We were assigned to the Krasnodar Region in Russia. Krasnodar was originally named Ekaterinodar after Catherine the great which meant "Catherine's Gift". After the Russian revolution in 1917 the name was changed to Krasnodar which means "beautiful gift". I found this to be a sweet reminder and quite encouraging. Sasha is a beautiful gift that God created in His own image. A child He created knowing that we would be her parents.



Sunday, January 10, 2010

An Unexpected Blessing

We really enjoyed our cruise this past week.  What a great way to relax and enjoy time together before the busyness of tax season starts and kids fill our days.  After we arrived back in Ft. Lauderdale we had to take a shuttle back to the airport from the ship.  The ride probably takes no more than 10-15 minutes.  On the shuttle ride we began visiting with the couple sitting behind us.  Steve and Jane were their names and they are from the LA area.  If I had to guess I would say they were probably in their 60s and they were obviously frequent cruisers.  We started visiting with them about cruising but quickly found out that they were believers as well.  So, we spent time talking about our faith which led us to share about our adoption journey.  They were so encouraging and very excited for us. Steve and Jane were the first couple to get off the shuttle so we exchanged names as Jane vowed to pray for our adoption.  A minute later Jane came back onto the shuttle after collecting her luggage.  She approached us and handed me a $100 bill and said it was for our baby.  We were so blessed by the generosity of a complete stranger.  Most of all I am so thankful for the prayers they will be lifting up on our behalf.  One more time God has provided us with a bit of encouragement and confirmation when we needed it the most. Not sure what we will put the money towards but I plan to put it towards the purchase of something specific so we will have a reminder of this act of love that was bestowed upon us by fellow believers in Christ.      

2 comments:

  1. Tears welled up in my eyes as I read this. Such a beautiful reminder of God's provision, care and love for us. You are in our prayers this week and in the weeks to come. The waiting can be agonizing, but never more than we can bear. Keep depending on His grace to get you though. We love you!!

    Amy

    ReplyDelete
  2. These moments are so precious and I love it that you are recording them. It is wonderful to read about your blessings but it is so important to record this so you can remember it. When you have your child in your arms you will be able to tell them this story and it will be part of their story. Now that Ciara is 10 she can quote most of our stories by heart and it reminds her of how God worked for her to come to our family. It will be worth it my friend, hang in there. Praying for you! Abigail Lehman

    ReplyDelete