Visited Deaf Villages and Children Shelters – Update #4

From an e-mail message on 1/5/10 at 12:19 pm EST:

Dear friends & family,

I hope to be able to write you a longer email later tonight with more details about the past two days here in Mogilev, Belarus, but our internet connection does not always work, and that is why these emails have not been sent everyday unfortunately. Each night, I try to spend as much time with the children as possible before they go to bed. Then I hope and pray the computer connection is still working so I can send you a message. Unfortunately the past day or so, it has not worked. Tonight, I decided to let you all know we are still alive and well before the internet decided to "stop" for the evening. But I must go back soon with our girls, since tonight is our last evening with them. Tomorrow the orphanage and Krystina's foster mom want us to bring them back to their homes. Tonight and tomorrow will be very tough days for us as a result - we love these girls so much, and they love America so much. They dream of living in our country and having families. Fortunately we are able to give them a family who can provide for them in some ways through ABRO, even though Belarus doesn't allow international adoptions.

Yesterday we went to the deaf "village" and it was an amazing experience. I promise to write about that more when I have time. This short email will not do the visit justice, and there is so much I wish to tell you about it.

Today we went to another children's "shelter" - not an orphanage, per se, although children without families do live there. Basically it's a place where the children stay after being taken away from their families by the government and before being placed in an orphanage. Today was wonderful also - I really love going to visit the orphanages and be with the children. They are so precious.

We met several children - deaf and hearing - who need host families this summer. Please begin thinking and praying about opening your homes this summer to one of these children. They are so precious, and we so desperately want to help them as much as possible.

I will write more later - must go play with the girls, hug them while they cry as they don't want to leave, and look at pictures and videos of our times with them. I love them all so much. Please pray for us all as tomorrow will be a very hard day for the girls and for us.

May God bless you all for taking this journey to Belarus through your prayers with us!

Elaine