Vanya has a Family!

I just have to share with you an update on Vanya that was sent out this morning.  I am SO EXCITED!  I shared with you about a week ago that a little boy named Vanya desperately needed a home before he was moved from a transition center to an adult institution where he would no longer be available for adoption.  He would be raised in a center meant for adults, in conditions we cannot even begin to imagine,  from the age of 8 years old.  But Adeye put out the call for God's people to pray and ask God for his mercies and guidance, and the LORD has answered, even in what our human eyes saw as possibly being 'too late', HE had a plan.  So, here is the email I received this morning...

What an amazing 2 weeks!  For an amazing little boy!  When Adeye Salem emailed me a couple of weeks ago that she wanted to advocated for a little boy and that the little boy she wanted to advocate for was Vanya, I knew something special was going to happen.  If you never read the original post, you can view that here.   This post included a letter from someone who works closely with Vanya and knows him well.

In just about 10 days, more than $15,000 was raised by more than 370 contributors!   And then, more than ONE HUNDREDfamilies responded that they might like to adopt Vanya.  The reason are getting this email---  you responded about Vanya (maybe just inquiring...maybe wanting to commit to adopt him).  There were MANY families who hadn't ever begun the process of getting a home study or any other adoption documents, there were some that had lots of paperwork done (for other countries) and there were some who checked in to making appointments for getting a home study started.

As last week went on, we received word that the country where Vanya lives is going to be making some changes in their procedures and what government office handles adoptions.  Therefore, they will be closing the office in early June and will be closed for an undetermined amount of time (probably 3-4 months or more).  Last time they closed for this reason, it was much longer.  It's been anticipated that it will happen,  but the timing was never known.  So it was a bit of a surprise only because we didn't know when it would happen.

So why did Vanya's situation become more urgent?  He is currently living in a transition center where he will not be able to stay long.  In fact, missionary friends in his country have lobbied the direct to hold him because Adeye was advocating and we were sure we could find a family for him.  They agreed if we could hurry.  Obviously, if the government stopped accepting petitions for adoptions for months, that's not "hurrying" and there is little chance they would/could hold him.  We know where he would be transferred and he would become unreachable at that point.  We couldn't let that happen!  So we put out the word that we needed a family with PAPERS READY.  On Tuesday, we worked with a family all day to verify they had what they needed and could get the certain documents updated quickly.  They did and they can.  Their initial paperwork will be arriving in Ukraine on Monday morning.  Our team in Vanya's country will be meeting with the proper authorities to get things underway and the rest of their documents will be mailed soon.

For this we are praising God!  He has provided for Vanya in so many ways and we know that He is not finished yet!!  Some of you were already feeling that Vanya was "your" son.  We understand that and we know the emotional roller coaster you have been on.  We too have been in the same situation and know that it is not an easy journey.  But be encouraged that GOD is in control and HE is the one Who opened your hearts to this little boy.

But let me assert this...perhaps Vanya is a face that you were able to put on the call that God is placing on your family.  Maybe He plans to lead you on a journey to rescue one of the MANY other children just as desperate as Vanya.  As special as Vanya is, he is one of so many.  

So you might think there are not enough Vanya's to go around...but THERE ARE.  Each one of you could rescue a child just like Vanya and we have still only begun to meet this desperate need!

What are the next steps for you?  If you want to be READY, get your passports, get a home study started that is general when it comes to special needs of a child, include HIV in the list of special needs you are willing to accept and include it in the recommendation.  Contact us if you are interested and we'll walk you through the initial steps and provide you with LOTS of kids for God to open your heart and family to.

Below is a letter from some friends in Vanya's country who know him well and work with many other precious children like him...

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your interest in Vanya. His dream is now coming true...he will soon be living as a loved son in a family that hand-picked him. It seems the whole world was praying for this boy and God has certainly answered. I can't wait to see his face when he learns the news!  
Vanya is not just a face of adoption: He is a real boy with real desires for real love and a real family. And though he is not simply a face of adoption, his story has stirred the hearts of so many. Honestly, we could take down Vanya's picture and put up another picture every hour on the hour and not run out of pictures worldwide for years. My prayer is that many of you who were touched by Vanya's story would remain open to adopt another of these precious children. I pray that all of you would share what you have learned about the status of HIV+ so that we can finally reduce the stigma associated with this diagnosis.
I thank God upon every remembrance of you.

While our family is not thinking of adoption in the immediate future, it is something That is on my heart, and you may hear me mention it periodically.  It is something that we are praying about.  I don't know what the future holds for us concerning this issue, but I know that I am willing and able with the help and strength of my Lord to be used by Him, either just to advocate the situation of the orphans, or to open our home and family to the least of these.  He will provide all my needs far and above anything we could ever imagine!