fathering the fatherless

I sat outside the head doctor’s office praying, and here’s where my thoughts went: “Lord, help this woman be in a good mood; give Vitaliy favor with her. Have her sign Vitaliy’s paper with no issues. . . . God, honor Vitaliy before this doctor; he is fathering a fatherless boy; he is imaging You by becoming a father to the fatherless. Please honor him before this doctor. . .”

My eyes were tearing up as I thought about this, that my husband is fathering. Of all the social and cultural attacks on fatherhood that go on currently and have gone on through past centuries, here is a huge proof that fatherhood is alive, strong, and thriving: A man takes an orphan and fathers him. A man takes legal, emotional, spiritual, parental responsibility of a helpless, moneyless, fatherless child.

That’s a man: a brave, courageous, fathering MAN.

We’re working towards adopting a little boy named Paul. He is two years old. About a month ago, we put the pedal to the metal to adopt him, and God’s been giving us green lights all the way. (There are so many factors swirling around, it’s too much to write out here.)

Vitaliy leaves this Sunday for a week of evangelism training, so I wanted to get all his medical tests done before that, so I can turn in all the papers to the regional govt while he’s gone.

Today Vitaliy went out to try and get his last signatures–two. We wondered if the last doctor (called “terapevt”) on the list was the same doctor to sign the final paper, but when he went to see her, she signed her line, but then said that the final signature is from the head doctor in the polyclinika–and, the terapevt informed him, the head doctor wouldn’t sign that paper unless he also had about 3 more blood tests and a cardiogram.

Vitaliy came home and we talked. We came up with a plan. He could go tomorrow and get all those tests done at a private clinic (we called them for prices), I could get the results (while he’s gone at the seminar) and take them to the head dr for her signature.

But we have also become rather experienced about this type of thing: each person (doctor, official, etc) tells you what the next person requires, then you do those things and go to the next person . . . who really doesn’t require those things and actually requires other things . . .

It’s Ukraine.

It’s not only Ukraine, I’m sure, but it’s certainly not America. There is no word for “efficiency” in this language.

So we end up just driving to the polyclinika with a plan. He’ll just go in with the papers he has, act like nothing is missing, and see what the head doctor says. If he has to get other tests done, he can then ask if I can bring the results next week and get the final signature without Vitaliy being present.

We go. And after waiting forever, he goes in. . . . I sit outside still praying. . . .

And he gets the signature. . . . .

PEOPLE, HE GOT THE SIGNATURE!!!!!

PEOPLE, HE GOT THE SIGNATURE!!!!!

PEOPLE, HE GOT THE SIGNATURE!!!!!

Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul! I will praise the LORD while I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. Do not trust in princes, In mortal man, in whom there is no salvation. His spirit departs, he returns to the earth; In that very day his thoughts perish. How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, Whose hope is in the LORD his God; Who made heaven and earth, The sea and all that is in them; Who keeps faith forever; Who executes justice for the oppressed; Who gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free. The LORD opens the eyes of the blind; The LORD raises up those who are bowed down; The LORD loves the righteous; The LORD protects the strangers; He supports the fatherless and the widow; But He thwarts the way of the wicked. The LORD will reign forever, Thy God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the LORD! Psalm 146:1-10

So here’s to all the great MEN who have fathered the fatherless. You are imaging God.

P.S. I just got our last document tonight, flown in from the States today. Just need to get it translated and off I go to the regional office to turn everything in. We still have miles to go, but . . . we’re speeding!