Twenty years ago on 9/11 I found myself in an airport terminal in Russia with a cab driver anxiously trying to communicate to me that I absolutely must follow him to view a tv screen nearby. He kept pleading with me, “You, American? Come! Kamikaze, airplane, TV, come.” He all but grabbed me to help me understand the urgency.
What he didn’t know was I was ALREADY fearful of where I was at the moment. I had been battling infertility for years and the Lord had laid it on our hearts to “take care of an orphan” (James 1:27). We pursued an international adoption but I had told the agency (and the Lord) I would not go to Russia. I was fearful of going there. The Lord patiently closed EVERY door to every country we applied to until one day, a very loving case worker explained to me that Russia would be open to us. I very reluctantly went through that process because of all of the fears I had and my preconceived notions of Russia and its people.
After what seemed like endless months of waiting (well over a year) we finally received a referral for a baby girl who needed a mom and a dad. We had countless miracles in this particular adoption story (we have three adopted children), but one of the most significant was her very name. The Lord had led me to a passage in Luke where Zechariah and Elizabeth were “blameless and barren” and my heart so identified with this couple. The Lord impressed on me to pray specifically for our daughter by the name Elizabeth. I had prayed earnestly that the Lord would make it abundantly clear which child to choose. I didn’t want to pick the ‘cutest’ baby or the one that seemed ‘safest’ for us. I didn’t want the guilt of choosing one child over another knowing that most would never be adopted. I wanted the Lord to make it glaringly obvious which referral we should pursue. I’ll never forget the day our case worker called to say, “We FINALLY have a referral for you for a baby girl. Didn’t you tell me you’d been praying for her by the name Elizabeth? Would you believe the referral that Russia sent for you is a baby girl by the name Elizaveta?” Hot tears! “Yes, that’s exactly who we’ve been praying for.”
So now here I was on the other side of the world, landing in an airport going to meet our daughter only to now learn that the terrorist attacks had happened and there were rumors of war and for all airport traffic to cease. I was terrified.
“Lord, I told you I didn’t want to come here and now I’m stuck here.” I had to fight fear consuming my heart and mind. We had a four year old and an 8 week old son at home with my mom and sister-in-law caring for them. I now had no idea when I would be able to return.
While many of my preconceived notions about Russia were more than accurate, we were astounded by how the people embraced us during that time. EVERYWHERE we went, they would stop us and tell us that Russia would stand with America and they were so grieved over what had happened. It was truly beautiful!
I didn’t sleep well while I was there. I was shaken by the timing of our flights from the States and humbled by our safe passage. The friend who booked our flights had changed our itinerary without consulting us. I was aggravated with him before we left but realized it was the hand of God once we landed. Our fate and Elizabeth’s could have been drastically different.
We soon busied ourselves with the tasks at hand which were meeting our daughter, enduring Russian court, and getting home as soon as the airports opened back up. Our case was expedited because the judge there was fearful war would break out and we might not be able to get home.
Twenty years ago (on the 13th) we were handed a little girl who was only 11 months old. She had a very rough start in life being premature and challenged by other health issues. I can still remember exactly how the weight of her small frame felt in my hands as they gave her to me for the first time. I can remember how fascinated she was by Randy because she had never been around a man. I have permanent pictures in my mind of other children who had no hope and no future. It was heartbreaking but I knew God had a plan for this tiny girl. He had a purpose and plan for her life filled with opportunities. We named her Elizabeth Grace because clearly she had seen the grace of God!
I learned a great deal about faith and the sovereignty of God on that journey. I began to learn there are things I will never understand on this side of eternity and I have to accept that. I can’t understand why some die and some live. Why some get adopted and some don’t. Why some people are spared and some aren’t. The Lord used that journey to teach me to stop resisting the Lord and His plans knowing that He has a plan and a purpose in all things. I had to accept on a deeper level that I live in a sin-stained world on this side of eternity and there will always be risk, heartache, and loss…and there would always be HOPE. There would always be evil, but there would always be good as well! I had to determine that as for me, I would follow the Lord ANYWHERE He led trusting Him for the results whether that be safe passage or not, whether I could see down the path or not. He abundantly proved His hands in the details of this journey and it became a spiritual mile marker in my life.
The verses we prayed over Elizabeth was Jeremiah 29:11-14: For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity.
❤️Elizabeth, twenty years later we are thankful the Lord gave us safe passage to claim you as our daughter and bring you home where you could have a mom and a dad and a future and a hope. Our prayer is that you call upon Him, continually pray and seek Him with all your heart, and then follow His plan for your life. He has beautiful plans for you. We love you! ❤️
Beautiful testimony!! Thanks for sharing it.