adventures | Wide Awake Family

An Invitation

Posted on May 25, 2016 by kimnjed

We would like to invite you to a very special event!

Thursday, June 30th at 7pm we are hosting “An Evening With Wide Awake” at the Kroc Center in Salem, Oregon.

Our family’s time here in the US is quickly winding down and we are itching for an opportunity to meet face to face with the ones who have helped to make all of this possible. I can blog the heck outta this thing, but there is truly nothing like being in the same room and telling stories, live, in person.

If you are in, or around the Salem area we would absolutely LOVE to see you there!

We’ll share about where we’ve been, and where we hope to go in this next year: land purchase, freedom for the first four boys, interns, adoptions…and all that good stuff.

And just to sweeten the deal a bit, I’ve got to tell you that our friend and partner Denis Dmitrov will be there too- all the way from Ukraine! Denis is our pastor in Ukraine. The church that he pastors, Christian Youth Church, is where we, and almost 100% of our volunteers attend. Christian Youth Church has taken on Romaniv as a ministry of the church and it is a miraculous partnership that only God could have planned. Denis will be visiting the US for the first time ever and we are super excited for Wide Awake supporters to meet him and hear a bit about the work from his perspective.

So, please come! Invite a friend! This is the perfect opportunity for people to be introduced to what Wide Awake is all about. I can’t wait to see you and give you a big fat hug (and I’m not even a hugger…that’s how excited I am about this).

If you have any questions about this event, please don’t hesitate to ask. You can comment here, or email me at kjohnson@wideawakeinternational.org

Wide Awake Property!

Posted on May 17, 2016 by kimnjed

Jed came back to Oregon on Friday after spending the last month in Ukraine. He had a great, full time working with our church community, interns, spending time with the boys, working on a special project, meeting with partners, and generally just gettin’ stuff done.
One HUGE, major, important thing he has been working on during his last two trips has been scouting out land for us to purchase. The dream of Wide Awake is deinstitutionalization. We want our boys out. In order to get them out we have to have somewhere for them to live, right? Right. We don’t want them to live just anywhere. We want them to live in nature, surrounded by beauty and land and gardens and fruit trees and people who love them. We want them in a neighborhood, not in isolation. We want them to have occupation, purpose: working the land to help provide for themselves as they are able. That dream requires a special piece of land, and Jed has been on the hunt for the perfect place.

We think he’s found it!

The land he found is approximately 1.3 acres and will be a great beginning spot for our first three Wide Awake homes. It is in a village a couple kilometers from Zhytomyr, has an existing reeeeeeeally old home on it, and space to build 2 other cottages. Thanks to our outrageously generous donors and outlandish end-of-the-year giving, we have the funds to purchase the land and renovate the house (it has no indoor plumbing…yikes!). We plan to add an ADA standard addition to the house as soon as we have the money for it.

Things are getting very, very exciting.

The current plan is that Jed will return to Ukraine mid-June to purchase the land on behalf of Wide Awake. We are also beginning the process, as a family, to obtain Ukrainian permanent residency. Because we are the parents of a Ukrainian citizen, we have the possibility of permanent residency, and that will work in our favor on many levels.

As a family, we are planning to return to Ukraine at the end of July or the first week of August. The idea is that we will live in the old house and four boys will live in the addition with loving caretakers. There are four boys, actually men, who turn 35 this year. We need to be ready to intercept them before they are sent to an adult institution. That means we need to move quickly and be ready for them come winter.

It’s crazy. It’s all becoming more real every day. There are many, many logistics to work out as far as care of the boys goes. Three of the boys we hope to bring home are non-interactive. If you were to visit Romaniv you would not notice them. We weren’t even confident of their names until they were confirmed on paper. The nannies didn’t know their names. They are some of the ones who sit on benches all day every day, alone in their own minds. They are not very receptive to human touch and do not respond much to interaction of any kind. The fourth boy is social and interactive. Everyone knows him and loves him. They are all survivors. Anyone who has lived that long in Romaniv is a survivor and we believe their potential is great. You know, we are ready to love them just as they are. We have hopes and dreams for them: hope for healing, dreams for full lives, but if all they ever know is that they are safe and loved and they never resp0nd to us as we dream- that’s okay. They are our sweet boys and we love them. They deserve the best.

So, one step at a time we move forward. There are many unknowns, so please pray for us that we are not fearful and that we will simply listen and obey. It’s easy to get overwhelmed when we think of the big picture. We really need to hear from God.

We can not thank you enough for giving of your love, your finances, and your prayers. This would be absolutely impossible without people praying and giving money. There is no way we could do any of this on our own. THANK YOU for journeying with us. It’s about to get crazy up in here, so stick around and enjoy the ride!

If you would like to give a donation specifically for the Wide Awake Building Fund you can do so here.

The First Time

Posted on April 20, 2016 by kimnjed

Four years ago today we met our boys for the first time.

On that day we had no idea that those beautiful boys would become the loves of our lives. We had no idea they would become our mission, our dream, our passion, our dearest friends.

Jed and I had arrived in Ukraine just days before on a crazy adventure. We landed in Ukraine knowing not a single person, nor a single word of Ukrainian or Russian (don’t try that at home). All we knew was that God was calling us. He had children in Ukraine that we were supposed to respond to somehow. We had been praying and dreaming and looking at pictures and it had become clear that we HAD to travel to Ukraine to see for ourselves. We had to smell the smells, see the sights, touch, feel, listen. Only then would we know God’s next steps for our family.

Our first day in Ukraine

We made a handful of email contacts, “We want to serve children with disabilities…can we come see what you do?” We stayed in hostels, fumbled with public transportation and had an adventure we would never forget.

On the day we were to visit Romaniv for the first time with our now partner organization, Mission to Ukraine, we had butterflies in our stomachs. I remember Jed and I both wondering how we would feel when we met the boys. Our hearts had been broken for orphans with disabilities in Ukraine, but we had never actually met any of them. What if we got to the orphanage and were too overwhelmed? What if the sights and smells and sounds would be too much for us? We so desired to give our lives to them, but what if our bodies rejected that dream? What if our humanness held us back?

I remember when we walked into the first room, empty of things except benches against the walls.

And boys. So many boys. Our babies.

They walked toward us with arms outstretched and soon we were swarmed by them.

It smelled so.bad. The smell took my breath away.

The boys looked unlike any people I had ever seen before. The neglect was unreal. I had moments of panic as they reached for me, unsure how to respond to them, unsure of what they would do.

The sounds assaulted my ears: moaning, crying, and shrieking intermingled with laughter and words I didn’t understand.

It was completely overwhelming in every possible way.

And yet.

I remember so clearly the moment when Jed and I made eye contact through the crowd. I glanced over at him wondering if I could tell from his face what he was thinking. Personally, I was both totally freaked out and totally in love at the same time. My heart was exploding and I knew. I just knew THIS was what God made me for. I looked over at Jed, his body surrounded by boys on all sides, and our eyes met. His eyes were full of tears. He nodded at me like “Yep, this is it.”

I wonder what we would have said if God had let us in on the little secret that we had met our future son that day? Wow. 🙂

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The rest is history. After that trip we came home, founded Wide Awake, left our jobs, passed off our church responsibilities, sold everything, and moved to Ukraine.

We thought we would serve at Romaniv for a year and then maybe move on to an institution further south, but after one year we knew we could never leave. We were made to love those boys. Our lives were not complete without them. Our children had grown to love them. How could we walk away?

And so, we press on. We step forward with the dream to get our boys to safety. It is our joy to serve them as long as God allows us.

I am in awe of all God has done in four short years. He has raised up a team of young people to join us in this beautiful work. Their love and committment to the boys is incredible. He has given us relationship and favor with orphanage administration. He has brought along partners to support the work. He has given us interns and teachers. He has moved the hearts of adoptive families to come rescue their sons. He gave us our Vladik. He has provided funds in miraculous ways and Jed is in Ukraine right now looking at land to purchase for the first group homes. Our God doesn’t mess around!

All the awesomeness that God is doing, we couldn’t see any of that on that day four years ago. We couldn’t foresee how He would care for us and pave the way. We couldn’t imagine how His love for the boys would trump every opinion that said nothing could ever change. All we knew was that God was asking us to say yes. We can’t see what He will be doing in four years from now, but it’s okay. All he is asking is for us to say yes and to keep walking.

So today, all you need to do is say yes. You don’t need to know all the details. You don’t need to have it all figured out. Just listen to what the Father is saying and join Him in His work. SAY YES! This life is short and we only get one shot at it. We don’t have time to focus on our own comfort. This life is but a blink of an eye.

Look with eternal eyes. Be brave. Have faith.

It will be scary. It will be hard. It will be uncomfortable. It might smell bad and be really noisy and dirty and messy. Oh but the joy, the joy that comes with that mess is worth it all.

Don’t be afraid. Say yes today and trust your Father.

He is good.

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Indiana Adventures

Posted on November 21, 2015 by kimnjed

I gotta tell ya, we just had the most encouraging week!

I’ve written before about Hands of Hope, our fabulous partners in Indiana. Hands of Hope provides awesome support to adoptive and foster families in Indiana, and they also do great orphan care through child sponsorship. Through the Hands of Hope Romaniv sponsorship we are able to bring fresh fruit to the boys three days a week, pay the salary of two teachers who are working full-time to teach the boys, and more. Hands of Hope is an immense help in bringing greater quality of life to our boys. Because Hands of Hope pays for much of the work that is done at Romaniv now, Wide Awake is able to put funds away to prepare for the future: group homes instead of institutionalization.

Their partnership and investment into our boys is priceless.

This past Tuesday Jed, Vladik, and I were able to fly to Indiana to spend some time with the Hands of Hope peeps and talk a whole lot about the boys we adore so much. It was a fast and fabulous trip! Jed flew in from Ukraine on Monday and we flew out to Indiana on Tuesday morning. At this point I’m pretty sure Jed could go 10 years without stepping foot on another airplane and be pretty happy with that.

On Tuesday night we got to spend the evening with some lovely people who sponsor sweet Boris and Zhenya. And then on Wednesday night there was an open house for “Friends of Romaniv”. Basically sponsors and any and everyone who loves our boys could come and just hear about what’s happening at Romaniv and how they can pray. It was beautiful. Many of the people who came Wednesday evening have visited Romaniv before and dearly love the boys. We always love talking about our sweeties, but talking about them to a room full of people who have loved them for years (in many cases before we even knew they existed!) takes it to a whole new level. Love-fest level! 🙂

The highlight of our Wednesday was a lovely young lady named Renee. Renee visited Romaniv on a mission trip when she was 16 years old. She fell in love with Vladik on that trip, came home and became his sponsor through Hands of Hope. Renee prayed and prayed over the years that Vladik would find a family. She LOVED our son before we did. Well, now Renee goes to college in Kentucky. She found out Vladik was going to be in Indiana and drove over 3 hours to come and see him in person.

What a special reunion. Vladik was clueless of the importance of that night, but someday he’ll understand.

Thursday night was just beautiful. Hands of Hope had an event called “Sip and Savor”. It was so classy! Free lattes and people walking around with trays of cheesecake? Yes, please. 🙂

The three main focuses of Hands of Hope were presented at the event: Orphan Care (child sponsorship), Foster Care support, and Adoption. Jed and I did the presentation about adoption because we received a matching grant for our adoption through Hands of Hope. THANK YOU!!!!! It was doubly special because Vladik was the first Hands of Hope sponsor child to be adopted. Cool, eh? I say hopefully the first of many!

Man, it was just wonderful to be in a room full of people passionate about caring for the orphan. There are so many different ways to say YES and hearing about all the ways people can say YES by partnering with Hands of Hope is just rad. It’s the real deal.

Besides those official meetings, we just had plenty of time to drink coffee and eat yummy food with our friends. All of these friends we met in Ukraine at one time or another through Hands of Hope, World Next Door, or Mission to Ukraine. They were all so happy to see Vladik in a family and we were so blessed to spend time with people who know our boys and our friends in Ukraine and love them. Common hearts + coffee + cozy couches = a whole lotta good times. We got to stay with our friends Christopher and Lois and it was seriously like a vacation. They spoiled the heck out of us. SO FUN!

God has blessed us so much with this partnership with Hands of Hope. Again, we are just amazed at God’s love for the boys. How is it, why is it that He has drawn so many hearts to this one institution in the middle of nowhere Ukraine? We believe it’s because God has something very special for our boys. He has been drawing them out of darkness into light for such a time as this. I’m just thankful we get to be a part of His unfolding plan.

To God be ALL the glory for the GREAT things He has done!

Rhythm

Posted on October 27, 2015 by kimnjed

Rhythm. Every family has it’s own rhythm, it’s own way of keeping time, moves at it’s own beat.

Our rhythm…do we even have one???? I can’t ever seem to find it. It must sound something like an elementary band playing together for the first time. There’s a drum there…and the instruments are playing…but the rhythm is ALL OVER THE PLACE. Hahahaha. It’s crazy, and wild, and just when it starts to sound and feel kinda good a squeaky clarinet pipes in and ruins everything. 😉
I long for a nice, steady beat, but I think I’ve started to slowly swallow the fact that I just ain’t gonna get it. We are wild. We’re all over the place. We’re kinda scattered and wacky, but THAT is our rhythm. And it’s beautiful, in it’s own special way.
Jed left on Sunday for Ukraine and is now back with our Boys. I already miss him here with us, but I am so relieved that he is there with them. My heart aches for my babies across the sea. I think about them so many times throughout the day. Whenever I worship or pray they come to my mind and won’t leave. I think God is calling me to almost constant intercession on their behalf. That’s cool and all, but my mama arms ache to hold them and squeeeeeeeze them. 🙂 Having Jed there just puts my heart at rest.

It’s interesting, but we both just felt like for sure Jed needed to be there now. Our volunteers have been visiting the Boys faithfully, three times a week while we’ve been gone. They have done an AMAZING job. It’s not like Jed is so super special that he can love the Boys better or something (although he is pretty darn special, in my book), but we just knew he needed to get there. So, it feels good to have him there, right where he is supposed to be. He’s hosting a team right now, then he’ll be working on some training with our new teachers, encouraging our volunteers, working on a super special secret project, and just spending loads of quality time with the Boys we love so much. It’s all good.
The kids are doing awesome at school. They totally love it- all four of them. They have friends there, they love their teachers; school is wonderful gift to them right now. It feels super peaceful having them there. I was all worried that Addy and Ez would be massively behind because of our crazy rhythm, but thankfully, they have done fabulously. They are both a little behind on math, but are otherwise right on target! Whew! All those homeschool worries were for nothing. Yeah, most of my worries end up being for nothing. Worrying is such an awesome use of time. Not.

Vladik is still doing fab. He is starting to test the waters a bit these days, and that’s actually a good thing! He feels safe here. He’s had a few medical tests so far, just to check on his general health and has done great with them all. This week we get to test him for parasites…stool sample anyone? Fun times, fun times…nice timing for Jed to leave. Vladik is a little confused now that Jed is gone, but he understands that Papa has gone to work with our friends. I’ll blog about all that later. We have a pretty unique experience of removing him from Romaniv, but continuing to work there…it’s a strange road to navigate, for sure.

So, that’s the rhythm we’re in now. Daddy’s working hard across the sea, kids are rockin’ it at school, and Mommy and Vladik are learning how to listen and obey, checking out lots of different doctor’s offices, and eating lots of mashed potatoes. Yummmmmm.

Till next time, keep on keepin’ on!