Wide Awake International | Wide Awake Family

It Just Keeps Getting Better

Posted on July 4, 2014 by kimnjed

Once upon a time, four years ago, I happened upon a blog of an adoptive mom who had just returned from Ukraine with her two new daughters, both with special needs. That night, sitting on the couch with my laptop and cup of coffee, my life was changed. Our lives were changed.

Tears streamed down my face that night as I read every post of the adoption blog. That night I learned about life in Ukraine for orphans with disabilities. A whole world was opened to me that I hadn’t even known existed. I learned about school age children, the size of infants, living their lives bedridden in their cribs. I learned about mental institutions in rural villages that house the disabled- hidden from the rest of the world. I read for hours that night. One blog led to another that led to a website that led to another site. My heart was broken and I knew something big was happening. God meant for Jed and I to do something about this issue and these children, and He was serious about it.

Now, four years later, I’m in Ukraine, sitting on my bed with my laptop and my cup of coffee, realizing just how serious God was that night. Yeah, He wasn’t messing around. 🙂

All along the journey that began that fateful night, God has been growing and refining the dreams He’s given us for the orphans with disabilities here in Ukraine. We knew then, and we know now that He has called us here with a specific focus on bedridden children. That is a population of orphans that is extremely difficult to reach, but God has been very clear that they are our people. They are the ones we are to fight for. Of course we are absolutely in love with many, many people with disabilities here that are not confined to their beds. The big vision of Wide Awake includes varying levels of ability, but we knew then and we know now that God has a special plan for us that involves bedridden children.

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The big question has always been “How will we gain access to the bedridden children?” Those children are generally more hidden away and it’s difficult for outsiders to work with them at all. Perhaps orphanage directors are afraid, maybe they are protective…we will probably never fully understand the reasons. We have just known that it would be up to God to bring those children across our path. After all, it’s not like we can just walk into any old orphanage and ask to be shown to the crib section. Ha! Access to medically fragile kids only comes with relationship and trust. Those things take time, so we have not been in a hurry.

But God.

Last week our team arrived at Romaniv and learned that two new little boys had been transferred to our Isolation Building from the baby house orphanage. When Jed saw them for the first time his heart skipped a beat (or two). They are both five years old and the size of infants. They are bedridden and have spent their whole lives thus far in their cribs. They are exactly our target population. For these boys, and others just like them, we have sold everything and moved across the globe. After months (actually years!) of wondering how we would gain access to children like these they have literally been dropped in our laps. We didn’t even have to find them. They were brought to us! I still can’t believe it.

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Mission to Ukraine has been faithfully serving at Romaniv for five years. Over those five years they have loved and given and loved and given some more. They have brought Jesus there and His light and love have changed everything. It is not the same place it once was. The staff are not the same. The Directors are not the same. The boys are definitely not the same! Because of MTU’s incredible faithfulness we now reap the harvest. We are standing on the shoulders of giants. Because of the amazing work they’ve done over the years we have full access to our boys in the Isolation Room. We can visit any time we want. We can take boys to the Sensory Room. We can try new things and interact intentionally with each boy. The Directors welcome us whenever we can come and invite us to even come more often. It’s a situation we could only ever dream about.

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Now we have new boys who are completely bedridden and we have full access to them. We even got to visit on Tuesday and talk with the staff about some of their biggest concerns about caring for these new boys! Today we got to bring them a pack n play so they are not confined to their room every minute of the day. We got to bring them mobiles for the cribs. We got to observe their feedings and give input and advice. We get to be actively involved in improving their quality of life and it’s unreal.

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Testing out the new pack n play!

Each one of our boys in the Isolation Building holds a special place in our hearts. We are learning their likes and dislikes, their habits and cues. I really can’t express in words how much they mean to us and how great our love is for them. They are our babies, each one of them. I can’t even believe we have the honor of knowing them and loving them. And now we have two more to love.

I guess I just had to share how awesome our God is. His plans are so perfect. He is so wise. He placed us right where He wanted us, knowing all He had in mind. He brought us here with an impossible-to-reach population in mind, and then proceeded to drop them right in our laps. Incredible. I can not thank God enough for our dear friends at MTU. They have paved the way through many hours of love and care, and they loved our boys before we even had a clue of their existence. We will be forever grateful. Now to watch and see what God does next! 🙂

Our little celebrities 🙂

ROMANIV DAY CAMP: A Week in Pictures

Posted on June 8, 2014 by kimnjed

Last week was a very special week! We had a week-long day camp at Romaniv orphanage! For the older, higher functioning boys the staff of Mission to Ukraine does a full-on VBS type camp for them with games, snacks, crafts, and lessons about Jesus. They had Olympic games, opening and closing ceremonies complete with the Ukrainian flag and National Anthem, and LOADS OF FUN.

Since the doors to Romaniv were open to us all week we just had to take advantage of it and spend some special time with our Boys in Isolation. Our boys could not handle, nor participate in a camp like the bigger boys, so we decided to spend the week taking small groups of boys aside each day in order to have some more intentional interactions with them. It was AMAZING. It was like a dream to be able to be with them one on one, to see them every day, to give them the individual attention they need. Woohoo!

I shared a small glimpse of each day on the Wide Awake Facebook page, but I know many of you aren’t on FB. Plus, there were sooooo many wonderful pictures to share- totally deserving of a big fat blog post. Here you go! I’m just cutting and pasting the FB blurbs and then you can see the pics of that day following the blurb. Mmmmk?

ROMANIV DAY CAMP, DAY 1: I can’t even express the joy that was today. We decided for the Isolation Room kiddos we would use this week to focus on one-on-one interactions with the boys. So each day we will be taking a group of 5 boys aside and interacting with them more intentionally.

The Directors gave us the use of the sensory room and it was like heaven. Today we heard the first laughs ever (for us) from two of our boys. Big, hearty, belly laughs that we didn’t even know they had inside them. It was like hearing your baby’s first laugh- PURE JOY. These boys are growing and changing. It’s miraculous. Praise God for His love that never fails!!!

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B loves the weighted blanket.

…and he also loves the ball pit!

Lesa helped us with the boys on Monday and Tuesday with her 14 year old son Igor. They were awesome. We were so happy to meet them!!

Sweet S is out of his wheelchair!!!!

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Look at all that eye contact! And a smile!!!!! A few months ago we would have never dreamed smiles like this would be possible from V.

ROMANIV DAY CAMP, DAY 2

Today we fell in love… again.

It started out a bit rough, with miscommunication and WAAAAAY too many boys with high needs in too small of a space. Ha! We really want the Sensory Room to be a safe place, and boys were stressed and self-harming, so we had to act fast. We switched boys in and out till we has the right mix, and then had a super great time.

Yuroslav, oh sweet boy. He rarely joins us on our Friday visits, content to sit outside in the hall calling out “Mama! Papa!” every so often and sucking his thumb. Today we learned he is strong and he LOVES to play ball. It’s awesome to have the time to connect with the harder-to-reach boys. We can observe them closely and try different ways to make that human connection.

Two days down, three more to go!

Misha is blind and he loves music. He ADORES music.

Did I mention music makes him very happy? 🙂

ROMANIV DAY CAMP, DAY 3:
Today was interesting and different and goooood. When we arrived, we learned it was “bath day”. We didn’t know, since we never go there on Wednesdays. So, we first waited for baths to be done. It was pouring down rain outside and when we asked the caregivers if we could take a few boys to the other building to the Sensory Room after bath time they WERE NOT having it. So, we winged it!

We brought all the boys together and basically did what we normally do on Fridays. At first the caregivers said we could only have one hour with them because they needed to clip their nails and such (remember, it’s Bath Day), but once we got going they relaxed and let stay for the whole time.

There was some great connection time with several of the boys. Zhenya even fell asleep in my lap! Happy sigh… We got to connect with a caregiver we had never met before and ease her load for a couple of hours. All in all it was a very sweet time. Thank you for your prayers and encouragement. Pray we have a dry day tomorrow so we can visit the Sensory Room again! Thanks

Christina and Maks got to come help on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. This was Maks’ first time to Romaniv. Thank you dear friends!

Zhenya loves a good cuddle. 🙂

ROMANIV DAY CAMP, DAY 4:
Today was a day of hopes fulfilled, and dreams dreamed.

The sun was out so we got to take a few boys to the Sensory Room! There were 4 boys in particular we were hoping to work with today and lucky us, the caregivers were like “Go for it! Take whoever you want! Take them all!” Ha! We took our 4, plus sweet Yuroslav and Valera for extra cuteness sake.

We had amazing interactions with two of the boys we brought. They are usually very medicated and they sleep a lot. During our time in the Sensory Room they were alive! They smiled and giggled and responded very well. Just what we had hoped for!

The other two boys are always highly medicated and distant. They don’t interact with others at all. Unfortunately we were not able to break through to them today. Their bodies were in the room, but their minds were far away. We have much work to do before we can connect with them in a meaningful way. We dream of that day- the day we truly see who they are.

We are not discouraged. We are hopeful! We are thankful for an open Director who cares, willing and cooperative caregivers, those who have paved the way for this work. and most of all for a God who is bigger. NO ONE is beyond His reach! One step at a time…

Misha was not so sure about the swing at first…then promptly fell asleep.

Valera loves stuffed animals of all kinds. He is so sweet.

Hahahahahaha

Orhan does so well with a weighted vest. He is making good gains these days, learning to be less aggressive…one step at a time…

Z needs to taste everything

Oooooh it makes noise!

Tasting the puzzle…

Leaning in for the cuddle…

So sweet…

Ha! Unexpected kiss! Hahaha

We had hoped to connect with these sweeties, but they are unreachable right now- locked inside themselves. We’re praying for wisdom in how to help them. Pray with us!

ROMANIV DAY CAMP, DAY 5:
Today was the end of a wonderful week spent with Our Boys. Almost all the boys got to go outside to spend some time in the sun and it was WONDERFUL. Their faces lit up when they saw the team arrive for another day. Like “You guys are here AGAIN???” It’s awesome to see them begin to walk, scoot, and crawl to the door when we arrive, hoping they get to go out to play for a bit.

Today after camp all the volunteers, the staff of Mission to Ukraine, and a couple of the orphanage staff went to a park for a picnic. We celebrated the wonderful strides that have been made this past year, and began to dream of the work that is yet to be done.

Our dreams are BIG. We dream of each boy having an occupation- a way to spend his time, a way to contribute to the world around him. We dream of the Boys serving each other in greater ways; we dream of boys learning to read, learning to walk, learning to speak. Mostly we dream of a place for the boys to be where they can know the love of their Father God through the love of a family. I could go on and on.

One day at a time, one boy at a time, one YES at a time. Thank you for sharing in the journey! Today, wherever you may be, may you live this day Wide Awake- ready for the next YES that lies before you.

Sergey got to come help on Monday, Thursday, and Friday. I can’t even tell you what a wonderful servant he is. Sergey KNOWS the boys well and he loves them very much. Thank you Seriozha!!!

Our wonderful Nina got to come on Friday!!! Every single boy loves Nina. She has the biggest heart and such a wonderful, peaceful way with them. Thank you Nina!!!

At the closing ceremonies. Our hope for Ukraine is in God alone. He knows and He cares. 🙂

Our dear friend Olya, from Kyiv, came to stay with our family Monday through Wednesday so Jed and I could both be at Romaniv those days. On Thursday I went, and Jed stayed home with the kids, and then on Friday Jed went and I stayed home. We both really wanted to be at the picnic on Friday, so wonderful Dima, the driver for MTU, drove the kids and me out to Romaniv on Friday to meet the team and go to the picnic together.

Our kids have been longing and dreaming of visiting Romaniv. They hear about the boys all the time. They see their pictures almost daily. These boys have become a huge part of our lives and our kids were dying to meet them in person. We haven’t gotten permission yet for Addy and Ezra to visit the boys with us on Fridays, but we feel like they are ready (Hava and Seth are too young). I wasn’t so sure before- I was afraid Addy and Ezra would be frightened, we didn’t know the boys as well. But they have been asking more and more, so Friday was a good chance to give them a little taste of Romaniv to see what they thought.

Dima drove us to Romaniv and I told the kids if the team wasn’t quite finished and if they were still inside we would ask the caregivers if we could come inside to see the boys just for a minute. You would have thought we had backstage passes to the concert of a lifetime they were so excited!

When we arrived the team was still cleaning up, so I took the kids to the Isolation building. They were immediately greeted by the boys who were outside and I was so proud of them! They looked the boys in their eyes and shook their hands- even Hava and Seth! They looked a little unsure, but not really afraid. Then Addy and Ezra came inside the building and got to meet several of the boys inside. They knew them from the pictures and they were OVER THE MOON to meet them! You could see they were excited, but also nervous. I mean, it’s a big sensory experience even for adults, so I thought they did really well. The boys can look kind of scary, it’s super stinky, but they both really loved it. They have been begging to go back, so we just need to pray and ask God what He has in store for our kids at Romaniv. I hope soon they can be joining us regularly. It’s part of who they were created to be!

Addy and Seriozha. His face lit up when he saw her. I wonder when he last saw a little girl?

Overall it was a fantastic week. I can’t even tell you how extraordinarily thankful we are for those who have gone before us. For years, MTU and several volunteers have faithfully poured in to the boys and the staff at Romaniv. Without their faithfulness and perseverance we would have never had the week that we did. The Directors are so open to the help- that is a huge answer to prayer.

There is a lot of work to be done. There are many boys not pictured here because they were too medicated, or too withdrawn to participate at all. There are many boys still locked inside themselves. Our boys still spend the majority of each day tied to their beds because there isn’t enough staff to keep them safe from themselves and others. Many of them only see the sun when we come on Fridays. Oh there is so much to be done. BUT weeks like this remind us of just how far things have come. God has done the miraculous in Romaniv and He’s not about to stop now.

Praise God for his abounding love for these boys and their caregivers. Praise God that what was once hidden is now brought to light. Praise God that He has a hope and a future for each boy, for each person He created. And praise God we get to partner with him that!

Fun in the Sun…THANK YOU!

Posted on May 12, 2014 by kimnjed

Oh Romaniv…oh sweet boys. I wish so much that each of you could visit Our Boys and spend even just a few minutes with them. I wish I could accurately and fully express just how we feel about them. They are beyond precious to us. I remember the very first time Jed and I ever visited there…nervous, excited…never the same. Never would I have dreamed at that time that we would now be so invested in to these boys. We are learning about their little quirks, their likes and dislikes, who can eat a banana on his own and who needs help; who will try to eat rocks and grass outside and who will try to escape; who will throw their shoes on the roof of the building and who’s feet are too twisted and misshapen for shoes at all; who needs to be held tightly when overstimulated and who likes to sway…the list goes on and on. There is so much to learn and we have the time to learn it. These are the things that matter. To know and to be known, I’ve never understood the importance of that until this move.

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Our Isolation boys stay inside all day every day. There are simply not enough caregivers to take them all outside. All day every day in the same small building with the same hall and same rooms. No wind in their face, no sun on their skin, no grass between their toes. They eat in their building and sleep in their building. It is their whole world.

A few weeks ago we decided to ask the caregivers if we could take the boys outside during our Friday visits. We weren’t sure if they would allow it, but it never hurts to ask! Surprisingly they said yes without hesitation. The only problem was digging up enough shoes and coats for all the boys. Oy. Yeah, they were only able to find enough shoes and jackets for 8 of the 21 boys. We were disappointed that some boys would be excluded, but we still took several of them outside.

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Later that day I posted about the visit on the Wide Awake Facebook page. I mentioned that there weren’t enough coats and shoes to go around and that people could let us know if they wanted to help with that. Oh.My.Word. You guys!!!! Your generosity blew us away. Within the next couple of days $725 was donated to buy shoes and coats for the Boys.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!

We went to Mission to Ukraine (MTU) to discuss how and where to purchase the needed items for the Boys. They, in turn, contacted the Director at Romaniv and he indicated that they should have enough coats and shoes for all the boys…they just needed to be taken from storage. So, we are a bit halted right now on buying the items as we try to verify if there are truly enough clothes for everyone, and if not, what sizes are needed. We already know the shoe supply is not adequate. We’ve got some foot measuring to do.

(Hint: nothing happens quickly in these here parts. No biggie, we’ve got time.)

In the meantime, we’ve been able to take the boys out every Friday since! The caregivers have found enough slippers for those who are willing to go outside. Most of them are broken slippers and don’t stay on worth beans, but at least it’s enough to get them out the door 😉 It’s been warm enough that we haven’t needed jackets, so we have time to work on that issue.

One need that did arise is the need for hats. Our Boys never see the sun, so you can bet they are as pale as can be, We realized right away that they needed hats to provide some sun protection while we’re outside. So, we were able to use a portion of the donated funds to buy hats for the boys!

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A few of our more interactive boys were SO EXCITED!!! It made us feel so much better to know their little white faces were protected. The last thing we need is a sunburn to rain on our parade. 🙂

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Thank you to each and every person who donated so graciously. Each step forward greatly improves their quality of life and we just can’t thank you enough for making it possible.

We’ll keep you posted on the shoe and jacket purchases. We really need to get some shoes that fasten well so “you know who” can’t chuck them up on the roof of the building quite so easily….ahem….not to name any names… 🙂

…ahem…

What? You want me to actually keep this on my head???

Wishful thinking!

Maxim stole my camera and took this one 🙂

Annnnd here’s me begging Maxim to return the camera…haha

If you are interested in donating specifically for the boys at Romaniv, here is a link to their fund.

Fantastic Game Night

Posted on April 17, 2014 by kimnjed

Okay, so a day late, but better late than never, right?

If you follow Wide Awake on Facebook, you probably saw that I promised to share about the very special night we had on Tuesday. I have to say that “special” is an understatement. I put off writing about it because I was still so giddy about it’s wonderfulness, that to sit down and try to write about it just seemed tedious (plus we’ve been busy little bees around here). I just wanted to smile about it. But, I want you all to be able to smile about it too, so it’s time I share!

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Mission to Ukraine (MTU), the organization we serve here in Zhytomyr, has several branches of work they focus on. One of these branches is the education of children with disabilities. There are preschool classes, school-readiness classes, and life-skills classes that are coupled with Bible lessons. There’s also beading, drawing, and other crafty classes for the crafty type (NOT ME). 🙂

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There is one particular group of people that have really been weighty on the hearts of the staff of MTU lately. That group is the young adults with disabilities that have been a part of MTU for many, many years. These guys and gals have grown up with MTU, and for many of them it is the social center of their lives. It is the place, besides home, where they are accepted and loved just as they are. They are treasured at MTU. They are known. MTU has been their school, their youth group, and their family. And now they are getting older. MTU’s focus is children. What to do? Many of them attend a class on Tuesdays called “Youth Group”. They study the Bible together there and build their relationships. The staff want to do more for this group, but they are already stretched thin with responsibilities. There is simply no time left in the day, or staff left in the day to provide them with more time to be together.

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Enter, Game Night! Woot!

Some of the staff approached us and asked Jed and I if we would be interested in hosting some sort of monthly, special night for this group to have fun together. This was a duh question. Of course we wanted to help!

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Tuesday night was the first Game Night and it was beyond fabulous. I kid you not. I haven’t smiled that much since I was last in Disneyland! Heehee 🙂

At 5:00pm sharp the guests began to arrive. They were dressed up and lookin’ good, ready for a party. Seeing their excitement made us even more excited!

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I wish I would have taken a picture of the food table. Jed and I are feeders. We feed people. It’s our love language. Sooooo if the amount of food we brought to the party was an indicator of our love, it was fairly obvious that we love these guys VERY much. There was cookies, more cookies, magic cake, crackers, meat, cheese, veggies, some more cookies, candy, bread, tea, and juice. We may have gone overboard, just a wee bit. Several of MTU’s finest volunteers came to help and join in the fun. We had the group sit, then the volunteers and we served them food. That was a great time for our kids to help out too. They were able to interact with people right away, and also feel useful. Addy and Ezra in particular, really wanted to help throw the party.

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We ate and laughed.

It was gooood.

Then it was game time! There were all different physical ability levels in the fairly small room, so it was important to choose games that everyone could participate in. We started out asking some fun “Would you rather?” questions. We just wanted to break the ice, be silly, and laugh together. We chose some crazy questions and then asked various people to explain their decision. It was so funny!

“Would you rather wrestle a lion or fight a shark?”

“Would you rather eat a bar of soap or drink a bottle of dish soap?”

“Would you rather be born with an elephant’s trunk or a giraffe’s neck?”

“Would you rather be a GIANT hamster or a tiny rhino?”

Oh man, our poor friend Natasha who was translating! We gave her translating skills a major workout. Good thing she’s pretty much amazing. 🙂

After “Would you rather?” we played a game with yarn. Jed asked the group different questions and whoever answered “yes”, had to grab a hold of the yarn. Pretty quickly we had a big web of yarn which nearly entrapped Jed! Luckily, he barely escaped with his life and all was well. Jed just shared a bit about how we are all different, but united by common loves and ideas. It was fun, and a good visual of the beauty of friendship.

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Next was free play game time. We gathered small groups around tables and brought out various games. We played Dominoes, Jenga, and Memory. Once again, I have to brag about the most amazing volunteers. Seriously, they rock. They knew what needed to be done and just did it! Many of them have volunteered quite a bit, so they are familiar with the group and know their needs. They helped people eat, served tea and food, moved chairs and tables, translated, and assisted in the games so that everyone was able to participate and have a good time. The night would have been impossible without their help.

Natasha translated for our family and she is just the best. She loves this group and has known them for many years, so not only is she a great help, her heart is deeply invested as well. Oh, and what about Alyona?!!! Alyona works at MTU on “special projects”. Alyona did so much to make the night possible. She gathered volunteers, called the group to remind them about the date, arranged transportation for those in wheelchairs, helped set up and clean up…basically she’s super woman. I didn’t get one non-blurry picture of Alyona because she’s such a hard worker she’s just a blur in each picture! I wish so badly I would have gotten a picture of each volunteer. Grrrrrr…next time. Thank you dear friends!!! We appreciate you!

Note the Alyona blur in the background. 😉

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I didn’t get the best pictures because I was too busy partying it up, but I hope these pictures have given you a glimpse of the wonderfulness of the evening.

What a honor to be able to serve these dear ones.

What a joy to watch our own children learn to love and serve others. What a joy to see them learn the value of each and every life.

What a delight to see the faces of the parents as they came to collect their children at the end of the night. When someone loves on your kid there is no greater gift. How much more for these most courageous parents who have fought against all odds to give their kids the best shot at a fully lived life. Humbling.

I am so incredible thankful for the years of MTU’s faithful service. With God’s help they have created a haven in Zhytomyr like no other. What a privilege to serve their vision and link arms.

Game Night is now officially a monthly event. The group has requested next month’s gathering be a Karaoke Night! OMG. Bring.It.On.

Addy was in her element COMPLETELY. She was simply glowing all night. Thank you Jesus for kids who are catching Your heart.

Volunteers Extraordinaire! THANK YOU!!!

This is Sergei. He also works with us at Romaniv in the Isolation Room. He is so wonderful with the boys, so loving. Hero material right here, folks.

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Our Boys: Gathering Time, Part 2

Posted on April 4, 2014 by kimnjed

Yay for Friday!!!

You can find the next installment of our posts on Fridays at Romaniv over at the Wide Awake International blog right here: http://wideawakeinternational.org/blog/2014/4/2/our-boys

I’m really excited for you all to read about what happens at Romaniv on Fridays. I just returned home from there a couple of hours ago and had the sweetest time. I feel like God is moving there and we are really able to connect with some of the boys in a way we haven’t been able to before. It’s so cool.

And, since you came all this way to take a peek at our little old blog, here’s a few pictures of our week to reward you for your efforts.

Have a super weekend!