A Great Day With Our Boys!

Yesterday was an amazing day! Our time with the boys was truly a gift from the Lord! We were very encouraged in our time with little Dimitri. I was holding him, stroking his face, praying and singing over him, asking the Lord to flood His body with life and with His presence. Right before we left, I took Dimitri's hand and he gripped his fingers around my finger and began rubbing my finger. I know that may seem like a small thing but for Dimitri it's not. He didn’t yell out when I held him facing away from me (so that he could see Derek and the boys). Normally if we don’t hold him facing us, he grunts and does his best to yell out. We felt the Lord’s sweet presence in the room with us. It was obvious that the boys were at a place of real peace. Thank you Jesus!

We drove to Roman’s village yesterday and that was wonderful! The inspector at the notary’s office was really kind to us. She knew little Roman’s family and was very happy that he would have a “chance at a good life.” Apparently Roman’s parents are very young and when little Roman was born they didn’t know what to do or how to care for him so they took him to the orphanage. Roman is a happy little guy with a smile that will melt your hearts! He loves music, as most all ds kids do. He loves to dance and clap his hands. I just can’t wait to have all our boys at home where we will be with them all the time. I know their spirit will thrive and grow in ways that only Jesus will fully know.

Sasha continues to be so drawn to electronics. He loved exploring Derek's computer which he accidentally dropped on the floor at one point. He is so precious and is a sponge, taking in everything! He will thrive when he gets home and has challenging toys that help him learn and explore!

I rode in a cart drawn by horses with a very sweet Ukrainian man. I was taking his picture and he asked me if I wanted to hop on his cart. Those of you who know me well, know that I’ll never pass up a moment to experience the culture of a land!

We stand in awe of Jesus’ love for us all. There is no way to completely express what we are feeling.... just experiencing the Lord very near to our hearts as we grow more in our understanding of His heart for the orphan.

I recommend that you read Meredith Cornish’s comment on our last post. What a beautiful story of encouragement and hope! Meredith, you left me in tears. We were so moved by what you shared with us about your children, your struggles and theirs. Our God is truly an awesome God. He teaches us so much about His love and His character through the broken and the weak. Thank you for encouraging us through your testimony of God’s goodness!

We have now chosen our boys names. Their new birth certificates will reflect those names. So, on our next posts you will see that we are referring to our boys by their new names, so, don't get confused! We haven't adopted any other children :).

Roman -> Silas Emmanuel - Dedicated to the God who is with us
Silas - “Dedicated to God
Emmanuel - “God with us”

Dimitri -> Ethan Patrick - Permanent, strong, mighty, ever flowing stream of nobility
Ethan – Permanent, strong, mighty, ever flowing stream
Patrick – “Noble” - St. Patrick was an orphan slave who went back to his land of captivity and brought the gospel.

Sasha -> Sasha Alexander - Defender of Men
Sasha – A derivative of Alexander
Alexander – ”Defender of Men” - Derek’s best friend, brother in law, and Sasha’s uncle is Alexander :-)

Thanks again for all of you who are faithfully praying! We felt your prayers in powerful ways as we went about our day yesterday! Thanks Annie and our awesome OJC intercession team back home. Your prayers are priceless and we love you guys!

Thanks so much to all of you who have left comments on our blog. It’s always encouraging to read your words of encouragement and love. We are honored to know you and to call you friends/family (even some of you whom we’ve never met face to face).

Love and hugs to you all!