I will never forget the day that our son, Bradley, became an American citizen. November 1, 2001. We had adopted him in Kharkov, Ukraine when he was 15 months old. We were told that when we landed in America, the second the plane’s tires touched down, Bradley would become an American.

Memphis, Tennessee, the birthplace of Elvis became the birthplace of Bradley’s citizenship.  Everything stopped in those seconds as the tires first hit the runway after the long flight from Warsaw, Poland. Of all the flights we have ever been on, it was the roughest landing. We laughed because it was Bradley making his big entrance.

With his becoming an American, it was a fresh look at America for us too. We had gone to Ukraine right after 9/11. It was a troubling time in our nation and in our world. Our flight was 27 hours to Eastern Europe. We were searched repeatedly. There were soldiers everywhere in the airports. It was a frightening experience.

Ukraine was another world. As we decended through the clouds in Ukraine, it was like entering a black and white movie. We encountered a lot of poverty, beggars on the street, meager housing. They told us not to give to the beggars, or we would be mobbed. Not one place that we visited while in Ukraine had carpeting tacked to the floor. I remember thinking when we got home that we lived in a palace. We certainly did not, but our carpet was glued down and there was paint on the walls and not plain cinder block. There were advertisements of open nudity on the bus stands in the streets in Ukraine. We rushed by them with my hands over my 7-year-old son Taylor’s eyes.

Most of the people in Ukraine looked sad and hopeless to us. During that time, refugees were flooding into Ukraine from Afghanistan because of America’s retaliation there for the attack on the World Trade Towers.  There was a lot of anti-American sentiment. Our translators told us not to speak unless we absolutely had to. We looked Ukrainian, but we did not sound Ukrainian. If we were silent, we would not call attention to ourselves.

There were so many God stories about Bradley’s adoption that they could fill a book. We are so thankful to God for how He provided for us, and how He brought us through.

When we arrived home in America, one of the first things that we saw was an Elvis clock with his hips and legs swinging out and back. America! It was so good to be home!

We found a little café bar. We ordered 2 hotdogs and a bagel, and it was $15. We laughed at the price and said, “Praise God, we know we are home now.” Everything in Ukraine and Poland had been super cheap. Bradley loved the bagel and packed it in his little jaws for later. In fact, he was still chewing on it when we boarded the plane for Greenville, SC.

Finally, we arrived at GSP, and we were greeted by about 30 of our closest family and friends. It is a night I will never forget.  Before we left the airport, we all gathered into a big circle, and our friend, Robbie, led us as we sang, “Jesus loves me.” That summed up our whole experience—Jesus Loves Us. He loves our family and blessed us with a new son. He blessed us with these precious friends and family members. And He blessed us all to be part of the greatest nation on earth, USA.

Happy birthday, America!

Dear Lord: Thank You for Your unspeakable love that You gave us through Your Son Jesus Christ. Thank You for the precious love of our family and friends. We are so grateful to live in the greatest nation on earth, one that was founded on You. We ask for Your mercy on America, and that we would turn back to You to again become a blessed nation, whose God is the Lord. Please bless the courageous men and women of our military who have fought, and those who are fighting now for our liberty. Please bless their families, especially of those who have given their lives in service of our country. Amen

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance.
From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth—he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do.

No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength.
A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save.
But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.

We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.
In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.
May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you. Psalm 33:12-22

Please share your thoughts, comments and experiences. Thank you for reading and sharing my blogpost. Please pray for our nation and our leaders. May God bless you and your family with a safe and happy 4th of July!