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Well...soon our guest room will go back to looking like a guest room and our garage will be a little less crowded as we empty it of the "boy toys" that we have borrowed from our sweet neighbors this summer. I won't find wadded up towels and wet bathing suit trunks lying on the bathroom floor anymore and the sink and the mirror on the right side of the vanity will no longer contain remnants of that sparkly toothpaste that kids like. The back seat in my car can go back to it's original position instead of being slightly reclined and there will be no voice from over my shoulder questioning, "Holly? How many minutes ma-she-na?" (Meaning, how many minutes are we going to be in the car?) I won't have the nightly debate that we go through as he tries to push for a later bed time...nor will I have that sweet boy to hug at the end of the day.

Ahhh...the emotion that comes with the absence of someone...someone sweet and unassuming that travels half way around the world to be with us for six weeks. We have been blessed again with knowing the joy of his presence in our home this summer...and now we reluctantly prepare...for his absence.

The truth is we have had a busy and fun "America 3" and I would gladly trade our guest room, a clean bathroom and all the additional garage space to keep his company and life-loving spirit in our home. Venya is the "Yes" man and I love that. It challenges me to run after life the way he does...to seek to live it to the fullest, to live everyday abundantly and joyfully. So because he is the "yes" man he has learned to surf this summer, stand up on water skis, catch some fish, play more golf, perform magic tricks in front of a group, drive a go-cart and breath through a regulator as if he were actually scuba diving. When you ask him if he wants to do something...anything, 9 times out of 10 the answer is "yes" and it is said with an enthusiasm that erases any doubt you may have had while posing the question.

What's even sweeter than that is the fact that he is the "yes" man when it comes to other things that most kids would not find pleasure in...washing the car with "Daddy," helping Sydney roller skate around Jelly Beans skating rink, taking out the dog and the trash and all those empty pizza boxes (we consumed some pizza!). Not only does he do all these things...he does them JOYFULLY. It amazes me...amazes US when we see the smile on his face for the mundane and ordinary chores that we don't necessarily love doing. I'm learning...those who find joy in these things...probably find joy in all things.

So our dining room table has his rolling duffel bag opened and ready and there are piles of winter clothes and shoes to strategically be squeezed into its very limited space. There are gifts for his family members and souvenirs he has collected during his stay and somehow, we will get it all in there even if we have to sit on the thing to get it to zipper.

But thank goodness LOVE is light and easy to take with you...and requires no special compartment or strategy. It, unlike the duffel bag, has no size limit or weight restriction and definitely no $25 fee and while it is hard to see him go, I'm grateful. Mainly because I am certain that we'll be sending him home with all of our LOVE on Tuesday morning. Praying for two more great days with him and a safe journey home for the entire group.

Venya and the Whoopie Cushion

One thing is for sure...I love having a boy in the house. He is high energy all day long and at times, I struggle to keep up with him, but I love it and I'm thankful for the challenge...and of course, I gladly welcome the newly elevated level of our daily "house noise."

So I was glad to see him back today. Venya received a spontaneous invitation to spend the night with another Belarussian child after church last night and of course, he took it. Sydney teared up saying goodbye to him, so I know we're doomed when August 2nd rolls around and after one night of quiet, we were all glad to see him return. He abruptly walked back through the front door this afternoon chomping on some chewing gum as he marched past me and immediately started questioning, "Where is a Sydney?" I pointed in her direction and smiled as I saw what was in his hand...two pairs of stick on earrings for Sydney and the treasured toy of all young boys...a whoopie cushion. He quickly passed the earrings to Sydney across our dining room table and started blowing up the cushion. Sydney looked at it with confusion and asked, "What's that?" While he knows SOME English, I doubt he would have explained it with words even if he knew the right ones. He smiled one of his big playful smiles as he squeezed the air out of it which made us both (me and him) laugh, but Sydney still looked on the whole scene with puzzlement.

Again, he inflated the whoopie cushion-only this time he placed it in one of our dining room chairs and sat down on it. Now Sydney got the picture as she burst out in laughter at the awful and very exaggerated, but human like sound. I tried to be a bit "motherly" as we mothers of daughters want them to grow up with some degree of dignity, so I gave her a little talk on how a whooopie cushion is more of "boy toy"...It makes us all laugh, but it's not the most "lady-like" of toys. I don't believe it was registering, or maybe it was, but she and Venya continued to inflate and deflate the cushion over and over again.

It was almost 5pm when I noticed the two of them running through the house whispering and planning something. I had sort of forgotten about "the cushion" as it had been quiet for a little while...but then I saw them giggling as they pulled out the chair that Bobby sits in at our dinner table and placed the toy in perfect "whoopie cushion" position. I soon heard Bobby's footsteps come through the garage door and watched them scurry away giggling as they quickly tucked the chair back under the table.

We said our "hellos" and briefly went over our days events with "Daddy" as I stirred some pasta on the stove. One thing was for sure, you could tell the kids were very eager for "dinner time." Every now and then I would hear Venya say to Sydney, "You NO funny" for fear that her sudden bursts of laughter would give their secret away. It was comical too because at one point I looked down and our little 10lb. miniature dachshund was dragging the inflated cushion across the kitchen floor. I guess he somehow managed to jump up on the chair and pull it off of the seat. I laughed as I took it from him and handed it back to Sydney-using my body to block Bobby's view of the prank he was about to fall into.

Finally...the moment arrived. While I would have NEVER thought that Bobby in his attentive manner would actually sit down on the cushion, he was tired and a bit distracted, so that's exactly what he did. All eyes were on him as he slowly turned his dinner chair sideways and lowered his body down onto it. "FWHOOOOOOP" came from underneath his bottom which actually startled him but made the rest of us burst out in laughter. He eventually laughed too as he stood up and held up the pale pink sack. I shook my head and smiled as the kids danced around the room in sweet child-like celebration.

Laughter...ahhhhh...it's just so good for my soul. So tonight before I hit the sack, I say "Thank heaven for little girls...AND for young boys with whoopi cushions." The joy that comes from these summer days is priceless!

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Love these photos of Venya (and Palina) at surf camp. Thank you to IndoJax Surf School for giving these kids this awesome experience!

Snapshots

He's Back!

Well...he's back and we are once again enjoying the sweetness and the joy that goes along with having a humble boy from Belarus in our home. This year's arrival was different from years past...Bobby and I had the privilege of driving one of the vans to the Charlotte airport to pick up Venya and the group. We knew that although the kids would be quite tired after already traveling for so many hours, it would still be great to be there to welcome back our sleepy little visitor and all of the children for that matter.

He was walking down the ramp from the international terminal when I first spotted him. He was pushing a luggage cart as he walked which was sort of funny since the only thing resting on it was one small bag that wasn't even stuffed full and I certainly wouldn't classify it as heavy. He pushed it only so far as he took the last ten steps toward me with empty arms and free hands. Our tight hug was sweet and also comical as I looked over his shoulder at all the people who were now trying to make their way around the cart which I later learned contained the bag belonging to someone else...Just like Venya to be pushing someone else's stuff and just like him to ditch it for a hug.

Bobby and Don Teter were in the vans out in the cell phone parking lot (parking that day was an issue) and Yasmin and I texted back and forth to them as the kids continued to congregate and shuffle in and out of the bathroom. Yasmin distributed the motion sickness medicine. She has learned all too well over the years that motion sickness can be an issue, and this year was no exception. We had some that were sick before we even stepped out of the airport which broke my heart...imagine your child traveling all this way and they are now sick...and tired...and in some cases, probably scared and lonely. Yasmin and I tried as best we could to be of comfort to these kids...there are times when you just hope and pray that the language of motherly love (even when you are not their mother) is universal....AND that the medicine begins to start working!

We made it home safely and enjoyed one of those touching ABRO scenes as the vans...the Teters and then ours...slowly turned the corner into the church parking lot and drove between the lines of host families that were on both sides of us. Standing in the dark under the large lights of the parking lot, families were cheering and clapping and in some cases, yelling out the names of indivdual kids. I heard the unbuckling of seat belts as some of the Belarussian kids scooched forward to press their faces to the window and look for their American "home." It was sweet in such an unexpected way, and I was a bit emtional as my eyes scanned past all of the families and friends that create this amazing group and finally landed on our sweet Sydney standing with Grandma. It was, like I stated earlier, a privelege to drive the van, be with Don and Yasmin, to greet the kids at the airport, and finally, to be greeted by this group as we returned home. I'll never forget the day.

So since last Tuesday, we've been doing the usual things that we all enjoy during the summer. I'm happy to report that Venya jumped into the pool this year with no swim test and laughed as he said, "Me remember, America one, Me" and then acted out the scene as if he was drowning. (America one is what he calls his first trip to America. Last year was America two, so you get the picture.) We love having him back and know that six weeks tends to go a lot faster than we sometimes want it to. Makes me think of one of my favorite Bible verses, Psalm 90:12, "Teach me to number my days." Yes Lord! Every single one of them...espeically those that will become known as, for Venya and for us, "America Three!"

Hebrews 13:2

Well...he's gone...probably somewhere over the ocean by now. His flight was leaving from Charlotte at 3:25 this afternoon and I believe it's a 9 hour flight to Munich. It's the first of the two flights that this group will take to get home. He was fully packed with snacks...some of America's favorites...Snickers bars, Cheetos, animal crackers, and some sunflower seeds.

He slept in the living room last night which is right outside of our bedroom door. He kept insisting and saying things like, "Me sleep, me cry" and "No Daddy, me scary." I don't know...he was sad or scared (or just wanted to sleep in the living room) and I figured that on his last night it wouldn't do any harm. He woke me and Sydney up at 6:27 this morning...insisting that we eat together before he left. Sounds formal, but he actually had a bowl of Lucky Charms and Sydney had a bowl of Fruit Loops and I had an Eggo Waffle...but we were together and he seemed pretty content.

The "goodbye" was just as I had envisioned it. Don and Yasmin Teeter who run the Wilmington ABRO program and who I think the world of, said a prayer just before the children loaded the bus. I wanted to open my eyes and look around as everyone was standing in a circle holding onto their own children and their Belarussian child. I gripped Venya's shoulder on one side and Sydney on the other and I know I'm stating the obvious, but the tears just fell. Don prayed for their safety and asked God to continue to do His work in their lives. He thanked Him for giving us the opportunity to serve these precious children. Amen to that.

We hugged Venya as tight as we could possibly hug him before finally letting him load the bus...told him to be careful, told him to be good, told him we loved him and then our time ran out. It was the same scene that I remember from last year...all of the Belarussian children on the bus waving as it pulled out of the parking lot...and all of us host families standing silently watching it turn the corner and eventually roll out of sight. No one said anything for a moment or two. We eventually turned toward each other and said our goodbyes as well, for we have become a pretty close knit group through this experience.

I carried Sydney to the car and although I know she will miss Venya, I also know that there is a little part of her that is glad to have my full attention back and honestly, that's okay. I find no fault in that.

So, God willing, I'll hear in a day or two that Venya made it home safely to Belarus. We typically get an email from the ABRO program director in Mogilev once the children have made it back to their families. We'll miss him greatly and already feel his absence. Thank you God, for our Belarussian Summer and for all the things that You have taught us in the last six weeks about life and love and gratitude. WE are SO blessed. Venya, wherever you are...spa-quenah-noche. Good night.

The Call...and Bobby says "Goodbye"

Well, we've had an emotional 3 days as our last week with Venya is now upon us. This year's visit has flown by and I can't believe he'll be loading the bus on Saturday morning to return home. It will be a difficult goodbye, but all of my "goodbyes" in life have been difficult...it's just not something that I'm good at and I've tried not to apologize for that.



We took the time on Monday to call his mom for the last time before he returns home...we typically call her on Mondays or sometime early in the week so that he can "check in." While I had never spoken to her on the phone, I did have a sense of what she was like as a woman and as a mom, but that still didn't prepare me for Monday's call. I know her son, but I don't really know her.



I dialed the numbers like I usually do and handed the phone to Venya once I heard it begin to ring. I sat on one couch, he on the other, while they spoke to one another. At times he would laugh because he would let some English (instead of Russian) slip out of his mouth. He'd make eye contact with me and we'd chuckle. I'm sure this will happen some as he returns home with English still fresh in his mind.



I sat there watching him for a few minutes, trying to make some sense out of what was being said. While I was attempting to think in Russian and translating little bits and pieces in my head, I didn't expect what happened next. He stood up, walked over to where I was sitting and handed me the phone. Again, his mom does not speak English and I speak very little Russian, but he let me know that she wanted to speak to me...she was on the end of the line waiting.



I took the phone out of his hand, slowly held it to my ear and politely said, "Hello?" She began to speak with words and phrases that I did not fully understand but I continued to listen and then I heard what we moms all recognize in one another...a fragile voice struggling through the tears as she talked about her child, and I guess, her appreciation for his time here. In all she said, all I remember was, "Spa-see-bah, spa-see-bah" which she said over and over again. It means "thank you" and while I wanted to respond, for a moment, my own tears wouldn't let me. It was an emotional scene...me, on the phone with a woman I've never met, yet respect deeply and there are only a handful of words we have in common. She cried...I cried...and Venya just quietly sat there watching in his sweet way.



Well, Monday was sweet, but today was equally as sweet. Bobby had to say goodbye today and I don't know why, but for some reason I had thought that he would be a little better at it than I am. While he hated leaving with Venya still here, it's just the way our calendar of events fell...he'd had a trip planned for a long time and really couldn't (and shouldn't) miss it. So we all woke up at 5:45 this morning to take him to the airport and see him off.



While Venya hated that "Daddy" was leaving, he followed through with his typically sweet gestures of helping Bobby load his bag into the car and asking how many days he would be gone? Where was he going? And even, what about the office? He was curious, or I guess I should say, concerned. We pulled up, unloaded the suitcases and started the emotional process of saying goodbye. While it would only be a few days away from me and Sydney, we weren't too happy about it either. First, I hugged and kissed him and told him to be careful. Then Sydney (who was still in her pajamas) took her turn with hugs and kisses and "I love you Daddy." And finally, it was time for Venya.


Bobby, who was already crying, leaned toward him and they embraced with a strong and firm hold that men and boys often use when they hug. Bobby then kissed him on the top of the head, told him to be a good boy, and gradually let go as he said one last thing in Russian, "I love you." Venya said nothing as the tears started to fall. He climbed into the car, raised his knees to his chest and put his head down...hiding his face and all the emotion.


Love is a hard thing, because it means that you agree to a certain amount of pain in your life. We knew going into this experience that it would require that we were willing to love and to let go. It's a process that is difficult, yet necessary. Tatsianna (Venya's mom) is waiting for him in Belarus and we are grateful for that...and grateful that in the years to come, we have more Belarussian Summers ahead of us.

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Happy Birthday Venya!

This past Saturday was the big birthday bash for Venya and all of the Belarussian children. I remembered from last year that while it was a little crazy having such a big group of excited kids altogether around a pool, it was also one of my favorite summer memories. I LOVE the excitement of watching them all celebrate together and of course, there is such a sweetness in singing "Happy Birthday" to this special group of kids over a cake that is decorated with the American and the Belarussian flag. They all stand there and smile before ripping open their presents. It's just a special moment that sort of hits me in the heart.

This year Venya got a Rip Stick which probably sounds like a crazy gift to give a Belarussian, but we know this kid and we know he will be "ripping it up" in Belarus. For two summers now he has enjoyed Bobby's so we know he'll find a way to skate in Belarus.

Funny story...last year I was trying to ask him what he wanted for his birthday before the big party. I thought roller blades would be good...again, the boy loves to skate and he's REALLY athletic. I used the e-translator on the computer to ask him, "Would you like skates for your birthday?" only somehow it didn't translate quite right. He later told me (after he opened the roller blades) that I asked him, "Would you like a HORSE for your birthday?" Can you imagine his thoughts? I mean, he's always appreciative and sweetly accepts whatever you give him, but a HORSE? On an airplane? For 38 hours? Back to Belarus? We laughed really hard about that one and I threatened to buy him a horse again this year!

We are having such a great time with him and the days are really ticking along. I'm trying to enjoy the few that we have left as he will be packing up and heading out on the 31st. We've really "settled in" and he's just part of the family now...yet I know that the RIGHT thing, as hard as it will be, will be to send him back to his family in Belarus...tanned, healthy, refreshed and renewed...and hopefully, with the love of the Lord in his heart.

Just Like Christmas...in the 80s

Well we've been told that the winters in Belarus are brutal...freezing temperatures and lots of snow and they actually do walk to school in it. It sounds miserable and I'm pretty sure that on most days, it is. So I could feel pretty sympathetic when Venya's mother told the translator that he needed some snow clothes and I've been on a mission to find some. The trouble is it's summertime and when you live in a beach town, they don't sell snow clothes in the summer or at any point in time for that matter.

But I have my creative way of solving problems and I was pretty excited yesterday when I remembered that Bobby had a old bag of snow clothes up in our attic. While I was still in my pajamas, I put on the head lamp and dashed up the stairs in search of the bag! I knew if I could find it, Venya and his mother would be more than appreciative.

Bobby didn't discourage me, but he also didn't offer to help which I at first thought was a little lazy on his part. I didn't let it worry me too much. I was on a mission and thought I could handle it until I saw that the infamous red "ski bag" was too far out of my reach at which point, I called for Bobby and up the stairs with some heavy footsteps he came.

Bobby put on the headlamp and reluctantly (but silently) climbed over the other boxes and cobwebs until he got to the bag. He pulled it out into the bonus room floor and let out a deep breath. I simply smiled and said "thank you." I would take it from here. I would carry it down stairs and present all of the the "goodies" to Venya with a "Ta-da!" I was just forgetting one very important thing...this bag (and all that was in it) was cool...in the 80s.

I unzipped it and quickly spotted the ski goggles. Perfect! Venya's been asking for these specifically...these will be great! I opened the rather large box containing...um, the rather large goggles...and handed them to Bobby so that he could model them for Venya. As he put them on, the living room broke out in uncontrollable laughter! They were the biggest, bulkiest goggles you've ever seen and there was no way that Venya would be wearing them. How would he hold his head up?

Well, the jokes continued as we each grabbed something out of the bag and tried it on. It really did feel like Christmas as Bobby reached down and pulled out an old wool sweater that I'm not sure was even cool in the 80s. Venya, as sweet as he is, politely shook his head with a little "no" every time we tried to hand him something. He did enjoy trying on the ski boots, but those went back in the attic along with most of the rest of the stuff. One day...like maybe on Halloween...we might actually pull it out again and oh yeah, I apologized to Bobby for thinking he was lazy. :)

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'Twas the Night Before Fishing

So, we decided to go fishing on Sunday morning, which meant that we spent a little bit of time on Saturday evening getting ready. Bobby took Venya out to do the usual pre-fishing routine of gassing up the boat and checking to make sure that we had the right bait. We learned last year that Venya LOVES to fish so he was eager to help get things ready for the big trip.

During their preparations Venya kept asking "Fish...six, zero, zero?" He wanted to know exactly what time we would be heading out. Would it be 6 o'clock? I guess he remembered from last year that the fish bite in the morning, but Bobby was hesitant to answer...I mean, it was a holiday weekend and we really didn't want to be fully committed to a "get out of bed" time.


As we put Sydney and Venya to bed we were still trying to calm his excitement. He was giddy and was acting sort of like it was the night before Christmas as he continued to ask, "Fish...six, zero, zero?" We laughed and said our new favorite word around here which doesn't reallly commit you to anything, "Maybe." We then headed toward our own bedroom to hit the sack.


Well, I was somewhere off in wonderful dreamy land when I heard a voice at the doorway of our bedroom. "Daddy, wakeup, six, zero, zero!" It felt like the middle of the night, but when we turned toward the clock it was in fact...six, zero, zero. We laughed (which felt great to wake up laughing.) This kid was ready to fish and was once again beginning the day dressed and ready, only this time he was in the doorway of our bedroom urging us to wake up!


We asked him later what time he actually woke up. He said with a smile, "Me, wakeup, four, zero, zero...FISH!" I wondered why his bedroom light was on! Apparently he woke up BEFORE the sun and sat there waiting until six, zero, zero. While he and I are still not on the same sleep schedule, I've got to admire his passion for seizing the day...and the fish!

Home Again!

Well, we're back and while it's good to be home, it was also really good to be away. Venya survived the long car ride home (along with the long car ride across Florida and the car ride to pick up Bobby at the airport.) Lord knows how many miles we put on Bobby's car, but I sure enjoyed the journey...stopping at the fireworks store in South Carolina and the peach stand in Georgia. Here is a shot of the kids in the back seat just as their delirious state of "We've been in the car too long" began on our ride back to Wilmington.

As a side note, we finally figured out what Venya was talking about with the cheese and the "Pow, pow, pow." One day we were making sandwiches together and he picked up a slice of Swiss cheese and pretended to shoot some holes through it. Anyway, all that time (and through all that laughter) he was just trying to tell us that the Swiss cheese that he and Bobby bought at the store looked like someone shot holes in it.

The highlight of our trip was visiting the place in Florida that so many people refer to as "magical" and while I would agree with that, when it begins to rain, it loses its "magic" a little. In spite of the weather, we had a great time and Venya's face as we approached the magical world of Disney was just as you would picture it. I texted Bobby as we walked through the gates at Magic Kingdom..."You should see his face...one of the most fulfilling things I've ever done." To see Disney through his eyes...to see everyday life through his eyes...it really is more fulfilling than it is work and at moments, I get overwhelmed with sentiment and gratitude for all that God has provided us with and now, all that we are able to provide.

Venya loved the rides...the faster the better, so we quickly circled the park and made our way to Space Mountain. I tried to explain in my English-Russian blend that it would be fast and it would be dark. Was he up for it? While we had already been on Thunder Mountain, I wasn't sure that he (or his stomach) would like the speed of Space Mountain, but I would have felt like a failure if we didn't at least try to make it happen, so Venya and I got in line just as the wait time read, "40 minutes" which was also hard to explain. After 40 minutes, I think he figured it out.

I kept looking Venya's way as we were approaching the loading area. I kept trying to read his face...look for fear...look for anxiety. I kept asking him if he was okay and giving him the thumbs up...waiting for him to give me one in return. I was trying to remember back to my childhood...what else happens in Space Mountain that I might need to warn him about? What's my plan if he gets sick? What's my plan if I get sick?

We finally loaded the "shuttle" with Venya in front of me. I became a little alarmed as the back of his seat now blocked my view of his face and there would be no more reading of his body language until the ride was...over. I quickly yelled over the space noise one last time, "Venya...okay?" to which I got no response. Great, I thought. Here we go.

We immediately shot into the darkness and I remember thinking, Wow! This is a lot faster than it used to be! When did they decide to turn up the speed? I looked toward the blond fuzzy head that was in the seat in front of me but could see NOTHING until that one "magical" moment. We were approaching the starry sky in an upward high speed motion when I suddenly saw Venya's skinny little arms shoot up in the air as if reaching toward the heavens. The silhouette of those arms against the black starry backdrop was priceless. He was okay...he was more than okay and I laughed in my seat as I suddenly decided to follow suit and raise my own arms. Thanks God!

Disney can be a place of true bonding...travel there. Walk 5 miles around the park in the hot sun together. Have a Mickey bar. Walk a few more miles in the rain. Stand in line 40 minutes and speak with signs and sounds and a few words in between and then finally, raise your hands toward the heavens and smile. It was a great trip, with great reward and once again, I'm grateful.