“Why?”

On the street, I saw a small girl cold and shivering in a thin dress with little hope of a decent meal.

I became angry and said to God, “Why did you permit this? Why don’t you do something about it?”

For a while, God said nothing. That night He replied quite suddenly, “I certainly did something about it. I made you.”

—Author Unknown

Our story …

In 2001, we felt God leading us to adopt a child. After our first son, Taylor, turned two, we had tried to have another baby for 4 years. The doctor told me that I had a benign tumor on my pituitary gland that was making pregnancy difficult if not impossible.

Amazingly, fast forward to after we adopted our child, a follow up MRI showed the tumor had disappeared. I have no doubt that God orchestrated our adoption. He moved Heaven and Earth to bring us together with our second child. Then He healed me of the tumor that was preventing me from having another child. He is so God!

After months of planning and mountains of paperwork and scary travel right after 9/11, we arrived in Ukraine on October 14. We first visited the Office of the Adoption Center in Kiev. There we met with the Director and poured through many books with information about children open for adoption in the country. As we sat there, a fax came through at her desk. It was information about a little boy in Kharkov. He was 15 months old, healthy, and had just become available for adoption. We were told that a child that young and healthy rarely becomes available. We knew it must be a God thing, so we excitedly made plans to travel to meet this boy.

October 17, 2001 was the day we were to meet this little one in Kharkov, Ukraine. We arrived at the Orphanage that Wednesday morning around 9:30. It was almost an hour before we were called to the orphanage Director’s office.  Then, it happened, into our life entered this precious angel of a baby boy. He was carried by a blonde, older nursemaid, and he was clinging to her. Then, he smiled and reached with his little hand to us. His beautiful, deep, green eyes were so alert as he took in all the details of the visit. He made soft, sweet baby sounds and almost cried a couple of times.

Scott and I both just knew when we saw him that he was meant to be our son. Our 7-year-old son, Taylor, knew it too, and he was bouncing off the walls with excitement. He rushed up to me and said, “Mama, I have a feeling …” I told him, “I know, but Mama and Daddy have to talk about it.” But I knew we really did not need to talk. We were both in love with him.

I asked Scott, “Don’t we want him?!” He said, “Yes!” Tears filled our eyes, and our hearts overflowed. We were so excited, but tried not to scare the little one to death with our outbursts. I gave him a good old American Ritz cracker with peanut butter from all the way back home. He held onto it to save for later, but he ended up eating it before we left.

The baby held “Reddy”, Taylor’s bear and smiled and peeked around Scott at me and Taylor. It was one of the most wonderful things I have ever experienced in my life. I felt my heart explode with love for this child.

Sergiy was his name (they called him ‘Sayrzhe’). He had turned 15 months old that day. We did not want to leave the orphanage that day, but they promised us we could come back the next day to spend time with him.

As we left the orphanage, Taylor noticed the street name was 23 August Street. Our facilitator told us that that was the date that the Germans pulled out of Ukraine in World War II. This was another sign that this boy was to be part of our family. August 23 represented freedom and it so happens to be Taylor’s birthday. It was perfect. Taylor had prayed God would send him a baby brother. God answered that prayer.

We named our boy, Bradley, and finalized the adoption on October 24. We traveled home on November 1, 2001. God completed our family through adoption, and the rest is history.

“Not flesh of my flesh, nor bone of my bone, but still miraculously my own. Never forget for a single minute, you didn’t grow under my heart but in it.” —Fleur Conkling Heyliger

Dear Lord: Thank You for adoption and for blessing us with our son in this way. May You bring other families to children who need their love and care and the blessing of each other through adoption. We are so thankful that You adopted us as Your children through the saving grace of Your Son, Jesus Christ.  Amen

Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth. Psalm 127:3-4

Do you have stories of how God has blessed you or those you love through adoption? Please share your experiences, thoughts and comments by replying below.

Thank you for reading and sharing my blogpost today. May we never forget to be thankful for the blessing of adoption because, as children of God, we are adopted through the saving grace of His Son, Jesus Christ.