I stumbled across this while blog clicking, here and there and thought I would post it. If only this came in handout form that we could quickly whip out of our pocket every time someone said one of those comments that drive us mad!!
The full article in the Minneapolis Star isn't available anymore but you can read what's posted below HERE.
Questions Not to Ask Adoptive Parents
My friend John Erickson recently pointed me to a great article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune that deals with the questions adoptive parents often receive. Here are some of the questions that should be rethought:
“How much did he cost?”
“What happened to her real mom?”
“Why did you adopt overseas when there are so many children here?”
“Why was he put up for adoption?”
“Do you get to go to an orphanage and pick one out?”
“Isn’t she lucky, being raised by loving parents in the U.S.?”
The whole article is quite helpful, in both content and tone. Before I read the article, I compiled a similar list of things not to say:
Don’t say that the adoptive child looks so much like the adoptive parents that he could be “yours.” The (unintentional) implication is that he’s not theirs.
Don’t say refer to biological as opposed to adopted kids as “your own.” The (unintentional) implication is that adopted children aren’t really rightfully yours.
Don’t refer to the birthparents as “the parents.” The (unintentional) implication is that the adoptive parents aren’t the parents. Use terms like “birthmother” instead of “mother” and “birthfather” instead of “father.”
It’s generally best not to ask about the birthparents or why the child was placed for adoption, even if you’re curious. The situation can be messy and potentially embarrassing to the child. For example, perhaps the birthparent abandoned the child. Perhaps nothing is known at all about the birthparents. Perhaps the child was conceived by rape. If the adoptive parents want to tell you about the background, they will.
Don’t ask about medical conditions of adopting parents. Not everyone adopts due to infertility issues. And even if they do, it’s not usually a wise question to ask!
In the past couple of years, I’ve heard most of these questions. It’s easy for adoptive parents to get bent out of shape by them, and we must all guard against an unattractive hypersensitivity. But let me suggest three reasons why we should seek to use wise, sensitive, and loving language with regard to adoption:
Adoptive parents can sometimes feel inferior or self-conscious about their children. Saying something innocent like “So what were his parents like?” can reinforce the mistaken notion that the adoptive parents aren’t truly the rightful parents of the child.
Adopted kids are listening, and the language can be confusing. A well-meaning stranger might say something like: “So what does her mom look like?” referring to the birthmother. Perhaps the child doesn’t fully get it yet. Her response will likely be: “But Mom, I thought you were my mommy?”
I think there are theological implications for how we speak about adoption. A friend of mine who has two adopted sons from Russia often gets the question, “Are they brothers?” His answer is: “Well they are now.” And the response often is: “Yes, but are they really brothers?” The implication—again unintentional—is that biological brotherhood is what really counts. But there are spiritual ramifications for this kind of thinking, especially with the New Testament theme of adoption. We have been adopted by God. Therefore, we are his sons. Really his sons. Fellow believers are our brothers and sisters in Christ. Really our brothers. Really our sisters. We have been adopted by God, and He is our Father. We have been united to Christ, who is now our co-heir. By downplaying the reality and legality of adoption with our language, we might unintentionally undermine the presuppositions of the New Testament regarding the new family of God.
For a good sermon that addresses some of these issues, listen to my friend Russ Moore's sermon,"But Are They Brothers? The Spirit of Adoption and the Unity of the Church" http://www.blogger.com/www.russellmoore.com
Showing posts with label adoption. Show all posts
Showing posts with label adoption. Show all posts
Monday, June 08, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
Teacher Debbie Moon's first graders were discussing a picture of a family. One little boy in the picture had a different hair color than the other members. One of her students suggested that he was adopted.
A little girl said, ' I know all about adoption, I was adopted..
'What does it mean to be adopted?', asked another child.
'It means' , said the girl, 'that you grew in your mommy's heart instead of her tummy! '
A very special friend of mine shared this with me and I wanted to post it on our blog. This is so true and is exactly what we tell Evan.
A little girl said, ' I know all about adoption, I was adopted..
'What does it mean to be adopted?', asked another child.
'It means' , said the girl, 'that you grew in your mommy's heart instead of her tummy! '
A very special friend of mine shared this with me and I wanted to post it on our blog. This is so true and is exactly what we tell Evan.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Just a Quote...
"We witness a miracle every time a child enters into life, but those who make their journey home across time and miles, growing within the hearts of those who wait to love them, are carried on the wings of destiny and placed among us by God's very own hands." -Kristi Larson
I came across this quote while online today and I love it so much that I had to post it.
I came across this quote while online today and I love it so much that I had to post it.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
National Adoption Awareness Month
Evan's Re-Adoption Newton County Court House 2005 November is National Adoption Awareness Month. It’s a time to celebrate families touched by adoption, be thankful to birth mothers for their choice, and remember families and children who are waiting on their loving homes. Whether you've personally been touched by adoption or not, take a moment to pray for the families still waiting to be joined with their perfect family. Several of our friends have been waiting for several years for THEIR child to come home. The hurt is that they are experiencing is only imaginable. Please remember them, especially as yet another Christmas season approaches.
It is hard to believe that it has been over three years since Evan came home to live with his forever family. So much has changed since then, I still can't believe that not one but two children have since been added to our family. We certainly aren't the Hodges...family of 3 that we came to be known as in Russia for now it's the Hodges Five!
This is a little personal and in fact, I thought long and hard about sharing this with "the world", but here goes.
Our choice to pursue adoption began long long ago in 2003 when it wasn't "easy" for us to conceive. We had a few choices, do nothing, seek help through fertility treatments, or adopt. Our decision was an easy one and it was as clear as it could be...we chose to adopt! I went online and started doing research about various agencies. We signed up for an informational seminar at Bethany Christian Services. There, that day, we began the stacks of paperwork to adopt. The rest for us is history...We found out about Evan in February 2004, traveled to Russia in April 2004, adopted him in April 2005.
Our lives felt so complete and fulfilled by this small, timid Russian child, who quickly turned into this very Southern, rough and tough little boy.
Our plan (not God's) for child number 2 was always that I would return to teaching when Evan entered Kindergarten and save up the money for a second adoption. Our desire for another child began to grow quickly as we saw how fast Evan was growing. My fear was that he would be too old to fully appreciate having a baby brother or sister before we could afford it...so I began praying about it and planting the seed in Clay's mind. We certainly didn't have the money to adopt again but I so badly wanted to do rush out and get started.
We thought about fertility treatments since we'd never tried them but my heart kept wanting to adopt. Which direction should we turn to? After lots of prayer and thoughtful consideration, it hit us like a ton of bricks..."You know if we do fertility treatments and they work, that would certainly be much cheaper!" "Let's do it!" Our plan (again, not God's) was that we would get pregnant with number 2, then adopt number 3 but God went ahead and gave us numbers 2 &3!! What a blessing!
Through lots of prayers we chose to pursue fertility treatments basically because it was the cheaper route to take, and if any of you know Clay (and you all do) you know, he's all about the cheaper way. LOL
This is what I wish that everyone could understand. It wasn't our choice because I yearned to be pregnant, it wasn't our choice because I wanted to give birth, it wasn't our choice because we wanted "our own"(see side note), it was simply financial. I love being a Mommy but I did not have the yearning desire to be pregnant or to birth a child, I just wanted to be a Mommy to another child.
Okay, the side note...the "our own" comments burns me up!!!! Evan is our own, just as much as Ella and Elijah is our own!! There is NO DIFFERENCE!!! For your sake, (and mine) please don't EVER let those words come out of someone whom I love.
After our very first IUI, we found out that we were pregnant...a couple of weeks later...THERE'S TWO!
I can't believe that we have three children and I can't imagine having four children, but adoption is still very heavy on my heart. Oh how special it would be to take Evan on an adoption journey. Though he has often told us that when he grows up, he's going to adopt a child from Russia.
Galatians 4:5 and Romans 8: 14-17 talks about God adopting us as His children. Ephesians 1:5-6...having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
30 ways to celebrate adoption
Monday, September 29, 2008
Keep Praying...
I couldn't wait to recieve a post from our friends in Irkutsk this morning, but it wasn't what I wanted to read, My heart breaks for them, keep praying!
This is their post...
Monday, September 29, 2008
To be continued..
as if 3.5 years of waiting, and 8 hours of ruthless badgering by both a judge AND prosecuter weren't enough, the court today decided they STILL are not satisfied with our paperwork, and continued the case pending receipt of the new documents. I am way too exhausted to get into details, but will try to describe it more tomorrow. We're looking at it from the point that she didn't say no, so..............Please continue to pray for us...
This is their post...
Monday, September 29, 2008
To be continued..
as if 3.5 years of waiting, and 8 hours of ruthless badgering by both a judge AND prosecuter weren't enough, the court today decided they STILL are not satisfied with our paperwork, and continued the case pending receipt of the new documents. I am way too exhausted to get into details, but will try to describe it more tomorrow. We're looking at it from the point that she didn't say no, so..............Please continue to pray for us...
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Activity in Irkutsk...Please be in Prayer.
We are asking everyone we know to be in prayer for the families and children of Irkutsk. Most of you know the situation, but for you newbies, I'll give a quick run down. We adopted Evan in April of 2005 after that there were two adoptions, one in June and one in August 2005. Around that time news broke of the death of Nina Hilt, a 2 year old who had been adopted from Irkutsk who was beaten to death by her mother, Peggy Hilt. As if there wasn't already enough red tape in Irkutsk, with us already having to wait a year between trips, this just added to it. Since then there hasn't been a single adoption by an American family...yes...since August 2004. Article here.
We have several friends who have been waiting over 4 years to bring home their children. While we waited for Evan, at times I didn't think people understood. (These were generally the people who drove us crazy with stupid questions anyway.) We (and all of these families) were with our child for an entire week, then forced to leave without them. It was the hardest thing that as parents we've ever had to do. During our wait for those who didn't seem to understand the pain and magnitude involved, I would explain it to them like this: Imagine that you gave birth to your child and you were only allowed to spend one week with him or her, then you were forced to say good-bye and had no idea when you would return to your child again. Can you imagine the pain? That's what the families of Irkutsk are enduring. We endured it for a solid year and could not imagine that it could ever get any worse...but it did! 4+ years worse!!
After lots of silence and nothing but declined paperwork, there is currently a lot of activity in Irkutsk.
Now that you've got a little background here's what were asking for...
Family 1: Some dear friends of ours finally received a court date!!!! This is the 1st American family to receive a court date since the last adoption in August 05...so make sure you grasp the magnitude of them being there. They arrived yesterday in Angarsk. They took with them their 5 year old son, who was also adopted from Irkutsk a few months prior to Evan. They will be spending a lot of time with their son in the baby home and will then go before the judge in court next Monday, September 29th. Remember, that Irkutsk is 13 hours ahead so that's the 28th for us. Please be in prayer for this family that they will receive favor with the judge and that the adoption will be granted. You can't even begin to understand how difficult she is, so pray hard!
Family 2: Some more dear friends of ours will have their paperwork submitted before the judge on October 2nd. Please pray that the judge will find favor with their paperwork and not ask for petty changes like she has always done in the past and that she will grant them a court date.
Family 3: Yet, more dear friends of ours will travel to Irkutsk for a week in October for an "in-between" trip to visit and re-bond with their daughter. Please pray that trust will quickly be regained and that they will have a wonderful trip.
There is finally a lot of activity in Irkutsk which we praise God for.
Please leave a comment to let these families (they read our blog daily) know that you will be praying for them.
We have several friends who have been waiting over 4 years to bring home their children. While we waited for Evan, at times I didn't think people understood. (These were generally the people who drove us crazy with stupid questions anyway.) We (and all of these families) were with our child for an entire week, then forced to leave without them. It was the hardest thing that as parents we've ever had to do. During our wait for those who didn't seem to understand the pain and magnitude involved, I would explain it to them like this: Imagine that you gave birth to your child and you were only allowed to spend one week with him or her, then you were forced to say good-bye and had no idea when you would return to your child again. Can you imagine the pain? That's what the families of Irkutsk are enduring. We endured it for a solid year and could not imagine that it could ever get any worse...but it did! 4+ years worse!!
After lots of silence and nothing but declined paperwork, there is currently a lot of activity in Irkutsk.
Now that you've got a little background here's what were asking for...
Family 1: Some dear friends of ours finally received a court date!!!! This is the 1st American family to receive a court date since the last adoption in August 05...so make sure you grasp the magnitude of them being there. They arrived yesterday in Angarsk. They took with them their 5 year old son, who was also adopted from Irkutsk a few months prior to Evan. They will be spending a lot of time with their son in the baby home and will then go before the judge in court next Monday, September 29th. Remember, that Irkutsk is 13 hours ahead so that's the 28th for us. Please be in prayer for this family that they will receive favor with the judge and that the adoption will be granted. You can't even begin to understand how difficult she is, so pray hard!
Family 2: Some more dear friends of ours will have their paperwork submitted before the judge on October 2nd. Please pray that the judge will find favor with their paperwork and not ask for petty changes like she has always done in the past and that she will grant them a court date.
Family 3: Yet, more dear friends of ours will travel to Irkutsk for a week in October for an "in-between" trip to visit and re-bond with their daughter. Please pray that trust will quickly be regained and that they will have a wonderful trip.
There is finally a lot of activity in Irkutsk which we praise God for.
Please leave a comment to let these families (they read our blog daily) know that you will be praying for them.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Pearle Vision is great but...I'll never use Teleflora
This is really nice to see, especially after what Teleflora did. (see below) THANKS PEARL VISION for stepping up!!!!
NBC and Teleflora had a Mother's Day contest going on where an adoptive mom has been labeled a "Non-mom Mom". link
Their definition of a "Non-mom Mom"?" Grandparent, stepmom, or mom to adopted children, each one raising and loving a child. A priceless gift for everybody."
This is Unbelievably insulting! Can you believe that?! Saying that an adopted mom is a NON MOM! How can Telaflora be so STUPID!!!! And, what I totally don't get is that I read that supposedly the President and CEO is an adoptive Mom. I've been angry before about these issues like the McDonald's commercial that ran where the french fries were adopted, but this one sure takes the cake!!!
UPDATE: Teleflora did change the website and classification of this kind of Mom. Now, instead of 'non-Mom' it says 'adopting mom'. Which still has me and other MOMS outraged!! A mother who adopted is NO DIFFERENT from a mom who birthed, believe me!!! So I guess from Teleflora's standpoint, I would fall into two separate categories...OH THAT MAKES ME MAD!!!! THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE! A mom is a mom!
Below is Teleflora's Comment on the situation... I feel saddened for the child of the President of Teleflora, who's has a Mom (or Dad) who is okay with being lumped into a category called "Adopting Mom" and not just a category of Moms because simply put...a mom is a mom and an Adoptive Parent should NOT see and single out a difference.
Teleflora is immediately changing the name of our "Non-Mom" category to "Adopting Moms". After closer examination, we can see how this may have been offensive to moms who have adopted children -- moms who are indeed real moms to their children in every sense of the word. In fact, many of us at Teleflora are .adopting. parents ourselves, including our president and owner. The essence of this category still focuses on a grandparent, neighbor, step mom, or mom to adopted or foster children, each one raising and loving a child. This show of insensitivity on our part was in no way intended and we deeply apologize for any concern or distress we may have caused. It was always our intent to salute and celebrate all moms.
I don't see a "Birth Mom" category, nor should there be!!! Sorry to be so enraged about this, but it makes me so angry to know that if I were nominated, my children wouldn't know which "Category" I would fall in...not to be redundant but...A Mom is A Mom!! I was upset when Carol first told me about it, but I seem to get angrier and angrier about it...so mad that I sit here in tears!!!!!!!!!!!!
Monday, April 21, 2008
Our Three E's... Adoption Day Party 2008...From Daddy
We celebrated Evan's third adoption day on Sunday. It was actually six days late, but we've just sort of made it a tradition to do it on Sunday afternoons. Even though we have now expanded to five, we will never forget about the gruelling, excruciating, exciting, wonderful journey that it took for us to just get to three. The journey started in September of 2003, became real in February of '04, when we got the video referral, really picked up steam in April when we held that little 9 month old bundle of joy in our arms for a week, then dragged on for a year while we waited for our court date, before coming to a triumphant end in April of '05, when Denis Didenko became Evan Denis Hodges. Our folks are a little partial to May 6th, when they got their hands on him, but Brandi and I will always celebrate April 15th, when that judge gave us the very best news we have ever gotten, that our petition had been granted, and Evan was ours forever.
We started the adoption day by getting up, and daddy, all by myself took Evan and the babies to church while momma stayed home and finished preparing the cake. When I got to church, it was actually pretty easy, as I was bombarded by a few ladies in the church and stripped of all babysitting duties for the next 90 minutes. Evan used his time wisely, making sure that buddies Isaac, Jake, and Chandler could come to his party. When we got home, we had hamburgers and cake (Momma made a wrestling cake), and then Evan, his buddies from church, and Wes all dragged Ampa around to the front yard and got a baseball game going. We played for a while, then his friends went home, and the family went in and opened his gifts. He got three wrestlers, a butterfly catching kit, an I-pod, presidential flashcards (I know it sounds weird, but the kid is into presidents), money, and a lot of books. By the time everyone left, he was exhausted. It was a perfect day.
As a man who always dreamed of having a son, Evan will always be my dream come true. He is sweet and affectionate, and still will kiss me right on the mouth in front of his friends, although I know that won't last forever. He is rough and tough, loving baseball, wrestling, and anything else that might get him dirty or bloody. He has a devious sense of humor, and loves to chase the ladies in our family with bumble bees with white heads (the white headed ones don't sting), and while he is all boy, and sometimes tries to get out of school, he has a deep curiosity about how things work, and how they are made. If I'm beaming, excuse me, but I'm talking about my boy.
We started the adoption day by getting up, and daddy, all by myself took Evan and the babies to church while momma stayed home and finished preparing the cake. When I got to church, it was actually pretty easy, as I was bombarded by a few ladies in the church and stripped of all babysitting duties for the next 90 minutes. Evan used his time wisely, making sure that buddies Isaac, Jake, and Chandler could come to his party. When we got home, we had hamburgers and cake (Momma made a wrestling cake), and then Evan, his buddies from church, and Wes all dragged Ampa around to the front yard and got a baseball game going. We played for a while, then his friends went home, and the family went in and opened his gifts. He got three wrestlers, a butterfly catching kit, an I-pod, presidential flashcards (I know it sounds weird, but the kid is into presidents), money, and a lot of books. By the time everyone left, he was exhausted. It was a perfect day.
As a man who always dreamed of having a son, Evan will always be my dream come true. He is sweet and affectionate, and still will kiss me right on the mouth in front of his friends, although I know that won't last forever. He is rough and tough, loving baseball, wrestling, and anything else that might get him dirty or bloody. He has a devious sense of humor, and loves to chase the ladies in our family with bumble bees with white heads (the white headed ones don't sting), and while he is all boy, and sometimes tries to get out of school, he has a deep curiosity about how things work, and how they are made. If I'm beaming, excuse me, but I'm talking about my boy.
Thursday, April 03, 2008
Post Placement Visit
Words cannot describe how we feel about the two people in this photo with Evan. Sharon (left) was our Social Worker and Katie (right) who handled all of our paperwork. They both got us through some tough times. Katie was always so helpful in our nightmare of paperwork and was always so sweet and dreaded to call with changes. I can remember her calling us even while we were in Russia to explain paperwork that we needed for court. Sharon, always seemed to know what to say when we needed cheering up and was there for us when we needed her. I could go on and on about her and the special connection that she is to our family. She will always be part of our forever family.
They came over for a visit this week for our final post-placement visit. Russia requires that all families are "interviewed" at 6, 12, 24, and 36 months. Information about Evan and pictures are sent to Russia.
It seems as if Evan has always been here with us. The pain that we endured seems like a bad dream, maybe that's because we've worked so hard at putting that behind us. But then again at times it is hard to believe that it has been 3 years already since he's been home and almost 4 since we met him. I'm not going to post much here, because I know I'll want to do lots when we celebrate our forever day and our adoption day, but we just completed our finial post-placement.
We were thrilled to send several baby blankets with them that a lady at our church made for the baby home. Thanks Sabra!!! It's nice to know how welcomed they will be.
Thanks Sharon and Katie for everything, We love y'all!!
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Happy Forever Day...Happy Adoption Day
We had such a great time celebrating 2 years with Evan home!!!! At times it is hard to believe that he has been with us for 2 years but at times it seems like he has been here all along.
We enjoyed lunch with our family after church to celebrate the big day! We had Evan's favorite...fried chicken. We cried and reminisced over home videos taken in Russia. Since Evan loves to wrestle with his Daddy and loves to play with his "Wrestle Men" it only seemed fitting that for Evan's adoption day gift that we bought him the classic wrestler from Russia (okay USSR at the time)...Nicoli Volkoff.
Evan loves to catch bumblebees. His Ampa and his Daddy taught him that if the bee has a white or yellow dot on it's head then it won't sting you, but if it has a black head...it will! Evan loves to hold the bees in his hand and listen to it hum, then he puts it in his bug box. After he catches 4 or 5 he lets them all go, "to go find their Mommies". He also enjoys chasing people with them if he can. :-) Evan's love for Bumblebees is why he had a bumblebee cake for his adoption day cake. You can't see it on the picture but after I made the candy bees, Evan reminded me that I needed to add a white dot to their heads. He also enjoys singing the bumblebee song with his Mommy!
We enjoyed lunch with our family after church to celebrate the big day! We had Evan's favorite...fried chicken. We cried and reminisced over home videos taken in Russia. Since Evan loves to wrestle with his Daddy and loves to play with his "Wrestle Men" it only seemed fitting that for Evan's adoption day gift that we bought him the classic wrestler from Russia (okay USSR at the time)...Nicoli Volkoff.
Evan loves to catch bumblebees. His Ampa and his Daddy taught him that if the bee has a white or yellow dot on it's head then it won't sting you, but if it has a black head...it will! Evan loves to hold the bees in his hand and listen to it hum, then he puts it in his bug box. After he catches 4 or 5 he lets them all go, "to go find their Mommies". He also enjoys chasing people with them if he can. :-) Evan's love for Bumblebees is why he had a bumblebee cake for his adoption day cake. You can't see it on the picture but after I made the candy bees, Evan reminded me that I needed to add a white dot to their heads. He also enjoys singing the bumblebee song with his Mommy!
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Celebrate National Adoption Month
Dear Friends,
It is hard to believe that it has been 18 months since we brought Evan home from Russia. What a JOY!
November is National Adoption Month!
It’s a time to celebrate families touched by adoption, be thankful to birth mothers for their choice, and remember families and children who waiting on loving homes.
Whether you've personally been touched by adoption or not, take a moment to pray for the families still waiting to be joined with their perfect family. Several of our friends have been waiting for well over a year since they first met their child, especially remember them as the holidays approach.
Galatians 4:5 and Romans 8: 14-17 talks about God adopting us as His children. Ephesians 1:5-6...having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
Love and Thanks,
Brandi, Clay, and Evan Hodges
For more information on adoption... www.bethany.org
Or read about our journey at www.hodges-family.blogspot.com
It is hard to believe that it has been 18 months since we brought Evan home from Russia. What a JOY!
November is National Adoption Month!
It’s a time to celebrate families touched by adoption, be thankful to birth mothers for their choice, and remember families and children who waiting on loving homes.
Whether you've personally been touched by adoption or not, take a moment to pray for the families still waiting to be joined with their perfect family. Several of our friends have been waiting for well over a year since they first met their child, especially remember them as the holidays approach.
Galatians 4:5 and Romans 8: 14-17 talks about God adopting us as His children. Ephesians 1:5-6...having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
Love and Thanks,
Brandi, Clay, and Evan Hodges
For more information on adoption... www.bethany.org
Or read about our journey at www.hodges-family.blogspot.com
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
A Story of Four People...
This is a story about four people who heard the call to adopt a child:
EVERYBODY, SOMEBODY, ANYBODY and NOBODY.
There was a call for people to open their homes and hearts to adopt newborns, older children without parents, children who were neglected or abused, children with medical or emotional challenges, sibling groups who wanted to be adopted together and children whose parents couldn't care for them.
EVERYBODY was asked to do this. EVERYBODY was sure that SOMEBODY would adopt these children. ANYBODY could have adopted them, but NOBODY did.
SOMEBODY got angry about that because it was EVERYBODY'S job. EVERYBODY thought that ANYBODY could do it, but NOBODY realized that EVERYBODY wouldn't do it.
It ended up that EVERYBODY blamed SOMEBODY, when actually, NOBODY did what ANYBODY could have done.
BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO HEAR GOD'S INVITATION TO ADOPT CHILDREN AND RESPOND!
-Adapted by Mary Ann Valenti Boyer
-LifeLines Fall 2006
Christians are mandated to be restorers of hope for children around the world, as commanded in James 1:27 (Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27)
For I am the Lord, your God, who take hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. Isaiah 41:13
"For I know the plans I have for you" Declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11
But now, this is what the LORD says -- he who create you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine...Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the East and gather you from the West. I will say to the North, "Give them up!" and to the South, "Do not hold them back" Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth--Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made."
Isaiah 43:1,5-7
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5
What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?...Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. James 2:14-17
God has proven that He delights in giving us the desires of oru heart if we will trust Him and wait on His timing. Amy Rich, adoptive Mom, GA
As adoptive parents we understand more fully what it really means that God adopted us as His children. We aren't second choice, we are His own.
--Brian De Vos, Bethany employee and adoptive dad
EVERYBODY, SOMEBODY, ANYBODY and NOBODY.
There was a call for people to open their homes and hearts to adopt newborns, older children without parents, children who were neglected or abused, children with medical or emotional challenges, sibling groups who wanted to be adopted together and children whose parents couldn't care for them.
EVERYBODY was asked to do this. EVERYBODY was sure that SOMEBODY would adopt these children. ANYBODY could have adopted them, but NOBODY did.
SOMEBODY got angry about that because it was EVERYBODY'S job. EVERYBODY thought that ANYBODY could do it, but NOBODY realized that EVERYBODY wouldn't do it.
It ended up that EVERYBODY blamed SOMEBODY, when actually, NOBODY did what ANYBODY could have done.
BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO HEAR GOD'S INVITATION TO ADOPT CHILDREN AND RESPOND!
-Adapted by Mary Ann Valenti Boyer
-LifeLines Fall 2006
Christians are mandated to be restorers of hope for children around the world, as commanded in James 1:27 (Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27)
For I am the Lord, your God, who take hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. Isaiah 41:13
"For I know the plans I have for you" Declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11
But now, this is what the LORD says -- he who create you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine...Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the East and gather you from the West. I will say to the North, "Give them up!" and to the South, "Do not hold them back" Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth--Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made."
Isaiah 43:1,5-7
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5
What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?...Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. James 2:14-17
God has proven that He delights in giving us the desires of oru heart if we will trust Him and wait on His timing. Amy Rich, adoptive Mom, GA
As adoptive parents we understand more fully what it really means that God adopted us as His children. We aren't second choice, we are His own.
--Brian De Vos, Bethany employee and adoptive dad
Sunday, July 23, 2006
A Special Adoption Related Weekend
We had a wonderful weekend celebrating with friends who have become more like family. One of the many special things about adoption is the special connection that it ties other families together with.
You have all heard us mention our dear friends, the Groffs and many of you have prayed for them over the years. Friday, we met them at their house for dinner to help celebrate their 1 year family day. In many ways it is hard to believe that Anicka has been here for a year and Evan for 15 months but in some ways that seems like such a short time. As if they have always been here. When we first met Kirsten and Vince in 2004, we had just returned from our first trip to Irkutsk to meet Evan and they were about to travel to meet their daughter Anicka for the first time. Evan and Anicka were big buddies in the baby home and ate at the same table and slept near each other. Now both children have traveled half way across the counrty and are home, together in Georgia, USA all the way from begin together in Irkutsk, Siberia, Russia. What a plan God had to put us in each other's lives. It was so much fun watching videos of Anicka and Evan in the baby home together and seeing them play together as toddlers.
Many of you have also prayed for the Wimpy family, our friends from Warner Robins. They arrived home from St. Petersburg with their sons 5 weeks ago, Dima, 6 and Kirill, 3. They came over for lunch Saturday and we so enjoyed meeting the boys and playing with them. They are so much fun and full of energy. Evan would look and them and belly laugh whenever they would speak Russian to him. It was so much fun trying to communicate with them, with what little Russia I know. It made me miss the process even more. The boys seem so happy.
With the Wimpy's was Jane Cook who was visiting from Michigan. Jane is waiting to return to adopt her daughter, Sasha. Jane and I have become very close over the past year or so through the internet and phone. We felt like we knew each other though we had never met until Saturday. Another example of how adoption can knit bonds so close. Jane's first trip was in December, 2004.
Adopting is such a special part of our lives and to many people we know. Some who we have met in person and some who we just feel like we know personally. Please remember to pray for all of the children and the families who are waiting to return to Irkutsk. It has been a hard and long road for them. Please pray that the judge's heart will soften and that cases will be heard again sometime very soon. We think about you guys everyday and pray for you all the time. We love you all!
Brandi, Clay, Evan
You have all heard us mention our dear friends, the Groffs and many of you have prayed for them over the years. Friday, we met them at their house for dinner to help celebrate their 1 year family day. In many ways it is hard to believe that Anicka has been here for a year and Evan for 15 months but in some ways that seems like such a short time. As if they have always been here. When we first met Kirsten and Vince in 2004, we had just returned from our first trip to Irkutsk to meet Evan and they were about to travel to meet their daughter Anicka for the first time. Evan and Anicka were big buddies in the baby home and ate at the same table and slept near each other. Now both children have traveled half way across the counrty and are home, together in Georgia, USA all the way from begin together in Irkutsk, Siberia, Russia. What a plan God had to put us in each other's lives. It was so much fun watching videos of Anicka and Evan in the baby home together and seeing them play together as toddlers.
Many of you have also prayed for the Wimpy family, our friends from Warner Robins. They arrived home from St. Petersburg with their sons 5 weeks ago, Dima, 6 and Kirill, 3. They came over for lunch Saturday and we so enjoyed meeting the boys and playing with them. They are so much fun and full of energy. Evan would look and them and belly laugh whenever they would speak Russian to him. It was so much fun trying to communicate with them, with what little Russia I know. It made me miss the process even more. The boys seem so happy.
With the Wimpy's was Jane Cook who was visiting from Michigan. Jane is waiting to return to adopt her daughter, Sasha. Jane and I have become very close over the past year or so through the internet and phone. We felt like we knew each other though we had never met until Saturday. Another example of how adoption can knit bonds so close. Jane's first trip was in December, 2004.
Adopting is such a special part of our lives and to many people we know. Some who we have met in person and some who we just feel like we know personally. Please remember to pray for all of the children and the families who are waiting to return to Irkutsk. It has been a hard and long road for them. Please pray that the judge's heart will soften and that cases will be heard again sometime very soon. We think about you guys everyday and pray for you all the time. We love you all!
Brandi, Clay, Evan
Monday, January 02, 2006
Happy New Year
Happy New Year!
Wow, what a great year 2005 was for our family! Looking back I can hardly believe that almost the entire year was about our trip, coming home and then being home. We have been home for 8 months now and have had Evan with us for 9 months…that’s almost an entire year, WOW!
Christmas 2004 was very difficult we spent every month thinking that the next month would be it and when it would not be “the month” that we got our court date we would always say "Well at least we will be home for Christmas." And when Christmas was here and no word came that was very difficult.
However, 2005 rolled around and what a great year it was!
January 2005 began with our friend Kirsten traveling to Irkutsk for an “in-between” trip to visit her daughter Anicka. While Kirsten was there she was able to visit Evan almost everyday. The caretakers also allowed her to take Evan with her to private playroom with Anicka. While Kirsten was there she emailed us updates on Evan and when she returned she sent us lots of photos and videos…end of January to February.
February 28, 2005 we received the phone call that we had a court date! Set for April 15, 2005! Praise the Lord! “Like cold water to a weary soul, so is good news from a distant land.” Proverbs 25:25
March until we left, of course we were very busy applying for visas getting plane tickets, packing, etc.
April 4th we left headed for Irkutsk! We arrived in Irkutsk 2 days later on April 6th. On April 7th we picked Evan up from the baby home and took him with us to the apartment. He has been with us ever since. It was so wonderful to be reunited with him after an entire year of last seeing him or holding him. I held him and cried and still do at times. Our lives were forever changed and we praise the Lord for that everyday.
On April 11th (also our 7th wedding anniversary) we met Judge Kotkina to hand over our paperwork. Also on April 11th we met part of our forever family…Mark and Carol Schatte and on April 12th we met their precious Hannah.
April 15th our Evan Denis officially became EVAN DENIS HODGES.
May 1st we left Irkutsk for Moscow.
Leaving Moscow, we boarded a plane headed to Austria…Austria to LaGuardia NY…LaGuardia to JFK NY...JFK to Atlanta GA.
May 6th…Home in Atlanta at 9:00pm greeted by family and friends! It was so great to see everyone!! When we landed in Atlanta we had been awake and either in an airport or on an airplane for 32 hours straight!!!! Boy, were we tired. We certainly were running on nothing but adrenalin fumes. Evan was so sweet and so sleepy. He had taken a few naps here and there, but Clay and I could not sleep at all…no naps for us…we were too excited to be going home and too worried to close our eyes with Evan there in our laps. We did take a short nap after our snack was served on the plane from JFK to Atlanta, but come on the entire flight was less than 2 hours. We were starving and stopped at McDonalds, I remember we were in line at 11:00pm so we must have gotten home around 11:30 or so. My parents and Wesley took us home and Clay’s parents and his brother came over, when they all left and we got into bed it was around 1am.
May 7th Clay was back at work.
And the rest is history!!! ...and much of it is blogged.
Time sure has flown by since we have been home; nothing like time was B.E (Before Evan). (Clay and I often laugh about time B.E.) B.E time sure did seem to drag by, day by day, even hour by hour at times. Some people don't understand, for them I say imagine seeing your child for the first time ever, perhaps, just given birth to your child then spending 5 days and 4 nights with him alone, and then being forced to give your child to someone else for an entire year…a year to the exact week. The wait was an extremly hard wait and made the year difficult for us (which many of our friends are still experiencing). We pray for them everyday!
2005 was a magic year for us and 2006 is going to be the magic year for many other waiting families. Please keep them in your prayers.
Happy New Year!!
The Hodges...family of 3!
Wow, what a great year 2005 was for our family! Looking back I can hardly believe that almost the entire year was about our trip, coming home and then being home. We have been home for 8 months now and have had Evan with us for 9 months…that’s almost an entire year, WOW!
Christmas 2004 was very difficult we spent every month thinking that the next month would be it and when it would not be “the month” that we got our court date we would always say "Well at least we will be home for Christmas." And when Christmas was here and no word came that was very difficult.
However, 2005 rolled around and what a great year it was!
January 2005 began with our friend Kirsten traveling to Irkutsk for an “in-between” trip to visit her daughter Anicka. While Kirsten was there she was able to visit Evan almost everyday. The caretakers also allowed her to take Evan with her to private playroom with Anicka. While Kirsten was there she emailed us updates on Evan and when she returned she sent us lots of photos and videos…end of January to February.
February 28, 2005 we received the phone call that we had a court date! Set for April 15, 2005! Praise the Lord! “Like cold water to a weary soul, so is good news from a distant land.” Proverbs 25:25
March until we left, of course we were very busy applying for visas getting plane tickets, packing, etc.
April 4th we left headed for Irkutsk! We arrived in Irkutsk 2 days later on April 6th. On April 7th we picked Evan up from the baby home and took him with us to the apartment. He has been with us ever since. It was so wonderful to be reunited with him after an entire year of last seeing him or holding him. I held him and cried and still do at times. Our lives were forever changed and we praise the Lord for that everyday.
On April 11th (also our 7th wedding anniversary) we met Judge Kotkina to hand over our paperwork. Also on April 11th we met part of our forever family…Mark and Carol Schatte and on April 12th we met their precious Hannah.
April 15th our Evan Denis officially became EVAN DENIS HODGES.
May 1st we left Irkutsk for Moscow.
Leaving Moscow, we boarded a plane headed to Austria…Austria to LaGuardia NY…LaGuardia to JFK NY...JFK to Atlanta GA.
May 6th…Home in Atlanta at 9:00pm greeted by family and friends! It was so great to see everyone!! When we landed in Atlanta we had been awake and either in an airport or on an airplane for 32 hours straight!!!! Boy, were we tired. We certainly were running on nothing but adrenalin fumes. Evan was so sweet and so sleepy. He had taken a few naps here and there, but Clay and I could not sleep at all…no naps for us…we were too excited to be going home and too worried to close our eyes with Evan there in our laps. We did take a short nap after our snack was served on the plane from JFK to Atlanta, but come on the entire flight was less than 2 hours. We were starving and stopped at McDonalds, I remember we were in line at 11:00pm so we must have gotten home around 11:30 or so. My parents and Wesley took us home and Clay’s parents and his brother came over, when they all left and we got into bed it was around 1am.
May 7th Clay was back at work.
And the rest is history!!! ...and much of it is blogged.
Time sure has flown by since we have been home; nothing like time was B.E (Before Evan). (Clay and I often laugh about time B.E.) B.E time sure did seem to drag by, day by day, even hour by hour at times. Some people don't understand, for them I say imagine seeing your child for the first time ever, perhaps, just given birth to your child then spending 5 days and 4 nights with him alone, and then being forced to give your child to someone else for an entire year…a year to the exact week. The wait was an extremly hard wait and made the year difficult for us (which many of our friends are still experiencing). We pray for them everyday!
2005 was a magic year for us and 2006 is going to be the magic year for many other waiting families. Please keep them in your prayers.
Happy New Year!!
The Hodges...family of 3!
Sunday, October 23, 2005
Irkutsk Party
On Sunday, October 23rd we hosted an Irkutsk Party at our house! We had tons of fun meeting new families and catching up with other families. The connection that is created between the families through adoption in Irkutsk is a very special connection, one that can't be fully understood by anyone else. It was so wonderful to share stories with families who have adopted and who are in the process of adopting. We "knew" all of the families that came...though some of them we had never met in person. The internet was our meeting place, because of constant email connections we knew them well before we met them.
The weather was very fall like and we enjoyed our time together outside eating fried chicken and sides. The little ones especially enjoyed outside. Evan, Anicka, and Ana-Grace were so sweet together. What a wonderful sight it was to seem the three of them together. They each had so much fun playing in the yard...running and chasing each other, playing on the playset, and looking at the cows. Evan and Ana-Grace were so cute taking turns on the rocking horse...three or four short rocks for each and then they would switch. Anicka was especially fun to watch whenever Maci or Woody (our labs) would get too close. She couldn't quite decide if it was fun or not, but by the end of the night she was petting Woody and loving it, she giggled like she was so proud of herself.
We enjoyed catching up with Sharon Stumb, our Social Worker and Vince, Kirsten, and Anicka Groff. It was great to see Rodney, Ronnice and Ana-Grace Stephens again too. It is so great to finally have a face to put with the emails and so wonderful to meet Dale and Sandy Wimpy and
Scott and Tricia Kennedy. Dale and Sandy are waiting to return to bring their son, Victor home and Scott and Tricia are waiting to return to bring their daughter, Hannah home. We continue to pray for the Irkutsk families who are waiting. Waiting is always so hard but especially when you don't know what is going on. I hope and pray that the party was somewhat uplifting for you guys. "We wait in hope of the Lord; for He is our hope and our shield." Psalm 33:20
This has to become an annual event for sure, we really enjoyed having everyone over. Next year, we look forward to inviting more Irkustk families and welcoming home new little ones.
The weather was very fall like and we enjoyed our time together outside eating fried chicken and sides. The little ones especially enjoyed outside. Evan, Anicka, and Ana-Grace were so sweet together. What a wonderful sight it was to seem the three of them together. They each had so much fun playing in the yard...running and chasing each other, playing on the playset, and looking at the cows. Evan and Ana-Grace were so cute taking turns on the rocking horse...three or four short rocks for each and then they would switch. Anicka was especially fun to watch whenever Maci or Woody (our labs) would get too close. She couldn't quite decide if it was fun or not, but by the end of the night she was petting Woody and loving it, she giggled like she was so proud of herself.
We enjoyed catching up with Sharon Stumb, our Social Worker and Vince, Kirsten, and Anicka Groff. It was great to see Rodney, Ronnice and Ana-Grace Stephens again too. It is so great to finally have a face to put with the emails and so wonderful to meet Dale and Sandy Wimpy and
Scott and Tricia Kennedy. Dale and Sandy are waiting to return to bring their son, Victor home and Scott and Tricia are waiting to return to bring their daughter, Hannah home. We continue to pray for the Irkutsk families who are waiting. Waiting is always so hard but especially when you don't know what is going on. I hope and pray that the party was somewhat uplifting for you guys. "We wait in hope of the Lord; for He is our hope and our shield." Psalm 33:20
This has to become an annual event for sure, we really enjoyed having everyone over. Next year, we look forward to inviting more Irkustk families and welcoming home new little ones.
Thursday, September 15, 2005
Such a joy...
We have now been home with Evan for 133 days. The scared little boy that we picked up at the orphanage that day has transformed into a tireless two year old, with limitless energy and enthusiasm that begins every day when he wakes up and doesn't subside until bedtime. No longer do we get the little baby cry when he wakes up in the morning. Instead, we get "mama...tu mere", or "daddy...I want out". His tantrums are extremly rare now and lead him to "time out" where he sits (as if his behind is glued to the floor) until we let him up. He wipes his eyes and says "no cwy", and then we get back to our activity as if nothing happened. He enjoys Thomas the Train, and he also understands that with TiVo, Mama and Daddy can never give the excuse that "it's not on right now". He loves to swim, ride in the golf cart, and go on walks with his mom. He explodes with excitement every time they go by a construction site. He loves anything that makes noise. He is almost completely potty trained now, with only the occasional accident, and even though it is an occurence that happens several times daily, he never hesitates to give himself a round of applause after a successful trip to the potty. We were warned throughout this process of the rough adjustments that many families face while the child becomes acclimated to his new surroundings, and while Evan is a two year old boy with a strong will and a hard head, he is such a joy to have home, and is completely adjusted.
My new favorite Evan story happened just a few days ago. He is recently recovering from a bout with strep throat. He woke us up crying late last Saturday night. Brandi and I got up and gave him medicine, sprayed his throat, and then put him in bed with us for a while. He cried and coughed pitifully until his medicine kicked in, at which time he became playful. Then, without any coaxing from us, put his hand on each of our faces and said "thank you mama, thank you daddy." as if to say...you fixed it.
He is begining to put words together to form sentences. His newest sentence is "I want____" not at all in a demanding way, just a sweet little boy telling you what he wants. He is loving school and looks so cute in his new school uniform.
Brandi completed her master's degree this month in Reading and Literacy Instruction but still has no desire to go back to teaching school. Right now she has the most important student she could ever have and is loving every minute of it.
On August 19th we went to the airport to welcome home the Groff family. Thank you all for praying for them. We met Anicka, and Evan was reunited with her. Evan instantly remembered her, they used to eat, play and sleep next to each other everyday. Evan began jabbering to her so fast...it was like he was saying "Welcome home, You are going to love it here....it is awesome." We have plans to visit them next week and can't wait.
Irkutsk Update: Our Judge, Judge Kotkina has retired and a new judge has been appointed. Her name is Mrs. Stepanova. Please continue to pray for families of Irkutsk and for the new judge also. With the new judge in office, we are hoping to hear of court dates soon.
Please leave us a comment, we enjoy reading them. Your comments will be part of this wonderful treasure for Evan one day.
The Hodges...family of 3!
My new favorite Evan story happened just a few days ago. He is recently recovering from a bout with strep throat. He woke us up crying late last Saturday night. Brandi and I got up and gave him medicine, sprayed his throat, and then put him in bed with us for a while. He cried and coughed pitifully until his medicine kicked in, at which time he became playful. Then, without any coaxing from us, put his hand on each of our faces and said "thank you mama, thank you daddy." as if to say...you fixed it.
He is begining to put words together to form sentences. His newest sentence is "I want____" not at all in a demanding way, just a sweet little boy telling you what he wants. He is loving school and looks so cute in his new school uniform.
Brandi completed her master's degree this month in Reading and Literacy Instruction but still has no desire to go back to teaching school. Right now she has the most important student she could ever have and is loving every minute of it.
On August 19th we went to the airport to welcome home the Groff family. Thank you all for praying for them. We met Anicka, and Evan was reunited with her. Evan instantly remembered her, they used to eat, play and sleep next to each other everyday. Evan began jabbering to her so fast...it was like he was saying "Welcome home, You are going to love it here....it is awesome." We have plans to visit them next week and can't wait.
Irkutsk Update: Our Judge, Judge Kotkina has retired and a new judge has been appointed. Her name is Mrs. Stepanova. Please continue to pray for families of Irkutsk and for the new judge also. With the new judge in office, we are hoping to hear of court dates soon.
Please leave us a comment, we enjoy reading them. Your comments will be part of this wonderful treasure for Evan one day.
The Hodges...family of 3!
Friday, April 09, 2004
Saying Goodbye
We had to say good-bye on Good Friday which really hit home with us. We were leaving our son, but knew that we would one day be back. We felt so much pain and sadness. Leaving him on Good Friday made us appreciate God sending his son to die for us even more.
We celebrated Easter with Evan that morning. We dressed him in his cute little blue bunny suit, we gave him his Easter Basket with his new Easter toys in it and then played with those. We read books together, he loved "Counting Kisses." every time we read it, he just laughed and laughed.
When we got to the baby home everyone was so excited to see us. Everyone came running over to us and talking to us, of course we didn't have a clue what they were saying. Evan would not go to any of his caretakers or to the doctor, he kept holding on to his Mommy. Finally, he went to one of his caretakers, but immediately reached back for his Mommy.
Mommy and Daddy were both in tears. The caretakers were so sweet to us. They would point to us and say, "Mama and Papa." The kept telling us that it would be okay, and not to cry. One of the caretakers patted me on the head and said (in Russian of course) "Don't cry Mama, he will wait for you." They were so nice, they kept telling us that it was okay, but it wasn't okay to us.
During the next couple of days that it took us to get home, we just cried and held each other tight. We had been together as a family of three, and now just two...it felt like something was missing, like we were empty inside. But we knew then (and now) that God has a plan, He had carried us this far and He will continue to carry us as we bring Evan Denis home to America.
We celebrated Easter with Evan that morning. We dressed him in his cute little blue bunny suit, we gave him his Easter Basket with his new Easter toys in it and then played with those. We read books together, he loved "Counting Kisses." every time we read it, he just laughed and laughed.
When we got to the baby home everyone was so excited to see us. Everyone came running over to us and talking to us, of course we didn't have a clue what they were saying. Evan would not go to any of his caretakers or to the doctor, he kept holding on to his Mommy. Finally, he went to one of his caretakers, but immediately reached back for his Mommy.
Mommy and Daddy were both in tears. The caretakers were so sweet to us. They would point to us and say, "Mama and Papa." The kept telling us that it would be okay, and not to cry. One of the caretakers patted me on the head and said (in Russian of course) "Don't cry Mama, he will wait for you." They were so nice, they kept telling us that it was okay, but it wasn't okay to us.
During the next couple of days that it took us to get home, we just cried and held each other tight. We had been together as a family of three, and now just two...it felt like something was missing, like we were empty inside. But we knew then (and now) that God has a plan, He had carried us this far and He will continue to carry us as we bring Evan Denis home to America.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)