Here is an excerpt from our blog at the time...
“Please pray for us as we try to see what God wants us to do about this child. There are some medical issues and he is a little older than we had originally thought we wanted. We will need clear direction from the Lord and we appreciate all of you who have written and said you are praying for use. We are overwhelmed by all of your support and we feel so loved. God really has given us a peace about the whole process and we know that even if this child is not Samuel, that we will find him eventually.”
November 2, 2005 was the day we drove to the orphanage to find our more about this referral.
It was a long day of lots of paperchasing and waiting (they just don’t do things as efficiently in Eastern Europe) and then finally talking with some of the ladies in the orphanage. Oh, and would you like to know if we ever stopped for lunch or a snack or anything? Well, the answer would be NO!!!! We were so hungry and thankfully I had packed 2 granola bars. It’s just so funny how different people do things in other countries. Anyway, at the orphanage they went over his medical records and told us all about the little boy. The whole time there was just a stirring in our hearts towards him. God was at work. While Jeff was away at the bathroom, the lady asked if I would like to see this boy’s picture. I got all nervous and said “YES!” So, we walked right outside of the conference room and out in the hallway were about 5-6 framed pictures of some children. We walked up to one and she said... “This is Dima.” I just smiled and laughed at God. Little Dima was the boy in my dreams....a little bit of blonde hair and blue eyes and the most adorable smile!
I feel like in that moment, I knew this little boy was ours, and yet...there was still so much unknown. So much that scared us. How serious was his heart defect? Could we handle an older, special needs child?
After we finished at the orphanage we drove back to Kiev and directly to the hospital where Dima was. We met a local missionary there who was a pediatrician. He worked with Lifeline to help adoptive couples answer any medical questions about the prospective child they were adopting. Dr. Piepon was a huge help in explaining more about Dima’s heart defect and what he thought about it. So, then we were able to go and meet the precious child. His nurse (who was from the orphanage and had traveled with him) brought him out to us and he was so scared. He thought he was about to have something done by another doctor or nurse. It was so sad and yet he was truly precious. My heart broke for him that he had to endure such a serious surgery and all this pain without the love of a momma. I wanted to take him into my arms and never let him go...and yet I couldn’t.
Then, we met with the team of doctors and surgeons who headed up the cardiology division at the hospital (just so you know...do not imagine a western hospital...I should have taken pictures, but it was not anything close to what we are used to in America). Through a translator, they told us the surgery went well and that he would actually require one more surgery to correct his defect (VSD - ventricular septum defect - hole in the heart). They assured us that this was a defect that should not affect his life span.
We got back to our little flat, exhausted emotionally and physically. Of course our parents wanted to know every detail so we had to call them and go over things with them. I know it was hard for our parents to not be there with us and help us make the decision. It was probably scarier for them than us. My dad was able to get us in contact with one of his friends who was a general surgeon. This doctor was a huge help in us understanding even further what a VSD was and how if you had a child with a heart defect, this was the one you would want. The corrective surgery for VSD’s is like the bread and butter surgeries for cardiothoracic surgeons. This really helped calm some of our fears. Of course, I scoured the internet for more info as well. Still, we remained unsure if this little Dima was our Samuel.
Another excerpt from our old blog...
“In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” Proverbs 16:9
“I will lead the blind in a way that they do not know, in paths that they have not known I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground. These are the things I do, and I do not forsake them.” Isaiah 42:16
Please continue to pray for us as we seek the Lord’s guidance on this journey. We are still not clear on His leading about the referral we have told you about the past few days. We are confident He will lead us to Samuel...it is so hard still not knowing and having to wait.”
We had to let the orphanage know by the next day. It was agonizing. Our future...the little boy’s future...all depended on our decision. Jeff and I kept going back to saying, “Who are we to say no? This little boy needs a home. We can offer him the best medical care in America. We are drawn to him!” However, it was really scary and we seriously spent time on our knees beseeching the Lord and his perfect will for our life and the life of little Dima.
November 3, 2005, we wrote this on our blog...
GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY
“He had made everything beautiful in it’s time.” Ecclessiastes 3:11
We have had much to pray about as we have sought the Lord’s direction with something that will change the rest of our lives. We feel confident that He has met us and has confirmed in our hearts the direction we are to take! It might not be an easy path, but it will be one of joy and one that gives glory to our Father! We prayed that God would give us a referral at our appointment that would be Samuel. After our appointment, we thought the referral we took was just a means to get another appointment with a “better” referral. We are so grateful that God is much more powerful and wiser than we are because he led us to a beautiful, sweet little boy who needs a home. We are humbled that God led us to him despite our finite minds and understanding. God has given us incredible peace despite the circumstances of his heart defect. We are reminded of our own adoption in Christ...God decided to adopt us because our own hearts were dysfunctional and full of sin. He did not need us to be perfect before He decided to give us a new name and a new heart. He graciously bestowed His grace to us without condition!”
If it had not been for that sticky note on Samuel’s file, we might not have ever noticed it. LIke I have said before, God’s sovereignty is woven deeply into the fabric of this story. It is because of knowing this, that we were able to truly trust His plan and follow His lead. And knowing that the Lord is always in control gave us confidence and hope in the midst of the days ahead that held a lot of uncertainty and hardship as we began the process of bringing Samuel into our family. After we let the orphanage know we wanted to adopt him, we began the paper chase again. We visited Samuel everyday in the orphanage from 9-11:30 and from 3-5:30. Sometimes we only got to play with him in this hallway (there was a couch and a little slide thing)...
Some days were really fun, but other days were seriously challenging as we battled the language barrier, and much more. Samuel was confused I’m sure of why we came to see him even though his caretakers explained who we were. He tested us a lot and yet he was just absolutely adorable. We quickly fell in love with our son and were so thankful that God had finally led us to our first child!
to be continued
(I will finish up his story in the next few days and summarize bringing him into our family for good as well as what has gone on with him medically the last 3 years. Then I will open up the comments for any questions you guys might have!)
4 comments:
Rach, you have done such a great job writing Samuel's story. I was weeping as I read this part. I walked through this journey with you, but it still stirs so many emotions and such awe at the way God worked in your hearts and your family.
Oh, Rachel. I love this post! There were parts of the story that I didn't know, and it gave me chills to see that framed photo of Samuel. So proud of the way God used you in his life! I'm back in the blogosphere now, so I'll probably be getting your advice soon on photo editing, etc.
oh my goodness...i literally had tears when i saw that picture of samuel! how on earth you could pass up that face!!!! what a precious story and i loved how you talked about God choosing us even though our hearts are defective. DEFINITELY makes me look forward to adopting one day.
Oh, this is the best installment yet. God is so good! Thank you for sharing your amazing story. It makes me so excited to think about adopting again one day. :)
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