Birth of a Family

One of the unexpected enjoyments of this adventure has been the folks we are experiencing it with that are not a part of our family. They are the Thomas’, Peters, and Heltons. For the past 2 ½ weeks we have shared a two bedroom, one bath apartment with Tricia and Brad Helton. The fit has been great. The handiwork of God!
Yesterday Mike and I were witnesses at a monumental moment in the Helton’s lives, the birth of their family. We watched as Ukraine granted them parental rights to two boys, ages 7 & 9. It would have brought tears to all your eyes as you saw the two little guys, in their Sunday best, stand up straight and answer the questions the judge asked them. Their answers were loudly and confidently “dah”. They even put in a plug about working hard on math problems (Tricia is a 7th grade math teacher). The orphanage director, who is a loving mother hen, stood quietly by encouraging them with her presence. My memories went back to when we saw them at the Indy airport in July, the day the children returned to Ukraine. They had hosted the oldest boy and he was sporting a fashionable haircut that fit his confident personality. His backpack was bulging with goodies that he was taking back with him. This was a child that had found parents, and Tricia and Brad were parents who found their kids. The road to Ukraine took them through numerous garage sales, a spaghetti dinner, and lots of packages and phone calls to the boys to assure them that their parents would be there as soon as they could. After the hearing, the judge and jury (two citizens listen to the petition and have a vote) enjoyed looking at the scrapbook that Tricia had made documenting the time with their son last summer. It was a time of great rejoicing!