Hope

I have mentioned that when I saw Gabe's photo on Reece's Rainbow, and saw that he was soon to be transferred, I didn't suddenly feel all warm and fuzzy toward him (of course I thought he was adorable, but there was no instant connection like some describe), but i felt an URGENT need to commit to him. I felt panicky and very clearly told in my heart to do this NOW. I always thought it was because I didn't want to see this boy live the rest of his life institutionalized, but because of these recent events, I now believe God was telling me to get on the ball so that we could complete the process before the end of the year.

I believe God can soften hearts and prompt people to do things, but I also believe that he values our free agency above all else, and he will not force us to choose one way or another. I don't believe he would have taken the pen from Putin's hand to prevent his signature this morning banning all American adoptions. I do believe, however, that he will use the Holy Ghost to soften the hearts of those who can be an influence for good on others. I believe this is what he did in the case of the Deputy who has now proposed an amendment to allow special needs adoptions to continue. One of my favorite quotes says something to the effect of "God DOES answer prayers, but it is usually through another person that he meets our needs and answers those prayers." I am thankful for people who feel a prompting to do good and follow through with it! What a great example for me to remember and do in my own life!

The latest word from our agency is that our judge has agreed to issue our decree as long as the new bill doesn't specifically ask her to change her original ruling. Hallelujah! This is wonderful news. This means our facilitator in Moscow will attempt to pick up the Decree on January 10th. Once we have that in our hands, we can take it to get his new birth certificate, which will list is as his parents (tears!). We take that to the passport agency to get his passport, then flee to the American Embassy to get his travel visas so that he can enter the United States of America!!!! When his feet touch the ground in Denver International Airport, he will become a citizen of this great nation, with all the rights, privileges and protections she affords.

We know that nothing is set in stone, but this latest news gives us great reason to hope! We appreciate your prayers more than you'll ever know. No matter what happens, we will always be grateful. This is something I posted last night on Facebook, before we found out Putin had signed the bill, and before we got the good news about the amendment. I still feel this way, and always will: