Andrew at 4 almost 5
Andrew today at 6...learning to write his name
and read in English.
Kathlena we believe at 2yrs old
Kathlena today sitting with her dog "Chase"
in our front yard.
One year ago today we received the news we had longed to hear, "We have a referral for a couple of kids". I don't think I will ever forget that moment of running about our ordinary day and answering that phone call. I was stunned, surprised, excited, terrified, crying inside, cautiously trying to guard my heart the next moment ready to get on a plane, afraid of medical information and no information, but so hopeful that this was really my two babies that I had prayed for years to meet. Staring at 4 little pictures and 3 pieces of paper we mostly didn't understand; thousands of unanswered questions would pass through our minds, but then were quieted by faith and hope that the Lord would give us what we needed when we needed it. It was by that faith that we ultimately accepted those unanswered questions this side of the Atlantic and began believing these are our longed for children, clinging even more to the Lord to trust what we could not see or understand at the time.
Over the next three weeks our hearts were drawn to this far away place called Arkhangelsk, Russia that we would soon lay eyes on and never forget this city because it held our precious Andrew and Kathlena, the place of their birth. Adopting Andrew and Kathlena has tested and challenged us on so many levels. We had no idea how hard and how wonderful this journey would be. You begin this journey with this burning desire that somewhere out in this world are children that are yours. You have no names or faces to look for only groping through the dark, trusting and believing they are out there. As we fought through the system to be given approval to adopt it was in our weakest moments that the Lord strengthened us to become more resolved at all costs through every hardship that He had given us kids to bring home--our hearts ached to know them. As in all fights there are bumps and bruises, moments of "I QUIT!, this is too hard and maybe we were wrong, this is never going to happen!" then after much time before the throne of God we would get back up--stronger, more committed and resolute to find and bring home the children we believed the Lord had given us(John 10:29;Romans 8:37-39; Jude 24-25).
Adoption-the beautiful picture of redemption. Through it all we were washed anew with a vivid picture of our own redemption in Christ. Paying a debt we could not pay, rescuing us out of a life of sin and misery(although we didn't always see it as miserable-as we were dead in our sin), given a new life-hope in Christ our Saviour. Walking(and sometimes running!) through this adoption we recaptured the picture of God's grace through salvation in His son. Earthly adoptions remind us of our own greatest deliverance through Christ alone. One day Andrew and Kathlena will have to sort through their understanding of their earthly adoption and we pray that the answers they seek will always lead them back to their saviour, Jesus Christ who sovereignly delivered them to us in their earthly adoption and we pray earnestly for His ultimate deliverance of them as their Lord and Saviour, and only redeemer for their second adoption for eternity.
