Update on Kirill

Click here for an update on Kirill.  

Please take the time to read, pray, and spread the word!!

Standing Firm - The Battle for Kirill

 "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."

 Less than one week ago, our dear friends, Greg and Tesney Davis, were denied their request to adopt Kirill.  A judge ruled it would be better for Kirill, a precious 4 year old little boy with Down Syndrome, to remain in an impoverished orphanage full of other children with special needs for the remainder of his life - in a country where children with special needs are discarded and viewed as unworthy of being a part of society. If you're like me, you don't even know what to do with that!  

But our friends... they are strong in the Lord and in his mighty power! This adoption has been a year long battle. They have been assembling their armor piece, by piece, by heavy piece.

And the Enemy... he has been scheming since the day they said yes to giving Kirill a loving family.  

And it just so happens that the authorities and rulers and powers of this dark world are working through the authorities and rulers and powers of Kirill's country.  The day of evil came in a courtroom halfway around the world. But my friends... they were able to stand their ground.  They had done EVERYTHING.  And they stood.  Heartbroken and devastated, they stood.  And they praised.  And they gave glory to God.  They said that they would, no matter what.  And they did... because they were prepared. The belt of truth was buckled around their waists long before they entered that courtroom. The truth that "God sets the lonely in families." The truth that God is "the helper of the fatherless." The truth that our Jesus is "one who in judging seeks justice and speeds the cause of righteousness." The truth that "God is faithful."  I have watched my friends as this process has turned them inside out and head over heels in love with Jesus.  Without that gospel of peace, they would not have been ready.  They rejoice in their salvation and are clinging tightly to the sword of the Spirit.  

But most incredibly, they have taken up the shield of faith.  They are fighting for Kirill.  They are filing an appeal to the Supreme Court of Kirill's country.  They are hiring lawyers across the ocean.  They've rallied thousands in prayer.  And I am believing that every. flaming. arrow. of the evil one WILL be extinguished!!

Please stand with our friends in this battle through your fervent prayers on Kirill's behalf.  This case is bigger than the Davis family and Kirill.  It will set a precedent for other families hoping to bring home their precious children from the same region.

As Tesney said.... The FIGHT is ON!

How honored and blessed I am to call these people my friends and neighbors, my brother and sister.  They are just broken, imperfect people desperately seeking to follow their Lord and walk the path that He has laid before them with courage and strength.  And because of this, after they have done everything, they will stand.  

beauty planting beauty

Sophia and I have had an unusual amount of "girl time" lately.  Saturday we had a girly lunch and then decided to plant some flowers to put on our porch.  She loved every minute of it, and I loved every minute of watching how much she loved it :).  What a gift she is.  

selah's first care package

Our friends, Tim and Anna, leave for Ethiopia in less than a week.  They will be delivering this care package to our sweet Selah for us.  This past week we were told that she had a fever and a cough.  I hope she won't be needing this tylenol and chest rub, but when a mommy can't get to her sick baby she has to do whatever she can to feel like she's doing something!  I already have another family who is going to take her a care package in April :).  Please pray that we receive a court date soon and we can deliver our own goodies in May!

gonna love her like CRAZY

I just finished uploading 8 photos of our family to send to Selah in the cute little photo album that I bought for her.  Our friends, Tim and Anna, are taking her a care package for us in just a couple of weeks when they travel for their court date!  They are adopting a precious little boy who is around the same age as Selah.  

These are the photos I chose for the album:

Then I got to thinking....   These photos might not be a fair representation of what sweet Selah is getting herself into.  Perhaps to be fair and to appropriately prepare her I should've chosen 8 of these:

Baby Selah - our table manners leave much to be desired, personal safety could be an issue, we often have attitude problems, and some of us are just downright lunatics.  But one thing is for sure.... 

We are gonna love you like CRAZY!

tom cochrane was wrong on this one

Tom sang "Life is a Highway".  I would like to submit that life is actually a ROLLER COASTER.

Friday we got the call we have been waiting for.  The voice on the other end of the phone told us that we have a little girl.  A beautiful, brown skinned and wide eyed baby girl.   And when I say she's beautiful...  it is only for lack of a word that could actually do her justice :).  I am in love.  She is smiling at me in her picture.  I just know it.  It was a great feeling to see her face after the months and months of paperwork and fundraising and waiting and praying.

(Enter roller coaster hill # 497)

The bliss lasted for about 24 hours, maybe less.  By Saturday we were hearing that the Ministry of Women in Ethiopia was making plans to reduce the number of intercountry adoptions by 90%, effective March 10th.  What this would likely mean for us is that we would still travel to Ethiopia and meet Selah in a couple of months for our court date, but our chances of passing court would be slim to none.  In order to pass court, you must have a recommendation letter from the Ministry of Women.  They have been writing around 50 of those a day.  They say they will now be writing 5 per day.

According to our coordinator, the courts in Ethiopia are still very pro-adoption and will continue to put pressure on the MOWA to reverse this decision.  Please friends, family, strangers.... please pray.

I am holding on to these verses from Psalm 112:

Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely, 

who conduct their affairs with justice.

Surely the righteous will never be shaken;

they will be remembered forever. 

They will have no fear of bad news; 

their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the LORD. 

Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear;
in the end they will look in triumph on their foes. 

They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor,
their righteousness endures forever

Our God has faithfully brought us this far.  He rescued our little girl, who was found abandoned.  She is in a place where she is well cared for and more importantly she is in the hands of God.  So for now, we give Him thanks and eagerly wait to see the next step of His mysterious plan.  

My Favorite Subject

New pics of Sophia over here....  Picture This