and Dmytro - it is far from over for them.
Love to all.

Bad News

Someone told Dima bad things would happen to him in America and now he is afraid of us. He refused to go to court today. Our court date will be Oct. 7.

Prayers are answered but please don't stop.

The sweetest sentence in the english language "We have a court date". Our court date is on Monday. It took nothing short of a couple of miracles. One from Ray Evenson and one from Loren Miller, but we won't get into that. Thanks guys. I am hoping to be back to Salt Lake on Wednesday night, if all goes well. Dave will stay. funny story to share: Dave tried to give Dima some ice cream at our hotel. When they were walking back to the orphanage Dave asked Dima where his ice cream was. He said he didn't like it- so Dave jokingly told him in Ukrainian to " go to bed". Dima responded and the translator started laughing. She said Dima said it is better to go to bed then eat that awful ice cream. Ahh. A Luke already. Pray for us that all goes well on Monday. The greatest hurdle yet. Love ya.

Third week in Ukraine

Still no court date yet. We have had Dima and Pasha to our hotel room. That is fun. They are good companions. They watch Nickelodeon in Ukrainian. Sponge Bob Square pants and Drake and Josh. funny eh? I watched a Ukrainian room makeover show. Not quite Vern Yip but pretty good.
Sunday we went to church in Sumy with some of our American friends. It was a good jolt of inspiration. Most of them will travel home soon.
Dima hugs and kisses us every time he sees us. He really loves his parents and can't wait to come to America.
We are staying in a hotel and every weekend there is a wedding here. I forgot Ukrainian weddings last two days. What fun.

Keep Praying for Us

We've been told a couple of times we would have a court date, but we have not gotten one. Now we are told there are problems with our paperwork. I don't know when we will have a date.
David keeps busy at night by going to the Internet and logging on to his computer in his office in Salt Lake. He can do all of his work from here. Technology is amazing. Hope everyone is well. We were relieved to know our son in Houston is safe. We have a new great-nephew, Fox Raymond Evenson weighing in at 9 lbs. 11 oz. Ouch.

I'm Dizzy

Yesterday we had a meeting with the Board of Guardians. They have to give approval for the adoption. It went well, so we thought things were looking up. We were told we would have a court date on Monday. Today we were told no judge would take our case. Maybe we won't get a date until October. Now we are told it will be next Thursday. Who knows? Every day is different. It makes it hard to enjoy our time with Dima. We still need lots of prayers.
Good news. I had a hot shower. Turns out the tap labelled cold is really hot. Opps. We had our first real meal last night. Chicken, potatoes and vegetables. Yummy.

Today is a new day. I was able to have a good visit with the orphanage director yesterday. We have offered to teach English classes while we are here. The orphanage is large. They emphasize study, which is good. So many wonderful kids. Too bad we can't bring them all home. There was a wedding reception in our hotel yesterday so it has been two days of nonstop music. What fun. We took Dima and Pasha to dinner yesterday. We wanted to take Yulia but she has been sick and could not go.
We are staying in a hotel in Romny. It has one bedroom, a living room and a bathroom. The town is close by and so is the orphanage. We have a fridge and bought an electric kettle yesterday for oatmeal. I am sure we will be a little skinnier when we get home. The water was very cold in the shower. Like being pelted by icecubes. We bought our own toilet paper. Can't quite get used to Ukrainian style.
Dima is kind of the boss of the little kids. It is funny to watch. He cannot wait to come home. We will post pictures when we figure out how. Keep us in your prayers.

One Week

Well, we have been here one week and the roller coaster continues. We met with the SDA on Tuesday and got a referal for Dima and a second child. The second one was a 14 year old boy. He was very smart and kind but he decided not to be adopted. Dima was very excited to see us. He jumped into my arms and hugged me. His friend Pasha is being adopted too. They are so happy. If it is possible - this trip is even more difficult than our first one. Not very likely we will be able to do this again. Keep us in your prayers. Good thing Dmytro is worth it.

We arrived in Ukraine Sunday afternoon, September 7th after a pretty uneventful and safe trip. Here are pictures so far.

We are on our way!

Well, we leave for the airport in 8 hours so I figured it was time to start packing. This week has been a whirlwind. I can't believe it is time to go. My feelings are mixed. I am happy to see Dmytro again. I am very sad to leave my family behind. I barely averted a disaster. I thought our plane left at 1:20 pm but it actually leaves at 11am. Good thing I rechecked our flight plans. Love you all. I hope we can keep our blog updated.
Love,
Lee-Ann and Dave

Dmytro knows we are coming.

I just hung up the phone and my head is spinning. Kathy Reynolds just called from Ukraine. They got to see Dmytro today. They are adopting his friend, Pasha. We thought Dmytro knew we were coming, but he did not. They said he was beaming from ear to ear when he heard we are coming. He is so happy. We are so happy. They said his hair is longer with curls. I can't wait to see him.

I never did like roller coasters

Even as I kid I hated rollercoasters. That's what this adoption is like. One moment you are flying high and the next minute you are zooming down. We are so excited to bring Dmytro home. At the same time it is very hard to leave the rest of our family behind. We head to Kiev on Saturday via Denver then Munich. Dave thinks we should pick up an authentic dachshund in Germany. I think not. It has been since Nov.4, 2007 since we have seen Dmytro. We hope he is well and happy to see us. We are thankful for the support of our family and friends on this journey. We couldn't have done it without your help. Thanks to Brooke and Brady for keeping Anna. Thanks to Winkelkotters for taking Zane. Big thanks to Krista for coming from North Carolina with a 2 year old and newborn to stay with the rest. Take care of each other while we are gone. Thanks to Save A Child for introducing us to our son.
Love,
Lee-Ann