I've had a couple of people ask me about when I 'knew' that Daniel and I were supposed to pursue adopting Nastia-Eva Claire. Was it hard for me to leave Eastern Europe and leave all those children behind? Was I looking for a child when I went?
Not really. I had deep compassion for the children we worked with in the orphanages, but I'm very practical and never considered us as a potential adoptive couple. It was actually a joke in our family, "Don't come back with a baby," and not because they thought I would try but because it was ironic that I wouldn't.
The desire to adopt was a process. There was a catalyst.
I mentioned in the novel-length post that a group leader from TEAMworks sent out this photo in August, 2011:
What I didn't mention is that Nastia's picture caught my attention because she reminded me of my closest cousin growing up, Coley Moley. As a little boy, Cole was fair complected, blue eyed, and had pouty lips. Just like sweet Nastia.
Isn't it funny how God works?
