From Dad

When I spoke with Paula yesterday morning, I was so happy that we finally arrived at the point where we did not have to ask the orphanage's permission to spend time with our son. Paula shared with me that she asked Chris to see the contents of the duffel bag that Chris left the orphanage with. He told her that there was nothing in it. Most parents of boys this age know that a boy answers a question with "nothing" when he does not want to answer the question. In this case, there really was nothing in the bag... except a tie and a small stuffed animal. What remained, from all he ever owned, was 2 items that were not stolen from him. Am I bitter? No. What I am is grateful that this boy will never again be treated in this manner again as long as he resides under the roof God has given our family. For the first time, he will experience dignity.

We did not come to Ukraine to rescue a boy named Andrey. We came to bring our son home. A rescue is an event that, after it happens, life one day resumes again at normal. Adoption changes everything for everyone involved. And this is the message of the Gospel. Christ did not just rescue us. He changed us. He changed our names. That change should make every day of our lives different than they would have been in the ordinary. That new name gives us privileges that we never before had. A new life.