We Need a Miracle

As I mentioned in an earlier blog post, for any child trying to be adopted from Ukraine there is a very large possibility that he/she will say "no" when asked if they want to be adopted, especially for the older teens like Sergey.  There are so very many factors going into this, all of which are completely understandable.  These children are being asked to leave absolutely everything they have EVER known; family, friends, food, language, weather, smells, sights, everything, to go somewhere that is so foreign it might as well be another planet.  Imagine yourself as a teenager, being asked to make an irrevocable decision, to leave all that you know to go live on the moon.  How hard would that be? I think that their decision is even harder, because they have no one to guide/parent them through this decision, and they have no real way of knowing what life will really be like in their new home.  They have all been told plenty of lies about what life will be like, by folks who do not want what is best for them.  This is the reality that Sergey is facing right now.

If all goes as we had expected, we will travel for our first trip to Ukraine in early March.  On this trip, he will have to write out an official statement declaring his desire to be adopted by our family.  For the sake of Sergey's privacy I will not give any details, but I want to share with you that he is indeed struggling deeply with this decision.  We knew all along this would likely be an issue, and now it is time to face this battle head on.

We truly believe that Sergey is in the middle of a battle for his soul.  Where he lives is a very dark place, spiritually.  Jesus can meet people wherever they are, but there are very few people who love Jesus where Sergey is, and he has no real exposure to the Gospel.  If he is not adopted, the place he lives will become much darker, and we are certain that is exactly where Satan would like him to be.  Knowing that we are in a battle means we need soldiers, and that is why we are sharing this information and pleading for your help.  We believe in the power of prayer.  We believe our Lord hears us when we cry out, and so we are asking you to cry out with us.  Just like we've mobilized armies of folks to shop on Amazon and collect old shoes, so now we are looking for folks to pray for the soul of our boy.

Just as we did with the link and the shoes, we would ask you to tell all of your praying friends, family, and neighbors about our plea.  Every bit of this journey has been a community effort - let's bring our boy home as a community, believers from all over who have fallen in love with this boy and long to see the plans that God has for his life.

In order to be sure that he is being covered in prayer each day from now until we travel, I have set up a Sign Up Genius http://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0E4DADAF2BA13-pray. Feel free to sign up once or as many times as you like.  This will be a concrete way for us to encourage each other, not forget to pray (they will send you a reminder), and can serve as a beautiful monument to show Sergey when, God willing, he is here with us for good, just how faithfully he has been loved, and by so very many people.  Feel free to post on Facebook or on this blog any verses of encouragement you have, or to let us know how God is leading you to pray  Obviously our family is struggling in the midst of this as well, and your prayers and words are precious to us.  Feel free to share with your churches and Bible studies - we want to send up a loud cry to the ears of our God Who Hears.

Here are a few that I have been praying:

"Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you.  He will be with you, he will neither fail you nor abandon you." Deuteronomy 31:8

"But Jesus spoke to them at once, "Don't be afraid," he said, "Take courage.  I am here!" Matthew 14:27

"Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see."  Hebrews 11:1

"Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be discouraged, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand." Isaiah 41:10