Here it is from the beginning as promised... Our story of adoption began in July of 1995. The above picture was taken at an orphanage in Moscow, Russia. Roman is the little guy with whom I am laughing. I can remember it like it was yesterday... At the time I was a single 27 year old who felt her heart strings pulled the day I left him there. You see, he was approaching the age when many orphan boys are never adopted. He is now 16 or 17 years old. I pray tonight that he found a forever family to care for him and love him. His sweet, loving spirit just needed a place to call home.Five years later on March 29, 2000, I met David Svenson, the man with whom I would share my life. We "ran into one another" at Chick-fil-A... of all places. I had just left Carmen Carmen Salon, and he was on his way to video John Belk's 80th birthday celebration. As we stood in line, David noticed I was holding a book called The Return of the Prodigal Son. You see, I was preparing to go on another trip to Russia that summer, and I was reading about this famous Rembrandt painting before I actually saw it at the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. David asked me if I was reading it for a class or pleasure. I kind of laughed and briefly told him about my summer mission trip as we waited to order. When we sat down in the restaurant we talked briefly, and David asked if he could call me sometime so that he could learn more about my summer adventure. I jokingly told him he had to get a copy of the book I was reading so that we would have something to chat about. Little did I know, David's parents owned the Intimate Bookshop at Southpark Mall for 27 years! They had the book waiting for him when he returned home from his job that evening.
We stayed in touch until I left for Russia in June and continued our relationship after I returned. On October 19, 2002, we were married. It was the happiest and sweetest day of our lives. It was a dream come true for both of us. We both believe it was GOD who brought us together that day at Chick-fil-A. Not by chance or by accident, but by God's perfect timing and providence...
It's getting late, so I will continue the story tomorrow. Thanks for joining us on this journey. We are blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful family and friends.
Hey Julie, I have read your blog with great interest and commend you and David for your choice to adopt. I have more than a passing interest in your decision. I have watched our granddaughter Lainie blossom before our eyes since Bobby & Jennifer brought her home from China almost two years ago.
ReplyDeleteNothing is more noble, more Jesus-like, more heroic than rescuing a child. As I write this, I am in Honduras, a third-world country to be sure, and one that has many orphaned and abandoned children. Later this year I will return to South Africa where older children are raising younger children in homes where both parents have died from HIV/AIDS.
You and David are making a huge difference. It has to be a God-thing. Go for it.
Ronny Russell