tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-366371632012-01-12T13:17:01.696-06:00This is the story of our adventure as we adopt Roman Bakay from Bredyansk, Ukraine.Dan & Becky Lamberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664792694320506470noreply@blogger.comBlogger431100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36637163.post-20296502873165083952008-02-16T16:48:00.004-06:002008-02-16T17:05:47.187-06:00

One Year Update:It’s hard to believe that one year ago we arrived back in Siloam Springs with a new son. Roman is now 11 years old and in 5th grade. With Feb. 17 being the official one year anniversary of his coming to live with us, I thought an update would be in order.In most ways Roman is adjusting much better than we could have ever hoped or imagined. He is totally fluent speaking in English

Dan & Becky Lamberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664792694320506470noreply@blogger.com109tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36637163.post-2473631320712804712007-06-19T08:58:00.000-05:002007-06-19T17:17:17.699-05:00

I am sorry that I haven't updated in a long time. Too busy living life to write much about it, I guess. Things have slowed down now, and mom chastised me again this morning, so here's a Roman update. . .LANGUAGEThe progress Roman has made on his English skills is amazing. His vocab is growing evry day. His use of slang is increasing. He seems to "get" sarcasm and humor. He can have a typical

Dan & Becky Lamberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664792694320506470noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36637163.post-9849388406211565612007-03-07T10:19:00.000-06:002007-03-07T10:50:51.148-06:00

It's been a couple of weeks since we updated, so I thought you might like some more info and some pictures. One of Alexa's friends is in a photography class and had an assignment she decided to use us for, so the black and whites are from her. Thanks, Jess!The pictures show some routine as we have developed it. Roman has homework every night. More than Caley or Cam in fact. It is focused on

Dan & Becky Lamberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664792694320506470noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36637163.post-62892060294974785822007-02-22T16:32:00.000-06:002007-02-22T17:51:45.055-06:00

Roman continues to have a remarkably great time adjusting to his new life. He loves school and is making friends quickly. He talks to everyone in Russian, even knowing they can't understand him. But he is also working to communicate and learn English. Today he called his teacher by name and asked to use the computer. He also knows how to disrupt math class, evidently. We are working with the

Dan & Becky Lamberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664792694320506470noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36637163.post-29773388400529334292007-02-21T07:29:00.000-06:002007-02-21T07:57:22.178-06:00

Since coming home Saturday night, Roman's adjustment has gone very well. We all had a great night's sleep and woke up Sunday ready for church. No jet lag for any of the five of us really. Church on Sunday was a fun zoo. We had a chance to introduce Roman to the congregation and say thanks for all they had done. I asked how many had read our blog while we were gone and about half of the 700 or so

Dan & Becky Lamberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664792694320506470noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36637163.post-28954411174524900462007-02-18T07:50:00.000-06:002007-02-18T09:00:16.214-06:00

Roman & I survived the nigt in the Amsterdam airport just fine. At one point I asked an airport employee if anyone there spoke Russian. I really wanted Roman to understand that we had to sleep in the airport and that we couldn't go to a hotel. The guy said he didn't know of anyone that could help us. A few minutes later a guy in his 20s with a German accent came up and said he overhead my

Dan & Becky Lamberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664792694320506470noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36637163.post-92117816331064477062007-02-17T16:07:00.000-06:002007-02-17T16:35:49.012-06:00

A little bit about our trip home. Caley, Cam and I got picked up to go the airport in Kiev at 4:15 a.m. (Kiev time) on Thursday morning. We thought that would give us plenty of time to make our 6:45 flight. Our ride dropped us at the airport, so we were on our own. About half-way to the check-in counter we realized that the line we were in was for Business Class only, so we switched lines.

Dan & Becky Lamberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664792694320506470noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36637163.post-71967264192584450122007-02-16T13:26:00.000-06:002007-02-16T13:50:58.336-06:00

I am blogging tonight from the Amsterdam airport. We got to the embassy as planned and got the visa for Roman quickly and without problems. We then went to the KLM office about noon to see about leaving Saturday. After a flurry of keyboard work the agent said we could leave at 5:30 Friday (today)!!! The catch is an overnight stay in Amsterdam. And the change is only costing $430!!! Too good to

Dan & Becky Lamberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664792694320506470noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36637163.post-79028443641747965302007-02-15T12:54:00.001-06:002007-02-15T12:54:58.456-06:00

THE LONG HOME STRETCH TUESDAY – He’s ours, but. . . Tuesday morning began as we expected, but certainly did not end that way. Natalia went to the court at 8:15 to get the signed adoption decree, which she did without a hitch. After a couple more quick stops, she came to pick up Becky, Roman, and me to head to the notary’s office, which didn’t open until 9:00. We were able to get in pretty

Dan & Becky Lamberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664792694320506470noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36637163.post-71678508263901964282007-02-14T13:19:00.000-06:002007-02-14T13:23:58.743-06:00

Roman Stephen Lambert is legally, officially, and irrevocably part of our family. The last two days have not gone as planned but we don't have time to write a lot now. Becky, Caley, & Cam will leave Kiev at 6:30 a.m. and be at XNA about 9 p.m.Pray for safe travel for them.Roman & I have to see another doctor tomorrow, then go to the embassy to apply for his visa. Hopefully we can leave Friday!!

Dan & Becky Lamberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664792694320506470noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36637163.post-55488270176591340002007-02-12T13:04:00.000-06:002007-02-10T14:50:25.501-06:00

Monday began like most days, except we didn’t know what it would hold. We hoped the judge would sign the official document declaring Roman to be ours officially. We hoped the local notary would sign the documents making the name change official. We hoped this would be Roman’s last day at the orphanage. We hoped we could pack our stuff into five suitcases after arriving with 12 stuffed to the

Dan & Becky Lamberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664792694320506470noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36637163.post-27623214140239586232007-02-09T08:31:00.000-06:002007-02-09T00:42:30.839-06:00

THINGS WE MOST LOOK FORWARD TO WHEN WE GET BACK TO AMERICA A#1 – Alexa!!!!!! Dan My recliner Driving English language TV My students Family My bed Unlimited Internet access Grilling food Feeling at home Good milk Becky Dishwasher Garbage disposal Clothes dryer Using tap water to drink Sebastian, our cat Use of a full kitchen & supplies Home Fellowship Group Friends

Dan & Becky Lamberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664792694320506470noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36637163.post-38077712307270604672007-02-08T10:40:00.000-06:002007-02-07T19:40:02.994-06:00

After another morning of doing homework (we are all pretty updated on homework so far), we set out for the orphanage about 2:30. When we saw Roman he excitedly explained something to us. He could get out the words “classroom,” “teacher,” and “soccer.” We noticed he had on gym shoes for the first time. When we got to the classroom, several of Roman’s friends were there watching TV. They were happy

Dan & Becky Lamberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664792694320506470noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36637163.post-48996363290211720712007-02-07T12:10:00.000-06:002007-02-07T12:59:28.917-06:00

Being in Berdyansk, Ukraine, for several weeks now has made me think a lot about how “good” we have it in America. I know that not all Ukrainians lead the life that we do in our little apartment – some have it better, but many have it worse. Let me share with you some about the things that have been different here in everyday living.In a lot of ways, living here has transported me back to my

Dan & Becky Lamberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664792694320506470noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36637163.post-33121082916150592252007-02-06T10:37:00.000-06:002007-02-06T10:43:29.990-06:00

From Caley. . . I spent the night with two missionaries last night, Sarah and Sushan, and then went with them to the temporary orphanage. All the kids there, and there weren’t nearly as many in this one as there is in Romans, were together. Not separated by age or anything. They stayed in the same room and played games or colored. I played ‘Slap’ and ‘Skip-bo’ with Sarah and Anya, a 13 year

Dan & Becky Lamberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664792694320506470noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36637163.post-87860104050805686532007-02-05T12:25:00.000-06:002007-02-05T12:37:52.862-06:00

This morning the priority was getting our flights taken care of. I called the Kiev office for KLM (the Dutch airline partner of Northwest) and talked to a rep. After explaining our situation and what we are hoping to do, she told me there were plenty of seats for flights on Thursday, February 15. Roman’s visa will not be ready that soon, so we booked tickets for Becky, Caley & Cameron to return

Dan & Becky Lamberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664792694320506470noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36637163.post-48171051202304232262007-02-04T09:24:00.000-06:002007-02-04T09:30:55.053-06:00

There are several differences between Ukraine and America. Differences like clothing, programs on T.V., food, and they speak and write in two different languages (Ukrainian and Russian). Their T.V. programs aren’t actually Russian, they are dubbed in Russian, and they don’t have to be clean (like bad words and profanity). They have the Simpsons show and soccer or “football”

Dan & Becky Lamberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664792694320506470noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36637163.post-59410014319492388692007-02-03T09:17:00.000-06:002007-02-03T09:20:09.658-06:00

We have been trying to figure out a return date. I received an e-mail from KLM saying there are no seats open until Sunday, Feb 18th. I will call on Monday to see if there are any other options to get us home earlier, even if we have to split up on different flights. We would love to come home Friday the 16th or Saturday the 17th, but Sunday is better than Wednesday the 21st, which is when we

Dan & Becky Lamberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664792694320506470noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36637163.post-63570774331331028152007-02-03T08:58:00.000-06:002007-02-03T09:12:32.411-06:00

We awoke to a beautiful, if cold, sunny day in Berdyansk. After a delicious breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast, we decided to go for a walk and get some video of the town. We are within a short walk of the sea, so we headed off in that direction. On the way we passed a movie theater. We recognized the poster for Charlotte’s Web and decided to go see a show. The theater itself was large and

Dan & Becky Lamberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664792694320506470noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36637163.post-40096157106711699162007-02-02T11:13:00.000-06:002007-02-02T11:14:57.728-06:00

From Becky:Today we started our ten-day waiting period. During this time, our translator, Natalia, goes back to her home, about 100 kilometers outside of Kiev, and we are basically on our own in Berdyansk. We can reach her via cell phone though if we need her. There is also another American couple still here in Berdyansk with their translator, Sergei, so if we need help, he’s available. The

Dan & Becky Lamberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664792694320506470noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36637163.post-24684374825933674862007-02-01T11:01:00.000-06:002007-02-01T11:33:37.732-06:00

Today was the day we had all been working for since we arrived. The day we present all documents to a judge and have trial to determine if Roman can become a Lambert. Our appointment was at 2:00 p.m., so we got to sleep in a bit (except for Natalia, who had to go to Zaporosha at 4:00 a.m. to get our final SDA documents off the train at 6). When we arrived at court, several people had to be there.

Dan & Becky Lamberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664792694320506470noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36637163.post-23447396038580423092007-01-31T07:27:00.000-06:002007-01-31T07:57:01.899-06:00

We awoke this morning to a beautiful and unexpected blanket of 3" of fresh snow. It was accompanied by a sunny day. There's something about bright sun on fresh snow that makes winter seem a bit less cold.I set out at 7 a.m. with Natalia, our facilitator/translator, for Malitopol, a city about 80 miles from Berdyansk, where Roman was born, to have the city clerk there verify his birth certificate.

Dan & Becky Lamberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664792694320506470noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36637163.post-45074057689437956032007-01-30T11:47:00.000-06:002007-01-30T11:51:29.139-06:00

Today it's Caley's turn to blog:Since I’ve been in Ukraine, I have noticed and been told about many differences between American and Ukrainian cultures. The main differences, I’ve noticed, have been in the general way of life, dress/clothing, religion/church service, and the transportation/streets. The way of life here in Ukraine is much more polite and pushy at the same time. While

Dan & Becky Lamberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664792694320506470noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36637163.post-22789753790368615142007-01-29T11:59:00.000-06:002007-01-29T12:19:15.976-06:00

Today we had a chance to spend some time in Roman's world for few hours. We arrived at the orphanage about 2:00, just in time for lunch. The director offered to let us have lunch with Roman in the dining hall, so away we went. We had already eaten lunch and weren't hungry, but that didn't matter.She set us up with Ukrainian cabbage borscht, meat-filled ravioli, bread, cake, apricot fruit drink,

Dan & Becky Lamberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664792694320506470noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36637163.post-8187273187741753992007-01-28T09:49:00.000-06:002007-01-28T10:07:32.327-06:00

We woke up to a bit of snow on the ground today. Not a lot -- just enough to be pretty. Nice and wet, so snow balls are easy to make. We went to Bethel Church, a congregation of about 65 people, for worship this morning. It started at 10 and ended about noon. The pastor is Ukrainian and spoke in Russian, but is fluent in English as well. They started by singing about 4 songs, then the preacher

Dan & Becky Lamberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664792694320506470noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36637163.post-86621771085279892812007-01-27T12:23:00.000-06:002007-01-27T12:41:21.540-06:00

stySaturday has been a fun day in Berdyansk. We woke up & fixed a scrambled egg breakfast. After Cameron & Roman showered, we went out for a walk to the local market area. Now don't think shopping mall, or even Wal-Mart. Think the most scary and nasty flea market you have ever seen. Okay, maybe not that bad, but we'll post pictures one day. It was an education for us, for sure.When we returned,

Dan & Becky Lamberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664792694320506470noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36637163.post-23131882306837889622007-01-26T09:21:00.000-06:002007-01-26T09:42:19.006-06:00

We went to the orphanage this afternoon and met the director in charge. She is a wonderful lady with a real heart for the children. We spent about 15 minutes with her getting to know us and our story. We then ask permission to take him for the weekend. After a quick lecture about not giving him cold drinks, fatty foods, or ice cream, she agreed.We were thrilled. She gave Roman a lecture about

Dan & Becky Lamberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664792694320506470noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36637163.post-2190694819607639442007-01-25T11:52:00.000-06:002007-01-25T12:04:16.113-06:00

Thursday was spent taking Roman from one doctor to another. In Ukraine there are no general practicioners or family doctors. Everyone goes to whichever specialist they need. Today we went to the blood, TB, head, psychology, bone, E-N-T, eye, and surgical specialists. All was clear.I did spend some time wit the TB specialist to clarify Roman's status. She said that because he has had TB in the

Dan & Becky Lamberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664792694320506470noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36637163.post-43672138850528047172007-01-24T12:17:00.000-06:002007-01-24T12:25:08.322-06:00

We all had a remarkably good night’s sleep last night considering we all hoped today would be the day to finally go to meet Roman. Natalia planned to be at the local inspector’s office at 8:00 to get the document signing party started. We were to wait at the apartment until she arrived with news. About 9:00 Natalia showed up and said the documents had one signature and needed a few more, so they

Dan & Becky Lamberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664792694320506470noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36637163.post-90839569938856343422007-01-23T12:31:00.000-06:002007-01-23T12:59:10.450-06:00

Today was a whirlwind of activity, but still without going to the orphanage. Natalia, our amazing facilitator in Berdyansk, and Yulia, our power-of-attorney in Kiev, tag teamed the Ukrainian officials and finally got all the paperwork we need faxed around the country. We received the final one about 8:00 this evening. First thing in the morning Natalia will go visit the same inspector we saw

Dan & Becky Lamberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664792694320506470noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36637163.post-81978582653379673852007-01-22T02:45:00.000-06:002007-01-22T10:31:00.818-06:00

After a very good breakfast of fried eggs, bologna, juice, and tea/coffee, we went to see the local head of children's services to get her permission to go to the orphanage. She read the referral letter we received from the SDA director and discovered Roman's birthdate was written incorrectly. We now have to wait to get that fixed, which means several people have to affirm the correct date. This

Dan & Becky Lamberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664792694320506470noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36637163.post-79502261868685520412007-01-21T13:43:00.000-06:002007-01-21T14:18:25.245-06:00

Friday & Saturday in Kiev With our free time in Kiev for a couple of days we found ways to entertain ourselves. We brought the entire first season of Lost on DVD, so we have watched the first four episodes already. We went to high school basketball games Friday afternoon. Kiev Christian Academy was playing the private embassy school. It was a lot of fun to watch the games and see several

Dan & Becky Lamberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664792694320506470noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36637163.post-8112451776784722222007-01-19T06:09:00.000-06:002007-01-19T06:31:21.206-06:00

Kiev Day 3We spent a few hours exploring the city near our apartment last night. It was mild (40s) and a great time to walk for a while. After a good night's sleep we we all up by about 9 and ready for another day. Yulia, our Kiev facilitator, contacted us about going to Berdyansk Saturday. We will board an 8:00 p.m. train and ride FOR 23 HOURS!!!!! We'll arrive in Berdyansk about 7:00 p.m.

Dan & Becky Lamberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664792694320506470noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36637163.post-25159425725946962862007-01-18T11:15:00.000-06:002007-01-18T11:18:04.242-06:00

Day 1 in KievWe arrived safely and on time in Kiev, just after 4:00 p.m. local time. Once inside the terminal, a man named Alex met us and immediately ushered us past passport control and to the baggage carousel. He took our passports to customs for us while we gathered three carts to load our 16 pieces of luggage on. This is called Kiev’s VIP service (charged at $45/person to zip through the

Dan & Becky Lamberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664792694320506470noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36637163.post-49049594480477602192007-01-15T20:27:00.000-06:002007-01-15T20:47:37.897-06:00

It's 8:30 Monday night and we are finishing our packing. We have 8 checked bags, 6 carry-ons, and two laptops. Somewhere close to 700 pounds all together. Brian Hill, the high school youth pastor, is coming at 1:45 tomorrow to drive us to the airport. Our flight leaves at 4:25, then it's about an hour to Memphis, an hour to get through passport control and to our plane, then 9 hours to Amsterdam

Dan & Becky Lamberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664792694320506470noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36637163.post-7783962181770774622007-01-10T12:12:00.000-06:002007-01-10T12:19:36.575-06:00

We keep making progress as we anticipate our trip in 7 days now. The kids are set with school work. We heard confiormation yesterday that Caley will be able to spend the first 2 hours each day in class with Roma for a month to help his transition. Becky and i have our work responsibilities covered. We have a bit more shopping to do for last minute supplies, then the packing begins.The weather in

Dan & Becky Lamberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664792694320506470noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36637163.post-83623991841624441222007-01-02T16:54:00.000-06:002007-01-02T16:57:03.738-06:00

http://www.fileden.com/files/2007/1/2/585842/Our%20adoption%20journey.docClick the link to open a Word document that traces this 15 month (so far) journey.

Dan & Becky Lamberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664792694320506470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36637163.post-1167766625136374302007-01-02T12:59:00.000-06:002007-01-02T13:37:05.146-06:00

We have two weeks until we hop on the plane to fly to Kiev and begin that leg of our adoption journey. We have purchased plane tickets and made arrangements for Caley & Cam to come with us. They both will be doing plenty of school work on the trip. Many people have asked us about our schedule and why the process takes 5 weeks, so I thought I'd write out what our schedule should be.Day 1, Tuesday,

Dan & Becky Lamberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664792694320506470noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36637163.post-1166196017685702172006-12-15T09:19:00.000-06:002006-12-15T09:20:17.693-06:00

This is Roman on the cover of the CD his orphanage choir did. Big smile & dimples!

Dan & Becky Lamberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664792694320506470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36637163.post-1165872964371053962006-12-11T14:48:00.000-06:002006-12-11T15:36:04.380-06:00

We have an appointment with the Ukrainian adoption office on Thursday, January 18!!!!!!

Dan & Becky Lamberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664792694320506470noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36637163.post-1164122554033407132006-11-21T09:16:00.000-06:002006-11-21T09:22:34.043-06:00

It seems that we are about 150 families away from getting an appointment. All appointments are set through December. The Ukrainian government recognizes New Year Day as a national holiday. They celebrate Christmas on January 7. They typically take several days to observe Christmas. What that means is that we are no more than 10 business days of appointments away from having a date. best case

Dan & Becky Lamberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664792694320506470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36637163.post-1161890841423387082006-10-26T14:23:00.000-05:002006-10-26T14:27:21.433-05:00

This is Roman.

Dan & Becky Lamberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664792694320506470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36637163.post-1161867637280162542006-10-26T07:55:00.000-05:002006-10-26T08:00:37.286-05:00

Today we learned that our updated documents are in fact in the SDA office in Kiev, that we are about 500 numbers away from an appointment, that the SDA accepts about 75 appointments per week, and that not all of the 500 families "in front" of us will get appointments before we do (some have dropped out of the process, other only want infants or young children and few are available). What does

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