Is This Your Son?

While we were falling in love with our new sons in Ukraine, we were falling in love with this face, too. Meet Misha Dermelyov. Misha was born June 9, 1997. He was diagnosed with Hirschprung disease and had two surgeries within in the first year of his life. Because of these surgeries, he has a disability status, but you would never know it to look at him! Misha lived with his mother and two elder sisters until his mother died from a heart attack in 2009. He then lived with one of his sisters until she died from heart complications. His other sister has also passed away. In August 2010, Misha came to orphanage #1 in Mariupol. Tanya, the director of the TLC where Ruslan lives, has developed a relationship with Misha and has been given permission to bring him to the TLC on the weekends. He also attends church services with her.

Our focus in Mariupol was definitely bonding with Ruslan and Andrey. But Misha seemed to weasel his way into our hearts very quickly. He is very sociable. He came into our room as much, if not more, than the boys. He is always eager to help out, always has a smile on his face and is eager to learn new things. Our hearts just ache at the thought of what the future may NOT hold for this young man. He needs a family. There's a part of me that wishes that family was our family, but we don't even qualify for another child in our home (through international adoption). It became clear to me that there are a million Misha's in the world, but this was the one God had put in front of me. I could either choose to shake my head and walk away or I could be his voice.

Back when we began our adoption process, I wrote a song. The chorus said,
"I'm singing for those without a melody. I'm singing for those without a voice. I'm singing for those without a choice. Lord, let me sing!"

I sang that from the bottom of my heart many times. And now, knowing this young man, I am convinced that he is a direct answer to that request. "Lord, let me sing!" Adopting Ruslan and Andrey doesn't mean walking away from the fatherless. It means always remembering them.

If you find yourself staring at this face, wondering if God is calling you to your son, please contact me and I will do everything in my power to help you through the adoption process. It's an enormous headache with a million obstacles...and it's totally worth it!

If Misha is not your son, pray for him. Pray that God will give him a bright future, a family and a home. Pray for Tanya and the other staff members at the TLC in Mariupol who reach out to kids like Misha and introduce them to Jesus Christ. Please consider sponsoring kids like Misha at jeremiahshope.org. I've seen the way this ministry works. It's a beautiful thing.