Family tree

I love personalized ornaments. And this one is no exception. 1999. A big year in the life of the Peipon family. Visited Ukraine for the first time as we began to recognize God’s call to minister here. Anna and Jeanne spent nearly a month teaching English in Ukraine and visiting friends living here. Jamie continued to pray that this move was just a phase that his parents were going through, and we would soon give up the idea. By 2001 we were living here full-time.

And then Anna headed to Kathmandu. And Jamie married Dasha (you can be certain that he’s thrilled that we came to Ukraine!). And Jeanne married Kolya.

And the little bears on this tree have scattered.

From HIV to home

It’s a small world. Particularly online. As we have become more and more involved with the care of HIV+ orphans, and particularly now that the U.S. allows these children to be adopted to the States, I have been busy gathering as much information as I can about this disease.

Among many sites that I found several offered so much information that I quickly marked them as favorites and returned over and over to learn about the process of adopting these children. I wanted to know exactly what prospective parents were being told.

One of my favorite sites is called from HIV to home. A couple of us even registered for a webinar hosted by this group situated in Colorado. The time set was meant to be convenient for the four time zones in the States. But, hey, 4:00 a.m. here isn’t such a bad time! Just need to put the coffee on, grab a pen and paper, and learn! We’ve stayed in touch through email.

What a treat for Ukraine Medical Outreach to now be featured on that website! In honor of World AIDS Day, this site has been highlighting five different ministries worldwide over five different days. And UMO’s day is today. Any proceeds collected by them today will be sent to us to specifically provide supplies for the hospitalized orphans in “our” room.

I encourage you to check out the site, and learn about the other ministries they highlight. And if you’re interested in learning more about the disease or about adopting these special children, I’d suggest you get familiar with this site. And sign up for an upcoming webinar! (Maybe I’ll see you online!)

Little drummer boy

The little drummer boy was always one of my favorite Christmas songs. Maybe it was the combination of a child and a drum. Offering what he had. I have a soft spot for children and the sound of drums, or shoe taps, or whatever else keeps rhythms. (Someday I will take tap lessons…)

And then, lo and behold, we had a son. And he became a percussionist. And he offers that gift to the church in Boston each Sunday morning.

Makes a mom smile.

Two little faces

We were given this ornament in 1983 to commemorate the birth of our twin daughters. It’s still one of my favorites.

Someday I’ll have to write about the woman who gave it to us. In a nutshell, she was one of many British children who were sent to America during World War II. My grandparents welcomed a three-sibling group into their home for several years. Our families stayed connected, and this ornament is from Dinah, the youngest of the trio.

Straight No Chaser — 12 Days

This makes me grin.

Enjoy.

Young doc

Mom and Dad could always find just the perfect ornaments. What could be better for a pediatrician? And somehow, over the years, the thermometer sticking out of his lab jacket back pocket is still intact!

Love that the prescription is simply an apple.

Jeem

Jim has received many penguins — books, stuffed animals, erasers, suspenders, pajamas, you name it — but this is one of the favorites. This particular Christmas we had felt the call to move to Ukraine, and many of us spoke to each other in pitiful fake Russian accents.

Our friend Lynne could not only not resist the penguin ornament, but then she also couldn’t resist the urge to have Jim’s name written as if pronounced by a mutual friend, Andriy.

Tree topper

Thought I might post different ornaments (and maybe a bit about their history) each day until Christmas. Our trees are FULL of memories!

This angel has been the tree topper for one tree for years and years. The angel is made from a seashell and was given to us by my sister and her husband who live on Cape Cod. The seashell reminds us not only of them but also of the Cape. (I could use a walk on a nice beach…and a hug from family!)

World AIDS Day

Today is World AIDS Day. I encourage you to learn more about this frightening disease — frightening for those who have it, and for those who don’t. Knowledge greatly reduces unwarranted fear!

The more I talk to people both here and stateside, the more I realize that we need to work harder to educate people about the realities of living with the HIV virus. If diagnosed at age 19, if treated, one can expect to live another four decades. An HIV+ spouse does not necessarily infect the other, and together they can have children who are not HIV+. If cleaning unidentified dried blood from a surface, the HIV virus is most likely non-existent…though the Hep C virus can survive up to 30 days in that blood sample!

And children may now be adopted and legally enter the U.S. even if HIV+ — an extra step is needed to secure the visa, but it’s a possibility and many children are now being adopted. After January 4, the waiver will no longer be needed and adoptions will proceed just like any other!

Among resources identifying these children for potential adoption is a new blog: For special delivery. Check it out!

Goodsearch and goodshop

It’s that time of year. For those of you who use the internet to shop, I’d like to ask you to consider supporting our ministry through your shopping. You don’t make an additional gift at check-out, or pay more than the regular price. You simply shop where you normally do, and we get a small percentage of your price.

How does it work? It just takes one extra step from you. First, you need to go to goodsearch.com. When the box comes up asking “who do you goodsearch for?”…please enter Ukraine Medical Outreach. At the goodsearch site, you can then search for whatever using the yahoo search engine…and we get about a penny per search. Hey, they add up over time. (We no longer google…we goodsearch!)

BUT, I digress. At that same site, you have an opportunity to click goodshop. You might be amazed at all of the online stores that are represented there. Simply goodshop for Ukraine Medical Outreach, and we will receive a cash donation. I never go directly to amazon.com — only through goodshop!

Please consider this painless method of supporting our ministry.

Ho! Ho! Ho!