Sunday, January 15, 2006

I'm baaaaaaaack!!

Linda Goodnight

Oh, my goodness! I've done it. I'm here. And now I can publish some of the things that have been happening lately. Here goes:

During the Christmas holidays we (meaning my husband Gene and I) did something unusual. At least it was unusual for. We've never known anyone else personally who has hosted an international orphan child, and boy, were we in for a surprise that has changed our lives forever.

It all began when we started studying the book of James in the Bible. Suddenly, all the scriptures about orphans and widows and the needy started jumping out at us. So we began donating to orphanages and other compassion ministries. But that didn't seem to be enough. Then this opportunity to host a child, to give a child a wonderful Christmas, came along. And we took it.

The road to getting our little 61/2 year old Sasha here from the Ukraine was rocky to say the least. She was due to arrive on Dec. 20 in Denver. I was on my way to the airport to fly to Denver to pick her up when the phone call came. Sasha had a passport glitch and was not on the plane. We were saddened that she wasn't coming but just couldn't stop thinking that something good would come out of this. Three days later, we get another call. Sasha can be on a plane that morning but I have to pick her up in NYC instead of Denver. (Eat two nonrefundable airline tickets.) We agree to this, though the cost is staggering and way more than we intended to spend. Well, more bad news. We can't get out of NYC on that day. Finally, another couple who is hosting agrees to meet our child and take her to Detroit. My daughter Sundy jumps on a plane and heads for Detroit. Christmas Eve, four days late and exhausted but determined to be chipper and sweet, Sasha arrives.

1 comment:

Justin and Jennifer said...

So how does this thing work? You just bring a child over for a few days? Or are you adopting her? Did you have a good time with her over the hoildays?