A Little Rest-Then Move Forward

So what happen to the Rahns? We are home, save and full of new hope. To step back from everything and renew our strength ( especially our spiritual) has done us good. We are just loving having Yana in our home. She is getting ajusted and seems very happy. Our bond is growing daily and our love for each other is increasing. I am so impressed how God has taken strangers and knit their hearts together to be a family. Yana has had some opportunity to express fears, and the biggest is school. Today we start the journey of finding the right school. I keep reassuring her that it is not going to be that bad. We will introduce her to American schools very easily. Yana is very strong emotionally and physically. She will do very well. We have had lots of great company since we have been back. That has been a blessing for all of us. The more company we have the more I can prograstinate putting things back in order. I am normally a very ordered type of person, but right now I really don't want to get comfortable until we have Marina at home.

Marina--she is not left behind for long. When we got on the plane in Kyiv, it was looked at as a time to regroup and get alittle rest. We had a lot of hope, feeling of joy, and a sense of renewed strength. Was there weeping, yes. We refuse to weep in front of Yana, this was our rejoicing time with her. We had time to draw closer to Yana, that was a good thing. If we became overwhelmed about Marina, we would find a quite spot to weep and pray and renew our emotions. That has not ended. We both have our moments. When I was in church on Sunday, I could feel Marina's hug, smell her scent, and see her face. I saw a rerun of our good-bye at the orphanage, it played over and over and over. I wept most of the time I was at church. That was a good thing, because in my weekness, Christ renewed my strength. I still don't know the whole picture and how it is going to turn out, He does. Remember this is God's journey, He wrote the script. This very morning we woke up to an e-mail from Marina. It said, "Urgent, please get a hold of Galina, she has some new information that is good". Marina's e-mail was a good sign that she has renewed hope.

I can not go into all the details, and I know this sound vague, sorry. We are expecting to bring Marina home in 5 to 6 weeks. Please pray that the doors will all open. We have a plan and God may have a different one, but we are praying that all plans lead to Marina coming home soon. Rick and I have lived almost 25 years as a married couple, no children. There has always been peace about that. All of a sudden, we are missing one of our children and the family feel incomplete. How does that happen. We serve a great God. Two years ago we asked Him, what our purpose was and why would He draw us together. We prayed for Him to reveal this to us. The battle we have fought for with Marina, I could not have done alone, either could Rick. We are a team. He gave each of us a strength that was necessary just at the right time and He made us week at the right time too. Many times during this journey Rick would speak with such discernment that I would be stunned. Many times God gave me information that would open new ideas and doors. We asked for a God journey that would draw us close to Him and He gave it to us. With all the heart breaks and tears, would I ask Him to do this to me again. Yes! There is nothing greater in life then to let God work through you and to be so week that He can work through you.

Please, pray for Marina and her home coming. Pray for Yana and her settling into a new life.
We appreciate you all for following the journey, remember it is not over, we are praying for a miracle.
Fran

We are on Our Way Home

Thank you all for your prayers. We visited the director of the SDA office today with a lawyer. We spent 2 hours pleading our case. The paper trail for Marina was all revealed, mistakes were made and the door is shut.

We are trying to book tickets home. Marina stays.

We praise the Lord of using us as her instrument to get her papers right. We are exhausted and sad, excited and joyful. Yana is sad today too. She was hoping on behave of Marina.

Please continue to pray for Marina, we are hopeful that some laws will change soon to allow us to take her home.

Thank you all again, I am writting from the U.S. embassy and don't want to stay on the computer for long.
Fran

Preparing to Leave

We have had a great weekend together as our 2 daughters have been with us since Friday. Rick is already talking about when the girls grow up and leave home and how aweful it will be to be an empty nester. I have to keep reminding him that for the last 25 (almost) years we have been empty nesters, it will be how we have known it. He has decided to put a fence around the property so the boys won't see his girls.

I must share with you that God has been really good through all this. Our time at the Berdyansk Oraphanage has been sweet. We are there so much that even the teachers are hunging us. The orphanage goes the extra mile to make the children feel special and build self-esteem. Yana and Marina tell me that they have teachers they love. I am so grateful for that. I see my 2 girls and how well behaved they are. They have good manors and are sweet. We went over to Ernie and Anna's house for dinner yesterday. The girls just melted them. They both wanted to help Anna with dinner and with the clean up. Of course, Ernie and Anna are wonderful people that melt hearts too. They had the girls laughing and having so much fun with in minutes of walking in the door. What a great time. When we got home 5 of the kids from the neighborhood came over. They watched movies, played Uno, laughed and sang to the music. Yana was in her glories. She has grown close to these children. In the mean time Marina gets to spend quality time with Mama and Papa. She needs alot of attention and assurance right now. While we were in church sunday ( the sermon is in Russian) our souls were being touched. Rick was all teary eyed from how God was moving in his heart and God gave me a peak at Marina's past life. We sat down with Marina and talked to her about the knowledge I gained in church. God gave me a pretty clear picture of Marina's upbring and what happen to her family. It is very touching. Since we didn't have a translator in church we didn't know what was said. Today, monday, I found out it was a sermon about the woman that Jesus met at the well. Jesus said to her, I know all about you and your past too. The pastor took it to Jesus feeds our soul, He speaks to us. Isn't that just like our God.

That is going to take me to this statement. Rick and I are on a journey that was brought on by God. We were not out to adopt 2 children. The journey has had highs and lows that have brought both of us to the darkest moments of our lives, not exaggerating. I have never in my life been to this horrible dark place. We were able to hang in there because we would force ourselves to review the character of our God, and all of you reading our journey continually remind us of scripture and verses that reveal the character of God. We have not come in with any false hope or thoughts that our God is up there to make us happy. His joy is there in the good and bad times even the unhapppy times. There were days that we couldn't feel His joy, but we knew that He would reveal it to us, we just had to be open to it. Before I left Williamsburg, in writting, I asked God to give me a journey that would draw me closer to Him. He has answered my prayers. Today we are in His joy. Tonight we say good bye to Marina, for now. I packed a bag for her with the pajamas, the night bag with her personal care products, things that she wants to bring her cousin in Florida, Dakota, and the radio that we bought that gave us pleasure of having music. This bag is not to be used until we get back and bring her home. She is to hide it for that moment in time. We will cry, but we are leaving with her knowing that we adore her and love her and that she is our daughter as much as Yana is.

We will be on the train, we hope by Tuesday evening and in Kyiv Wednesday morning. I am not sure when we will be home, it will be soon. This is not the end of our journey, and we can't give the date it will end. We are still believing in a miracle.

Your continued prayers are appreciated. If I could have a big party when this was over and all of you come, that would be day of rejoicing. Many of the bloggers are strangers in the world, but not in Christ. You are all special to us.
Fran

Yana Pam Rahn

As of Friday, January 11th Yana left the orphage the last time as an orphan. It was difficult for her friends, but Yana is such a strong person. With a great deal of resolve she hugged and kissed everyone and walked out. Lots of emotions, but she is filled with joy. We walked to the apartment hand in hand. Papa walked with Marina with her chin hanging on the ground and her tears freezing to her face. It is so difficult to see the system work against her. We have her for the weekend and we are having a good time. We are all trying not to think about Tuesday when we leave with out her. The last time we see Marina is Monday night.

It is unbelievable that we are at peace. We still are praying for a miracle, and there are miracles in the works. Please continue to pray for miracles to continue.

Today Yana and I went shopping. We went to the mall---the outdoor market. It was freezing outside and I thought my hands would fall off. The best jeans are at the market. To try on clothes you go behind a sheet and drop your pants. Bare skin at zero degree weather. My daughter did it as if it was 80 degrees outside. I could hardly pay for the pants my hands were soooooo cold. I let her buy jeans I would have never let her spend the money on just to get inside a warm building. There were a few other things to get as well. I thought she would like to go to an indoor shopping area, she says no mama they have them here as she marches me off to another part of the market. This market has dogs and cats wondering in and out of the area you shop. It breaks my heart to see the animals in this cold weather. If you know me you know that I have a soft spot for animals. I am feeding the animals all over the place. I even carry cheese in my pocket and toss it to them. It is so cold for these poor animals to be living on the streets. The dogs that guard the Church eat pretty good off the Rahn family. We are all feeding them.

We will be leaving Berdyansk on Tuesday evening via the train. We don't have our tickets home yet, but will know by thursday the day we will leave. Please don't stop praying for a miracle.
Farewell for today,
Fran

The last two days have been busy getting Yana ready to come home. We had to drive 2.5 hours to go to get a paper that gave permission for the birth certificate to be changed then 2.5 hours home. We didn't do the driving Sveda did. Today Sveda picks us up at 7:00 a.m. to drive to Tomeka, Yana's birth place and get the birth certificate changed. Then it is an 1.5 hours back to Berdyansk to do more stuff, pick up Yana and back to the same place we were the day before. Ride, hurry, wait, ride, hurry, wait. That is what our life style is right now. With Yana in the car we pass where she was raised, grandma's house. She points to the villiage and then to the house. Tears roll down her face as she stares at the place. On the way home, it is dark, but she scrapes the frost off the window and places her hand against the glass and stares at her place of memories. I am not even sure what the memories are. I think her and grandma were close. She places her hands on her lap and sits quiet for a few minutes. Then she moved on to listening to her music. She is a strong young lady. Mama has to turn away because she is crying. I pray that Yana's life will be successful and she will be blessed with lots of happy memories.

Then there is Marina, mama is always crying because of Marina. Time is running out. We got word today that she is still not registered. No one in the Ukraine cares, except for Rick, Marina, and myself. It is starting to take a toll. We are in the mist of possibly hiring a lawyer, she is looking at the case. We are going to start looking for flights home, so the end is coming. I have to say that we are weak in pain. We love Marina so much. Our daughter once lived in an orphanage, but now it is a prison. The door is not opening.

Thank you all for your prayers, but I would like to ask a favor. Pray that we hold it together right now. Thank you,
Fran

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day 2008

Today is the day after Christmas and finally all the Government offices are open! Today we may have information on when we can come home. We would told we were going to be real busy today, so we got up early, said good-bye to Jenny who is leaving for home today and walked the girls to the orphanage. We hurry, hurry, hurry and then we wait. That is what we are doing now is waiting.

This is a good time to fill you in on our holidays. The eve before our 2008 Christmas was cold but sunny. We called our driver Sveda and asked her to take us for a ride to the end of the pennisula. The pennisula is a resort area. In the past couple of years some beautiful resorts have been built out there. There is a water park with some slides, and lots of old homes as well. At the end is an old fishing village, with a lighthouse. Sveda kept driving, even when the road ended and there was only a dirt path, through wheat fields. Rick thought Sveda misunderstood him and was trying to tell her to turn around, but she just kept driving until we came to the end of the pennisula and could see Berdyansk. It was a sight to see. The water was frozen, like my hands are right now. If I come back to Berdyansk any time soon, I would like to stay there and have it be a hot summer day. If there is one thing I miss is time outside and not being cold.

Christmas day was also my birthday. My two girls got up early with the assistance of their papa and surprised me while I was still in bed. They brought me little presents and lots of hugs and kisses. They quickly went back to bed for a brief snooze before the day started. Christmas service at the church was a series of plays and skits, fun but alittle long, especially the church was sooo cold. After we had a lunch and went up to our apartment. A group of children and some of the young adults followed us up there. They watched videos all afternoon, except for Marina, who really doesn't like to watch one video after another. In the evening we had dinner and sat around and talked. That was the turning point of the day....

The last part of our day was a blow out. Yana basically told Marina that she hated her and didn't want any part of her. We have had several blow outs but this was bad. We spent the next couple hours dealing with this and got things resolved. There was nothing that led up to this. It crushed Marina. She was once again rejected and then the whole thing with the paper work came up. It was a ugly evenikng, but I am sure that it will show it's face again. I didn't expect this until I got home. Rick and I had to review all that we are doing and pray for discernment. I think we handled it well and by the end of the evening Yana was again friendly to Marina. Fortunately, Enna was there to interpret everything. That was a Christmas/birthday present I could have done without. The papa handled it very well and was very firm.

This morning is another day and everyone is smiling. Marina was quit on the way to the orphanage, she knows that we sign Yana's birth certificate today. Oh Lord, what are you doing, I know your path is the right one. If only our miracle would happen, life would be so much easier. He is on the Throne and we praise Him who is faithful.
Fran

Pretty Ladies and Raw Fish

Merry Christmas 2008 from the Ukraine. We are very busy with company and preparing for the celebration that accompanies Christmas. It is such a blessing how we have integrated into the lives of the church family here. Tomorrow morning the girls will sleep in and I will go help prepare the food for the dinner that the church will have. We are expecting 150 people to show from this church and 2 sister churches. The girls have met some of the teenagers from the church so it will be fun for them as well. Later in the day we will give them presents. Presents is not the big part of Christmas here. I am trying to buy things that they can come home in. So far I am pretty lucky they seem to love what I pick out. I am sure that won't last, but it is a good thing for now.

Now the fish story----The fish that the girls bought the other day was nothing compared to the dry fish and raw fish they bought last night. They are so sad when we don't like their foods. I tried a piece of the raw fish just to be nice, I can't do it. I think about my favorite food and sharing it with the girls and them saying no thank you I don't like it. Oh no!! It is going to happen. I have to say our girls have a high protein diet. After we eat they have so much energy. They are both supper strong. We call Marina, Bam Bam. She carries me around.

May you all enjoy your day today, we are celebrating the birth of Our King, Jesus.
Fran