VACATION for Russian kids 2004

 Remember the fairytale of Cinderella at the Ball when she met her Prince Charming? Our story has a similar plot. Thirteen Russian orphans came to the US to find their forever families. But as they were departing it was like the clock striking twelve in the Cinderella story. Little Alena took her Mickey Mouse hat off and replaced it with the crown she had taken from her backpack. Suddenly the tears began to drop from her beautiful blue eyes.

Our little princess realized it was time to turn back into an orphan with no one to hug her at night and shower her with kisses in the morning. All of the adults were trying to hold back the tears, but to no avail. This Summer Dream Vacation was drawing to a close, and it was very difficult to have to say good bye to these precious children.

It was hard to comprehend that just a couple weeks ago, these children were strangers to us. They had arrived on August 11 at LAX (Los Angeles), hungry, tired and jet-lagged, and as we were traveling to Hanford some were car-sick. The kids surprised us by their curiosity despite their weariness. "Have you met Arnold?" "Does every speak English here, and are they born that way?" "Can I learn to play the guitar?" "Why are the Palm trees so tall?" "Why is there a woman driving this car?" We were bombarded with so many questions, that soon we felt we had known these children a life time.

When we arrived at a little church in Hanford, many surprises awaited these little orphans. Each had a bed made up just for them complete with their very own teddy bear (a first for many). The next morning they were again surprised by being allowed to choose shoes and clothes that had been collected for them.

A big shiny red firetruck awaited them at the gates to usher in their great adventure. First stop was Fort Roosevelt (a zoo). The children were overjoyed to see animals they had only seen pictures of before: A huge sea turtle, a peacock, a dog (new to many) and many more exciting animals. For lunch, the adventure continued with a trip to McDonalds.

Children experienced their first hamburgers, and loved racing through the playground. The funniest thing was when Alesha M began trying on all the shoes that the other children had taken off. He thought this was what you do in America, after all, hadn't they just done this this morning when they had gotten their shoes?

Finally the moment came when the children were introduced to their host families. It was amazing how many kids looked like a member of these families. It was obvious to some that this was a God match. Many experienced love at first sight. It only took a few words or gestures before the children were inseparable parts of their families. Some families were more cautious, and were asking themselves, "Is this really a good idea?"

the children were welcomed into these family structures, many experienced one-on-one love and attention for the very first time. When our little guests were talking about their Russian families, we had a hard time comprehending why a little child should have to experience such hardship at the beginning of their life. One little girl told how her father had smashed the door on her thumb, but didn't bother to take her to the doctor for several days. When she was finally taken to the hospital, it was impossible to repair and part of the thumb had to be removed.

Another child remembered how her mother was young and beautiful, but always drunk. Once a guest brought a large dog to their house. When she dropped her bread, the dog rushed to grab it, and when this child reached to pick it up, the dog bit her head. Still another child recalled how her parents had no job and no money. They were lucky to have a piece of bread with salt. One child was brought to the orphanage at age 5 and was the size of a two year old. One would suppose these children would have all sorts of emotional disorders and really be messed up.

But wait, before you draw this conclusion, please consider that many famous people with gracious hearts went through abuse and hardship in their childhoods. Many met people at some point in their life who redirected their heart from a circle of abuse and violence to the love and grace of God. It didn't take long for our little orphans to feel this kind of love from the families they were placed with. It was beautiful to see their little souls slowly respond to the love showered upon them. Unable to use words, they used gestures to express their feelings.

The children quickly learned many things, such as how to use a remote control and how to swim. They learned that when it is night in Russia it is day in the US. They discovered where Mickey Mouse lives. And through a VBS program, Lava Lava Island, they found out who Jesus is. they went to the ocean and saw the sun go to sleep until the next day. They saw Christmas lights adorning a palm tree in the middle of summer. They encountered many smiling faces, and were baffled by questions they could not understand.

When asked what he liked most about America, one boy replied, "People never yell at you, or make you take a nap, and no one takes your toys. You get all the fruit you can eat, too." Disney Land was a favorite for all the kids "The happiest place on earth". The children could not even imagine a place like that. Their eyes were filled with anticipation with each new Disney attraction. As the day drew to an end, and the fireworks were culminating, I had the children make a wish upon the last little twinkle.

I made a wish myself. My wish was that the worst thing that could happen to any child would be a lost toy, not a lost family, and that every child on earth would be loved and cherished.

Including these thirteen precious children in a forever family. Seven of the children were scheduled to fly out the next day, while the remaining six were able to enjoy a couple more days of California sunshine

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It was very difficult to say goodbye to the first group. I felt like something was already missing in my life. it was the love of a child who just learned how to love. We decided to treat the remaining children with a birthday party for them at an Italian restaurant.

The waitress had a hard time getting it straight that the birthday party was for all of them, but when we told her our story, she rallied for the occasion. The staff sang happy birthday to the kids and the kids posed for many pictures blowing out candles. The children couldn't have eaten their spaghetti any faster!

Once again we had to experience the pain of separation when two of the boys were brought back to the hotel by their host families. I found them in their room an hour later crying over their pictures of their happy family. I told them they would be back with them soon and their tears of sorrow would be replaced with tears of joy.

As the plane departed with the last of the orphans on board, I imagined them going back to the very structured life of the orphanage where their personalities would soon disappear under the pressure to be part of the pack. I was saddened to think of them waking up without kisses and hugs. My hope is that these children will soon realize their dream of a forever family in America, and my dream is for there to be another dream vacation for many more orphans next year!