Day two “all that paper work doesn’t seem to matter now”

After a really nice night’s sleep we went to the breakfast provided by our hotel. There were heavy rolls of bread, cold cut slices of salami and bologna, cheese slices, and some thin crepes they called pancakes. There were of course some fresh salads as well, but we opted to let the locals savor those dishes.

A bit later we met our driver in the lobby and headed out for the expected harrowing hour drive. We were not disappointed.

Once at the orphanage, we got to peek in and see where the children slept. There were about 10 small wooden cribs, some along the outside wall and the remainder forming an island in the middle. Everything seemed to be in order, and the ladies attending the babies were all very busy about the business of taking care of children. One lady, likely in her late 20s with very dark hair but fair skin, was constantly taking cloths out to be dried after hand washing, gently laying the kids blankets out in the courtyard over the bushes to dry. Another woman held a baby on her hip as she talked lovingly to her as well as the other care givers in their work area. As we sat outside on the porch, we could hear the laughter coming out of the room, reflecting in that warm way that only an old wood building can do well. It is odd that just the sign of happiness among the ladies was so reassuring, but for me it was.

We were able to take our boy out of the crib and go out to the porch and spend about a bit less than an hour with him. He was more alert today and really interacted with us much more. Over the course of the last two days we have developed a few concerns over his health, but we are working through our adoption doctors in the states to help answer any questions we have. We are thankful to have taken the option of securing an a pediatric adoption specialist to bounce ideas off of. Above all, we feel he is meant to be ours and we have comfort knowing we are in the Lord’s will.

After our brief time with him we went to visit the orphanage director. A very serious Russian woman, she sat behind her desk and with a matter-of-fact efficiency dispatched all of our questions through our driver, who is also our interpreter. She told us a little bit about how our boy came into the orphanage and also mentioned that he had briefly run a fever a couple of days before our visit.

After the visit with our son at the orphanage we went to Burana tower, a tenth century structure just outside of Tokmok.

It was very interesting and quite a harrowing climb up the narrow staircase to the top. Once perched atop of the 100 ft, or so, tall structure you can see the mountains to one side and on the other side you can see a field of burial stones. It was a neat trip and worth the time. We especially enjoyed the hospitality of the two ladies at work in the small museum.

From there we had an uneventful trip back to the room. As we prepare for day 3 with our son, I am reminded of the words in Ephesians 4:11-13 where God reminds us that we are blessed with talents to prepare us for works that build us up in unity and knowledge, bringing maturity and the full measure of Christ. We pray for this in our efforts to bring or son home and raise him, and we pray that this is true for you, wherever you are.