Guest writer, Aliza, shares some thoughts:)

Ok folks...this is from Aliza, my 10 year old:)  I love this girl!  I love that she has really seen the Lord at work already through Alyona and her time here. I just can't figure out where she gets her gift of rambling and tangents though?? :o  To God be the glory...


    When Alyona first came,she was all smiles. She got in the car and she colored on the ipad. I was surprised when she wanted me and my sister,Kaylee, to do some too. I never would expect for her to share when it was her first time on the ipad. She liked taking pictures with the ones she made. We also watched very little bit of a movie called the Smurfs and she laughed like crazy when they (the smurfs) were in the store looking for a“stargazer”.On the way home she heard us say mom and dad and she started calling them momma and papa. when we got home,she loved our house.
    Today, August 3, we are going to Kings Dominion and we can’t wait to see what she thinks of it. We hope she loves it.
    Alyona is so kind and loving and she even does her own dishes. I realized  how we lived and have tried so hard not to fight. On the way to maymont yesterday some people in the car(not going to say who) were fighting and she saw it and we noticed she was sad. I think it’s because no one at the orphanage fights because they just go with everything there. She even made meatloaf and butter and cheese potatoes when I didn’t want to do it.  We loved it.
    Last night after dinner she listened to music and started dancing. She had a groove going and started dancing with my dad. I had been reading but over my book I secretly watched. She danced with my sister before bed. I was going to say goodnight to my mom after my dad read to me and they were doing a dance for my mom. Finally, Kaylee has someone to dance with.now we have to adopt her i told my mom :) :)
    I realize how much she cared about this trip to our house. she is 14 but she acts like my age which is 10. I really hope someone will take the sweet girl I know while she is here. one time I just pulled her in to a hug and stood there with her. surprisingly, she hugged me back and held on.:)
    During the storm yesterday, i ask if she afraid of thunder storms.she said no and i told her i was scared of them. Yesterday also during the storm she told me and my mom that when she lived with her parents before, that they went to Kiev and she read the russian bible, she learned about God and got a necklace she never takes off.it has a picture of jesus on it.she had also made a puzzle of a cathedral with 300 pieces in it and that when she said she went to Kiev.i just love her and give her some long hugs at random times.
    My dad lays with me to help me go to sleep and it made me smile when she wanted to hold my dads hand. Alyona just loves my mom and dad.
    I love alyona and i see Jesus working in her even if she doesn’t know Jesus.every morning she wakes up around 6:50 so that she can see dad before he leaves work. she just always misses anyone in our family that is gone.
    No matter what, I am going to make my mom and dad adopt her somehow. If we do not than i will mourn over it for years and years before i leave it behind. I believe God is working in me since i accepted Him into my heart and life and to take over me.when i became a member i feel closer to God than ever even though it didn’t do anything to get me closer to him.i love him and I hope Alyona will to.
    She started to read the russian bible and then she said she had already read the bible. then she chose to read psalm 12 which says this 

“ Help, Lord, for no one is faithful anymore; 
    those who are loyal have vanished from the human race.
2 Everyone lies to their neighbor;
    they flatter with their lips
    but harbor deception in their hearts.
3 May the Lord silence all flattering lips 
    and every boastful tongue— 
4 those who say,
    “By our tongues we will prevail; 
    our own lips will defend us—who is lord over us?”
5 “Because the poor are plundered and the needy groan, 
    I will now arise, ” says the Lord.
    “I will protect them from those who malign them.”
6 And the words of the Lord are flawless, 
    like silver purified in a crucible, 
    like gold[c] refined seven times.
7 You, Lord, will keep the needy safe 
    and will protect us forever from the wicked, 
8 who freely strut about
    when what is vile is honored by the human race.”

This is exactly what we represent and without Gods grace we would not be saved.

  psalm 136 says this

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. 
His love endures forever. 
2 Give thanks to the God of gods. 
His love endures forever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords: 
His love endures forever.
4 to him who alone does great wonders, 
His love endures forever.
5 who by his understanding made the heavens, 
His love endures forever.
6 who spread out the earth upon the waters, 
His love endures forever.
7 who made the great lights —
His love endures forever.
8 the sun to govern the day,
His love endures forever.
9 the moon and stars to govern the night;
His love endures forever.
10 to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt
His love endures forever.
11 and brought Israel out from among them
His love endures forever.
12 with a mighty hand and outstretched arm; 
His love endures forever.
13 to him who divided the Red Sea[a] asunder
His love endures forever.
14 and brought Israel through the midst of it,
His love endures forever.
15 but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea; 
His love endures forever.
16 to him who led his people through the wilderness; 
His love endures forever.
17 to him who struck down great kings, 
His love endures forever.
18 and killed mighty kings —
His love endures forever.19 Sihon king of the Amorites 
His love endures forever.
20 and Og king of Bashan —
His love endures forever.
21 and gave their land as an inheritance, 
His love endures forever.
22 an inheritance to his servant Israel. 
His love endures forever.
23 He remembered us in our low estate
His love endures forever.
24 and freed us from our enemies. 
His love endures forever.
25 He gives food to every creature.
His love endures forever.
26 Give thanks to the God of heaven. 
His love endures forever.”
this verse tells us to give thanks!!!
the last psalm is psalm 1
“Blessed is the one 
    who does not walk in step with the wicked 
or stand in the way that sinners take 
    or sit in the company of mockers, 
2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, 
    and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, 
    which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
    whatever they do prospers.
4 Not so the wicked!
    They are like chaff 
    that the wind blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, 
    nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
    but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.”
this says how God watches over us.

I love these psalms because they represent God well.
                I made this blog post for alyona to show her how much God loves her. I want her to know God for her whole entire life.
I love you alyona!!!! :) :) :) :)

                         give thanks,
                                      Aliza


and YES she DID have a blast at KD...pictures weren't the best or frequent, but here are a some...

 She LOVED the wave pool....

 I spy 5 kids here...can you? haha...

 It's all about getting the right car...running as if his life depended on it to 'his car';p

 Watching fireworks to wrap up the night...

Special Treasures...

Dearest Prayer WARRIORS!!! GOD WAS ON THE MOVE WITH US YESTERDAY!! I can’t share it all, but it suffices to say, HE met us in unique ways that really makes me think “something” (probably my unbelief) was settled in eternity yesterday! There was a profound difference.  Please know your prayers are carrying us!  I’m confident that as much as Gabby Douglas claims God gets the glory in her hard work and achievements, I can say with her...indeed the blessings reign down.  Does that mean the hard days are over? Absolutely not!  In fact, I expect more.  What I think crumbles us in our faith way to often is that we don’t stand ground ready to ‘fight’ and real with ourselves who’s battle our trials are.  I’m grateful for friends who could see that for us and enter into the battle with us in prayer! Thank you and praise God for His work!


onto my letter;)...

Dearest Alyona,

It’s 'ma' here;)  I love to hear you say that.  Not because I feel like your mother but because there are few words you can say that I get to hear your ‘voice’.  Oh my it must be hard not to talk.  I ask you if that's hard, but you don’t seem to mind.  I try to set up calls and such with others and you’re not so interested.  I’m thankful you communicated with your orphanage director yesterday and shared you were doing well.  That helped me know you are settling in.  I’m realizing quickly that you would win 1st prize for charades.  I had no idea how much this was part of our day until last night.  It was priceless.  Do you remember? It went something like this...

You had your first ‘let loose’ yesterday after a late dinner.  You danced around the kitchen a bit and gave us a taste of the ‘moves’ in you.

It was then that KA grabbed your hand and had a connection that hadn’t been unlocked yet.  You and your ‘sisters’ danced your hearts out.  Aliza finally tired out but you and KA rocked on.  I was putting the 'littles' down so didn’t see the ‘in process’.  What happened when I came down an hour later took my breath away.  The two of you had learned some things from each other and were dancing your hearts away.  NO WORDS. NO GOOGLE TRANSLATE. NO FRUSTRATIONS.  ALL SMILES AND DELIGHT. 

I just sat in awe.  The video is coming out soon! I didn’t want to move to get it.  You two pulled me into the action (and yes, laughed at me). 

Finally you did your charades for ‘shower’ and we thought you were saying you were ready for shower and bed.  That was not it.  You kept on and on trying to add something else.  We could not figure it out.  Translate wasn’t happening.  You ran outside, then would run in and point to the light, then back out, then make some dance moves, then charade for shower...over and over.  THEN we got it!  You did the motion for shower, drew a picture of the SUN, did your ‘jig’ then motioned for you and KA. 

YOU WANTED TO MAKE SURE YOU TWO COULD DANCE TOMORROW BEFORE YOU WOULD SURRENDER TO THE SHOWER AND BED! OHHHHHHH!! We were so excited we ‘got it’...you were so happy we said ‘yes’;) 

After bathing though, you just got in bed! We didn’t know.  I found you and gave you the biggest hug good night, so proud and adoring.  I finished then you said, “Papa?”.  UGH...I.will.not.win.this.love.war! and I won’t try.  There’s enough to go around.  I go get papa and off you drifted....dancing in your sleep I’m sure!

It was good day wasn’t it? We ‘talked’ about things in your world.  Aliza couldn’t believe you weren’t ever scared of storms. Weather, friends, important adults in your life, who loves you,etc.  We pulled up the Russian Bible and I went to the Psalms.  You chose Psalm 12 then typed, “I already know”.  Not sure if that meant you knew this Psalm or the truth of God, but girl, I see Jesus!  Indeed, He is with you and WILL KEEP YOU!!

I have learned something about the Lord through you.  I have seen how much he pursues His children.  Patiently, enduring and with a heart that aches with us.  I knew this, but watching you, I get to see it.  You know, don’t you Alyona? Alas, just like me, you struggle to believe.  Sister, our destiny is secure.  Whatever your future holds, I’m so much more confident that you will not be left alone.  Who was I to think you really ever were?  I ask the Lord for both of us, help our unbelief! I am believing and asking for you to get to be shared with a family, not just a family sharing themselves with you.  You are His special treasure!

 Oh how this just makes my heart sing...the horses came out of the stable...and you RAN around to get closer.  Note to self: must.get.you.nearer.to.a horse:) ...they meandered back in by the time you got around.

OH...and we all decided you should cook more often! You were an awesome co-chef!

A glimpse into your heart...

 Dearest Alyona,
THANK YOU! You trusted me twice today (Tuesday) with a piece of your heart.  I was reminded when praying, that on missions trips it DOES feel awkward sometimes to just ‘share the Gospel’ with strangers.  In many ways, as much as the Lord is part of who I am, it would be easier to not ‘work’ at communicating truths via Apple apps. Thankfully, my desire for you to know what IS true about you is greater than my awkwardness.

Do you know in that moment this morning when I told you I was trying to set up a call with one of your friends that was adopted and came to America last year, Angela, and you turned sad?  Her mom had told me Angela would be thrilled to connect via Skype (yet another technology blessing).  You didn’t agree.  So of course, I prodded.  You didn’t budge.  You just didn’t know if that was ground you wanted to cover.  It occurred to me that you might me mad with her leaving you.  (Thank you Spirit!).  You agreed.  I explained more and then her mom sent an old picture of the two of you to us.  It was then you remembered what was GOOD about your friendship.  I can’t wait for you two to Skype tonight!  May she somehow assure you that you are loved.

Then we had our first moments of tears.  Apparently all of our ‘sporting‘ the last 24 hours was too much.  You were holding your back.  I tried to blame everything but track club, but that was it.  It was too much.  So with a couple tylenol, a heating pad and (like any kid) a little electronics, you were ready to go! We’ll see later...

The most precious gift I think I have have had yet though was at lunch.  You see, I like to TALK at meals with my kids.  Of course they’d probably rather read a book.  I’ve learned you don’t enjoy this communication via the Ipad so much, but would rather just say yes or no.  Somehow you communicated to me something (yes it is that vague) about learning about Jesus.  Then you showed me your cross necklace that I had noticed before. I told you how excited I was that you were learning about God’s great love for you.  You smiled, not really sharing the enthusiasm I was showing.  Then came this:

you nod.

you look down and shake your head yes
I grab the Ipad and you into my lap in the family room.

she smiles. 

she snuggles..and rests...her frail, lanky body in mine. 
But guess who cries? yep..ME.

You see, you can’t come close to the aches in another with a callused heart.  It just won’t work. What I’ve found so encouraging is how the love of Jesus softens hearts.  He says “I won’t leave you as orphans, I will come to you” (John 14:18)...and He has.  He come all the way to me and to you to invite us to enJOY the work and love of the Father.  Thank you sweet one that, through your being here and us participating with the Spirit, we see HIM.  I pray you will too. 

You love learning, growing and doing lots of things...here are some glimpses into the last couple of days.  I pray the family God has for you sees your DELIGHT and JOY!!

When you hear papa come in, you scamper to get to him first;)  I finally caught it!



A note if you’re praying for us...

The struggles we’re having really have nothing to do with Alyona.  We seem to have a little more outward sin and ranting than usual.  Frankly, I know Alyona must hear our tones and fussing.  I thought to myself at the end of the day yesterday:

“Enemy: 3, Schwarz family: 0”

Yes, I actually said that.  I don’t ‘feel’ like this is working most moments.  I feel very attacked between being woken up at nights and laying awake for hours to hearts not willing to repent.  It doesn’t ‘feel’ like God is getting any glory.  This very struggle is what draws me in to pray (HARD).  It’s what invites me to fellowship and ask the Lord to tell me what’s true.  To ASK Him for what we can’t do or be.  Only then do I KNOW, these accusations and temptations are shouts of the world and enemy lurking to defeat us. I hear, “SEE, you have enough struggles, how can you care for an orphan?” Ironically, the whispers of ‘come and rest’ is so much quieter and comforting than the shouts.  It’s then I realize Jesus is WITH US! and if Jesus is with us, then who can be against us? I’m claiming the truth I don’t ‘feel’ today and counting on His love to reign down and move, in spite of what we ‘feel’.  You can pray that for us too:)

Any battle the Lord calls us to is worth fighting because He is moving. We’re talking about HIS KINGDOM COMING ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN...of course there’s a battle; not just in my heart but for eternity.  For orphans and for those who care for them pray the darkness WILL BE pushed back AND that we’ll see God’s glory!