Taras

When we adopted last year, we saw a little boy who appeared to have a mild disability at the orphanage and we tried to find out about "Taras" People kept thinking we were talking about a different boy and finally we found out that we'd had the name wrong...his name was "Ivan" and not "Taras" and turns out he was adopted by a Ukrainian family. We were happy about that, though a little disappointed in a selfish way that we couldn't adopt him after thinking about and praying about him so long. We had wondered when we were there if maybe he was one of the reason we couldn't adopt Lacie at the same time with Sean (so we'd go back and get him too) but obviously it wasn't God's will for him to be in our family.

The other little boy that he'd been mixed up with, Taras, was honestly not what we were "looking" for... partly because the other boy was heavy on our hearts. While Ivan seemed mildy delayed, Taras seemed more disabled. He has a different chromosomal disorder (18th) than Downs, but we don't know much about him except that he can't sit on his own but he can feed himself. In the pictures he's always lying in the crib. John got to see him briefly last year and in the pictures, he obviously has a sweet, happy personality.

Our family had prayed God would show us if we should adopt any other child than Lacie while we were there and we prayed specifically about ones we knew-- 3 of them in particularly. We found out that the other 2 were either adopted or being adopted--praise God! As we prayed we began to care alot about this little boy.

Maybe because last time I'd opened my heart to adopting Lacie along with Sean, and she ended up not available yet, and partly from fear of the unknown I have been hesitant....will he be able to improve with therapy? will he be in a wheelchair forever? I've wrestled with these thoughts and in many ways its been harder than committing to SEan, who though disabled is physically pretty high level.

All through it, my children's sweet love and simple faith have blessed me...
they love Taras like a brother. They were thrilled at the thought of welcoming him into our family. They believe with God anything is possible....and it is!
I realized how selfish I was being thinking about all of the implications to ME or some might add to my children (in their eyes). What about the implications for TARAS? Like being transferred to a mental institution at the age of 4 (which is what he just turned....so in September he might be transferred) or spending the rest of his days in a crib, without the opportunity for therapy? What about never seeing God's amazing creation? or not knowing what it is to be truly loved?

I've been blessed by so many people I've met through this adoption process. I was contacted by a lady who has a son with a similar disorder as Taras who started a ministry to encourage parents who are diagnosed with a disability (I'll add that in here once I find the link). She told me that she tells God that heaven is not long enough to thank Him for her precious son Peter, who loves more than anyone she knows.

I've also been blessed by other adopting parents who took a leap of faith to give a loving home to a child that some might call too disabled to be adopted or improve. Like our friends who first motivated us to consider special needs adoption...their son Sean had severe physical disability causing seizures every few minutes and he wasn't expected to improve....a year later we saw them and he was laughing at his daddy tickling him, was seizure free,and had grown! Love is powerful and God delights in bringing restoration to orphans whom he so loves.

Also, we knew God would have to provide abundantly if we could adopt a second child too...and He has been providing in many ways (see earlier posts) So, God is opening our hearts (parents sometimes take longer) and we are prayerfully seeking ot adopt this little boy too....here are a couple pictures. Please pray if God wills that we will make it there before he would be transferred...




Do you know any good boy names that start with a "T"??