We Survived the First Week of School!

Today marks the 2 month anniversary of our homecoming. It's hard to believe so much has happened in the last two months. Zhanna and Ella have learned so much English in that time frame. They now understand nearly everything that people are saying. It is a little harder for them to always find the English words to describe things to other people, but they are growing more confident in that, as well. It is exciting to witness their progress!

We all started school last Monday. The girls were very nervous about it. Zhanna was extremely nervous about how the other kids would view her. She understands full well that she is quite a bit older than all the other kids in the 5th grade. She worries so much about what people think about her. It doesn't seem to matter so much to Ella. She's just a kid at heart, and she doesn't really care what other people think.

But Monday came, and we all jumped in. The first few days were very difficult for all of us. The girls were exhausted by the end of the day. I'm sure the mental and emotional effort they expended was incredible. It takes tremendous amounts of energy to listen carefully to everything in a foreign language and then try to absorb much new information, while at the same time, meeting many new people and tryig to remember names, especially when you feel as if everyone is watching you! Whew! It makes me tired just thinking about it! They worked hard every day, and then we had about 2 hours of homework to do each night, even with a modified schedule for them. For them to do their homework, it requires someone to sit with them through it all and help them with all the comprehension in every subject, even math word problems. We also have to have them read aloud to us and work on multiplication flash cards every night. We also practice a Bible memory verse with them each night for an oral quiz they have on Friday. Needless to say, Mark and I are feeling as tired and overwhelmed as the girls are!

However, by the end of the week, things were getting better. Zhanna and Ella were learning that if they work faster we can get through it better and have more time for fun stuff. They were also relaxing more and understanding that everyone wants to help them, and no one is judging them. By the end of the week they both said, "We like school. It's good school. Better than at Internat (Orphanage). People are nice."

So, it's good. We're feeling like we are on the fastrack, but life is good. We tell the girls daily that we love them and we chose them to be our daughters because God put us together. We tell them that we are so happy they are ours, and that we will love them forever. We feel that our reassurances are beginning to sink in. The girls seem happy and comfortable with us. They seem to feel that they can trust us now.

In the adoption world there is a saying, "Adopting one child won't change the world, but for that child, the world will change." Zhanna and Ella's world has changed, and will continue to change as time goes on. Mark and I feel humbled to know that God put this responsibility into our hands. It is a challenging, but awesome idea to feel that we are the tools God is using to bring these girls to know Him and to enjoy life eternally in His kingdom. We see more and more each day that the girls' hearts are soft toward God and they are open to receive His word. We can't wait to see what God will do with them!

Until next time,
Blessings and Peace,
Dawn and Mark