I can't think of a better day than Mother's Day to start our blog telling of our wonderful story. First, we want to give God all the Glory, we are truly thankful! Second, let us say Thanks to all those, known and unknown, for the prayers, gifts and support. This beautiful journey would not be possible if it were not for All involved!
We want to share our heart with you and how God is working, touching and changing lives....
About two years ago Mark and I were watching a special on TV from The Dave Thomas Foundation. It was a special on adoption. I was moved! Mark was interested but not as emotional as I was (typical guy!). Mark suggested we send for the information packet and go from there. A couple of weeks later we received the info from Dave Thomas Foundation. They do not accept adoptive parents over the age of 35. So with a sad heart we never really pursued it thinking we (I mean Mark LOL!) were too old to adopt. In the meantime, I was online with StudentLife, a ministry where I get my curriculum to teach Sunday School. They also do summer youth camps, youth conferences and mission trips. I saw a link for Reach Orphans with Hope Foundation on their website. I signed up to receive the e-mails and to see what their ministry was all about. Their ministry is based out of Alabama . So over the past couple of years I have been checking my e-mail to learn more about their ministry.
Summer 2008 Mark and I went as sponsors to church youth camp (A StudentLife camp) and it was amazing! The first night of worship, the camp pastor, David Nassir, started talking about orphans! He said if every Christian family would adopt one child there would be no orphans. Then he started talking about adoption. I didn't hear much more of the sermon after that. I found it odd that at youth camp that I was hearing about orphans and adoptions and possibly thought the Holy Spirit was gently nudging. I talked to Mark afterward and he felt the same as I did. We both felt God was speaking loudly to us. StudentLife is a big advocate for
Compassion International, which is an organization that gets people all over the world to sponsor third world country children so they can receive food, education and the gospel. All during camp they showed clips of how lives were changed through
sponsoring a child on a monthly basis. One clip was particularly moving and I sobbed uncontrollably. God has broken my heart for these children! Mark and I talked again and we both agreed that maybe God was calling us to sponsor one of these children. We did not sponsor a child at camp but had every intention of praying over who God wanted us to sponsor when we got home.
The Monday after camp, I checked my e-mail. I was shocked to find two e-mails. One was from the Dave Thomas Foundation. I checked it but it was just a blurb about what is going on. The next e-mail was from
Reach Orphans with Hope. (At this point I totally had forgotten how I came to get the e-mails from them; not realizing they were connected to StudentLife.) When I began to read, I was overcome with excitement and emotion! The e-mail was about two sisters, Anya and Tanya, who were hosted for the summer in Alabama. It went on to explain they were orphans from Ukraine who needed a family and financial assistance was available to anyone wanting to adopt. A group picture was provided.
I immediately called Mark to read the e-mail. This was exactly the situation for us; older children plus financial assistance. Mark and I have always agreed that older children would work best with our family dynamic and felt this was the most pressing need amongst orphans. I have always wanted to adopt, especially being around those close to our family that were adopted; plus having Miranda Baxley in our home. We talked about it and agreed that we should at least inquire. We did not think that we would hear anything. We thought, perhaps, someone else had probably already inquired and they were chosen to adopt the girls.
The following Wednesday, at a Belize Mission Trip meeting, Kris, our youth pastor, told me that he had something to discuss with me after the meeting. He told me Randy Hall, founder of StudentLife, called him regarding Mark and I. I freaked out thinking Mark and I had done something wrong in our small group or something at church camp. He then, smiling with tears in his eyes, pulled out a copy of the original e-mail with the photo and showed it to me. I was so confused! Couldn't understand how he got the e-mail. After the meeting Kris shared with me that Randy had called to get an unofficial reference on Mark and I. Randy's wife, Valerie, is the founder of Reach Orphans with Hope Foundation. Kris and Amy were so excited for us. Jon and Heather, our friends that teach with me in the youth group, were there too and all of them prayed over Mark and I. They all have been so encouraging through this process. It's so awesome to have great Christian friends! I came home and told Mark that it sounded as though they are interested in us. We began to pray and are still praying for God's guidance and leading throughout the journey. We shared it with our children and had a very favorable response.
Soon after I set out for Belize, we met James Roberts and his group at the airport. They were going on the Belize Mission Trip as well! James was the camp director that we went to camp with for 5 years straight. I hadn't seen him in two years! During the trip I learned that he and his wife are fostering a teen girl and hope to adopt a child in the near future. As if that wasn't encouraging enough... The first day in Hattieville, the village in Belize, we walked through the village inviting everyone we met to come to VBS and worship services. There I met a man who was cutting his grass with a very large machete! I said hello and asked how he was and he replied, "Blessed!" His name was Elijah. (Very fitting name!!) We had a very nice conversation about the Lord! The last day, Jon, Heather, Amy and I were prayer-walking through the village and I spotted Elijah. He seemed excited to see me again. We walked over so I could introduce them to him. He started speaking love and encouragement to me. I was blessed and overwhelmed by his sweet words. Then Amy asked if he had any family. He excused himself and went inside and came out with an envelope. He pulled out a picture of his wife and a girl. He said his wife wanted to adopt the girl in the photo but he didn't want to have anything to do with her. He couldn't understand why his wife would want to bring a stranger into their life, why she would want to give her his name. He said his wife was insistent and they adopted her. He than began to tell us how God broke his heart! Looking up to the sky and raising his hands to God, he said she is the biggest blessing, that she is his JOY. It was so beautiful to hear him talk about this child in such a loving way. I, of course, became overcome with tears. Here I am in Belize hearing a man testify of the love he has for his adopted daughter. Elijah had no idea about our pending adoptions! So amazing! God Is Good All The Time!
Shortly after returning home from Belize we were in contact with Randy and Valerie Hall. We learned a lot about the girls. We also learned more about their ministry. Reach Orphans With Hope had sponsored several orphans to come to the states for a month this summer, as they do every summer. About all of them have been adopted or adoptions are pending! Isn't that awesome! We started the PenPal Club so we can begin to build a relationship with them. At this point we could not tell them that we want to adopt them just in case something goes wrong and it does not go through. We couldn't wait for that day to tell them!!
We are with
Lifeline Children's Services, a
Christian adoption agency. They are well versed in
international adoptions, especially with the Ukraine. They came highly recommended by The Hall's. (Just FYI, The Hall's have 3 biological children, have adopted two about 6 years ago from Ukraine and just recently adopted 4 more and are in the process for one more!) The Ukraine opens adoptions around February and only allows 1463 international adoptions per year. Once our home study was completed, we began the dossier process that took about 5 to 6 months. Then it was submitted to the Ukraine government and and approved. We received our appointment date of June 30th to go to Ukraine. We will leave on June 29th. Once there, it will take 25 to 45 days to complete the process. (Worth it all in my book!)
Mark and I got to meet Randy because he was coming to Texas for a youth conference. We found out more information about the girls and their ministry.
This was also a time for us to ask questions. We found out that we were basically the only ones out of over 600 emails that were sent out that responded. Some time around August, Randy called and asked if I wanted to go to Ukraine to meet the girls! Who in their right mind would turn down such a loving offer like that. I was so overwhelmed by the love and generosity.
At the end of October I went to Ukraine. I was a bit nervous about going with people did not know and going oversees without Mark. I quickly learned all that were going were wanting to adopt as well. I met some wonderful people! As we were walking into the door of the orphanage, I was the last in line to go in. On the left were some stairs and there were two beautiful girls standing there. Someone nodded to me that one of them was Anya. I was overcome with emotions and had to back up so I would not be noticed. After I gained my composure, I was introduced for the first time to Anya. It was so exciting! Once inside, several of the children that were hosted in the summer came out with huge smiles and hugs but no Tanya. Finally she came out very shy and hugged Valerie. I didn't get to speak to her much but Anya was very sweet. The next day we took the kids to the park. Everyone had to have a hand to hold and wouldn't you know it....Tanya's hand was in mine! I was so elated! Later in the day as we were walking, Valerie was on one side of Tanya and I on the other. She told me to squeeze Tanya's hand three times. I did and she looked at me very quickly as to ask 'how did you know that?'. Then I got a sweet smile! Valerie explained that is her sign for saying I love you!
When I returned home from Ukraine I knew they had to come here for Christmas to see for themselves what we are like and where and how we live! We did not know how it would be feasible to pay the $5000 to get them here but God showed our family what faith is all about, that HE is in control and to trust Him with everything. Through generous donations from our friends we were able to bring them home for Christmas. It was an awesome three weeks! They loved it here and were very comfortable. We had a lot of sweet moments. We are now waiting to bring them home to their forever family!!!
We wanted to share with our friends and family why our hearts are drawn toward these girls. First and foremost, God brought them TO us as you can tell by our story so far! Second are the staggering statistics for Ukraine orphans. Listed below are a few:
* Ukraine has over 100,000 orphans.
* Only 10% of these are orphaned due to death of a parent; the rest are social orphans - due to alcoholism, abandonment, or imprisonment of parents.
* Every year, more than 2,000 mothers abandon their babies in maternity hospitals. Between 6 and 7 thousand more are abandoned at an older age or removed from home due to crime or neglect.
* Many social orphans have experienced abuse and violence from parents who were drug addicts or alcoholics.
* Orphans typically grow up in large state-run homes, which may house over 200 children.
* Many children run away from these homes, preferring to live on the street.
* Children usually graduate from these institutions between 15 and 16 years old and are turned out, unprepared for life outside the home.
* About 10% of them will commit suicide after leaving the orphanage before their 18th birthday.
* 70% of the girls will end up in prostitution. Those who run prostitution rings target orphaned girls, who are especially vulnerable due to their lack of options and lack of people who care what happens to them. Though promised good jobs, they end up on the streets and brothels of cities across
Europe.
* 70% of the boys will enter a life of crime. Many of these will die young of violence or end up in prison. Most inmates contract TB in prison.
I don't know why God chose us to adopt Anya and Tanya but I do know with confidence He did! My Belize Mission Trip inspired all of us to make a commitment to God based on what we experienced. How could we just sit by and do nothing? Especially after putting a face and a name with these statistics! After experiencing two
mission trips and seeing the poverty, the living conditions of a third world country and realizing the need for Jesus in the lives of others, I personally feel this is some small thing Mark and I can do to make a change, to share the love of Jesus. The Holy Spirit moved in Mark at church camp last summer when he was inspired to do ministry by doing what we know. We know we have a heart for kids and a passion for God! Our hope is others will be inspired to do the same.
Today at 9:30 we had our appointment with the SDA, State Department of Adoption. We both were nervous a bit but it was easy breezy!! Zhenia, our facilitator, takes us upstairs to an office. We meet a beautiful Ukraine woman who was very kind. We are seated on a sofa in her office. She pulls our file out and we see our names written in Ukraine. She pulls out two folders, one each for Anya and Tanya. Their pictures were on them. I don't know....but for some reason I got a bit "vaclemped". These will soon be our daughters! (Just for those out there who know me well....I DID NOT SHED A TEAR...thank you very much!) We went over the file for each girl telling us of their family, why they are in the orphanage and any health issues. They asked how we knew the girls. That was it; over in about 10 minutes. The SDA woman complemented us saying we are a beautiful couple and she was happy for us.
