September 9th:
Rachelle didn't sleep much last night and for the most part neither did I. We weren't sure if it was because we were headed back to Luts'k or what. I tried to catch the OSU game on the Cowboy Network, however nothing was really working. Really disappointed in the coverage, or lack thereof as well as the performance from the Football team. Oh well, that is to be expected when you have a young quarterback on the road.
OK, on to Bigger and Better items than College football in Oklahoma. We left Kiev shortly after 9:00 am this morning. We stopped by Sasha's parents house around the halfway point to Luts'k. It was a very nice visit and as always, they always prepare too much food for Rachelle and I to eat. We arrived in Luts'k a couple of hours later.
Our initial plan was to stay at the Luts'k Hotel, however after visiting the rooms, we wanted to explore other options. Sasha called a lady that actually had an Apartment for rent a couple of nights, however with it being on the 4th Floor in a rough looking part of town we elected to deny that option.
We really wanted to go see Vanya, so we went on to the Hotel that we stayed at during our first visit. We requested to look at a different room than the one we had prior. They showed a very nice comparable room on the 3rd floor that will fit our needs just fine. There is a wedding party here and they actually have upwards of 6 to 7 wedding cakes. There are people everywhere.
After we got checked in and carried our baggage up to our room, we asked Sasha if he could take us to go see Vanya. We loaded up in the car and took off towards the Camp where he had been a little over a week ago, and we believed would still be there since he was supposed to be there 3 weeks. It was so nice pulling into the driveway and walking into the Camp in anticipation to see him. We were really curious how he would react once he saw us, and more importantly if he would recognize us. We walked up to the 2nd floor and he was not there, he had already been transferred back to the Orphanage. So we walked back to the car and headed back.
The Orphanage is less than a couple of miles from the Hotel where we are staying. When we pulled up to the entrance, the gate was closed shut. Sasha parked over to the side of it and we walked in, closing the gate behind us. There were approximately 10 to 15 kiddo's playing in the Court Yard. Rachelle and I actively looked for Vanya, however at first glance we were unable to locate him. There were 3 kiddo's playing on elevated structure of some sort and Rachelle made a comment, "How Cute is that One". I reminded her that we were only here for one and to stay focused. Little did I know that the one she was talking about with the cute ball cap was going to climb down, run towards us, then in front of Rachelle and in front of me throwing his hands up wanting me to pick him up.
IT WAS VANYA!!! How AWESOME was that ?1?!
He hadn't seen us in over a week and he recognized and remembered us. It truly blew me away! He gave me a HUGE HUG and it Truly Melted my Heart!11 Sasha even made a comment on how Awesome the connection was! We were playing on the teeter-totter with the boys on one side and Momma on the other. He had a Blast! As we would go up he would laugh and kick his feet, all of the while Rachelle and I would laugh along with him. After a few minutes of it I would stop, and then we would encourage Vanya to "sign" to us "Again". After a few times he caught on and he starting doing it with regularity. So simple of a way to communicate, and yet so nice to see him catch on so quickly!!!
It did not take much for us to draw a crowd from the other boys and girls. There was a little boy in particular that took a special liking to Rachelle. I would predict that he is 6 to 7 years old. He would come up to her and give her hugs, it was really cool seeing that happen. Rachelle has such an Amazing Heart and young children are just drawn to her! There were about ten tires laid out in a row and she would run through them, and then there would be a train of followers. All of the time this was going on, Vanya just wanted me to hold him; and that was just fine with me!
We stayed for approximately 30 to 45 minutes. It is getting harder each time not to just take him with us when we leave. We know that is what he wants, and eventually that is what we are going to be able to do.
Knowing that he is at the Orphanage now and that the Hotel is so close, I am actually glad that we decided to stay here yet once again, instead of in downtown Luts'k.
Tomorrow is a Big Day, once again for our Journey. Sasha will be at the Court House first thing to file the Petition as soon as it opens and we are Praying for a Quick Court Date so that the remainder of this process can get underway!!!
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