Sad news from Russia

As the girls ate breakfast this morning and watched, "Curious George," I scanned the news on my phone.  I came to one story, and my heart sank.  I knew that Russia had passed a law, banning all adoptions by American parents, but I was hoping and praying that Putin would not sign it into law.  Today, he did.

Russia holds a special place in my heart.  Although I've never been there, we considered adopting from Russia.   My first job after college was as a teacher's assistant in a public school system in Missouri.  Specifically, I worked with English as a second language students.  My students were middle school age and came from all over the world.  We had students from Mexico, Columbia, Iran, Jordan, China, and I also had one very special student from Russia.  This young lady was adopted, along with her little sister, by a family in our community.  She came to the U.S. at age 12, I think, and knew not a word of English.  Consequently, a great portion of my time was spent at her side.  I went to classes with her, often pulling her out in the hall to work one-on-one.  I was amazed at how quickly she caught on and learned to communicate with her teachers and classmates.  As she was able to speak a little more, she shared some with me about her background.  She held a very special place in my heart, and I cherished my time as her teacher.

God used this girl in a very specific way in my heart, opening me up to the possibility of adopting an older child.  At that time, hubs and I were already beginning to plan for our own international adoption, but had never even considered the possibility of adopting beyond the age of two.  If you've followed my blog for long, you know that our sweet Chinese daughter is four, in fact, she'll be turning five in February!

As an adoptive mother, I know how difficult it is to have the picture of a child for months, dreaming of the day when you'll be united with that child.  It's difficult to explain the depth of emotion one feels, but suffice it to say that until that day came, I felt as though a chunk of my heart was removed and had taken up residence a world away.  It was one of the most painful and difficult waiting periods of my life.  This morning, when I read that news article, instantly my mind thought of all those parents in waiting.  Those souls who've surrendered countless hours for paperwork and training, along with thousands of dollars of hard-saved or fund-raised money...all they have is a photo, and now that might be all they'll ever have.  As an adoptive mother, I can empathize with their pain.  I feel it deeply, and it grieves me to the core.

You see, what that little girl that I taught so many years ago told me about her life before adoption still makes me sad.  She went though things that a child should never have to endure.  She may have healed from her experiences, but the memory of it has shaken me, made me aware, and opened my eyes to the need in Russia.  What Putin really did today when he signed that legislation is sentence 700,000+ Russian orphans to a life of loneliness and despair, all in the name of politics.  It makes me so sick, and I can barely stand to think of people exploiting children in this way.

A very Godly woman from our former church in Kansas City reminded me today that Putin is just a man and that God can still work.  Right now, I'm trying to focus on that truth.  It's the one ray of light in this entire situation.  My specific prayer today is that this hold on US adoptions will be temporary.  But if it's not, I'm also praying for God to stir the hearts of the Russian people to adopt their children.  I read that currently, there are only 18,000 Russian families waiting to adopt.  With over 700,000 orphans in need of a home, that's a huge gap to be filled.  Fortunately, nothing is impossible with God.  Will you join me in praying?  It seems that at least for now, it's the only thing that can be done.