No More Piece; Only Peace

We are so grateful to everyone who purchased a piece of our Piece By Piece Puzzle. The entire puzzle is completed, and a dear friend has offered to pay for the frame, as well! We are overwhelmed by your support, your encouragement and most of all, your prayers. This particular fund raiser was definitely a learning experience. Patience, patience, patience. As God placed each piece of this puzzle together, we know that He will place our boys in our home at just the right time. I am confident that His timing is much better than mine. Looking at this puzzle that was carefully put together over the last several months will be an excellent reminder of that. As your bought a piece, you brought us peace for sure. Here's the photo on the puzzle. Don't those faces just melt your heart? Brothers belong together.

Labor of Love

Romans 8:22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

I remember week 40 of both my pregnancies. I really had very easy pregnancies. My boys (despite their size now) were average babies. 7 1/2 pounds or so. But there was always an end in sight- a square to check off on the calendar. The DUE DATE. Both my boys took a week longer than we anticipated. And both were induced labors...so we could've been in for a much longer wait. The labors were different, though. With Levi, I had the pleasure of an epidural. I remember getting the epidural. And then I remember waking up to, "Mika, it's time to push." That's about all I remember. I do not remember his delivery. Kind of makes me sad. It's the reason we chose to video Noah's birth. With Noah, I received some pain relievers during my labor. But when the time came to push, it was out of nowhere and there was no time for an epidural. I felt EVERYTHING. I remember EVERYTHING. I literally cried out to God for strength during that delivery. I sang hymns! I preached a sermon! If I had to do it all over again, I would definitely choose no epidural. Sounds crazy, right? But there was something satisfying about the experience. It drew me closer to God. And I remember everything- the anticipation, the emotion, the pain and the joy.

As we wait to hear word from Ukraine, I am reminded of that labor. All this waiting and wondering will be worth it one day. There may not be a "due date." There are no squares to check off the calendar. But there is hope of a great day that is coming. In a way, labor has already begun. This is a labor of love. There are no epidurals to allow me to rest until their arrival. There is only life, slapping me in the face with sicks kids, lessons to be taught, recitals to organize, and soccer games to attend. In between contractions, I may have a tendency to complain. Morning bible study takes care of that real quick! Jesus' suffering was far greater when he chose to adopt me. So with every groan, I will think of the cross. Puts things into perspective for sure. Still, you will have to forgive me when I take a a deep breath every time I hear the words, "So when will your boys be coming home?". Deep breath. "We're just hoping for what we don't have...and waiting...patiently."

Witness

Today, I was blessed to witness the baptism of my niece Talia in Moorhead, Minnesota. I wasn't able to attend in person, but enjoyed the experience via the internet through their live worship site. It was a precious moment I will never forget. Last year, our son Levi was baptized and my in-laws, parents, brother and sister-in-law were all there for his special day. It is the most blessed event to celebrate for certain and most of us are lucky to have precious memories of that day in our lives. Levi and Talia are so blessed to have family surrounding them, in person or online. But today, I am reminded of the baptism I was unable to attend. Although it breaks my heart that I was not there for this proud moment, I am forever grateful for those who lead Ruslan to Christ and who were there to witness his decision.




May God surround Talia, Levi, and Ruslan with a cloud of witnesses that will help them run with perseverance the race marked out for each of them.

Please pray about sponsoring a child at the TLC. I promise you, your life will never be the same- and neither will theirs.

We Will Not Give Up

Just so you know, Satan- no matter how many obstacles you put in our way- no matter the wait, no matter the issue- we will NOT give up! We will be family to those boys...we are family to those boys. No matter the time or place, legal or not. With God on our side, you can try your best, but we will not be discouraged...He has always seen us through and we have no reason to believe that He won't this time. I said at the beginning of this process that I was in it NO MATTER THE OUTCOME because I knew He was in control. Guess what? HE STILL IS.

Those who stand with us, please kneel with us now. The SDA has issued us a registration number, but will not issue a travel date until they resume work (we are told this may be as long as 2 months). At the beginning of this process, we were told that the SDA would be closing and a new ministry would take it's place. God pushed that deadline WAYYYY back so we could submit to them before they closed. Now, they are officially closing (we are told). Pray that families that already have a registration number will be granted the right to travel as soon as possible. This affects our ability to be able to bring these two boys home, but it affects many other families in the process of adopting from Ukraine, as well. More importantly, it means that these children wait. This is a battle- a battle for the fatherless. Satan wants nothing more than to see families get discouraged and give up. Pray for the encouragement of those who wait. Pray for the children who are waiting for their forever families. Pray for a miracle to happen so that we can spend Christmas with our boys. My heart is heavy, but not broken. God is in control. His grace is sufficient for me, and His will is all I desire.

In Season

We spent yesterday in Norman, shopping for new Fall and Winter clothes for Levi and Noah. We do this every year, and every year, the boys grow a little faster than I thought they would. This year was no exception. It was, however, the first time that my kids began to think about style- what's in season. Noah fell in love with a fake leather jacket at Target. I've never witnessed such a romance. It was like they were separated at birth. When he acted up in the car on the way home, I wondered aloud whether we should give that jacket to another little boy. Noah replied, "But he wouldn't know how to take care of it!" Levi is at the age where he is really concerned what others think of him. I hate that. I want him to know his own worth, his value in the eyes of God. I miss the days where he hated to shop. His only words then were, "I don't care, Mom. Can we just go home?" Now it's, "Mom, that's lame." or "Wo! This is sick!" Time marches on without permission. My little boys are growing into young men quickly. Today, Noah's Science lesson was all about the rotation of the earth around the sun, explaining the "cycles" we go through each day and night and the season we go through each year. We spent a lot of time talking about our closeness to the sun and how it affects the seasons. I tried to impress upon him how amazing it is that God put us just the right distance from the sun- not too hot or too cold- just right. We couldn't stand it any closer or any further away. I began turning it over in my head. We are in a new season for sure, right here in the Hinson household. Big changes approach. Just the wondering is enough to make us spin out of orbit! But we are trying to maintain our position, facing the Son. Every day, someone asks the dreaded question, "When will your boys be coming home?" Every day, my reply is the same, "I don't know. We're just waiting." It gets a little more difficult to say each time. But even in this uncertain season, God is constant. He knows the date of their home coming.

He said to them,"It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority." Acts 1:7


"And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." Galatians 6:9


"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
a time to be born, and a time to die;a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal;a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh;a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose;a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew;a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate;a time for war, and a time for peace." Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

So we will kick back and relax in this season, knowing that God will provide- He always has.

Whatever season you are in, blessings upon you and your family.

Congratulations!!!!

Congratulations to Carissa O'Dell, winner of the Pendleton blanket raffle! Noah drew her name today at 5:00 in the parking lot of Mardel Christian book store. Much love to all those who supported our adoption through this raffle. We are truly blessed.

A Visit From God

I love the way adoption stirs the hearts of people. This is Marah Canfield. Marah showed up on my couch while I was teaching a piano lesson. She drove all the way out to our country home just to buy a puzzle piece. Marah has never been to our house. She had to get directions from her sister. Normally, I write the donor's name on the back of each piece. Today, Marah signed the back of her piece and slid it right into place on the puzzle. Your donations and your prayers do what Marah quite literally did today- piece our family together. We are forever grateful. Whether it takes a stamp, a punch of a paypal button or a drive to our home, it means so much when other people lend their support to our cause. Whether or not they know it, they are a part of a great master plan. We made this decision of faith to adopt knowing that God would provide a way to pay for this monster adoption bill. Every donation, big or small, is a moment of God's faithfulness being revealed to us. So a visit from Marah today felt very much like a visit from God. We are so very blessed by this experience.

Piece BUY Piece on SALE!!!!

Now that all four boys have been pieced together, help us finish up the puzzle and get it into the frame! The remaining pieces are now "on sale". Only $15/piece! We want to get this framed and up on the wall during October. Help us reach our goal. Spread the word! (feel free to use the share on facebook link at the bottom of the blog)