On Thursday we brought the children to our apartment. On the way we picked up some blinok crepes and ice cream treats for dinner. The children selected “Ice Age” for us to watch. Afterward, I prepared the Paul Dodge’s Rosetta Stone language instruction kit to let the children try it and to see if they enjoyed that method of learning English. They seemed to enjoy it fairly well. In fact, I couldn’t get Toli to stop when it was time to return to the school. Good! We found it in the county library system and ordered it to be held for us about the time we return home.

Last week as we were riding the bus to the school as usual, a well-dressed lady and her two twin daughters boarded the bus about halfway to the school. The lady in her black hat and long black dress coat reminded Paul of Mary Poppins. She appeared dignified, but not haughty. Her daughters were likewise well-dressed in matching modest dresses, coats and red bonnets. Patty Dodge noticed that they were talking among themselves about Patty. They rode the bus with us to the end of the route near the school. They got off first and remained ahead of us. We thought they might live in the upscale neighborhood adjacent to the school. They continued along our normal path into the schoolyard and stopped to talk to Dodges’ girls as though they knew them. Very curious. Dodges inquired and learned that one of the twins had been in the local hospital about six years ago with a very contagious ailment. Sasha, the younger of Dodges’ daughters-to-be was similarly afflicted and the two shared a room at the hospital. This woman, Valeria, became acquainted with and grew to love Sasha. She and her daughters had visited her and her older sister at the orphanage periodically ever since, bringing them treats and so forth. This was their purpose on that day. They had recognized the Dodges from pictures shown them by Sasha and Angela. This all was considered to be more than just coincidence. Valeria would be able to provide valuable information regarding Sasha and Angela and the Dodges would be able to thank her for her years of love and care for the girls.

The Dodges requested that they meet some evening to visit. They were invited to the lady’s apartment last night where she lives with her two daughters and her mother. Valeria is a nurse at the hospital and has been raising her daughters alone for the last five years. She had prepared an elegant spread of food, including borsch, of which they partook after she had offered a prayer on it. Paul videotaped the “interview” with her and we watched it with interest as she told in a humble manner the story of her involvement with the girls. She offered wisdom to Sasha and Angela to honor their parents that their days would be long upon the land. She is a devout Christian and there was a special countenance about her as she spoke. What a blessing she had been to these girls, though lacking the means to either adopt them or take on guardianship. She had certainly been a positive influence on them that has prepared them for this eventual adoption.