Page 8 - Graypvine August 2022
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Clockwise, from left: Paul Buster with his wife Jullie and two of his children from Ukraine; Paul and Jullie in Ukraine on their
8 adoption day; welcome home signs displayed on Paul and Jullie's garage.
Paul Buster on aiding
Ukraine and adoption
“I sat and watched in disbelief as Russia invaded become empty nesters because our oldest daughter
Ukraine,” recalls Paul Buster, a Site Manager who was married and had moved out with her husband,
has worked for Gray West and now the Southwest and our youngest daughter was getting ready to
office for the past two years. “A place where two of go to college. After several months of phone calls
my kids are from. A place where our family has been and many letters, she found out that Pasha had a
going for mission trips for many years. Some of our sister who was 16, and they were both available for
best friends live in this beautiful country.” adoption. We decided we would pray about it and
Paul’s story and passion for Ukraine started long see what happened. That very next night my wife
before the recent war with Russia. and I both woke up at 3:00 a.m. and looked at each
“I’ve been going to Ukraine to help support our other, and I told Jullie we needed to adopt the kids.
friend and pastor Anatoly of New Life Church in Kiev, Her eyes were full of tears and joy, and she told me
Ukraine for about ten years,” said Paul. “We have she totally agreed.
known Anatoly and his family for almost 30 years. “We hadn’t even met Pasha’s sister yet. So a few
Little did we know that God had a plan to make our months later we decided to host the kids for the
connections even deeper and filled with more love summer to see how it went. We were so nervous
than we ever thought possible. driving up to the house where the kids were; we
“While we were in Ukraine teaching at a summer were nervous that the girl wouldn’t like us and we
camp in 2018, my wife, Jullie, met a 10-year-old didn’t know what was going to happen. We brought
orphan boy who she absolutely fell in love with. them to California where they met our children and
She said she felt like God told her that she needed the rest of our family.
to take care of this boy. Once we got home from “After hosting them during the summer and winter,
Ukraine and back to regular family life, my wife we asked if they wanted to be with us forever,”
couldn’t get the boy, Pasha, off her mind. recalls Paul. “They said YES! and our adoption
“We were enjoying semi-retirement and about to journey began. After many months of paperwork
