Family and Friends,
Wow, what an amazing day today. After flying all night from Moscow to Novokuznetsk on S7 airlines (very nice A320 aircraft-I think they need LiveTV!!), we arrived to the most primitive airport I have ever seen. When we landed, I was concerned that the pilot had missed the runway. Then I realized that the runway has pot holes and this was normal. Very, very bumpy.
A bus picked us up on a deserted runway. The bus brought us to a short ally leading to a gate that said "to city". That was it. It was raining and 6:00 in the morning. No terminal. Thankfully, our translator met us outside the gate where we waited until they opened a door of something like a barn to get our luggage.
We then got in the a van with our driver and translator headed to our hotel. The hotel is 8 stories tall and is primitive as well. We stayed with the regular room which has 2 single beds a 9" TV and a shower/toilet. That's all. Simple at $100 per day.
We then departed at 9:00 am (we are 12 hours ahead of EST) for the orphanage. A 1 hour drive through the countryside on 2 lane roads. In summary, very dangerous and several nervous moments on the road with oncoming traffic. The countryside is beautiful (mix of East Tennessee mountains and pine trees like Seattle). High poverty.
We then arrived at the orphanage to meet Liam. After a short introduction to the director and social worker, we began to hear about Liam's health and history. In short, he is very healthy, on the small side, and has a brother who is 5. His mother left him at the hospital when he was born since she was unemployed and could not care for him. His name is Georgy Nikolaevich Gerasimov.
It was then time to meet Liam. It was upon us quickly as a worker opened the door and Liam was holding her hand as he walked into the room. Cathy broke into tears and I walked over to my son and picked him up for the first time. Just as I had dreamed, he smiled at me and held on. We left the room for another more private play area. We had a ball. Liam is a ham. Always smiling and very inquisitive. He is all over the place. He quickly went to Cathy and did not want to let go. He put the death grip on her. It was not until we brought out the Cheerios that he let go of Cathy.
More play time ensued as we played ball, ate more, then he rode in a small car that I pushed around the room. At one time he even posed for a picture as he started to figure we were all about taking pictures. Smart kid.
After a short 2 hours, we had to leave Liam. When Cathy handed him back to the caregiver, Liam reached back for Cathy. It was precious. We are on cloud nine!!
There are over 200 children at this orphanage ages 0-4 years old. It was very clean and the children are well taken care of. Adoptions are slowing down (economy and Russian govt) to where there were only 5 families adopting this summer.
We then left for the 1 hour drive back to town. a short nap and now we are eating at an internet cafe with wi-fi access.
What an amazing day. The Lord has brought us to this point. As we left the car to go into the orphanage, all I could do was praise the Lord for his grace and goodness. Why are we so blessed to be chosen by the Lord to be Liam's parents?
We love you all for your payers and support,
Mike and Cathy
Wow, what an amazing day today. After flying all night from Moscow to Novokuznetsk on S7 airlines (very nice A320 aircraft-I think they need LiveTV!!), we arrived to the most primitive airport I have ever seen. When we landed, I was concerned that the pilot had missed the runway. Then I realized that the runway has pot holes and this was normal. Very, very bumpy.
A bus picked us up on a deserted runway. The bus brought us to a short ally leading to a gate that said "to city". That was it. It was raining and 6:00 in the morning. No terminal. Thankfully, our translator met us outside the gate where we waited until they opened a door of something like a barn to get our luggage.
We then got in the a van with our driver and translator headed to our hotel. The hotel is 8 stories tall and is primitive as well. We stayed with the regular room which has 2 single beds a 9" TV and a shower/toilet. That's all. Simple at $100 per day.
We then departed at 9:00 am (we are 12 hours ahead of EST) for the orphanage. A 1 hour drive through the countryside on 2 lane roads. In summary, very dangerous and several nervous moments on the road with oncoming traffic. The countryside is beautiful (mix of East Tennessee mountains and pine trees like Seattle). High poverty.
We then arrived at the orphanage to meet Liam. After a short introduction to the director and social worker, we began to hear about Liam's health and history. In short, he is very healthy, on the small side, and has a brother who is 5. His mother left him at the hospital when he was born since she was unemployed and could not care for him. His name is Georgy Nikolaevich Gerasimov.
It was then time to meet Liam. It was upon us quickly as a worker opened the door and Liam was holding her hand as he walked into the room. Cathy broke into tears and I walked over to my son and picked him up for the first time. Just as I had dreamed, he smiled at me and held on. We left the room for another more private play area. We had a ball. Liam is a ham. Always smiling and very inquisitive. He is all over the place. He quickly went to Cathy and did not want to let go. He put the death grip on her. It was not until we brought out the Cheerios that he let go of Cathy.
More play time ensued as we played ball, ate more, then he rode in a small car that I pushed around the room. At one time he even posed for a picture as he started to figure we were all about taking pictures. Smart kid.
After a short 2 hours, we had to leave Liam. When Cathy handed him back to the caregiver, Liam reached back for Cathy. It was precious. We are on cloud nine!!
There are over 200 children at this orphanage ages 0-4 years old. It was very clean and the children are well taken care of. Adoptions are slowing down (economy and Russian govt) to where there were only 5 families adopting this summer.
We then left for the 1 hour drive back to town. a short nap and now we are eating at an internet cafe with wi-fi access.
What an amazing day. The Lord has brought us to this point. As we left the car to go into the orphanage, all I could do was praise the Lord for his grace and goodness. Why are we so blessed to be chosen by the Lord to be Liam's parents?
We love you all for your payers and support,
Mike and Cathy
.JPG)
1 comment:
Mike,
Truly a blessing for me to follow along on your trip. Can't wait to talk when you return and to meet your son!
Paul D.
Post a Comment