Strangers no more: Ukrainian orphans jump straight into family's hearts

The Olsen children appear on board. It would certainly help balance out the male-heavy family dynamic, Jillian Olsen says. "I've always wanted more sisters."

Host families have been asked not to discuss adoption with their charges. The program is billed as more of a "cultural exchange" than an adoption program, an effort to help prevent bad feelings for the children who aren't ultimately adopted.

"There are a lot of logistics and challenges in getting these children adopted, and we just don't want to dash their hopes in the case that two of them or one of them cannot be adopted for whatever reason," Vern Garrett says.

Still, it's inevitable that the children, especially the older ones, know why they're here. Each time Yulia gets upset or unpleasant, as all children do, Oleena pulls her younger sister aside and talks to her insistently. Carla Olsen doesn't know what the older girl is saying, but she has her suspicions.

"It's hard to watch because you know what's going on," she says. "They're just so eager to please."

Vern Garrett knows the children likely understand what's happening and want badly to return to Utah and their host families eventually. "In every one of their hearts, they're hoping that these families will come to get them. As we've talked to children over the years, every one of these children wants a family."

Four of the 20 host families had already begun the adoption process prior to the children's arrival, and another three have made applications one week into the program.

And Garrett expects others to quickly follow suit.

"Having these children in your home, knowing who they are and what kind of life they have just creates a real feeling of humility and love for these children," he says. "It's just hard to put it into words."

Even if the Olsens are unable to bring Oleena and Yulia back to their Murray home, they expect to be part of the girls' lives for a long time to come.

"We are dedicated to these girls to find them a home and a place to go," Carla Olsen says.

And no matter what happens, she knows her children will have learned a valuable lesson about thinking globally and reaching out to others in need.

And she hopes that her Ukrainian children will have learned something, too. "I hope that they feel love. And I hope they see that the world is full of good people and understand that they can be happy through the tough times."

A different way of life

As much as she is enjoying her time in Utah, Yulia admits missing her friends back home. Oleena, on the other hand, is in no hurry to go back. Asked if she misses life in Ukraine, she emphatically shakes her head. She utters no words, and the expression on her face needs no translation.