Shortly after Christmas, we got an email from my Uncle Rob, Aunt Julia, and their boys, Ben and Elijah. It was long. (They're not usually long-email people.) It was surprising. And it was--IS--completely wonderful.
To make a long story short, my uncle's family has decided to adopt a little boy from the Ukraine. His name is Aaron, and if you are looking at our actual blog page (and not a feeder read), you can see his sweet face in our sidebar. Aaron is five years old, and he suffers from a condition called arthrogryposis, which limits the movement of his hands. In Eastern European countries, when a special-needs orphan reaches the age of four or five, he or she is transferred from the orphanage to a mental institution. This transfer is often the equivalent of a death-sentence because of the lack of care in these facilities. Little Aaron is in such an institution right now. God laid it on the hearts of my aunt and uncle to rescue this little guy from his current life and make him a part of their family... and hence ours as well!
I am wonderfully provoked by observing my Aunt Julia's passion for her new son. Yes, he is her son, even though he doesn't know that he has a family fighting for him in the far-away States. As I read Julia's blog, it becomes clearer and clearer that God has already made her Aaron's mom in the heart realm. If she could somehow complete all of the paperwork and vault all of the legal and financial hurdles right now, she'd be banging down the door of that Ukrainian institution tomorrow. Scratch that--tonight! What a picture of God's love for us and His passion to rescue us through the life, death and resurrection of His Son Jesus. What lengths He went to to bring us into His family, to make us His children! I know that these are truths that strengthen Julia, Rob and the boys as they walk through the arduous process of claiming their boy.
To read the complete story of how God brought Aaron this wonderful family, you'll want to start here, with the text of the email that Rob and Julia sent our family back in January. You can then follow the Nalles' blog to learn more about Aaron and the ups-and-downs of this tremendous thing called adoption. Please pray with us for my family and for Aaron. And if God lays it on your heart, would you consider giving financially to help bring my new cousin home?
Thanks, dear friends.
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capturing memories :: sharing laughter
Who We Are
David and Cara
Most happily married since October of 2003, we love Jesus Christ, each other, our wild and crazy kids, and serving our beloved church. David is the Ministry Teams and Tech Director at Covenant Life Church; Cara is a wife, mama, homemaker, avid reader, writing-lover, and novice home schooler. Our life isn't what you'd call exciting (though there's never a dull moment), but we love using this blog to share glimpses of our days with our far-flung family members. Even more, we love sealing the grace of God in our hearts by writing down [a tiny bit of] what He's doing in our lives.
Meg
At nine years old, our Meggie is a beautifully unique individual. Her defining characteristic is her irrepressible and contagious zeal for life. She gets excited about everything. She loves people, new experiences, books, school, dance, writing, and taekwondo class. In many ways, she sets the pace for this loud and affectionate brood of ours.
Matthew
Matthew, seven, was born with a sparkle of mischief in his eye--I have the post to prove it. His number one goal and gift is making others laugh. After that, he likes to create stuff--cardboard-and-tape stuff, origami stuff, Lego stuff, zany and offbeat craft stuff. The best part? This funny and creative package opens to reveal a wonderfully tender heart.
Esme
Esme Rose is a five-year-old fairy princess in disguise--or at least, we're pretty sure that's what she believes. Even her daddy (who is not given to the fanciful) says that she was made with an unusually high ratio of pixie dust. Other ingredients include independence, cuddles, stubbornness, sweetness, spunk, drama, fierce flying hugs, and a highly developed sense of femininity.
Graham
Even going through a pretty terrible Terrible Twos isn't so bad when you're also the doted-upon baby of the family. Graham is an expressive, comical, joyful, demanding, feisty, talkative, passionate little bundle of a person. He adores trucks, airplanes, and all other things that go, doggies, clothes, and being outside. He gives killer hugs and loves getting kisses. We can hardly remember what life was like without him.
Header and sidebar photo credit: Jonalee Earles Photography
2 comments:
Cara you made us cry this morning! Thank you so much! Yes If I could scratch my way into Aaron's institution... I would definitely do it in a heartbeat. So would Rob. Last night at dinner Dad prayed for Aaron that God would send one of HIS people to love on him. Wow! Both Rob and I looked up crying. It is so cool to hear the prayers of the saints lifted for one little lonely boy sitting in a crib halfway around the world!
Thanks for the post...Brandon and I have been reading your aunt's blog. What an amazing story...brings me to tears just thinking about it now. Aaron and your family have been on our hearts and we will definitely be praying for them.
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