In April of this year we learned through a phone call to Ola’s home, that she had been extremely sick and was hospitalized for two weeks. That alarmed us to say the least. After speaking with Irana (pronounced Earra) and Ola’s Mamma, we found out that in January through March she had numerous bouts with bronchitis. Then in April she was hospitalized with stomach angina....what that means we do not know. We went to prayer immediately...we knew that God could and would touch her body. And He did just that.....cause Ola arrived in the United States on June 17, 2000 at 11:30PM. We were so afraid she would not be strong enough to endure the long hard trip here...but since God touched her, she made it.
Let me go back to April.....one Sunday morning, a wonderful man in our church, said he had a big heavy burden for Ola that day, and wanted to know if Pastor Mike, or Poppa Mike as Ola calls him, would anoint him in her behalf. So we all gathered around Bob and laid hands on him....we wept, we prayed and prayed.....and Mike anointed him in the Name of Jesus. Later that day we called Ola to see how she was...she said "I am fine!" We said good, we prayed for you today at church...she was amazed.
On June 16, 2000 I phoned Ola’s home once again, just to be sure she was getting on that plane in Belarus and coming to us....she said ‘OF COURSE!" DA to me.....! On June 17, now 10 years old, Ola Skibar arrived at the Youngstown airport. a few hours later than expected....but taller...2 and 1/2 inches taller....and prettier than ever......! Her bag got there before she did, so we knew she was there somewhere. She just doesn’t get off the plane and run to us.....this year 161 Belarussian children and interpreters came into this very small airport at once....! Take that and all the excited, smiling, hyper host families.....it was packed. I (Donna) finally had to go outside because it was too crowded for me. When the children get off the plane, they are taken into a room to wait......the host parents must sign a paper that states we will bring the child back on a specific date.....THEN and only then can we see our child...and take her home. We ran up those steps with a bouquet of balloons and a stuffed gorilla holding a banana to greet Ola....when I saw I screamed her name...and she screamed back to me...."MAMMA DONNA!" What beautiful sound....Mike and the kids stood back and just watched..then they greeted her as well.
We got back to our house around midnight.....and this was a Saturday and we had to be in church by AM....but Ola insisted we open the gifts she brought for each of us......remember how poor this family is? They receive a salary of around $20.00 per month.....and they sent gifts...crystal vases and dishes...cross stitch.....a knitted sweater for me...Russian candy for Mike.....he loves that stuff....ewwww! and little glass knack knack things for the kids....she even brought beautifully decorated hankies for the little girls at church...and crystal for special people in our church.
We made it to church.......Jennifer stayed home with Ola to give her more time to sleep and get ready....they came in during the service..Ola walked up the platform and said ‘Hi" to the congregation........of course they applauded and cried...
Ola has changed some...she is a typical 10 year old girl.... our daughter is 22, so we had forgotten how 10 year olds can be.....UGH! VERY independent....bossy, in control....and my way or no way. Well that was short lived! We had to remind Ola all summer that Mike and I were in charge around here....and kids in this house don’t get to tell us how to do it or when to do it....she got the message loud and clear. But she still had to be reminded on many occasions.
Ola had her vision appointment....perfect vision again. Her medical check up showed a irregular heartbeat...so they did an EKG, and that was messed up as well. We again went to prayer....she saw a Pediatric Cardiologist a few weeks later, and Dr. Michael Saoulouke pronounced Ola healthy. She was experiencing some chest pains, but he said it was skeletal or muscular.....but not to worry about it. We so thankful that God touched Ola and nothing is wrong with her health. From last summer to this summer she has gained 20 plus pounds. She eats very good. Her favorite foods again are potaoes..no matter how they are fixed...McDonalds..and ketchup. We still cannot get her to eat green beans.....she hates them.
We visited Black Water Falls in West Virginia....went to Geneva Ohio on the Lake for the picnic and amusement rides that Difference Makers puts on for these kids...Ola even crawled under the car with Poppa Mike and got her hair caught in the creeper...grease in that blonde hair!!!
Ola has gone swimming many times...went to stay at big sister Jennifer’s home for a few days....Ola’s sister Allena had a baby boy in Belarus July 2....she is anxious to see him.
Ola cooked breakfast for me one morning...I was so nervous...a 10 year old cooking in MY kitchen...alone...YIKES! But hey, she cooks entire meals at home.....alone...she baby-sits her niece who is 4 and her nephew who is 1 yr old. ALONE! What she made was very good...she peeled 4 potatoes, grated them, added two eggs and salt...mixed together then friend in a skillet. It was delicious...
She folds clothes..vacuums, does dishes.....better than me sometimes...she is a big help to all of us. I clean our church, and she helped me every week...she loves it.
Thanks for your interest in Ola and for your prayers....her life at home is not easy....far from it. Most of us could not take what she goes through. Not for long anyhow......
On June 24, 1999 nine year old Ola, will arrive at our home here in Ohio. Ola comes with an organization called, Children of Chernobyl. Ola lives in Belarus, a small country next to Russia. Please check our the link to the Children of Chernobyl site, so you can understand why Ola is here. We will keep you up to date on how things are going, her experiences, her language barriers. Feel free to contact her or us with questions, comments, postive ones of course.
OLA IS HERE! AND WHAT A BEAUTIFUL CHILD SHE IS! Ola has brillant blue eyes, long blonde hair and a smile that is very contagious. She is very artistic, loves to do color, and paint by number...as I type this she is painting a sun catcher of butterflies to make as a mobile. I, Donna, sat down on the organ bench in our living room, the day after Ola arrived...and she came over and watched and acted as if she was reading my music..my son, Josh, uncovered the electronic keyboard, plugged it in, and guess what??? Ola PLAYS THE PIANO... and very well to I might add. She even brought music to practice with. Ola is the third child and the baby of her family...so she fits right in with us. Her sister is 20 years of age,Alena is a medic in Belarus, which would be equal to a nurse here in the states, and her brother is 22, Ardrei is married and they have two children, Shasha is a 3 yr old, and a baby boy, Zachard, 4.5 months old. So she is used to being with older family members. Ola's Poppa is a coach driver, a bus driver, and her Momma is a librarian. The average wage for this family is $20.00 per month! How they survive we will never know or understand!
Ola speaks some English, and everyday learns several of our new words. Her favorite word, is, WHAT! Yesterday she and I, (Donna), sat down in the floor and looked at some of my kids books...an alaphabet book, she knows our letters and numbers, and can read some English. I was delighted. I would say the word in English, she would say it in Russian....we got to giggling just like two young girls.
Her appetite is incredible some days, other days she only eats what I give her and wants no more. She does not like peanut butter at all...or peas, or green beans, but our daughter Jennifer knows how to "bribe" her to get her to eat vegies! She tasted Miracle whip yesterday and loved it. So she had it on her sandwich and hamburger. Ola loves watermelon...and she is so polite in spitting out the seeds.She also loves bananas...she can eat 4-5 in one day!! We tease her and tell her she is going to become a monkey..she just giggles away and eats more... Ask Ola about cheese, and you will see her eyes become huge, her nose crinkle up, and a smirk on her face...she does NOT like it!
We also found out that Ola has pets at home in Belarus..a doberman dog named Linda. When she said Linda I repeated it back to her, and said, Linda is my sister!!! She giggled and giggled....but then I told her Linda has a swimming pool, she stopped for a moment, then said where, when...so over the holdiday we went to Linda's and went swimming....Linda asked her if she was a dog and Ola answered YES, Linda took off after her in the pool, and Ola squealed very loudly...like most little girls her age do......I guess you had to be there to appreciate it....!!
Last night, the entire family loaded up squirt guns and went out side for a water blast party. She squealed and giggled, ran in the house to reload her guns...and back out she went.
Every morning, the first thing she does when she wakes up is make her bed. And if her 21 year old American sister has not made hers yet, Ola will make hers too! We are learning lessons from this girl.
We have been to Niagra Falls....and what a site to see her face as she saw this great wonder for the very first time. She was so quiet watching the falls, and was taking it all in. She was surprised by the different nationalities of people there at the falls..she just looked and looked and looked. Pappa Mike explained to her that people from all over the world come to see the falls....then she understood! We stood on the bridge overlooking the falls for the firework show.....she jumped up an down and squealed..and kept making sure Mamma Donna was wathing..we had more fun watching her watch the fireworks.
Please continue to pray for Ola....she is experiencing our church services and is doing very well. She may not understand all that is being said, but she understands when we pray, she claps her hands to the music, and is very quiet and respectful. Our interpreter, Dmitrii, asked yer how she felt inside at church and she said good! So we praise the Lord! We are awaiting the arrival of the Jesus film in the Russian langauge, so Volha and other children can watch it. Pray that she can meet Jesus and take him back to Belarus with her.
The Jesus film came and one Wednesday we all settle into our family room to view it with Ola. Ola sat in the recliner chair with Jennifer, snuggling close together and watched and listened to every word. I would look over at her face to see what the expression was...it was amazing. After the film was over, we aksed her how she liked it and said "like very much." When she went to bed with big sister Jennifer, Jennifer asked her more specific quiestions. She told Jennifer she really like the movie and what Jesus went through for her. Jennifer taught Ola to pray, and explained that he understands all languages, including English and Russian. So she said she would pray every night when she went back home.
Updated: September 7, 1999 WOW! Hosting a Child from Chernobyl is
proving to be a real blessing to our entire faimily. We have not experienced any problems at all. None of things we were told to watch for have happened with Ola.We realize that this is not for everyone ,and not every family has the same results
that we are having, but God has really blessed us with this special child.
Ola is counting down the days for her trip home
to her parents and family in Belaurs. I laugh
at her and tell her NO!!! But we know that
sending her home is the right thing to do..
she is healthier, she gained about 5 pounds
while here...she is happier, and very excited.
August 18th finally arrived...and we had to have
Ola at the airport by 9:30AM...we cried all the
way there...she was the first child called to
board that little 6 person plane...I knew she
would get sick all the way to New York....and she did! We stood outside peeking through the fence watching her board the plane...I yelled at her...
LETTERS FROM OLA AND HER MAMMA:
UPDATE: LETTER FROM OLA AND HER MOTHER POSTMARKED NOVEMBER 12, 1999 RECEIVED NOVEMBER 23, 1999 Ola writes: " Dear Papa Mike, Mama Donna, Jennifer, Joshua and Joel. It's your Ola. I have recieved all your letters and want to answer your questions."
Ola has used all the film we sent back to her, her sister recently got married and she has requested more film. She wants to devolp the film there, but doesn't know if they do 110 there.
Ola uses her vitamins every day, brushes her teeth twice daily.
Her parents like her new hairdo....we gave her bangs while she was here, in Belarus they are called fringe. She signs it with love and kisses to all.
Ola's mother also writes that times are very hard in Belarus...food prices are so very high and keep climbing higher but the salaries do not change. Fruit and vegetables are out rageously priced so they cannot buy them. They raise chickens and pigs for meat and eggs. They do not shop in stores very often due to prices. They preserve things such as salads, jams, pickles, and their main food is potatoes...they grow them everywhere, so they have learned to make them in many different ways.
We ask that you please pray for Ola and her family...things are very difficult. God is the God of miracles....and he is at work everywhere in the world...
KEEP CHECKING BACK OFTEN FOR MORE UPDATES...AND PLEASE PRAY FOR OLA AND HER FAMILY!
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