Children of Chernobyl Farewell Picnic 2007

The day brought forth lovely weather for the Chernobyl Farewell Picnic!  It is amazing how fast the time flies.  It doesn't seem a year since the last picnic, which also happens to be the day that we were loading the Uhaul to move our stuff to the new house.  A year of living in our new house and a year of loving and keeping in touch with Sveta.  It hardly seems possible that 6 weeks have passed since we all sat waiting impatiently, watching for her shining, happy face to appear through the airport crowds in June.  Looking for the freckled nose and giant smile that have become so much a part of our lives.  It is hard to imagine on Wednesday morning after dropping her at the airport on Tuesday evening, not waking up to her giant bear hugs and her morning "I don't like you, I love you!".  Hearing her voice calling to the girls and telling me that she has "two mommies", one Belarusian Mommy and one American Mommy.  It is a wonderful thrill to have had this beautiful time with her, watching her grow and learn our customs and our language.  A child who just last summer, was torn from her family and brought thousands of miles to live for weeks with people she didn't even know, people she couldn't communicate with at all, who is now telling me "No I don't like that back pack, can we find a different one." and completing full sentences telling us all about her life in Belarus, a life that we will probably never get to know and understand.  How to express how I feel about sending her home...I feel like I am sending my own child, yet I know that I am sending her to her family who loves her way more than I do.  It is a bittersweet moment.  She is thrilled to be going home to her family, carefully choosing each of her gifts as tokens of her love for them, but I can see the sadness in her eyes at having to leave us behind.  She tells me over and over, "Next summer, I can't wait for next summer!"

The Blessing at the church was beautiful.  Nadya (the children's chaperone) read a letter from a grown child who spent many summers coming here with the Children of Chernobyl Project about how it had changed her life and thanking her family that had brought her.  Nadya then thanked all the families for their hard work and for loving the children as their own, but we feel that it is us who have been blessed!  Her speech was wonderful.  Then Sveta got to get up and help present the gift to the church as a thank you for helping make the program happen.  She spoke all of her words perfectly and in English!  Each child was knelt at the altar and presented with a cross from the church and the pastors said a prayer over them.  It was a beautiful service!

Then all the children gathered for pictures.  First just the Belarusian children.

And then all of the host family children along with them.  It is a big beautiful bunch of children.

After the Blessing all the families headed to the park for the picnic and traditional Russian and Ukrainian music.  It was fun to watch the kids as they noticed that the music was familiar.  Sveta even got to dancing for a little bit!

Sveta got her picture with Nadya (the chaperone) and Judy (the director), and her best friend Anya.

It poured down rain, but that didn't deter the singers and the atmosphere was wonderful!  After we loaded all the soaking kids into the van, we headed home.  Bridget and I took Sveta to buy clothes and gifts so I can pack tomorrow.  The time is drawing nigh!