Our Blessing from God

By Lance Robinson

Adoption had been a subject we had talked of since we were married. It had been one of those fleeting "What if we... someday" types of dreams that may or may not materialize. Now we can't imagine life without our dream.

Our story begins really after the birth of our oldest child, Luke, in 1993. While Luke came into this world a healthy, bouncing baby boy (and still is!), Debbie experienced many health related problems in the next few years triggered by his birth. When we began considering a second child, adoption weighed heavily into our thinking.

It seemed so many couples we talked to were experiencing so many frustrations with domestic adoptions. Besides, our thoughts had always turned to the children across the world who were so needy of both physical care and more deeply, love and devotion. This awareness was heightened for me when on a church mission trip I stepped into the orphanages of Romania and stared into the eyes of the love hungering children. Debbie's heart had long been drawn to the children across the world who deeply longed for a family. So the search began for an agency who would unite us with the child God already had intended for us to cherish.

Debbie began by calling almost every agency in the United States! Finally after much prayer and endless phone conservation's, we talked with Peggy Ewing at Worldwide Adoption Services. There were no lightning bolts nor bells ringing, but we did feel that this was the agency to pursue. Two weeks later the phone rang asking us if we were interested in a 16-month old girl in Guatemala. Interested... we were elated!

One must understand something at this point. We both believe strongly in the Sovereignty of God. While this leaves some unanswered questions in life, like, "Why did Debbie have to experience health difficulties in the first place?" It has allowed us to understand that receiving our Brianna wasn't by chance or accidental, but that she is a privileged responsibility. A child given to us to care for through the providence of God. We have often thought of the comparison the Scriptures give that God adopts fully those who believe upon His Son as His sons and daughters, just as Brianna is fully part of our family. In fact, Brianna has become a little bit of heaven for all of us. It was six months after our referral on a Friday evening just before we headed to bed that the phone rang once again. All the paper work had been completed and we could go get our little girl! Nor more watching every detail of a 12 minute video to find out what she must be like. No more hanging on every word of every conversation with Peggy concerning how she was doing. No more laying in bed at night and talking about what she must be like. We were on our way!

Tuesday morning Debbie, myself, Luke, Debbie's sister and my mother drove from Knoxville to Atlanta to catch a flight to Miami and then to Guatemala. For Luke, this was much more exciting than waiting in the hospital! His anticipation for his baby sister was just as great as ours. Knowing Wednesday would bring our Brianna into our arms, Tuesday night did not provide us with much sleep.

We will never forget the first moment when Brianna entered our lives. I had already ran it through my head many times wondering, "Will I think of her as I do Luke? What will that moment be like? Is there anything to fear?" Debbie had longed for the moment with open arms. If any fears or doubts had existed, they were completely shattered when we peaked around a bedroom doorway in the orphanage and the director exclaimed, "There's Brenda (later to become Brianna)." There was immediate shedding of tears and lumps in our throats as we embraced our precious daughter who had been sitting with lonely eyes on the edge of a bed. She was more beautiful than pictures or videos could ever capture.

We would have never known how immediately and fully Brianna would fit together with our family.

Although only four months have passed, people are amazed at how tightly knit our family already is and we can hardly remember what a family of three was like. Brianna truly is our blessing from God.

WORLDWIDE Adoption Services, Inc

101 Builders Court, Spartanburg, South Carolina 29316
Phone 864-814-1336    Fax 864-814-1340