Where did October go?

I put up a 12-month calendar on our kitchen wall last year and started crossing off the months as each one passed. I did this for two reasons:
1. To keep an eye on how much time we had left to get things done, AND
2. To have a visual on when we would begin this new adventure God had for us. So often, in day to day life and ordinary things, it is very easy for me to become discouraged- wondering when the things God had spoken to us will come to pass. I like to put up reminders for myself- just a visual encouragement that God's plans will come to pass and that we will continue to walk by faith. Is God locked into the dates on my calendar? Absolutely not. He can do it, or not do it, whenever He likes. It just makes me feel better.

So, I wrote all that to say that very soon I will be crossing off October. Where did it go? After I cross it off, only November and December will remain. Yes, there will be January and yes, we are not sure exactly when we will be leaving in January, but I think January will go by quickly also.
We are so excited. Not a 'bounce off the walls' excited, but a deeper kind of excitement. It's like something you have been saving money for and now can finally buy.
I am not as eloquent with writing as Mike is, but I wish I could put into words how I feel. I was 16 when I went on my first month-long, overseas mission trip. I knew then that mission work was in my future. I just had this overwhelming feeling that God could use me to help people, that He would give me a skill that was in demand/much needed in another culture, and that through providing people with physical healing- God would use me to bring emotional healing as well.
That was 14 years ago.

Well, on a lighter note-
This is Solomiya watching me type this blog:



Solomiyka playing on her activity mat borrowed from cousin Sophia (also wearing Sophia's clothes :)




Playing on Tato's lap




Close-up shot



In the apple orchard



  

1st car ride



Solomiya's coming out debut and other serious thoughts.

Weeds Orchard

Enjoyed taking Miss Solomika out for an apple picking adventure! She enjoyed the 'honey crisp' aisle the most.
As you can see, she is getting so big! Soon she will begin her Russian lessons with Mama.



Solomika's rattle. Called "blabla". Seriously. http://www.blablakids.com/Online-Shopping/Rattles/Girl-Cat-Rattle

Thoughts of the day...
Trusting God to provide for our needs in Ukraine.
Believing God is sending us there.
Believing God can use us to change the world.
Not wanting to live an ordinary life.
If God is for us, who can be against us.

Matthew 6
²⁵ “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷ Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
²⁸ “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; ²⁹ and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰ Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
³¹ “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

The Art of Macramé

These past 2 weeks have mainly been spent getting to know Solomiya and figuring out her language, which has been challenging at times- but I think we are getting better. (She definitely does not like ice cream- this we have found out...) She enjoys looking at bright lights and appears to understand Mike when he speaks Ukrainian to her.

Baby don't like this...

We have her birth certificate and Mike is getting her social security number today. The passport application is all filled out (except the ss#) and we are planning on getting her picture taken on Wednesday, after she visits the midwives for her newborn screening. Then, we must both accompany her to the passport office so she can apply. Maybe we will do this on Saturday...
So far, all of the paperwork stuff is going smoothly!

Since sending out our August newsletter, we have heard back from quite a few people who want to support us! This has been very encouraging and we are so happy that people are interested and want to be a part of what we are doing!
We cannot believe it is already September! God willing, we will be moving in just 4 months! We are so excited and looking forward to serving the people of Transcarpathia! We have been praying, talking about and preparing for this for the past 6 years. Thanks to everyone for your encouragement : )

Estimated date of departure: January 10th


-a

BABY!!!

Solomiya Rose on Tato's lap!
Born Wednesday, August 31 at 10:47am at home!
7.6lbs and 21 inches long

Awesome midwives: Susanrachel Condon, CNM, LM and Susan Rannestad CPM, CM, LM  http://www.riverandmountain.net/index.shtml

Post-August 12 Updates

1. Mike's safety audit at work went VERY well and they received the highest rating possible!
2. I (annie) passed my NBCOT exam!!!

3. Finished Newsletter #2 and hopefully mailing it out early next week.

4. Mike was registered for the online 'Teaching English as a Second Language' course.

5. Have baby stuff all ready; expected arrival = now through September 15th. It's inevitable.

So, right now Mike is continuing at work until mid-December. He and his bosses are working on a variety of different options regarding his replacement. Once that is all figured out, Mike will probably focus on training the new person and preparing the safety division at the plant for his departure.

I (annie) am currently sorting through all of my books/notes regarding occupational therapy and deciding what will be most beneficial and most needed in Ukraine.

After this is done, I will focus on packing for Ukraine: 1. Items to ship over ahead of time that we will not need here; 2. Items that will be put into storage; and 3. Items that we will need right up until we leave (to be placed in open boxes for easy access).

We will hopefully send our boxes to Ukraine through 'Ukraine Express'. It takes about 4 weeks for packages to arrive to their destination, so we can only send things that we really, really will not need right away.

I am also really looking forward to spending time with my baby. And I know Mike is looking forward to washing the cloth diapers :)

*On a side note- this is one way we are hoping to save mucho dinero (aka a lot of money) in Ukraine by using cloth diapers and cloth wipes. I am also looking into making my own laundry soap... I'll keep thinking about that one.

-a



Brief Update

The past few weeks have been VERY busy for both Mike and I! Mike is spending a lot of time at work preparing for a huge safety audit to take place and I am studying night and day for my NBCOT exam. We are going to celebrate August 12, because on that day Mike's audit will be finished and my test will have been taken.
Lovely blogs to follow after the 12th...

-a