One year

Today we hit a a year that we have been waiting to bring Sergey home.  I remember back to when we first started how naive I was going into this battle.  That's okay, I think that's exactly where I needed to be to have the courage to start.  This has been a long process, and I know that a year isn't necessarily that long.  I know of others that have waited three or more years to bring their children home:(  I think the thing that gets to me is the constant changes that the country makes with the paperwork, just when you think you've finished it all they ask for a few more things that seem impossible to get.  But you know God has always led us directly to the right person to help.  Nothing is impossible with Him!

But it does feel very defeating at times I must say.  Like there is a constant force at work against us.   My friend Kim recently spoke of a dream she had and I asked if I could share it because I felt like it was such a perfect word picture for what it is we are going through.

"Had a nightmare the other night (just thinkin about it) it was horrific..a scary/crazy/big eyed man was trying to get to us as we tried to adopt this lil girl..he was obviously trying to get her..at the end he snatched me into a closet where I began to pummel him, eventually stabbing him w/something...instead of just dying he shriveled up/deflated and a note tag was attached saying something to the effect of 'This is only the first example of how hard the battle will be as you seek to adopt and to scream for the plight of orphans'."

Creepy right?!  But I have to admit that as I read it that tears welled up in my eyes because it felt all to familiar. Though I was encouraged at the same time because I know without a doubt that we are on the right path.  And when any of us do what God has called us to do there is going to be opposition, we can see in His word that God's way is often times not always the most popular way.  And He never promised it was going to be easy but He says He will always be with us.  Last night when I talking with God about the constant changes and how nothing seems to ever run smoothly, I pleaded for His help.  Asking that something could go right for once and that everything didn't have to feel like an uphill trek.  I remembered I hadn't read my devotional for the day so I went to it and here is what I believe God showed me.

Wastelands

Elisabeth Elliot

"And he said. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer."  2 Samuel 22:2

There are dry, fruitless, lonely places in each of our lives, where we seem to travel alone, sometimes feeling as though we must surely have lost the way.  What am I doing here?  How did this happen?  Lord, get me out of this!  He does not get us out.  Not when we ask for it, at any rate, because it was He all along who brought us to this place.  He has been here before- it is not wilderness to Him, and He walks with us.  There are things to be seen and learned in these apparent wastelands which cannot be seen and learned in the "city"-in places of comfort, convenience, and company.

   God does not intend to make it no longer a wasteland.  He intends rather to keep us- to hold us with His strength, to sustain us with His sure words-in a place where there is nothing else we can count on.  "God did not guide them by the road towards the Philistines, although that was the shortest...God made them go round by way of the wilderness towards the Red Sea" (Exodus 13:17-18 NEB).

  Imagine what Israel and all of us who worship Israel's God would have missed if they had gone by the short route- the thrilling story of the deliverance from Egypt's chariots when the sea was rolled back.  Let's not ask for shortcuts.  Let's keep alert for the wonders our Guide will show us in the wilderness.

 Sergey means everything to us so we will do whatever it takes but it was just encouraging to read this and know that all this ridiculous paper chasing isn't for nothing.  Which reminds me we had our Psychiatric appointments this week.  We were asked some pretty silly questions.  I was asked if I ever get tired, well yeah I have six kids!  I was asked to do subtraction, what was the date and year we are in and to repeat different words.  I giggled a lot, I know real mature.  And I constantly answered questions that were supposed to be answered on a scale of one to ten by answering yes or no.  I had to say my weight out loud in front of my husband which I was not very excited about- hey I think it's good to have a little mystery.  They asked some serious questions as well but mainly I just wanted to get it over with to just check it off the list so that we can get it sent out.  Hopefully we'll have it by next week.

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And before I forget I want to share about something that was recently brought to my attention by a friend of mine.  February 7-14 was Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week, I didn't even know there was such a thing.  Which is why I want to help spread the word because I'm sure there are others that don't know.   Here is a list of some of the things I found out about CHD.

*Congenital Heart Defects are the #1 birth defect worldwide.

*Congenital Heart Defects are the #1 cause of birth defect related deaths worldwide

*About 1 out of every 100 babies are born each year with some type of Congenital Heart Defect in the United States (approx. 40,000/year)
*Nearly twice as many children die from Congenital Heart Defects in the United States each year as from all forms of childhood cancers combined, yet funding for pediatric cancer research is five times higher than funding for Congenital Heart Defect

*Each year worldwide 100,000 babies (under one year old) will not live to celebrate their first birthday

*Each year in the United States approximately 4,000 babies (under one year old) will not live to celebrate their first birthday
*The cost for the inpatient surgery to repair Congenital Hear Defects exceeds $2.2 billion a year

*Of every dollar the government spends on medical funding only a fraction of a penny is directed toward Congenital Heart Defect research

*The American Heart Association directs only $0.30 of every dollar donated toward research.  The remainder goes toward administration, education and fundraising efforts.  Of the $0.30 that goes toward research only $0.01 goes toward pediatric cardiology for CHD.

*Though research is ongoing, at least 35 defects have now been identified.

*Although some babies will be diagnosed during gestation or at birth, sometimes the diagnosis is not made until days, weeks, months or even years after.  In some cases, CHD is not detected until adolescence or adulthood

*It is a proven fact that the earlier CHD is detected and treated, it is more likely the affected child will survive and have less long term health complications

You can click on the picture above to learn more about CHD.  If you'd like to read about my friend Angela and her son Eli's journey with CHD you can visit her blog here.