How we got here, pt. 1

(me, looking like I'm 12, & one of my favorite companions, Sister Lavender. August 1998. Moscow, Russia)

A few weeks ago we received the call that we've been looking forward to for almost a year, but knew could take another year to happen. Our adoption agency let us know we had been matched and Russia had formally invited us to travel to meet our children. All we know is that we requested 2 kids under the age of 5, we'll find out everything else once we arrive. We also do not bring them home this trip. The finalization will occur in another couple of months & that's when we return and they'll be ours forever.

This whole adventure started 12 months ago (but in reality it's been in the works for years & years). On a beautiful fall day in October of last year I was having a conversation with a friend while pushing our kids on swings. We were talking about our missions. I explained when I landed in Russia as a missionary I shed tears. I was so overcome with emotion; I described it later to my parents in a letter that I felt that I was coming home. Because of this, many hypothesized I had ancestry in Russia, but I don't. As I recalled this with my friend, I nonchalantly went on to say perhaps it was because my children would come from Russia. That thought kept playing in my mind & despite my efforts, I couldn't let it go.

A couple of days later I was sitting in church when one of those undeniable promptings urged me to take this thought more seriously. Really? I thought. Could this be the path that we've been wandering in the wilderness to find? A calm reassurance overcame me: yes, it is time to make this happen. My eyes swelled with tears--for my children! for Russia! for an answer, finally, an answer! Thoughts, emotions, questions and excitement singed through my brain. I grabbed a notebook and wanted to record what I was feeling at that very moment. I did not want to forget the distinct nature of how the answer came and how it made me feel. My thoughts all came in Russian. Michael glanced over & asked curiously, "are you writing in Russian?"

I responded, "we have a lot to talk about."

(to be continued)