One Miracle After Another!

So sorry for the long awaited writing.  Sergiy and the NHFC hosting families all arrived on December 13th into RDU airport.  Although I was there for all the NHFC families as the director I was also there along with all the anxiously awaiting families with all grins, nervousness, anxiety and joy all clustered into one awaiting seeing Sergiy again.  Holding my sign and bouncing all other the place for the best place to take photos and being there to share the excitement with all the families at the same time.  Joe and Kolya went through the gate to bring the kids and Viktor the chaperone down the escalator.  First ones coming down was Kolya and Sergiy.  Sergiy hands in his pocket and wondering probably what the darn did he get himself into.  Kolya with his hands in his pockets with a krooked grin leaning against the escalator all calm and cool like he has it under control.  He's already been down this road.  LOL!

Sergiy our poor guy did not know what to do with the hugs.  He was distant and looked at us like we were literately nuts.  You would think hugs were a virus.  But over the time at the airport with all the families like Kolya did he eventually relaxed and realized we were not so bad.

Long story short in our 5 weeks time with Sergiy we were tested and we were tested.  Whether it be by Satan himself or by God allowing it to strengthen us as a family unit and it worked.   2 days shy of Sergiy leaving it was clear we were to return for him in a nick of time.  Very similar as Kolya's hosting being the last 4 days is when we knew and we were also very heavily tested as well.  We just cut it much closer this go round time wise.  Thanks to a dear friend who is a Russian missionary who we go to church with he dropped everything at a moments notice and came over to help clear up any translation issues and help us clear everything up to see if we truly could meet Sergiy's needs.  This was a big trust step for Joe.   That night Joe and I prayed and prayed before Dima came over that he would guide us and we both put our trust in the Lord that he knew what was best for Sergiy and our family.  And that trust Joe gave over came in an answered prayer of us reaching Sergiy and knowing we are to move forward and adopt him.  That was huge for Joe to experience and to see God's grace and blessings as well as myself.  It was clear as already preparing to be an adoptive family that many other friends of ours hosting and families we work with were being attacked spiritually with their kids.  It amazes me working in the orphan ministry how often you will see the war between Satan and God.  It is always big and you prepare for it to happen before the kids come and during the hosting.  That attacks are often and big.  The awesome part is seeing God's grace and mercy's along the way.  I love being able to work with the families and see even when the storm hits hard like their child they were going to host could not make it for one reason or another and they turn it over to God and know he is in control.  It is the coolest thing to be part of and take witness too.  It lifts your spirits.  This is one of the greatest things we can do as Christians is reach out to the orphans and oh how Satan is not pleased one bit.  I see it daily. 

So with all this said and God making it clear that we are to adopt and move forward to bring Sergiy home we are doing just that.  Our dossier has been accepted by the SDA office in Ukraine.  We have a court date just haven't been told the exact date yet because it has been a holiday in Ukraine (Their Christmas) so by the end of the week we hope to know when we travel.  We are preparing to take off for him the end of January the beginning of February THIS YEAR!

I now look back and see God's incredible blessings.  Sergiy our boy has spent his whole entire life in an orphanage he has never known any difference.  He family left him with broken promises the only two times he remembers.  In which on those times they said they would return for him and it never happened like so many kids all over the world that are abandoned by the ones that they are suppose to trust and love them forever.  We know we have a long road of healing with Sergiy.  His walls are high and thick because he has learned and has been taught to depend on himself and trust no one.  So we have much chipping away to do with God's guidance in this awesome 15 year old's life.  We have chipped away a little at a time and he has allowed it which is a miracle in itself.  Most of the kids his age we saw at Kolyas orphanage once they reached Sergiys age they would turn down adoption because they wanted to be independent and be on their own and risk it all because their hearts were hardened.  Kills ya.  Everytime we hit a hard time I found comfort in knowing we chip a peace of the wall and I would hear the song in my head "Now let the healing begin" over and over in my head.

I know without a doubt now why God allowed his birthdate to get so messed up that we thought it was April not July it forced us into fast mode to get his dossier done.  So we thought we saw all the miracles in how God allowed us to get the dossier done in 3 weeks was to beat his timing out which actually now we know that we would have been ok because his birthday is in the summer.  BUT this is where Gods grace and mercy is on and in this boys life.  With the shutdown and had we waited until February when the SDA reopened to do all the docs to adopt him we would have gotten there in the spring to early summer so we would have gotten there in time physically but we would have lost him completely mentally.  There is no doubt and no question in my mind.  I now know why God allowed something so impossible as the dossier being completed to adopt him in an impossible amount of time why it became possible.  Amazing how God works.

So as we took all the kids through security to their boarding gate it was so awesome to give my boy lots of huge and kisses and him not want to let go.  Hugs were no longer a virus.  He asked if we will write and call and I told him you betcha.  He wanted a photo album so I jumped on it and made him one of all our family photos and times together like I did with Kolya so he had something to hang onto.  I packed his backpack full of treats to tie him over and his suitcase full of peanut butter and syrup which he loved!  He asked if he can take some of his toys back for his friends and I said absolutely.  We bought some gifts for his teachers that he clearly had a good relationship with and everything had to be carefully chosen for each of them.  It was too cute!  So as the kids went through the gate Sergiy waved good bye to us until he could see us no longer.  It was the coolest thing.  It just warmed my heart.  I know it did my family and the folks that met him during our times together at the airport.

My sister, Denise and her husband hosted as a back up a young man Andriy and he won their hearts and they are now also on the move to adopt him.  He was the hard one to get through the security line.  The whole time he tried to break away to get back to my sister and would hang on anything and everything and calling out "Mama".  Thankfully he knew me from last hosting and also with him being with my sister he is already family to me so we struggled through the line together.  So he would at least hang on to me like he did last time but this time he really attached to my family so it made it extra harder.  But now my sister and I and our families are officially in this together.  It was funny because she reminded me the other day that when we were little we vouched when we both had children we would have them together so they could be the same age and grow together.  With both of us have fertility issues and neither of us having our own it is funny how God works.  My sister adopted my niece when she was a baby and now Danielle is Sergiy's age, 15.  We have adopted Kolya and the boys Andriy she is adopting is 14 years old.  So even though the way we thought we would have kids never turned out to be it still did but God's way.  Nothing finer!!!

So now we await for a date and put our trust in God that he will provide our financial needs for the adoption costs in this ultimately short amount of time.   It is really frightening to think how much to raise in the short amount of time but yet I am at peace.  I have seen God do so many miracles my faith is strong and he will provide as he has already has done along the way putting together the adoption for Sergiy.  So this is where we once again pray and put our trust in the Lord and see him rise to the occasion (which is so awesome by the way) like he did with Kolya, New Horizons for Children and also the Orphan Ministry with the Way of Gods Grace.  We got $22,000.00 to raise in 4 to 6 weeks.  So I am excited to see the Lord take us through this journey where we have to 100 percent trust in him start to finish.  HEHA!!!!

P.S. And yes in case you are wondering his mullet is gone!  He came to us mullet-less.  But he is loving his new dew and the hair gel to get his hair all spikey.  He came downstairs the morning we flew out with gel in his eyebrows and couldn't see because he got so excited about it!  LOL! 

We are doing a puzzle fundraiser for Sergiy like we did Kolya were we will offer up puzzle pieces asking for a donation of $10.00 a piece.  Kolya loved it!  What we will do is write your name on each puzzle piece on the back and when we go to Ukraine for Sergiy we will bring it back to him and put it together and let him see all the families that help bring him home to the US of A!  We have 252 puzzle pieces to offer up as a fundraiser to help bring our boy home.  The photo is of our family right here below this paragraph that you will be helping put together.   If you would be willing to help donate please send any donation to Nicole Dewberry at 5748 Olde South Rd., Raleigh, NC 27606 and in the Memo please write: FOR SERGIY! 

The Dewberrys!

Mum and her boys!

Ma and Sergiy! He calls me Ma.....like an Italiano!  Love it!

My Boys!

Mom and Dad

Pop and the boys!

Pop and Sergiy

The Dewberrys!

Our GQ family photo.....

This photo says it all to me about him.  Shy, always thinking, adorable and so stinking smart.

Sergiy flipping!

Our handsome feller Kolya

The Boys!

Sergoiy trying to hide from the camera.

Sergiy, Pop & Kolya at the airport before Sergiy headed back to Ukraine.

Ma hanging on to her boys for a hug before he heads back.  Gotta get all the hugs I can ya know!

 My giggling boy which is so awesome to see!

 Ma and her boys!

 The future brothers and cousins!
  Sergiy, Kolya and Andriy!

 Sergiy and Pop busing up!

The knucklehead family!

The future Collins Family with Andriy & The Future Dewberry Family With Sergiy!

 Ma and her boys in the truck on the way to the airport.  Funny thing is I finally smile without a funny face ( I do look a little like I am gagging though) and then both my boys do one!  NOT FAIR!

One last shot with my boy!

This is Andriy who my sis is adopting!  Gotta love this crazy kiddo! He fits in the family perfectly!