Almost 7 years ago at my homeschool group, a lady came in to give a presentation on the Children of Chernobyl . They were asking that families prayerfully consider hosting a child for the summer. I knew that this was something I just had to do. So I came home and told everyone we were getting a little girl, and it was not open for discussion that we just had to. If you don't know about Chernobyl you should read about it. Anyhoo we had a ton of paper work to do, background checks, home inspections and the list just goes on and on. At the end of all of this you get to pick the age and gender of your child. So I choose to get a 7 year old little girl. Now all there was left to do was wait for her arrival.
Picking her up the first time. |
At 7 she was so small in comparison to American children her age. You could tell that she came from a place of poverty. The only thing she brought with her was an old bag and a pair of underwear. She was introduced to me by an older American lady that spoke Russian. Just like that Anna pronounced Anja was handed off to me for the next 6 weeks. I was given a book of Russian terms and told was told all Belarusian children love to eat hot dogs, have a great summer and we will keep in touch with you. As I walked her out to the car it hit me that this child must be scared to death. I could not imagine sending my child all the way to Belarus for 6 weeks, to a family that I did not know. I also had no idea that this summer would be the beginning of one of the hardest things I would ever do in my life, but at the same time the greatest thing to ever happen to me.
We spent the next 6 weeks filling every moment with as much fun a possible. There were good times and there were tough times. It took Anja a little while to get used to life in America, but all in all she did great. This child was amazing. She would cheerfully do any task you asked of her. Slowly but surely she began to try all types of food and fell in love with fresh fruits and veggies. I could not keep enough of them in the house. I had to make at least 2 trips a week to Costco to keep up with her fruit addiction. It was all so worth it. She was a dare devil at heart and lived to go to Kings Dominion and Busch Gardens. She would cry when she was not tall enough to ride the big roller coasters. Swimming was her other favorite thing to do. Sadly though the 6 weeks ended all to quickly. Standing at the airport looking into the face of my sweet girl, as she tells me that she will miss me and is not ready to go home, just broke my heart. The next few weeks passed slowly and I longed to see her again. I knew though that summer would be here soon enough and she would be back with us again.
The Lord blessed us with 5 more wonderful summers with Anja. Even though the program ended we still found away to get her here to be with us. My wonderful parents and grandmother help offset the costs of getting her home to us. Me made more memories than I could count,but I always knew in the back of my mind that it would not last forever.
The older a child gets from her area of the world the harder it is to get visa's and other travel documents. The United States and Belarus also had a falling out during this time period which made things even harder. In the summer of 2010 the lady who helped me with the paper work over in Belarus told me she would not assist me anymore, because that it was just to hard for her. I knew then that it would be our last summer with her Anja.
I sat for many nights that last summer wondering how I could let go of a child I held so dear to my heart. How I could let go of the dreams I had for her. Even though I knew they were silly I still had them. I always dreamed that one day when she was older she would come to live in America. That Sam my oldest daughter and Anja would go off to school together, and that she would be here always. She is so smart and I know she could make something of herself if she just had help. I have to admit I still dream these dreams.
In August of 2010 I kissed her goodbye one last time. I reminded her how much I loved her, how important she was to our family and that she would always be my daughter. To please remember to brush her teeth, stay away from boys, study hard and do well in school, and that she would always have a home in America. That was the last time I spoke to her and the hardest day of my life.
Anja Today |
I wish there was a way I could thank the makers of Facebook and Skype for bringing me so much joy. I can now talk to her all the time and see her too. Oh happy day!!!