We are the Freeman family from Tucson, Arizona. God has blessed us with three beautiful children from Russia. After several years of struggling with infertility, God called us to adopt. I still remember the day when I came home and asked my husband to consider adoption. Brian, in his wisdom, suggested we pray about it. Within a few days we felt God confirming in our hearts that he wanted us to adopt. That was March 17. 2004. Little did we know that on that same day, a little baby boy was found abandoned in Volgograd, Russia. It took us a long journey and over 2 years to connect with him, but when they told us that he had been found on March 17, we knew that our son had been “found” in more ways than one. We brought Benjamin home in June 2006 and he is an amazing blessing.
March 19, 2009
Russian Adoption Experience
I had always had a heart for adoption...i had worked at our local childrens shelter when i was single & loved 2 little boys who lived there & who were available for adoption. I remember thinking that someday when i had a hubby & was older that maybe we could adopt a child. Years later, Greg & I met, married & had our sweet Thomas! After his birth is when the reality of what it means for a child not to have a mom & dad really hit us. Thomas was completely helpless & dependent on us for everything! We could not comprehend a child coming into this world & not having the safety & love & all that parents give in the tiny moments of each day.
When Thomas was 1.5 years old we couldn't stand it any longer. The call to adopt became so loud we were starting to lose sleep. We were praying & listening, praying & listening. There were so many unknowns about adoption i just wanted to make sure we were really doing what God wanted for us.
After telling one of my friends that we weren't sure whether to adopt or not & that we were trying to listen for God's direction, etc. She sarcastically said something along the lines of "oh, yah..God doesn't want you to adopt." That was it! I had to laugh because of course the calling was from God!!
So Greg & I went thru our local county's foster/adopt program & during the very last class i believed that we were not supposed to move forward locally. After prayer & many mornings out on our balcony at dawn we decided to adopt from Russia. Like many other families, we weren't exactly sure why Russia, we just felt pulled there & not anywhere else. We signed up with America World & requested a boy since there are so many there. We traveled twice & brought Thomas with us! Thank God for my brave Greg because i'm not the most relaxed traveler.
So here we are now home since March 2008 with our little Siberian tiger, Andrey. We are a family of 4 and soon would like to have another biological child. Family life has been the most satisfying & challenging time of our lives! It's really a beautiful thing. The boys are true brothers in every sense. They have tons of energy & stack up our furniture & put holes in our walls with anything that resembles a tool. I have to laugh & then i have to thank God. I have to also thank God for sending me all the way to Siberia because now when i feel scared (greg is rarely scared) to do something minor, i can say, "hey, i've been to Siberia twice, I can do anything!"
Greg, Jeanette, Thomas & Andrey Dini
Spiritual Stretch Marks
It was a snowy, blustery day outside. Just the right kind of day to spend a few hours in front of the computer, checking out fellow chatter’s journeys as they expanded their families through adoption. As I wiped a tear from my eye and began to mentally regroup, I found myself praying for yet another family who was in the waiting process, seeing no outward signs of movement.
“What is it you desire us to learn, God?” I asked as I sat there praying. “This waiting is sooo hard. Did we not hear you correctly when we felt you were calling us to Russia to adopt? Is this incredible longing and hope we harbor deep in our hearts something of our own making? Why is this so hard?”
Then I began to really think about what adoption is, especially the international adoption we were in the midst of. Someone from around the world, knowing that there is a special someone out there that we’ve been waiting all our lives to find.
Meet the Nugents!
My first visit to Russia was in 1995, the summer after my freshman year in college. During the two months I lived there, I fell in love with everything: the people, culture, food, and language. When I left, I prayed that God would allow me to return one day. Nine years later, I returned with my husband and a team of ten college students to teach English for a month. It was a joy to share my love for Russia with Ben and to experience that place together. Little did we know that God was developing a love for Russia in our hearts for an even bigger purpose!
In the fall of 2006, God spoke to us about pursuing an adoption to grow our family after years of infertility. Once we started looking at the options, there was never a question about where our child lived. It had to be Russia! After signing our adoption agreement, we waited over a year for the referral of our son. After getting "the call," we eagerly ran to the computer to see the picture of the child that would change our lives forever. As soon as I saw his precious face, my heart felt a deep connection with his. Even though he lived halfway around the world and had no idea who we were, I knew without a doubt that he was our son. It didn't matter to me what his medical diagnoses were--he was ours. And getting on the next flight to Russia in order to bring him home seemed urgent to my mother's heart (although that wasn't actually possible!).
We first traveled to meet Sam in March of 2007. I will never forget how hard my heart was pounding on our way into the room to meet him. We were told we would first meet with some doctors in order to ask questions, and then Sam would be brought in to meet us. Imagine our surprise when we walked in and saw Sam in his caregiver's arms! The moment you first meet your child is one that every parent remembers and treasures and this is no less true for adoptive parents. I will never forget how small he looked, and how he felt in my arms when I first got to hold him. The three months before we were able to return to get him couldn't go fast enough. Our court date was the day before his first birthday. What a joy to celebrate his first birthday with him in Russia!
In the eight months since he has been home forever, all three of our lives have changed in ways we could not have imagined. Sam loves to learn and explore his world, and we delight in watching him do so. We talk with him daily about our time together in Russia and the miracle of adoption. We look forward to the day when he understands what this means, and what a gift he is to us. I am so grateful that God began growing my love for Russia all those years ago, and I hope we are able to return one day to show Sam the beautiful country of his birth.
~Melissa Nugent