Dinner time at the Orsten house...image Brian Orsten
(Benson MN-) 235 p.m. on February 26th is a date and time Brian Orsten of Benson will always remember, because it was the end of an 18-month journey that included battles with the Ukrainian legal system, an explosion and fire, and ultimately marked the start of a new family. Brian and his wife Ginny have adopted three Ukrainian children...Mykola, age 12, 14-year-old Victoria and 16-year-old Dasha. The Orstens run a turkey egg-laying operation in Swift County, and got to know the orphans through a religious exchange program 2 years ago and decided to add them to their family that includes 8 other children. At a court hearing in Kiev last September, Brian says the judge could not believe they wanted more kids...
...After the judge approved the adoption in October, it was another ordeal to get approval to leave the country. Ginny had to spend months in a rented apartment with the kids in the Ukraine until all the red tape was cleared. Brian says the plane finally touched down at the Twin Cities Airport on February 26th. He says the next step was getting the kids into the Benson School District...
...In the middle of the process of adopting the children last year, fate threw Brian a curveball...he was badly burned in a house explosion near Murdock May 21st. He says his hands had the most damage and they continue to cause him pain...
...Brian is healing with the help of his strong faith, pain killers and therapy, and now that the adoption process is done, that is one less burden to worry about. The childrens' lives are better by becoming part of the Orsten family, and Brian says their lives are also better. He says he looks forward to the adventure.
