As I've previously mentioned, Sasha was the fourth child we had received information on since November, 2008. Turning down the 3 previous children was very difficult and an emotional time for us. We really struggled with the "why us" questions over and over again. Little did we know what God was preparing us for.
Our first visit to the baby home was spent primarily with the baby home doctor going over Sasha's records. We were feeling overwhelmed before we even arrived at the baby home, just nerves of seeing Sasha for the first time was difficult enough. While we sat in the doctor's office the doctor and our translator talked back and forth and every so often the translator would stop and explain what was said. This was also very overwhelming for us. We just aren't used to being in a room with conversation going on and not understanding a word of it.
They continued to discuss Sasha's health and then it started happening. The doctor began stating other diagnoses that Sasha had that were not included with her original medical information provided to us. Immediately doubts were raised and our minds started swirling. Our worst nightmare was coming true, or so it seemed.
Because of the 3 children we had declined, we had become educated on a lot of medical issues and things that affect children in an orphanage. We learned about several diagnoses that are often given or attached to a child that mean nothing. For example, it's not uncommon for a diagnosis to be made of a child because they don't know what kind of prenatal care the birth mother received. The name of the diagnosis sounds serious but in reality its only referring to the lack of information available and means nothing. We also learned about the accuracy of the lab work performed in Russia, illnesses common and uncommon in that country and some other really helpful information. As we sat there that morning we became very grateful for our past experiences and the education we had obtained as a result. Quickly we were able to discern that the diagnoses the doctor was listing had very little or no significance. Sasha is a very healthy little girl and it seems the doctors were desperate to make her appear unhealthy so she would be eligible for international adoption.
Had we not been empowered by the knowledge we obtained in evaluating previous referrals, there's no doubt in our minds that we would have panicked that morning. Instead we were able to process the information, move forward and enjoy the short time we had with Sasha that day. God knew who our daughter was back in November when we started getting information on potential matches. Even then He was going ahead of us and working out the details surrounding our first visit with our daughter. Praise God for those trials that make us stronger, wiser and more dependent on Him.
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