A Day Longed For

This past week seemed to fly by. We visited Artur several of the days at the orphanage but also took some days off to recoup. The weather has certainly gotten colder. We are “gearing up” each day to strive to stay warmer. Mornings playing in the park have turned into mornings playing on and with ice.

Tomorrow (Monday) is a special day. We will pick up Artur from the orphanage and officially bring him into our family. He will say his final good byes to his friends and teachers. We will do the same.

I imagine that tomorrow will be bittersweet for all of us in some ways, especially Artur. Since he was 4 years old, the orphanage has been his home. He has known some of his friends since the first orphanage. We have met some of these friends. They have experienced things together that will forever keep them bonded in spirit.

Tomorrow will be glorious and difficult for us as well. We have gotten to know many of these kids well over the past 6 weeks. We have visited them for almost 6 weeks now. We feel close to these kids. We have grown to love them. We will not forget them. We will pray for them with God’s help. We want them to know that they are loved by our Great God. We will pray for families for these kids. Even though all kids do not desire a family, all kids need a family. We are convinced of this now more than ever based on our experience here.

How brave is Artur? I’d say he is quite brave. Helen first referenced his bravery. He is leaving everything that he has known for the past 10 years to have us as a family. I imagine that he is scared in some ways. But the Lord has worked in his heart, and we are forever thankful. Tuesday, we will have to drive around a lot in the car getting paperwork done. If you have read previously, you know Artur gets very car sick. So we gave him the option of staying one more night until Tuesday afternoon after we have done most of the driving around without him. He opted to leave Monday with us and just bear it! Of course we are all so excited, and will carry a plastic bag with us.

Some great “unknowns” lie ahead for him and all of us. What will family be like now? Will we communicate well? Will we get along most of the time? Will we ever doubt our decisions?

But a greater “known” lies ahead as well. The Lord has called us here, and He has promised to never leave or forsake us, or give us more than we can bear. God’s grace is amazing. We hope and pray that we will always marvel at His amazing grace.