God has taken us through 6 days of incredible trial, blessing, and miracles, and so today, we are resting!
It all started on Tuesday, January 13. Go figure; 13 is our "lucky" number.
We got a message from our facilitation team that our medicals had expired. And if we wanted to keep our submission date of January 22, we had to have new medicals done and apostilled and in Ukraine by January 21. We had 8 days.
Impossible.
If we were going to make it, we needed to have the docs done and notarized by Thursday so Marc could take them to Raleigh on Friday and have them apostilled, so we could have them on a plane headed to Ukraine Friday afternoon.
Which meant both Marc and I needed to have TB and HIV tests on Tuesday.
I got the message about 1:30 in the afternoon.
I cried.
I had a small conversation with myself, remembering vividly the message that we learned on Sunday: what to do if God's plan is not our plan. And the answer was to submit, obey, and pray.
So I prayed, through tears, and told God that if another delay was in His Will, we would accept it. I prayed for strength to accept it. I told God I would pursue this adoption until he put up a solid brick wall impeding our progress, and I prayed, prayed, prayed.
Then I called my friend, Val Quimby, Harvest lady, home school mama, and problem solver extraordinaire.
"Hey Val, this is Becky Collier, and I am sorry but I am going to cry. I am alright, I promise." And I was alright. My emotions were fragile, but in my heart I knew that God was in control and I could trust him. And I was clinging to that.
Val gave me the cell phone number of Marc's doctor's wife, and we made plans to meet at the office at 5.
We drove to my doctor's office to see if they would do my tests. They said no. I texted everyone I knew and asked them to pray, and as Marc and the boys prayed in the car, the receptionist said, "But wait a minute. Let me make a call." And at 4:58, I was getting a TB test and having my blood drawn for an HIV test.
Miracles.
I made an appointment for Thursday afternoon, Marc made one for Thursday evening, and we were set to go.
Our amazing notary, who is also a Harvest attendee and an adoptive mom, traveled with me Thursday, to my doctor's office, where we sat listening to the girls' song (how incredible that it was playing over the sound system) and waiting for the doctor to enter. It was none other than Denise Bilhorn, Titus 2 woman, Hickory Harvest attendee, and adoptive mom. She and Mary Ruth, our notary, gave me such encouragement. We were able to complete the paperwork.
Then, Thursday evening, Dr. Bob Glenn and his wife, Martha, met Mary Ruth, Marc, the boys, and I at Dr. Glenn's office at 7 pm to finish Marc's paper work. Dr. Glenn and his wife are also Harvest members and parents to two boys and two girls, and they have been incredible to Marc and I throughout this process. We are so thankful for all of them.
Marc drove 3 hours to Raleigh on Friday to get our papers apostilled by the state, and then sent them to Ukraine.
They arrived in Kiev this morning.
God is so good! This would not have been possible without the love and support of our local church members and the prayers and encouragement of all of our family and friends.
Two of our wonderful friends, Dr. Bob and Martha Glenn
Romans 12:10:
Love one another with brotherly affection. Out do one another in showing honor.
This week, we have truly been out done.
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