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Wednesday, November 8, 2017

Post-Placement Visit 1 already?

Yes, last Friday. Stefko has been home for about four months, and the first report is due back at 6mos. Writing and sending and translating is allowed 2mos, which seems long to the novice and about-right to a bit short to those who know.

Stefan is doing well, and has gained weight, broadened his attention span, and is firming up his relationships with us all. Mostly that's good, but he and Small Porgies have developed a bit of an I-punch-you-punch-me dynamic, entirely at the instigation of S.P. This is disappointing, but I also have to remember that they are brothers, and its bound to happen at some level, and it's never escalted into a fight. They are also generally well-matched - Stefko is tough, strong, and big, S.P. is fast and accurate. It's not my favorite thing when they pick at each other, but I think it will pass as they get older, and I don't see any malice. Stefko and his littlest sister are buds, and get into mischief together, sit in the same cozy places in the same way (though he never sits for long), and bolt for the same opened doors when people are coming and going. Life is not slow, but there is so much to be thankful for.

Also, Stefko has very much figured out that there is food after church, and though he get's pretty antsy towards the end, he does a good job generally, though he's cautious about the Eucharist (man with spoon - possible medicine - evasive maneuvers! - he's only partaken once, but glory to Jesus Christ for that). But there is in Orthodoxy a bowl of bread for anyone to take after the chalice (to wash down the Eucharist), and Stefko is all over that. And many friends slip him extra bits.

Mama is tired, but got to go hang out with the church ladies last night, which I think was a success, judging by a late return and buoyant mood. In the meantime, my friend and I juggled seven kids and assembled a large (4' x 8' x 6') double-deck play-work structure for the kids to use. It has been a hit, and this morning before work I got to sit up top with S.P. and Took and read a chapter from The Voyage of the "Dawn Treader". Lewis is an old friend to me and a new one to the boys, and it's with much joy that I get to share a treasure of my youth.

Ana is plugging along, her school continues to be positive, and her school nurse was overjoyed to meet fellow Christians - there are a lot of LDS in our area, may God bless them to meet Christ the only-begotten co-eternal Son of God.


Thank you for your prayers, we are just living life as God gives it, and if you don't hear from us often, it's because there's not much to say, plugging along here in the finally-cooling desert. But please be in touch if you'd like, we're always happy to hear from friends!

In Christ,
Papa

Sunday, September 24, 2017

Scenes from life

Things cook along here. Stefan was baptized about two weeks back, and did remarkably well (and Orthodox baptism is not short, there are a lot of prayers in with the action...) We are well, generally, and life is full. Stefko goes to sleep easier (he even nodded off one evening on the foot of our bed while we read Bible - I think he is beginning to trust). He wakes up later, too, which is a relief - especially since Ana has been sick recently, and sleep is scanty on her account.  

Stefan is also developing preferences, and eating somewhat slower. Except when it's a favorite, like tuna salad, then he still shovels somewhat maniacally. But oatmeal? He goes about as slowly as the other boys now, and doesn't always finish. He seems to be emerging (a little) from the never-had-enough-food frenzy. No doubt it will be a long time before that's gone, but we're thankful for progress.



Chickens in the yard

Stefko helping with an oil change

Machinii need tools


Stefko likes tools.

Yesterday marked the 4th anniversary of my dad's death. In thinking of him, his kindness, and my own failures to love, I wrote the following:

Ernie

I was maybe ten,
and maybe so was he,
though his waist was far ahead
of his mind, which seemed stuck,
as I said, around ten.
With all the gall of youth
I found him ugly
and repugnant to the nose;
his clothes were often greasy,
for he loved McDonalds
with the sincerity of his blessed simple soul.
And TV. He loved that, too,
though I did not observe,
for I never ventured in to get him
or to drop him off.
That was my father's work,
to help him out with errands,
go to church,
a bite to eat,
and something for his mom.
He had a mother - did you know?
Of course he did.
And he had been a kid,
who just, it seems,
got stuck at maybe ten.

Thank you for your prayers.
In Christ,
Papa

Thursday, August 24, 2017

Living

We are thankful for the progress that Stefan is making. He has much longer periods of calm, and is right now sitting on the couch with mama and the brothers, listening to The Borrowers. He has been going to sleep much better, often during bedtime Bible reading with the brothers. He's often up first in the mornings (very early), and toodles around the kitchen or the fenced yard until I get up to start the day. Ana's back in school, so that's good, and we have been thankful to our friends who have entered our life to help give more hands with Stefko.

Mama and Stefko in the mei-tai

Cute and busy little lady

Monday, August 14, 2017

Slow and steady

We are thankful that Stefko did a great job at vespers and liturgy Saturday and Sunday! He's definitely making progress (and church is a good periodic check), though the day-to-day is still a challenge.

He has more smiles, and occasional outright grins (below). He doesn't much like toothbrushes, and is pretty sure that topical essential oils (for a fungal spot) are the worst. His doctor's visit last week was good, but we are still waiting on his citizenship packet (to apply for an SSN) before insurance gets entirely straightened around. So, he might have a swallow study this week, but they charge something like $5/photon for those x-rays, so they're jumpy about people with not-quite-solidified insurance status.  Sigh.


Thank you for your sustained prayers, and God bless.
Papa

Friday, August 4, 2017

A month home (tomorrow)

Things are pretty good. Stefi plays for longer, waves goodbye (and blows kisses, which he saw Mama do from the car en route to an Ana appointment), and is slightly more able to contain himself while waiting for food to be prepared and served. Things are moving in a good direction, it seems. He goes to bed more peacefully, and is getting up maybe, slightly, a bit later. We appreciate your prayers, and beg pardon of infrequent updates - there's not much time to spare. Sorry.

These two are cute together. Water balloons are great.

This WAS three boys swinging, but once Papa stopped pushing and started taking a picture, a certain someone hopped out and wandered over to investigate.

I also reiterate our thanks to everyone who has helped us financially, with prayers, with meals, and with clothes. We're grateful. Also to KLM Royal Dutch Airlines for their generous vouchers after our difficult time in Amsterdam. Unexpected help, and appreciated.

In Christ,
Papa

Monday, July 24, 2017

Three weeks in

It's a real struggle for traction to engage Stefan's attention and sustain it for longer than 2 minutes. But there are small steps forward.

Today is rainy, which is lovely, but things are a bit more stir-crazy than usual.

Also, if you wonder where MamaV went, her iPhone stopped supporting Blogger, and she doesn't really care to (or have time to) spend much screen time on the laptop (which is also kept up and away all the time). For the record, I'm currently listening in on my first work meeting back from 3 weeks of almost-blackout, which is really hard to do in aerospace.

We're trying to figure out how to care well for the family and me still have any time for work. We have a little more runway, my team is very kind and understanding, but there will need to be a resolution pretty soon. On the plus side, school starts for Ana in about two weeks, so that will be some load off during the days. The boys are troopers, but it's wearing on them. Choupinette has both loved the best and been the saddest - Stefi requires very similar attention to what she needs, and there has been a lot of competition over Mama. Ana is a patient sweetheart, and we try to make sure to spend some snuggle time with her. We are thankful for church and friends and family.

Christ is in our midst!
He is and ever shall be!

Papa

Tuesday, July 18, 2017

Assorted things

Somebody loves his machina.

Somebody else loves tricycles so much...


She got her own.

And bentonite clay is used for sealing wellbores, and can also do a number on your pipes. Alternative toothpaste users beware. (This was the flood that preceded the fire - poor old shop vac had a hard time with the water cleanup - that preceded a very rough Sunday morning).

Thank you for your prayers!
Papa


Friday, July 14, 2017

Ten years ago today

These two funny people got married.

They had no idea.

They still don't, but they hope they are learning to repent.


Thank you for your prayers.

Papa

Wednesday, July 12, 2017

Aliveness check

Hello,

We are so thankful for every new day. Stefan seems to be making connections, and finding some level of "fit". Interestingly, he and Choupinette seem to be pairing off (in a sense). They're the closest cognitively, and both seem to need the same kind of attention and can engage in similar play. It's so sad that Stefi has never learned to play. However, he was able to drive a Hot Wheels back and forth with me for maybe a dozen or more rounds. That was news (he ignored the cars completely in the hotel). He likes water play (and the kiddie pool arrives today, hurrah). The photo below is Mama supervising this on the back porch (taken through the kitchen window, sorry about the poor zoom).


Everyone's heart has been very full. There have been more random acts of frustration all around, and it's obviously pretty hard to ingest a total stranger with physical ability but no communication or relational skills into the sibling dynamic. But we pray. This morning was nice, I got to pray, do chores, get oatmeal going, and even try to do some work (I'm "on vacation" which means I dial in from home when I can).


Thanks for your prayers, we need them.
Papa

Monday, July 10, 2017

And the work begins...

Notes from Sunday:
Thanks to you all for your prayers and your help. We have been blessed by many friends with meals, and we're thankful for surviving so far. Somehow he's going on 6 hours of sleep (up at 5am) in the last 48, so I'm hoping for better things tonight... neither of us slept on the planes. But, after a reroute in Amsterdam, we ended up going home via Seattle, none the worse for wear.

Swinging is good. But the heat is pretty bad. The boys and Choupinette are have very full hearts (Ana may, too, for all I know - she got held less today).

Notes from Monday:
Good night's sleep praise God. I was up with the sun, which was nice for prayers and chores. Stefi got up around 7am, which was fine. He's very interested in cookery, and hovered around the skillet until he burned his hand (very mildly, but a few times). He has added "Hi" to his words, doubling his vocabulary. At dinner, I asked if he wanted more chicken and his response was "Da!" (his other word), which was pretty great. Meals are hard, though Stefan is doing great - we're doing hand-over-hand with the fork, and I help keep his other hand from shoveling food (he's used to using his left to hold food in an overstuffed mouth). But he's making progress even already. The hardest part is the strain on the other kids. But kind aunts helped out today, and things were ameliorated. It's always hard not to project the present into the future...

Please keep praying, I am jotting this down while Mama has the bunch of heat-tolerant ones out on a walk, and Ana and I get to clean up the house (done, so I had a moment). Please forgive us if you don't hear from us often - our hands are full.

Christ is born!

Glorify him!

Christ is risen!

Indeed, he is risen!

Christ is ascended!

From earth to heaven!

Christ is in our midst!

He is, and ever shall be!

In Christ,
Papa

Farewell Sofia, hello croissant

A brand-new American Citizen eats fast food in Seattle

Singing and swinging

Friday, July 7, 2017

Ducks in a row

We have the packet from the embassy, all is (supposedly) in order, and I guess we'll see how leaving Bulgaria and entering the US goes! We'll be up early tomorrow (in a bit more than 12 hours), and off to the airport. No more meetings, appointments, etc. Stefan is enjoying another bath now (they are a nice break for me), and we may try to get to a vespers in an hour, but we'll see. Sv. Paraskeva is probably the closest one, but it's still a 10min walk. And Stefan had troubles getting to the corner store today. It's been a rough week.

I was not really joking when I said to Toni that the only visible difference between adoption and kidnapping is the paperwork...  And now I can begin insurance paperwork for the US.

Friday

And yes, I am thankful to God that it is.

Today we will meet with the lawyer who should have all the documents assembled. We left Stefi's passport at the embassy to get the visa stamp affixed (a step that always makes me nervous - he is without ID for a little while, though I'm sure in a pinch enough of the supporting sheaf of documents would add up to ID).

I have not been able to reach the lawyer by phone yet, and she didn't give a time, so we are bored in the hotel room. We'd probably be fine for a walk, but I'm conservative. We'll just go to the store soon, get some more cheese (the only remaining effective pill-vehicle), but NOT more bread - it became something of an idea fixee yesterday, and I had to hide it before he would go to sleep. Not that he wanted to eat it, mind you, just to have the bag (ignoring the several pieces that were already out for him, and of which I kept offering chunks). This post-institutional food security thing... but then, I'm reminded of a (perhaps apocryphal) internal memo from Vanguard, the financial company, that indicated the highest-performing clients were those who a) were dead, or b) had forgotten they had the account. Again, lessons for Papa from Stefan. It's very plain when it's bread, but we adults like to gussy up our insecurities with fancy names like retirement or career.

Baths have been the new ecstasy since Wednesday evening, but like anything, he's getting bored with plain-vanilla, and looking for a new high. He scored yesterday with the hand shower, but that papa would insist on helping hold it and not giving him free rein. Now I'm not sure what he's up to, but he's learning to get in and out of the tub himself, which is good, but also a little nerve-wracking to see him teeter on the edge. However, he refuses help, and I am not sure what he expects me to do - he may be telling me to take a bath, too. Yes, much communication is nonverbal anyway, but imperatives can be tricky to convey - and this applies in both directions.

Tomorrow early we're off to the airport, then back to the US via Amsterdam. The flight from Amsterdam to Minnie-StPaul leaves at 10:30am and arrives at 12:30pm - so short!

Thank you for your prayers, I'm looking forward to the rest of my family and my home. But I will miss Sofia, if not the hotel room.
And God bless Baba Annie.

In Christ,
Papa

At Seta Paraskeva (repost)


Sorry - this comes of having two different devices, which are not always in sync.

I am grateful to the kind lady at the church who took time to comfort Stefan (who didn't know why we were going out again, but who was also going bonkers in the hotel). On the way back from the walk, Stefi pulled me back into the church and wanted to walk around inside. God is good.

But I am sorry to say that Stefan is pretty much ready to be American - he loves junk food and cars. The junk food is a fine tool, but he makes no distinction between moving or parked, sidewalk or street. So he is frustrated when we are around cars, since I try very hard to keep him away from them.

So the fenced churchyard was a welcome relief. It strikes me that you probably couldn't just walk around most churches in America, since they are (both legally and culturally) private property. In Bulgaria, I don't know what the legal balance of ownership is, but culturally, churches are public. Generally speaking, you can just walk in, and they are open most of the day, every day. Yes, churches had to be underground shortly after the resurrection and Pentecost, but the apostles were public in the beginning, Paul was open for business in the hall of Tyrannus. It's something to think about, as we seek to hold out the gospel to the world.




In Christ,

Papa



Thursday, July 6, 2017

Not alone do we love

For none of us lives to himself.

Praise God for a speedy and successful visa interview at the embassy.

Praise God for puffed corn snacks ("Kroki") and chocolate snack bars, a parting gift from the staff.

Praise God for a baba at the orphanage who loves Stefi, and packed him a lovely bag of mementos.

Adoption can feel very lonely, at many stages before, during, and after the pickup. Praise God that we have never been alone in loving Stefan, that Jesus has always been guarding him (for he welcomes the little children, as his mother welcomed a uniquely fatherless child), and the Triune God has put people around him to love him in the orphanage.

Thanks for your prayers, out for a walk now.
Papa

Thursday in Bulgaria

I am thankful for the kind lady in the Sv. Sofia who gave Stefi a pastry yesterday. We sat and ate it and had some water outside the church in the garden (by Ivan Vazov, below). The photos are from yesterday, but my phone has troubles uploading more than one at a time, and I haven't had time to sit at the laptop until now as there is a pile of cashews keeping Stefi busy - did you know you can make cashew milk in your mouth? This I learned by observation.




The doctor's appointment this morning went as well as may be expected, given that he had to "sit still" for a Wilate infusion, and then for the topical adrenaline afterwards (total of about 30-40min). "Sit still" means "bodily restrained", which is taxing for all of us.

Now I am waiting for KLM to email me back about traveling with sharps and with perishable drugs - not sure what the story is there, but I expect inconvenience. Please pray that it's minimal.

This afternoon we go to the embassy, so we'll eat some lunch soon. I have been often convicted by the various things I think or say, they are lessons for me as much as for Stefan:

"Don't cram too much in! You lose it that way."

"There will be more later."

"Please just let me take care of you."

"Slow down."

It helps to see these as God's patient instructions to me, too. And he is more patient than I am.

Thank you for your prayers. We need them.
Papa


Wednesday, July 5, 2017

The arsenal

Though the Costco gummy snack bags have been a relative flop. But bananas are like cocaine. He just had one, and is banana-seeking already.

We just got back from a walk, too early for vespers, but he was going nuts in the room after this morning and the clinic visit (no tuburcules, thankfully). Tomorrow is doctor appointment in the morning, embassy in the afternoon, so it'll be a full day. He got a new cup (plastic) to reduce our use of breakable glasses (one down, one left).

Thanks for your prayers, we need them.
Papa

Tuesday, July 4, 2017

Balloon time

Not the state of a full balloon, but the delicious processes of my blowing it up, and most especially, letting it whiz around while deflating. This is a hysterical joy to Stefi. I will need more balloons, as they are also a reminder of the brevity and frailty of life, no matter how exciting it may seem.

Not quite a ruck run...

...but a 40lb Stefi for a good mile or so does add up. #3 & 4 accomplished. 1 & 2 still in progress.

Monday, July 3, 2017

Morning

Sometime after 1am he finally fell asleep. My mattress was by the door, after a few (possibly coy) attempted exits. I am thankful to have had some sleep. However, breakfast went about 200% better than I expected. I am pleased to report that my son also likes the big Bulgarian breakfasts. He had eggs, bacon, yogurt, tomato, cheese, and some cucumber. And it wasn't even a huge mess.

I have few goals today. 1) ensure Stefi's survival to the best of my ability, 2) survive (in support of 1), 3) maybe go to the store for diapers and wipes? 4) if that goes well, visit a church?
3 & 4 are bonus objectives, obviously.

Thanks for your prayers, it's a pretty odd situation for him, and overall, he's doing well.

Window time

It's raining here, Stefan has been to the clinic, we ate dinner, got water all over the room until water play was limited to the sink, and now I am just running the clock on bedtime. I expect to sleep across the doorway... there's no privacy latch to help me keep Stefan in one place and in one piece. He kept pulling towards the street on our very short walk to the corner store...

Stefi!




Busy morning. Glad to have a new son, praise God! 

Pray for us!

Papa

Sunday, July 2, 2017

Who art everywhere present and fillest all things...

It was a joy to commune at Sv Nedelya this morning. I had hoped to get to Sv Georgi (a longer walk, and I didn't sleep all that well), but the bells were tolling as I passed Nedelya, so I joined the liturgy there.

I will preface that this post is somewhat theological, and has no cute pictures. I'll start to have those tomorrow. Caveat emptor.

For some reason, I have long been a Slavophile. This started sometime in high school, reading Russian novels (some of which contain the most potent and penetrating views of mankind ever written outside Scripture). In grad school, I took a 20th century Russian history course (with young John W- and V-), which was a lot of fun. Then, eventually, all this Bulgaria stuff comes along (and incidentally, I learn that each and every Slavic culture is the epitome of culture and alone preserved it pure through the centuries...).

For my first visit with Ana in June/July 2014 (the one where I met Stefan, exactly three years ago), I went and bought a random smattering of Bulgarian books: The Truth that Killed by Markov, about 20th century communist Bulgaria, Under the Yoke by Ivan Vazov, which I still haven't read, Bulgaria: A History Retold in Brief by Fol et al., a competent, if secularized history of Bulgaria, subject to some pet theories. (As a long aside, I brought on this trip my Bible, a Bulgarian dictionary, my Bulgarian prayer book, and Dostoevsky's Idiot, Notes from the Underground, and The Brothers K-, two new reads, one old friend; but I think Notes explains the entirety of D-'s mature corpus, which is consumed with the salvation & preservation of Man, specifically a recognition of Christ as the Man, in the face of a dehumanizingly humanist 19th century modernity - that's another article). Thus, I learn about Bulgaria, the seat of Slavic language and culture - a claim which rests on some facts, mostly about the timeline of Ss. Cyril & Methodius and their disciples, who created the Slavic language and liturgy.

This brings up my next thought. Cyril & Methodius translated the Byzantine liturgy and associated texts ca. 866AD, ultimately creating the Cyrillic language family and alphabet. After some discussion with Popes Adrian II and later John VIII, their efforts to translate into the vernacular were blessed (twice, once by each pope). Later clergy would translate the Western (Roman) rite into Slavonic, with some of the southern Slavs even retaining the more ancient Glagolitic alphabet (Croats, up into the 20th century), which was eventually overtaken by the Latin alphabet. Thus, there is very strong and comparable historical footing for the Polish, Hungarian, and Croatian Western rite (Roman Catholics) and the Serbian, Bulgarian, Romanian, and Russian Eastern rite (Orthodox). As St. John Maximovich  of Shanghai and San Francisco cheerfully pointed out: "The west was fully Orthodox for a thousand years, and her venerable liturgy is far older than any of her heresies.”

But perhaps you wonder what all this means, and why 1200-year-old liturgical questions matter to anyone in this day and age. And you're right, of course - a liturgy that was only 1200 years old would be rather young. The fundamental liturgy is that of St. James, brother of the Lord, first bishop of Jerusalem (see Acts 15:13-19, 21:17-25). This was disseminated throughout Christendom, though it is also said that St. Peter wrote the liturgy for the Roman church, planting the seed of the Western Rite. St. Basil the Great (d.379) collected and codified the liturgy for Constantinople, and his work was furthered by St. John Chrysostom (d.407). Today, I was blessed to celebrate the liturgy of St. John Chrysostom with my Bulgarian adelphoi and fellow-citizens of the Kingdom of God.

It felt like home.

No, I couldn't follow the homily. I had to look up the reading later (though I knew it was from Matthew, it turned out to be 8:5-13, the faith of the centurion). But I knew the liturgy. This was new to me, as we have not been Orthodox for very long, and this was the first foreign-language liturgy I have attended as a communicant. I knew the prayers - the Great and Little litanies, and the Lord's Prayer. I didn't follow the Beatitudes (they are a little less rigidly set than the litanies, so it's harder to follow the form). The celebration of the Eucharist was all familiar (though it is always strange and wonderful). The body and blood of Christ effected in the power of the Holy Spirit know no language or border.

And until Vatican II, any Roman Church would have served an Orthodox liturgy, too (and many still do - though I distinguish between the form, which is ancient and Orthodox, and the theology behind it, some - even perhaps much - of which has deviated from the apostolic teaching). And in America, there are actually a good number of Western Rite Orthodox churches (many of which were convert congregations from Anglicanism, but not all). Unity of worship is not the same as strict uniformity.

While Mama and I are indeed Slavophiles, and love the Eastern liturgy and worship, I am so thankful that Orthodoxy is emphatically not constrained by culture. Some Orthodox people choose to be culturally-constrained, and that is sad. But from Rome before the schism, we have a beautiful Western liturgy - more simple, spare, even minimalist in some ways. And from Antioch and Constantinople, a rich and very Eastern liturgy. But there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, and one Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceeds from the Father, who together with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets. And it is this Spirit who is invoked in the opening prayer, referenced in the title:

O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, who art everywhere present and fillest all things, Treasury of Blessing, and Giver of Life, come and abide in us, and cleanse us from every impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.

It is this same Spirit at work in all who say "Jesus is Lord" (1 Cor. 12:13), and though I rejoice to be at home in the Orthodox church, and long for all to return to the apostolic faith once and for all delivered to the saints (Jude 1:3), I remain thankful and indebted to my own Protestant background and for all the grace that is shown in and to and through all those who call on the name of the Lord. I hope all Christians who travel can experience a measure of the joy and interconnectedness of God's people as I did today.

An admittedly dark aside, to lead to a bright conclusion. It is my goal to love God and my neighbor. This must be the goal of every Christian, for Christ said so. There is much, much, much darkness in the world, especially (it seems) here in the Balkans and Near East. If you don't remember the details of the fourth crusade, you might look it up. If you do not know that Greece, Serbia, and Bulgaria fought a bloody intra-Orthodox war in 1913, I understand. If you are ignorant of the Armenian, Greek, and Assyrian Genocides, I am sorry. If you do not know the name Jasenovac, file it the same place in your head as Auschwitz. If you do not know Srebrenica, Lord have mercy. In the Balkans, Orthodox have massacred Muslims & Catholics, Catholics have massacred Orthodox and Muslims, and Muslims have massacred Orthodox and Catholics (and this just in the Balkan war of 1992-1995, to say nothing of the WW2 era, which saw deplorable collusion between the Roman Catholics and the Ustashe, or the WW1 era which saw the beginning of modern religious-ethnic genocide). What to make of the nations of the world, even those we love?

In the world you will have tribulation; but take heart, for I have overcome the world.  (Jn. 16:33)

For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? (1Jn. 5:4-5)

The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father. And I will give him the morning star. (Rev. 2:26-28)

St. John has much to say about the world, and overcoming the world. I'll close on this: in the passage from Revelation 2, Christ invites us into Psalm 2. And I think He invites us into both sides of that Psalm. The nations rage, the peoples plot in vain against the Lord, and against his anointed, and we see ourselves among them, even shouting 'Crucify him!' But we are invited to be wise, be warned, to kiss the Son, not to perish. Having done so, and keeping His works until the end, we are invited to join Him in ruling over the nations with a rod of iron. My arrangement of the passages above is quite intentional (as well as linear in the New Testament) - Christ has overcome the world. We believe and have faith in Jesus the Son of God, God come in the flesh. And we keep his works to the end, loving God and our neighbor in tangible ways (which the Church teaches in worship, prayer, fasting, alms), and finally entering into the joy of our Lord. Then, at the end of all, having held firm to the end, we are given the morning star. 

What is the morning star? Rev. 22:16 - "I am the root and descendent of David, the bright morning star." We are given Christ himself. In the Eucharist, we step outside of time, above the world, lifting up our hearts unto the Lord in heaven, and we receive Christ Himself. It is this joy that we share in Christ that unites Christians everywhere, and most especially in the liturgy of the Church. We are fed the heavenly bread for strength in our earthly journey. We are given a little bit of the future in the present, that we may travel on the narrow way towards the eternal banquet of the Lamb.

Thank you for your prayers as I go to meet Stefan tomorrow. As promised, there will be photos, as I have time to upload them.

In Christ, our life, our light, our strength and song, our food and drink, our Creator, Redeemer, our Glory, and our exceedingly great reward,
Papa

Saturday, July 1, 2017

Safely in Sofia

Thank you all for your prayers. I am checked in at the hotel, pretty tired, but had a great driver from the airport, with whom I conversed in Spanish (he had worked construction in Madrid in his youth). It's fun trying to communicate with people. He was as astonished as I that Americans eat very little rabbit meat...

To bed, it's midnight local time, and I hope to make it to liturgy tomorrow.

In Christ,
Papa


Friday, June 30, 2017

En route

Thank you for your prayers, I am en route to SOF via SFO and MUC. In SFO right now, made sure FaceTime worked (cute daughters are still cute via FaceTime, check), and just waiting for the next flight. I am pretending it is morning, since I need to be up for another day or so, in order to hit the hay around 11pm local time in Sofia. And I'm hoping to make it to liturgy in the morning...

But behold, a pretty darn complete play structure! Praise God that the monkey bars didn't take me down last night - they tried. But they're on now, and things are almost all zipped up. I took down the GoFundMe - thank you to all of you who donated. We are so blessed by all of our friends and helpers - and an extra thanks and congrats to those of you who have stayed with this blog long past the completion of its original intention!






When you have seen the worst
and then the worst
(perhaps),
and from there, 
even seen the best for what it is,
a poor but blessed shadow of 
the good that is to be,
and you have not flinched at the everyday works of God
(unexplained and unexcused as they are)
and you have shared with us
a road that led 
into a road that led 
into another life,
and remained steadfast 
in prayer
in love
and in pain,
there is little left to say
but 
thank you.

And may the Good Shepherd
unerringly lead us all
into His fold
and remember us
in His kingdom.

Lord, have mercy.

Thank you all.

Tuesday, June 27, 2017

In the works...

In answer to K's comment on my prior post, yes, thanks. We found a pretty good structure on Craigslist, and the boys and I went to disassemble it last Friday. We all melted into little puddles - it was in the high one-teens, and we worked from 1-4pm. Dumb, I know. But it fit the seller's schedule, and meant we could get the U-haul back on time.

Then (after smoothies) back home to unload it into our yard...


 Yeah, I know. Looks like a semi-organized tornado hit.

But it's coming back together - and my friend helped me get the chains, ropes, deck and slide in place since this photo was taken, so now the boys can go up and come down, which is very important.

It was just in time for the back wall to be repaired, so the timing was perfect. 

Today I stopped by the thrift store that's on my bike route to work, and we have some assorted Stefan clothes. It's a scattershot of 5, 6, & 7, which will actually fit right in with the scattershot assortment of clothes he's used to wearing from the orphanage. Still need to get briefs, though.

Also, we learned the bureaucratically obvious fact that the state supplied medicine for S.I.Tomov, a ward of the state. And the state will not supply medicine for Stefan Thomas Miner, the child of an American family. So we get to navigate that out-of-pocket, whoo.

We are still accepting donations through GoFundMe, but I will take it down once the play structure is complete and photographs have been shared with all our supporters. (That may be after I get back, we'll see...)

Thank you for your prayers, I fly on Friday, arrive Saturday night, and am hoping to attend liturgy in St George (the one Constantine built). Pray for Mama and the kiddos, please. Miles to go. But at least I am meeting my work deadlines before leaving...

In Christ,
Papa

Tuesday, June 20, 2017

That was fast...

There were some very happy boys






with a big shallow hole last night.

And today,

it's a yard.

Next stop, play structures. Thanks to all who have supported on GoFundMe, I will leave the page up until the play structure is done. 

And in ten days, I travel. Please pray for Mama and the kiddos. There's tension, as is to be expected prior to a mammoth family dynamic perturbation. 

In Christ,
Papa

Monday, June 19, 2017

Deconstructivism

It's pretty great to see a tractor man enjoying his work. Small Porgies would now like to grow up to be a tractor man.


Thanks to everyone who has helped with the GoFundMe, it is still live here: 

God bless,
Papa