Last Friday we took the night train to Minsk to see our interpreter Maryia and all our children from the Belarusian program. Needless to say, we were very excited, and could not wait to see everyone, including the parents of the children that we have been hosting for years. The mother of Elena Whorton's Belarusian son, Zhenya, made arrangements for us to have lunch at an old, reconstructed Belarusian castle. When we arrived, the parents and children were all waiting for us in the middle of town, and we couldn't believe we were seeing everyone together! They were all dressed in their Sunday best and gave us a very, very warm welcome. We hugged, kissed and cried for a bit before before walking to the restaurant for a brief tour of the castle and lunch.

After our tour, we sat down to a traditional lunch of Russian salad, soup, and meat casserole for adults, and chicken, french fries, and an ice cream Sunday's for the kids. The lunch was the perfect opportunity for us to talk to the parents and let them know what was going on with the program, and a great reunion for all the kids past and present. We asked the parents to please talk to us about the program and what they think is important for us to know.

They were interested in what happened to Tanya Kazyra and the Zapata family, so we talked to them about the outcome, and the measures we have taken to make sure that doesn't happen again. More importantly, they wanted to let us know how much the program means to their families, and how much it has improved the kids health. Rita Panamarova's mother told us that Rita's glands are swollen throughout the year, but when she comes to the States, the swelling goes down, and it helps reduce the number of colds she gets throughout the winter. This year, because she did not come, the swelling never went down, and she has been very sick already this fall. Confirmation that what we are doing not only has an impact, but is very important! The families, could not say enough about how much they loved their host families, and how hopeful they are that the program will open up again. They would like to start a writing campaign to help reinstate the program, so Ruth and I are going to send them a sample letter and the information on who to send it to make it happen.

The lunch was great, and I wish all the host families could have been their to meet their Belarusian families. Maryia did a great job of interpreting, and conveying how much we love the kids and how much we appreciate the families sharing these wonderful children with us.

The families of the children are all very loving, however, after visiting Mozyr, it was readily apparent that what we do DOES matter and it DOES make a difference. It was very rewarding to hear and see the results of our program.

Linda