THE AMERICAN GIRL - KATYA - BREAKING NEWS!

WE ARE EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE PLANS ARE PROGRESSING RAPIDLY
We just received an email from the U.S. Embassy in Kiev, Ukraine. We have rapid progress from them and need your help to get Katya repatriated to Georgia. Here is a clip from the email:
"As we agreed during our phone conversation last week, this is to let you know that you can start making the arrangements for Katrina's flight to America.
According to the U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS), the repatriation case has been assigned to the Fulton County Department of Family and Children Services.................
AND WE HAVE THE REST OF THE DETAILS OF HER REPATRIATION . She has a place to stay and help there that will help her find a job, finish her Senior year in High School, etc. She just needs a sponsor for her airline ticket and a friend!

We need some help---who out there in Atlanta will be willing to help Katya settle, just be her friend in need for a time such as this. She is 18 in age, but really just a little 12 yeasr old trying to find her way now as an adult.
Thanks so much....the LAMb Team

KATYA IS COMING HOME

AN AMERICAN GIRL - SENT TO UKRAINE - WILL RETURN HOME
(we have put no picture of Katya to protect her privacy)
We have had many requests for an update on the story we reported about Katya. She was adopted from a Ukraine orphanage when she was 12 years old. She lived with her adoptive family until she turned 18. Two months after her 18th birthday, she was sent back to Ukraine. We want to update you now on the facts, the progress and the plan.

Imagine first that you are a 12 year old - leaving a country, culture, and a life in an orphanage. You are adopted by a wonderful Christian family and are taken to a country where you will need to learn the language, culture and how to live in a family versus an orphanage. As time passes you learn and yearn. The yearning is often demonstrated with angry words everytime you get into an argument with your parents - words are spoken such as, "send me back to Ukraine!" Your adoptive parents are not equipped to deal with your emotions, needs and your confusion.

After 6 years, things escalate to the point your parents just decide to give you your wishes. They make arrangements with the previous orphanage in which you lived, take you shopping and buy you some new clothes, purchase a ticket that leaves two days later and then put you on an airplane. You are now heading "home". But this is not home, it is a foreign land and you are only a child. You are smart, beautiful and very confused.

Arriving in Kiev, someone is there to meet you and take you back to the orphanage. You travel on the train, anxious to meet your new life. At the orphanage the director greets you and tells you this is a new chance for you. She tells you that you must give up your US citizenship and she will help you get into school, etc. She tells you that this is a wonderful time for your life, back in Ukraine where everything will be better for you. She tells you that it is never good to be adopted to an American family. She tells you that your new life starts with getting back your Ukrainian citizenship. BUT WAIT.....

You have the Russian language at a 12 year old level; people cannot understand you, laugh at you privately for your level of language and what you do not know and understand about the culture. You find out you MUST have the Ukrainian language to study, go to university or even get a decent job. You enter an English contest (set up by the orphanage director) and do well. Yes, English is your language. You are successful here. A teacher recognizes something is amiss and asks where you learned your language? The story begins to surface. You tell her all, and about giving up citizenship for another. The teacher says - WHOA! She contacts others and the story begins to be known by professionals who want to help you. You attempt to study, learn, but once again you are yearning and now even more lost!

Who am I? Where do I belong? Do I have anyone who loves me?
Others begin to help and the US Embassy hears of the situation and gets involved, much is then discovered. The orphange was wrong in agreeing to do this, you should not give up citizenship and you would be repatriated. The US Embassy called the orphanage and was totally in agreement of the wrong doing of this situation and worked with the US Department of State, Health and Human Services to work out are repatriation plan. Finally the plan is in place. Since you are a resident of a certain state - Georgia - you will need to return to that state. They set it up. Others have done so much...since you had NO MONEY - NO RESOURCES AND NO HELP TO SURVIVE.
*An American in Ukraine gave you shelter away from the orphanage
*a Ukrainian government leader brought others together to help you
*a Ukrainian NGO director gave you funds to go out of Ukraine for long enough to get a re-entry and keep you legal in the country (foreigners can only stay three months before needing to re-enter)
*another Ukrainian NGO team worked together to coordinate the US Embassy and help with your return home
*and LAMb has kept the story alive to get help and to give assurance something would be done and will be ensuring your flight home.

YOU OUR SUPPORTERS HAVE DONE MORE -
*you came to the surface and we had 10 families willing to receive Katya and give her a home to help her get settled.

WHERE WE ARE NOW -
Katya is approved to travel and will do so within the next several weeks. She will return to her home state of Georgia and study there - complete her grade 12. We will be calling persons we know in the area she returns to and will be getting her connected to caring adults who will help her settle and get started. If you are from Georgia (Atlanta) and want to help - contact us.

She has been tossed into adulthood before her time. She has no connections, no friends, no family. She is a bright and beautiful young woman, a victim of life's circumstances. Her first 12 years of life were without family, and her last 6 years of life were learning about family. Maybe she did not know how to be in a family and the family did not know how to help her. All we know is there was conflict, yet there is conflict in every family and yet we use tough love and at the same time do not deny our children forever. Many parents have felt at a loss of how to manage a teen and many parents have thought about "sending" their child somewhere - yet commitment means commitment. Katya did not have the benefit of that commitment.

Lost in a country where she would most likely become one of the statistics - 2/3 of the orphans in Ukraine end up in being trafficked, suicide, in prison, pushing drugs, or living on the street. Only 1/3 are successful and we can be sure those successful - know the language, culture and have been successful with integrating into the community. Katya had little chance for this success.

Yet we praise God - He is faithful and she is coming home. We will update you here on Katya's return.
FINALLY - WE NEED A SPONSOR FOR HER FLIGHT. The US Embassy will make the arrangements, but we will need to pay for the ticket. Is there anyone out there that would like to help this way - and is there anyone in Atlanta, Georgia that would want to contact us and help us by meeting her when she arrives into Atlanta later this month. Let us know.

Please contact us at: lambinternational@gmail.com

KATYA IS COMING HOME!

WHEN SHOWING UP TURNS TO AN OVERWHELMNG UNDERSTANDING

Pastors Galina and Gregory - an evening with them - blessed us beyond imagination. We are so honored to know them and have them in our lives.

WOW, WE HAVE BEEN AMAZED AT THIS WEEK!

Our time here in Ukraine has been so full and exciting. We could never have guessed or anticipated all that would happen or be placed in front of us. We have been very busy and every minute has been filled. We would like to recap some of the excitement:

1. Visited the church we purchased in 2006 (our team) - scheduled a leadership training for them for next June - talked about ways we could continue to help them reach the community through their present program and through the new program working with AIDS individuals in the community.

2. Met with a leader from the Theological Seminary in Odessa and began to explore possibilities for our team to deliver some quality child and family training there.

3. Got the update from our staff on his trip to the US and hear all the excitement from the potential partners he has talked to.

4. Reviewed the plan for next year with our staff about the upcoming year and the training we hope to offer to help those working with families at risk and for children in crisis.

5. Worked on the plan for our team to move forward and deliver quality tools and materials to encourage families through training and consultation.

6. Met with one of our partners and made plans on how we might reach many of the leaders who influence child welfare in Ukraine.

7. Started the planning for two new projects - a) creating an orphan awareness in the churches; b) developing a training program for the churches to build skills to help those in the church who are working with families and children at risk.

8. Reconnected with our dear Pastors - Gregory and Galina - looked to the future for more ministry.

9. Were able to bless the Abandoned Baby Hospital with enough food to last for five weeks.

10. Were blessed to give the Home for Disabled Women and Men a gift to ensure some of their needs are met right away.

11. Blessed a church with resources to help them in their work and future outreach.

12. Connected with our wonderful little guy from Kyrgyzstan and was able to help him get some needs met - warm clothing and reparining his computer so he can complete his studies at the Bible College and contact his mother on the internet.

13. Met with Katya and a large team, reviewed the progress of the work with the US Embassy to get her returned to to the US. We developed a plan - recommended by the US State Department of Health and Human Services to get her back into her home state of Georgia and to get her life back again. (We will blog about this soon!)



And this is just the top events - it has been an incredible time here - we are ready to reach out and provide more and more and more training for many here in Ukraine.



LAMb International in Action - no matter what age we are! Wahoo.

BRAZIL DONATION BLESSES UKRAINE CHURCH

Pastor Vatalie and his wife with us.



Pastor Vitalie and the construction boss - Vacillie!



The picture of the team that is posted on the church wall that tells about the team that donated the funds for the church - this is the day it was bought.





GIVING TO ONE TO GIVE TO ANOTHER!

Recently we were in Brazil to visit family. While there we were asked to speak at two different churches. One was an English speaking church which was held on Friday night and the other was the larger parent church which was the Brazilian church. We presented LAMb International and the work being done in Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan - as well Lynn delivered a message on obedience and commitment.

After the service we were blessed with a $300 donation from the church and many questions about the future and our return to minister with this body of believers.

Once home, we jumped on a plane to head to Ukraine and one of the targets for our trip was to visit the church in Pyatikhatki, Ukraine. Our 2006 team helped to purchase this church (see previous blog). It was a large property with an unfinished building, (now the church) a house (now the Sunday school for 25 children) and a great lawn (now a wonderful rose garden, vegetable garden and a place for summer picnics.)

Once we arrived, we were treated like royalty - they showed us everything and how much they had done in four years - and of course they need more space. They have also started two satelite churches in neighboring villages and have started an NGO to help families who have a member with AIDS. This is a very big problem in their city.

We knew in advance we wanted to bless this church with a gift of finances and we did that - giving them a gift that included the $300 from the Fruitful Harvest Church from Uberlandia, Brazil. They (the Brazilian church) are just starting their mission ministry and this is a perfect fit for their gift to us. We are thrilled!

Brazil - you are wonderful - Pyatikhatki you are wonderful. May God strengthen the ties between you both!

Pyatikhatki, Ukraine Church

This is a quick update to let you know we are visiting the Pyatikhatki church and Pastor Vitaliy this week. Many of you from the team in the fall of 2006 will remember purchasing this church.
YEA! for Jesus.
Again we plan to bless this church. If you wish to be part of this blessing, please use the Canada Helps donation button.
We will give you further updates after the visit.

UPDATE ON ASIMBA

Asimba was to enter the hospital this morning for her surgery. We received this word over the weekend. As information comes in from Krygyzstan - we will update the blog. Thank you everyone for praying for this little one. AND THANK YOU our sponsor for helping this wonderful child.

The LAMb Team on the ground in Kyrgyzstan
Pastor David, Jayne
John, Julie, Emma, Bekah
Don, Johanna
Lynn, Ruby
Natasha

FOUR ORPHAN BABIES NOW HAVE A MOMMY AND DADDY

BABIES ARE GETTING FAMILIES - FOUR MORE ADOPTED FROM THE BABY HOME! National Adoption is GROWING!

Thank you sponsors - thank you over and over again. This report is just in from Kyrgyzstan:

Below is the report from Janell. (She is the government worker we trained to conduct this training along with the director of the baby home - Dr. Tatiana and her social worker - Leana. They have now conducted four pre-adoption trainining programs. This series of training - ended with four babies being adopted! Wahoooo! Praise God for this wonderful news.)


The days of the training: 24, 25, 28, 29 December 2010, 4, 6 January 2011.
At the training there were 6 parents (four families) two of them have already adopted their babies. The parents participated in the training with a big interest, they were very attentive and appreciative. Especially the parents were interested in adaptation period after adoption and genetic impact on babies and wanted to get as much information as possible. In the course of the training the parents asked a lot of questions about challenges and problems after adoption. In addition to the content of the training the trainers gave the parents more additional information such as Child Welfare System in Kyrgyz Republic, escort of adoptive parents in KR, adoptive parents’ and their adoptive children’s rights and Kyrgyz Legislation on Adoption.