I have to admit that I didn’t realize how hard this would hit me. Wefinally got our paperwork off to get authorized so we can get ourRussian child. I look at Annabelle and it saddens me to think thatthe brother or sister that I imagined she would have soon has been puton hold. The same dreams that we had as we pictured Annabelle on herway are the same dreams that we had for this new child. It hurts myheart to think of those children in the Russian orphanages that willno longer be given a new home. We heard that families who were indays of getting their children, have been turned away. There are manybroken hearts around the world. Please pray for us as we decide whatwe should do next. Barrett wrote his own brain processing below aswell. We love you all!
Friends and family,
We wanted to send you a note to let you know we are one of those families. We are one of those families who were on the verge of adopting a young child from Russia. Our home study was done, all our paper work was finished, and our adoption agency was about to send our package to Russia in order to bring the child we have been praying for home.
As you can imagine, Colleen and I are deeply saddened. We have worked diligently for a year, weeding through mounds of paperwork, praying faithfully, knowing at the end of it would be a precious son or daughter in our arms. It’s hard to make sense of it all when we seemed so close.
Our passion for adoption came while Colleen and I were at seminary, hearing many professors speak about it, and being in a church that celebrated it. About a year and a half ago we read together Russell Moore’s book, “Adopted for Life.” As we read, God began to stir an even greater passion for adoption in our hearts, especially as we saw more clearly the glory of God in adopting orphans such as us through the cross of his son Jesus Christ. Praise God! Even more, as we read through his book God stirred in our hearts not only to adopt
internationally, but from Russia. We sparred no time and began the journey.
There is a bit of emptiness we feel right now. The child we were so close to having has seemed to vanish away. Yes, we grieve for the child we would have had, but we also grieve for the thousands of children who may now never have a chance to have a mom and dad. And we certainly grieve for the parents who were much closer in the process than we were. The pain is difficult.
We think about the fact that the end of these adoptions came from the quick stoke of a pen, a stroke as a result of political warfare. Yes, we are angry at the circumstance, but we know this is more than political warfare, we know this is spiritual warfare. Satan takes no greater pleasure than not only keeping young orphaned children from having loving parents, but also from keeping an orphaned world from having an everlasting Father through the gospel of Jesus Christ.
We know that Christ came for this very reason, for the broken mess we experience in this world, from the broken mess of losing a child from a tragic event to losing a child as a result of political maneuvering. So we pray. We pray that Jesus would come quickly. We pray he would ultimately usher in his kingdom. And until then, we pray that God would miraculously raise up godly parents in Russia who will adopt these young orphans. We pray also that the Spirit would bear up the many parents who are grieving as we are, who had their hearts fixated on this one child in Russia, and who are now told, “No more.”
The irony in our grief is as we look for comfort in losing our adopted child we find that our greatest comfort is found in having been adopted into God’s family through Jesus Christ. What greater comfort is there? We rest in the fact that our Father has not left us or forsaken us. We know he is good and that he loves us. And as his children he bids us to trust his sovereign plan — and by his Spirit, we do.
May God use this event for the sake of the advance of his kingdom. May it result it building up his church and bringing the orphans of the world not only into godly homes, but also into the arms of Christ who graciously bore our sin on the cross and provided a way by which we could be forgiven, declared righteous, and eternally secured in our heavenly Father’s home.
We love and miss you all, and we would most certainly appreciate your prayers.
Gratefully in Christ Jesus,
Barrett and Colleen