Hal Tait and Sarah

  We had a celebration today!

Our dear friend Hal Tait came to visit us! And he brought BEAUTIFUL SHAWLS from Afghanistan.... The girls wrapped themselves up in them and were ever so thankful.
Thank you so much, Mr. Hal! :)  GOOD CHOICE!

Hal shared some more Sarah stories with us today.  I love it when he shares about finding our Sarah while on a Mission's Trip.    He captivated the table telling us about when she was just 2 and didn't have a leg yet.  He said that she was in the TB Sanitarium where we had visited before. He said she was all alone in a room and was totally isolated.  

She yelled from her room, "Helloa! "Helloa!" When he was walking by. He held her and she would not let him go.  He said she seemed frightened to be all alone. I can attest that to this day she strongly dislikes being alone. :( My poor baby. :(  He said she loved being held by him and when he had to leave her, she wailed... all alone in that room, in the near darkness with nobody. :(  

When Hal got home, he determined that he would make sure Sarah found an adoptive home. He could not bear the thought of her wailing and alone.  He DID THAT for her! Though she didn't remain in that home, she IS home and that is all that matters!  There were many tears at our table today as he shared his love for the Children of Ukraine.

 

And then the girls made a silly face! :)

A Visit

Our friend Hal Tait visited us on Thursday night. He spent the night and then left for Killeen Texas to visit his family the next morning.

Hal, is really a nice man. He went on a missions trip to Ukraine, back in 2001, and he met our Sarah. He has been going back every year since.

Hal was personally responsible for our Sarah coming to the United States.
You see, when he met her, he held her. And after he held her, she didn't want him to let her go. She clung to him, and then had to be pulled off of him. This was at the TB Sanitarium. She was pulled away and put in a crib and he said her wails, those desperate wails, made him cry. He couldn't get her off of his mind. When he came home to America, he took her picture and made a flyer and every where he went, he shared her story. All he knew about her, which wasn't much, he shared.

He came to his son's church in Texas, and shared about her, and a family's heart was touched. They applied to adopt Sarah. She came home to America on her 5th birthday.
And many of my readers know, she only lived with that family for 10 months. Her adoption disrupted.

As Hal was sharing with the girls how Sarah clung to him, she was grinning. He told her how happy he was that she was happy and healthy and safe..... and how God had orchestrated everything.

I was thinking about that. Even though, Sarah's adoption did not work out, with the other family, I am so thankful that they went and got her. Had they not, we would not have Sarah OR Erika. We would not have thought to go to the other side of the world. It is true. We wouldn't have. Ukraine was not on our radar screen. But God......

I am thankful that this family went. I DO believe that God inspired them to go. I do believe they did the right thing. And while, I do not understand what happened, I know they have learned just as much as we have about trusting in the Lord in very difficult times.

The important thing is, Sarah is HAPPY! She is healthy and growing and blossoming. Had they not brought her here, she would not be.

Disruption is a sad event. It is traumatizing for the family and the child and for the new adoptive family. But.... it is not the end of the world. It just might be the beginning that is needed for total healing.

I often think about Sarah's old family. I feel sad that they do not have the joy that we have with her. But I also think that they can say that they did a good thing for her in bringing her here, and also, in realizing they were not the parents she needed.
That is a very brave thing to think.

And Mr. Hal, when he gets home, said he has some very special pictures to send us of Sarah when she was in the TB sanitarium and met him for the very first time. I can't wait! :)
I'll post them when I get them.

We took Mr. Hal out to eat, and this is the girl's reaction when they heard him talking about a "girl friend". :)

Papa Dima is COMING and so is HAL!

We are so excited. Papa Dima, Galya, Olga and Irra are coming to town!
Olga is in Waco and will be graduating from College next month. Tomorrow morning, Papa Dima, Galya and Irra, will have their appts at the U.S. Embassy in Kiev. They are there to get Visas into the United States. Please pray for them tonight, that they will be granted favor and allowed to come.

Papa Dima was instrumental in helping us adopt Erika. He and Galya have a wonderful ministry to the Orphans in Ukraine. Their testimony is amazing and we thoroughly enjoyed being with them while we were in Ukraine.

There are so many awesome people that God has placed in this world to help those in need. Two of the most giving people I have ever met, are Dima and Galya. They serve selflessly and outside of "pubic view". What others think, does not sway them. They have taught Sunday School in the cold when they could not go into the orphanage. They have seen hearts change, they have been to places most people will not step foot in, including the TB Hospital and Sanitarium. That is where they found our Sarah. They have seen miracles take place in the hearts of those in authority and in the children.
They have had their hearts broken and felt the triumph of seeing a changed life. The biggest thing I see in their ministry is their commitment to prayer. They are on their knees without hesitation.

We are so honored and do not deserve to have them in our home; but they are coming and we are sooooo excited to see them.

Someday, we hope to see them in UKRAINE. But for now, we will settle on Wylie Texas.


(when in TeXas buy BREAKFAST!)

Hal is coming too! Hal was also instrumental in helping us with our girls. I will never forget calling him and asking about why Sarah was having a specific nightmare about being cold. He was able to give me helpful information about conditions in the TB Sanitarium and orphanage. We understood much more, when we experienced Ukraine for ourselves, but for Sarah, we didn't go to Ukraine. We just drove to Hillsboro. :)

The first time Hal called us, I saw the caller ID. It said, "The Pentagon"! I was thinking, who in the WORLD would be calling us from the Pentagon. We had no idea what a special little girl we were adopting and how many delightful people's hearts she had touched in her short little life. Hal talked for a long time about the ministry that was unfolding and about his dear friend Dima whom he had met in Ukraine.

What a blessing to have these people in our lives.