We are a family formed entirely through adoption. Svetlana and Andy came home from Russia in 1998 and 2000 at 10 months old and 16 months old. Mel, 3.5 years old and suffering from mumps and malaria, came home in 2007, followed in 2009 by Biruk and Hanna, 12 and 10, who were AIDS orphans. I had begun volunteering with Project HOPEFUL and was excited when Reece's Rainbow began advocating for HIV+ children. I went to the online photo list to see and pray for the children we would also be advocating for.

As I scrolled through the faces of these beautiful children, I heard a voice whisper, "Traci, one of these children should be yours." An interesting internal conversation followed.

"Surely you mean one day in the future, Lord. After all, Biruk and Hanna have only been home for six months!"

In reply, "One of these children is yours."

Shortly after that, during breakfast on Father's Day, the children looked at their father and said, "Dad, where is our little sister and when is she coming home?"

In August we began the paperwork to bring home a darling four year old named Anastasia. We experienced a number of odd paperwork snags and were unable to travel to bring her home until the middle of June, 2010. We traveled to Kiev and from there Slavyansk. We spent nine days visiting Anastasia twice a day, playing and laughing and falling in love. On July 1st, the day before her 5th birthday, we kissed her good bye, told her to have a nice lunch; we'd see her in the afternoon.

This is the last time we ever saw Anastasia. Her adoption was not to be. Due to unique circumstances beyond our control, we were denied the opportunity to adopt our daughter. Distraught, we returned to Kiev to await the release of our dossier. We petitioned God about what we should we do. Do we leave empty handed? Immediately, God began showing us through scripture what we should do.

Proverbs 3:27 (New Century Version)
Whenever you are able, do good to people who need help.

We had the paperwork needed to adopt a child under four. We were in Ukraine, a country full of children who need a home. We dare not turn our backs on a single one of them. We requested a new referral and were matched with our precious Dasha. We traveled to Donetsk to complete her adoption and were able to come home using the original return airline ticket on August 8th.

Hope is not lost for Anastasia. She is in our Father's hands and I trust that He has a plan for her. In the mean time, her plight is what spurred the FIG Foster Family Support Program. Just like Anastasia, thousands of children languish in institutions because they are not adoptable. If foster families could be found and supported, new opportunities for these children to grow up within loving homes would open up. My desire, Project HOPEFUL's desire; that no child be left behind. We hope to encourage and enable all to make a difference in orphans' lives.