Hand of God...

Sometimes it's not easy to recognize the purpose when defeat seems like the immediate feeling.

Sometimes it's not easy to look past what is now to see where God is leading.

But God brought everything together for our dossier to be submitted to Ukraine in November of 2007- one week before they closed for 3 months. We then received one of the fastest travel dates there had been up to that point! That brought us to Ukraine about 4 months earlier than it would have been if we didn't get a fire under our seats because Sasha was transferred...

His MERCY is great. We got to meet Sasha, our intended child, and to know that she is alive and well and tho she is not in a home and doesn't receive everything she needs... she is not tied down or abused. It took us a week to go through the process of meeting her then saying goodbye... but what is a week in light of eternity? She will forever be the daughter of our hearts.

Then we spent a week in Kiev waiting... and waiting... for another appointment to get the file of another child. This time a child with major medical issues. One we would NOT have been comfortable committing to 5 months prior when we started the process, for fear she would take a downward turn and would pass away before we got there. One who was not available 5 months prior because another family planned to come for her. But here, in the country, knowing she was alive... we could do this.

The day we got our referrals was probably the day Micah was first available for adoption. There was a 14 month 'waiting period' before children's referrals were shown, and he was 16 months old. He wouldn't have been registered until at least a month or two old... so he was brand new. Had we been any earlier-- not spent that week with Sasha or the week waiting on the SDA-- we would have been too early to get our son. Then, just 2 short weeks later, we had court and adopted our children. Emma's 5th birthday was the very next day. Had we been just 2 weeks later, Emma would have been transferred to a mental institution as well. One we already know is NOT a place she should be.

In fact, just a month after our adoption of Emma and Micah, the flu went through that mental institution and with no medical care or sanitary conditions to stop the spread of it... many of the children died. At 5 years old and 17 lbs with a major heart defect... there is no doubt that Emma would not have survived.

God's hand is BIG. HE is great and worthy of our praise. Not for our efforts to be praised, but His hand and His GLORY in the details of our everyday lives. What a mighty God we serve!! He cares for the orphans and brings the captive from their bindings! Continue to pray for all the orphans of Ukraine and yes, in our own backyard too. Seek His heart and look for the Hand of God :)