Blessed By Generosity

As Ryan and I are busy preparing for our final trip to bring the children home, we could not have done all of this without the generous help of others.

While getting the children’s rooms ready, we have had numerous donations come in of beautiful gently used clothing for Anna and Artem.  So much so, that we only needed to buy a handful of items to ensure they have a full wardrobes!

When we arrive at the orphanage to pick up Anna and Artem, we need to bring clothing for them to change into as the orphanage owns all the clothing and they operate out of a shared closet.  All the children share the same clothing and do not have any clothing designated as their own.

When we Face-timed with Anna earlier to show her her new room, she was amazed.  She started to tear up when I started pulling clothing out of her drawers to show her.  It was the first time she recognized that these clothes are all hers.  After 6 years in the orphanage, she will finally have clothing that she can love and cherish as so many little girls do!

The clothing that has come in is in a variety of sizes which will be so helpful as the children grow.  Thank you to everyone who contributed including our neighbours, friends, family, and to the Charach Family for the bags full of clothing donations.  I cannot begin to tell you how much this has helped us and how blessed our children will be from all of your generosity.  Thank you Thank you Thank you!

In addition to the clothing, my work family at Manulife collected money to bless the children with beautiful bikes and an abundance of toys.  Along with this they wrote touching messages in a family album wishing us all the best as we embark parenthood.  I have no words for the love, support, and kindness shown by all Manulife employees who have come alongside this journey with us.  We have done a few media posts for Manulife sharing about the new Adoption Benefits that Manulife is giving us to help support us financially.  One of the many perks of being a Manulife employee.  Here is the link to the last post, this was done prior to our first trip and meeting Anna and Artem.  Stay tuned we will be posting further articles in the near future.

The final blessing we received was just yesterday from A Child Waits Foundation notifying us that the board had approved us for a financial grant.  This money will be so helpful as we pay for the final adoption fees and travel expenses for the next trip to bring Anna and Artem home. 

In Canada, there is not a lot of financial support out there for families wishing to adopt, so the generosity shown by organizations such as A Child Waits Foundation, Manulife Benefits, and the help of family and friends goes beyond measure.

We cannot wait to show Anna and Artem their new rooms filled with books, toys, clothing, and the ability to dream big for their future.  They are so loved by so many people already who haven’t even physically met them.  It truly is a blessing to have this support along this journey. We are eternally grateful.

Charach Family:  Michael, Patti, Sam (15), Carrie (11), and Cassie the 2yr old dog