Yulia with her mom and dad
Many of you got stuck on the "title". I know that Jason and I have made history with how fast we have babies, but not this time. We are only adopting for a month and she is 8! Although, I love babies and we are thrilled to be hosting Yulia and are excited for the new things we will learn. Here is the e-mail blurb I sent out.
As most of you might know we Jason, I and the kids will be hosting a little girl named Yulia Shemetava from Belarussia starting June 19th through August 3rd.
This is all part of a host program through For the Children of the World www.fortheworldschildren.org. Our home church New Community is sponsoring 10 children through our Bridge to Belarussia Mission Program. There are 79 children total being hosted through out the Pacific Northwest.
This is a program that brings over Belarusian children to the Pacific Northwest for a 6 week health respite with host families each summer. These children suffer effects from the continued radiation from the Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster of 1986, including the development of what is known as Chernobyl Aids. The time spent here each summer in an uncontaminated environment can help flush out overwhelmed immune systems and potentially add 5-10 years to each child's life span.
As a host family we are responsible not only for supplying a place for Yulia to stay, but also for taking car of her health needs while she is here. We have been asked to take her to the dentist at least once and to the eye doctor for new glasses. We have been blessed as both our dentist and eye doctor have agreed to see Yulia for FREE and they are local in Maple Valley. This is a HUGE blessing to us!
We are THRILLED to have Yulia here. We have made her a room and made it all girlie for her. We are so excited for her to be a part of our family and to meet all of our friends and family. She does not speak any English - thank God we have the "First Thousand Words in Russian" book. It will be an adventure. We chose Yulia because she is adorable and because she has two younger brothers the same age as Liam and Reilly. I figured this way she will not be alarmed when Reilly runs around in his underwear and with all of the noise those boys make. Yulia is the pastor's daughter of the church we are supporting in Belarussia. This is her first trip to the US and she is a Christian..
Here is a little blurb from the website about Yulia and I attached a photo of her with her parents.
Born August 20, 1999
Age in Summer 2008 – 8
Yulia is in the 3rd grade. She lives with her father and mother, 1 sister and 3 brothers in a 3 room flat in Korma. Her father is the pastor of the church in Korma and has a second job as a watchman. The approximate monthly family income is $400. Her parents would like her to get a good rest in America.
Yulia is mildly cross-eyed and wears glasses. Her parents would like her to see an eye doctor to see if there is something that can be done for her. (Belarussian doctors say there isn’t.)
Yulia likes to draw and do arts and crafts. She also likes to sing. She is a happy child and interacts well with children. She is the middle child from a large family. She is described as a leader. Yulia cannot swim.
She is a good eater and likes potatoes, chicken, macaroni, hotdogs and, of course, candy. She has no fear or known allergies of dogs or cats.
We would love it if you had anything you would like to donate (tax exempt forms will be available to you just like the ones you get for donating at Goodwill) here is what we are looking for:
Suit case with wheels - DONATED alreay
Backpack - DONATED already
Vitamins - Multi & Vitamin C
Toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, hair things
Shoes (not sure of her size yet)
Clothing - Winter hats, gloves, coat for 8 year old (Medium)
School Supplies - Crayons, Pencils, Erasers, Notebooks, etc.
Anything you think an 8 year old girl would like! If you want to do a cash donation you can donate directly to FTC by mailing to:
For the Children of the World
PO Box 58694
Renton, WA 98058
A receipt will be generated by FTC and mailed off to you.
We hope that you each get a chance to meet her while she is here. Thank you for taking the time to read this and we love you all.
Jason, Jess, Liam, Reilly & Natalie
