I'll never forget Thursday October 23rd when we got the call. For two years we have been saying, “It is only a phone call away.” And now it is here!In January of 2006 we began our journey of adoption. We had always talked about adoption but never pursued it due to busyness, questions and fears. In time we were convicted that our busy lives were preventing us from living out the most important dreams we had. So we entered this process, but we had no idea the battle that was about to ensue.
I really believe the enemy wants to destroy these little ones who have lost their parents all over the world. Be it drugs, alcohol, prostitution, depression or war, the one who comes to steal, kill and destroy has done exactly that to these parents and is also after their offspring. In the first part of James 2 it says that true religion is to minister to the orphans of the world. We set out to do this, but we soon realized we were quite naive.
I would say over the next two years we hit upon the biggest battle of our lives. It seemed the enemy attacked every area of our lives. Ministry, our kids, you name it. Shane and I have learned a lot about battling the enemy through this. We have battled depression, hopelessness, and other spiritual oppression that has sought to discourage us in life. I've redone our paperwork countless times. We've spent more money than we ever imagined.
Sometime in August of 2006 I realized that the Lord was saying very specifically that I ask for twins from Russia. Now, I had already filled out all our paperwork (which was one problem), and also this was a huge step because the agency we are with has never, in its twelve-year history, seen an adoption with twins!
But I thought for sure I heard this. I also felt the Lord was saying to very specifically request of a boy and girl. To do this I would have to redo a lot of our paperwork and to do so under our agencies critical eye as they insisted this would never happen. I literally trembled in filling out this paperwork. I felt so foolish.
"God, did I hear you right? What if I have not? Am I smarter than this agency? How can I do this?"
I never would have gotten through without my precious mother in law and her intercessory team who also very specifically heard the Lord say to hold out for twins. So, I did it and obeyed, but not without many fears.
I've learned that our obedience to the Lord will cost. What this cost me was the war that ensued for the next 18 months after this. I learned that when you are trying to be obedient and hear from the Lord, the enemy will try to goof you up with counterfeits. The idea is that he will try to get you to go for something similar to what the Lord has told you but not exactly it. For example, over the next year we received several referrals (these are calls for available children).
The most difficult was a call for TWINS (from our domestic agency, not the international agency) - yes, actually twins that were right here in Orlando. I could not believe it. They were right here in my back door. We were up most of the night over this and felt the Lord was saying, "No, I want you to rescue my twins in Russia." This was a difficult test for us. In saying no to this again, there was a cost. The cost was waiting for the next year with absolutely no communication from our agency - we felt left out in the cold.
Then, one very low day in June of this year the Lord said to surrender it all back to Him. "WHAT? You mean to change the specific request, Lord, from twins to siblings?" I felt and our intercessors all heard the same, that the Lord was saying, you have fought in prayer for this and I've taught you about battling on your knees, but now I'm going to teach you about surrender. So after much whining and many tears I redid ALL our paperwork AGAIN, this time to open it all up to siblings or even unrelated children. Still, I kept the age at the youngest (I kept hearing 9 months) and I kept praying for boy and girl.
Then the miracle happened, last Thursday when I got that long awaited phone call.
"Linda, I have a referral for you and it is a miracle. Twins, a boy and girl, AND they are 9 months old. IT is a miracle - our agency has never ever had a referral for twins in 12 years." I just wept over God's grace (and they were born on Shane's birthday! How confirming from the Lord).
We want to thank so many of you who have been a part of this journey with us. Shane and I leave for Russia in a few weeks to see our twins. We then will have the court date set, hopefully in January when we will bring them back home.
Being in the process this long we have ensued many costs from translation fees, to doctor appointments, agency fees, flights and government documentation. We entered this process very confident that God would provide for all our needs. We have seen him do it hundreds of times, and, if he can surface twins in Russia, then he can do anything!
(if you would like to help by giving to help with this incredible process - simply click here). Thank You!
