A Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins with the First Step

We are at the beginning of the process to bring home our daughter, Natalya Grace, from Eastern Europe. While our journey may not require any physical "trekking," the mountain of paperwork and lenthy process spanning two continents seems epic! Last night we dutifully completed pages and pages on our homestudy paper work and went to the police station to get our first of at least three sets of fingerprints. Today at school, I mentioned that I had been finger printed last night. One of my students, quite concerned, asked me what I had stolen, and if I would have to go to jail...I was happy to assure him that I would not be missing school to "sit out my time," but that we were getting to adopt a baby! Meanwhile, I tried not to laugh aloud at his look of relief!

I can't even describe our feelings about the prospect of bringing Natalya home. It is so much more than just the longing for a child and the anticipation of FINALLY being parents. It is the knowledge that God has allowed us to be part of something so much bigger, to be a part a special group of people who pour their hearts and energy out everyday to advocate for orphans with Down Syndrome. Without being adopted, orphans with disabilities in Eastern Europe face a life time of misery in overcrowded mental institutions where noone will ever love or nurture them. I can't imagine such a fate for my sweet, beautiful baby girl. So, we embark on this adventure full of faith and determination, believing God to guide us on the lengthy and possibly difficult road ahead. We know that He is able to do more that we can ask or think, that He loves Natalya even more that we can, and that HE will walk beside us every step of the journey to Eastern Europe and back again!