Of all the names for Jesus, Redeemer is my favorite. Why? Because of the very personal way God redeemed our family two years ago. Christmas is a reminder of God's redemption for all mankind in the form of a tiny baby who was sent to save the world. So it should come as no surprise that when we lost our Christmas baby, Abigail, in 2006, the holidays became a difficult time of year for us -- instead of a time of joy, Christmas became an annual reminder of what we had lost and who was missing. A time of sorrow.
The Bible is full of reminders of God's redemption and promises that He will take that which is lost or destroyed and bring forth something beautiful. But it has never been so personal for us as the Christmas when we got to bring home our Hope -- Galina Hope. When we boarded that airplane for Russia in August, 2011, we had no idea who this little person was. We did not know what she looked like, how old she was, or when she was born.
But God did ...
We had been waiting almost 3 years for this little person to join our family when we finally got the call. We were impatient and weary, but God's plan was in full motion, doing what He does best: putting all the pieces into place. We pulled up to the tiny orphanage and walked with anticipation to finally meet our little girl. Then it all unfolded ... all this waiting ... and what God was doing ... revealed in these final moments! She was two. Blonde hair. Hazel eyes. Exact heart defect as Abby, only hers was healed. Born on December 15th, Abby's due date. And we would have her home in time for Christmas! Our Christmas baby and God's redemption. Christmas would no longer be a time of sorrow for our family, but the celebration of Hope! Christmas, redeemed!!! Only God does that.
Galina's adoption was final on 11/1/11 and we brought her home on 11/9/11, just in time for Thanksgiving, her 3rd birthday, and Christmas. God's perfect timing after all that waiting. Every detail in perfect place. God's redemption.
This Christmas, we celebrate Hope: hope in the form of a tiny baby who was sent to save the world and the Hope that God gave our family two short years ago in the form of a precious little girl. Happy birthday, Galina Hope! You are very, very, very loved!
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