when dreams become a reality

Yes, it's true.  One little boy's dream is about to become a reality.  The thing that he has waited for, longed for, hoped for, asked for day after day, and dreamed of having...will soon be his.  He has been chosen.

Oh, my goodness gracious!  We really do serve a God of wonders--a God of miracles in 2011. 

I can finally tell you that...

VANYA HAS A FAMILY!

Over the last two weeks I have watched the most incredible story unfold.  We got such an overwhelming response from people being willing to bring Vanya home.  So many opened their hearts and fell in love with him.  Then, suddenly things changed last week and we needed a family urgently.  Once again many inquired but most had approval to adopt from other countries, and the process to change things would just take too long. Time was not on Vanya's side.

We trusted the Lord to bring the right family--the one He had chosen before the foundation of the universe to be Vanya's.

Finally this week a family stepped forward who had all the required paperwork, including approval to adopt an older child from Ukraine. Things moved quickly as they felt led to pursue things a little further.  We continued to pray as they faced a few obstacles this week--things that could totally prevent the adoption from happening.

BUT GOD!

He who loves the fatherless moved them ALL.  Every mountain moved.  Every obstacle obliterated.  Vanya has a family who can get to him super quickly.  In fact, some of their paperwork will be hand-delivered to the adoption affairs office in Kiev next Monday...in just four days time.  That will hopefully be enough to keep Vanya in his current orphanage until his family gets there.  Praise God for that! 

How awesome is our Father in heaven! How passionately He loves the orphan!

But there's more--and this is just a little detail that the Lord is blessing me with, but I have to share it with you because it really is a testimony to how much God cares about the things we care about.

Some of you may remember when I advocated for sweet Julia last year.  She's the beautiful little love I got to know in Ukraine because she was in our Hailee's room.  Julia is almost on her way home.  Her mommy is in Ukraine right now finalizing her adoption and next week she will be an American. Well, God totally blessed me with Julia's adoption--never did I imagine that the little girl I fell in love with and had to walk away from and leave in an awful room in the orphanage would, just one year later, live less than an hour away from me. But she will.  I can hardly wait to be able to visit her soon.

And Vanya? Gorgeous boy will live right here in my city--just minutes away!

How God loves to spoil His children!  I feel so very blessed.

I am so thankful to the Lord. I believe He has chosen the perfect family for Vanya.  Oh, how I would love to be a fly on the wall when he hears that someone is finally coming for HIM...not another child....for HIM!  Can you even imagine?  I get teary just thinking about it.

How can I ever thank you all enough for helping me to spread the word about a little boy with a dream in his heart?  I played such a small part in Vanya's miracle.  It really was a kingdom effort--the glorious body of Christ coming together to rally for a sweet boy desperate for a family to call his own. Thank you for all the cross-posting, the Tweets, and the Facebook updates.  Thank you for donating to the Chip-In (The $15, 835 raised should completely cover his adoption costs) and thank you to each and every person who donated items for the giveaway.

Vanya is coming home!  Glory to the RISEN King.

Thank you, army of the living God, for helping to make the life of one orphan boy matter to so many.

Standing in awe of my God who promises to never leave us as orphans.

"I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you."  John 14:18

BECAUSE HE LIVES!