Fun and games at the Detsky Dom 2nd day

After coming down off of cloud nine about the piano, we had more gifts to hand out to the children. We had bought games at the Galleria the night before, and we presented the children with their gifts. They were off and playing - Jengo, Russian Battlefield, Chess, Checkers - simple board games like that. They were in the "piano room" and it was just a good feeling watching these older kids sit down and play with the younger ones.

Karaoke. Who would have known that in the middle of nowhere in Russia - some orphanage would have a karaoke machine. And sing they did! They were trying to sing in English, to Elvis songs, to Garth Brooke, anything, but mostley Beatles! A few of the kids excitedly grabbed my hand, and lead me to the karaoke room. A beautiful sixteen year old girl was really belting it out. So, with the kids nudging me, I grabbed a mike and started to harmonize with her. They went crazy! They really really liked that! Soon - they had me singing, and I was dying from heat again... it was SO hot there. We were standing in a small room, no ventilation, about 20 kids, and singing. I was a mess, but a good sport. Sopping wet, I sang my heart out for them. I would get occasional "takers" that would come and sing with me. It was quite funny, because some older women had slipped into the room. I had no clue who they were. There was one in particular who looked like she was in her sixties, painfully shy with salt and pepper braids and glasses. It was so great to see, that after one of my songs I was singing, she nervously came towards the machine. I cheered her on, and gestured to her to sing. She didn't know if she looked grateful or mad, but she came, and I about landed on the floor!!! She took that mike and it was like all the years of pent up quiet were gone in one moment. She bust a gut out there! She sang her heart out!! She didn't really sing on key, but who cares??? It was the best surprise, and she seemed the one to be the most surprised! Many of the kids were calling for other children who were not in the room to come and see her, and they chatted excitedly between themselves about this woman singing. It was like another little miracle. It really made my day!

The hot flashes, the heat, continued to take it's toll on me. I felt awful, my face was beat red, and I was sweating profusely. I was determined to finish out the day without having to stop... so I continued on doing what the children wanted me to do.

Then - we did something REALLY fun!~ We took all the children back to the piano room, and made sure ALL were present. Unbeknownst to them, before we came to Russia, we were told to carry several small American bills, to tip the Police and such with. It was custom to tip them if they stopped you (bribe them) so you wouldn't get a ticket. We had several hundred one dollar bills because of this information we had been given. Well, that day, we decided to take $100 one dollar bills back with us to this orphanage. So, as the children were gathered around, I pulled out that wad of ones. It must have looked like a million bucks to them, you should have seen their eyes pop out!! Vinny and I were more than delighted to pass around a dollar bill to each child there (yes, there were a few sneaky ones that came around for two..and we let them, pretending we didn't know they had already been there). When we were done, we presented the director with the rest of the money.
She instantly amazed me again as she asked the children.."Should we put all our money together, and buy something nice for the orphanage?" The kids willingly and excitedly complied. I was so touched that they would do that. To have a whole dollar, which was a fortune for them, and to turn it around immediately and hand it back so all could benefit was something remarkable indeed. I don't think I would have seen that here. It was very sweet and tender.

I also had very mixed emotions about Svet, Nikki's older sister. She had been all over me the first day, and the second day, she held her distance. In fact, when we left, I couldn't even find her to say goodbye. She was upset, she too wanted to come home with "Mama". It's not that she wasn't wanted, she is and was and will be, but Heavenly Father had other plans for us. It was as if we were shown which daughters were ours, and although Svet and Natasha will forever be Nikki's biological sisters, Aliana and Cami were the ones the our Father in Heaven wanted for this eternal family.

Pretty soon - we had a chance to be alone with Aliana. They took us to a room, and sat us down (yeah for me, I was so miserable from the heat). She was ushered in, and we talked via the translators about America, and family. She told us she wanted us to be our Mama and our Papa. It was so sweet, but I felt that everyone in that orphanage would have said the same thing. Nevertheless, she said she was ok in leaving the orphanage. We found out later that the vials that Luba had, had been given to the nurse there, and they had re-tested her blood, even before sending her in to talk to us.
We were told that we would have to wait for the Russian Federation's answer on her coming to America. We did tell her we would have to go home and start her paperwork. We had none done on her, and now, it looked like we would be starting over! A good thing and an "OUCH"! all at the same time.

When we left that afternoon, the children and adults ALL begged us to return. It was hard. We had really fallen in love with that orphanage. There was such a sweet spirit there. "Don't forget the children", we kept praying. Nikki and Aliana both went to the Van with us, and hugged us goodbye. We didn't know when we would see them again, we were hoping two, three months, but to the two little girls, that seemed like a lifetime. Tears were shed, and hugs were given. We PROMISED we would be back for them. Nikki did not want to let go of my hand. It was heartbreaking to say the least.

The ride home was very hard. We both talked and cried... knowing that some of those children we wouldn't ever see again. We cried over the cruel twist of fate about Nikki's sisters. But we also were glad that we had found them, so she could keep in touch. Not only was it hard emotionally, but it was hard physically. I had become so ill with heat exhaustion or something, my feet swelled up like balloons. I couldn't stop sweating, and my face was so swollen and red. I was so miserable. I couldn't stretch my legs out, and the ride was so hard on me. By the time we got home, I was crying, I was emotionally and physically shot. I felt strange, and glanced at myself... I was swollen in my feet, ankles, face, hands, arms.... everywhere, and it was horrible. I was scared to death. I was in the middle of Stavropol, and I kept thinking I would end up in a hospital. Vinny administered a priesthood blessing to me, and still I suffered. We finally called Michael the translator over to the hotel. He took one look at me, and then told me that the mineral water that I had been drinking daily to stay hydrated had baking soda in it. It was making me more dehydrated than not! The more I drank, the sicker I got. I stopped the water immediately... but it still took about two whole days for it to completely leave my system. YIKES!

It was time to rest for an hour or so with my feet up.