My name is Jill. My husband, Tyler, & I have three beautiful children (Anna – age 8; Keith – age 5; Kristina – age 5). We adopted the younger two children in November 2008 from Ukraine.

I want to share with you our story of this amazing adoption process. First of all – we’ve always wanted a big family. Both Tyler & I come from large families. Anna was born one year after we were married and she is a delight. From the time that she turned one year old, we struggled with infertility issues and were not able to have another child. For about two years Anna prayed every night for a brother and a sister. Then we discussed the idea of adoption. Shortly afterwards, I had a dream where I saw the outline of a little girl. She had blonde hair and was about 3 or 4 years old. We determined that we would probably adopt from Russia, since the girl was caucasion in my dream. I discussed the idea with my brother-in-law, Yury, who is from Belarus. He did some research and said that Ukraine would be a better country to adopt from than Russia. My husband & I prayed about Ukraine and felt overwhelmingly that it was where our children were. We decided that we wanted to adopt two children – a boy and a girl: one older girl who could play with Anna and a younger boy.

So, in a leap of faith we started the adoption process and chose our home study agency (Cherub International) and our placement agency (About A Child). Then I was talking with my friend, Valerie, who has adopted two special needs children herself – one from Uzbekistan and the other from Ukraine. She introduced me to the Reece’s Rainbow website – which has pictures of special needs children up for adoption in foreign countries. It was there in the siblings category that I first saw Nastya – and she fit the image that I had seen in my dream. I was floored! I couldn’t believe it. And when I saw that she & Nick were twins – I realized that God had answered my prayers. I had been praying for twins for 4 years! It was an incredible experience. I called Tyler, who was driving home. When I described what I had found, he felt God’s Spirit very strong and began crying. This confirmation united us in our commitment to making these children part of our family.

Tyler & I had discussed the idea of adopting a child with special needs, and we felt really good about it. So, when we saw that Nick has CP (cerebral palsy) and mental retardation – we were at ease concerning it. I have always been comfortable with those who have special needs – I’ve worked in nursing homes and became friends with those who had handicaps and truly enjoyed those wonderful people. Additionally, I want to share with you a promise that I made to God concerning special needs. When I was pregnant with Anna, the first ultrasound that I had showed some abnormalities in her head to body ratio. The doctor was concerned and scheduled another ultrasound for the following week after at a different facility. That whole week I was in distress, thinking something might be wrong with our baby. I finally prayed to Heavenly Father and told him that if it was his will for me to raise a child with special needs – that I would do it and that I would do my very best to raise him or her. The following week the ultrasound was completely normal, so I didn’t think about my promise that I’d made to God – until I saw Nick. And then I knew that I was being blessed with the opportunity to raise this boy and do my very best to help him have the best experience that he could possibly have.

And so, this was our goal: to adopt these precious twins and bring them home as soon as possible.

Our guest blogger this week, Jean Sabin, has become a fast friend to our family.  She loves jogging outdoors and singing karaoke with friends and family; she enjoys and appreciates all mediums of art, and her favorite color is pink.  She is sensitive to the needs of others and is often looking to help those around her.  Though we have yet to meet face to face, we feel a kinship with her and are grateful for her contribution to MPower those around her.

Today I had to come to the realization that sometimes we can’t have it all, but only have what God wants for us.  A great friend of mine likes to coin the phrase “you can push and pull God’s hand, but he moves it on his own so much easier.”  He also utilizes his scriptures more than anyone I know; he would never admit it that his favorite verse is Psalm 25:9–”He teaches the humble in what is right and teaches them His way.”

If there is anyone who has been humbled in the past few years, it is my friend Dre.  But none more so than the past few months.  He has survived two life-threatening surgeries–and has had to bury a best friend–and a childhood friend–within days of each other.  He even has had to lose his job due to his health.  But he was always grateful for what God has given him.  He always has a positive outlook on things, and, as he says, “just tries to love life for what it is.”  This is a man who at one point (not too long ago) had it all–the girl of his dreams, the job he always wanted, and the house that he thought up.  Unfortunately, he doesn’t have any of that anymore yet he is still grateful for what God has given him.

I love this man, and in many ways I am in awe of what he has had to endure. Today he had to face failure (now I have known this man almost my entire life and I can’t remember him ever failing at anything he puts his mind to, but today unfortunately he failed an exam that he really wanted to pass so that he could work for a company that he has always wanted to work for but as I previously mentioned he didn’t get what he wanted).

Sometimes having to be there for our loved ones in their time of need could be as simple as making them comfortable or just by letting them grieve. Anyone who has dealt with failure knows the value of encouragement, yet all too often we are quick to point out the mistakes and failures of others rather than their successes and the things they do well.  Barnabas, whose name means “Son of Encouragement,” was a person who grasped the enormous value of blessing others with words. He came alongside believers in the midst of trials and troubles of all kinds, and he encouraged them to press on and to be all that God had called them to be.

The value of lifting up the hearts of men and women is immeasurable. Encouragement strengthens character, increases confidence in God, develops loyalty, deepens faith, and stimulates joy.  We as women have a choice each day about whether our daily lives will be marked by encouragement or discouragement.  May we earn the same reputation as that of Barnabas.