Another Daughter To Love

We had court on Monday when Anastasia officially became an Allen!! We were so blessed by the Judge who granted our adoption petition! She asked us many questions individually. We were asked questions like" Why do you want to adopt this child when you already have 4 children? and What made you cross the ocean to adopt this particular child?" We answered that we believe every life is created by God, so she is valued and the thought of her living without the love and concern of parents was so unbearable we had to cross that ocean. Each time we answered, the judge would smile and gesture in amazement. One juror had tears flowing down her face. Then the moment came when she stated it was her pleasure to allow us to adopt Anastasia and give her a new middle and last name. After many thanks to the Judge and jurors. We were the proud parents of another daughter Anastasia Belle Allen. She weighs 35lbs and is 39in tall. She has brown hair and blue eyes and she was born on Jan. 4th 2007. Anastasia was the name given to her at birth, which means Resurrection. It is very fitting since she was born 5 weeks early and was very ill. Healthcare professionals diligently provided her the medical attention she needed and spared her life. We gave her the middle name Belle after her great grandmother Lula Belle Allen.Now, 4yrs. later after the Lord saved her life, He is saving her again and giving her a Hope and a Future Jer. 29:11. The Lord gets all the Glory!! We would not be here at this time in history without His help, and the help of those He used as tools of blessing to support us on this journey. My heart has been so full and overwhelmed of all that has taken place on behalf of one little girl I haven't been able to even write about it. What I found out today was even more confirmation that it was God's plan all along to bring Anastasia into our family. I learned of all the people esp. the director of the orphanage and my facilitator who worked hard on her behalf to keep her at the orphanage able to be adopted. In Feb., the decision was made to give us only 6 months to get here. If we weren't here by July, Anastasia would have been moved into foster care unable to be adopted or sent to the internat and traumatized. Do you see how Faithful God is? He made it possible for us to get here when we did because He knew what we did not. We were never given details,but we knew her situation was urgent,so we prayed. I can still hear my little 4yr old son praying and asking the Lord to hide Anastasia, so she would still be there when we arrived. WOW! God heard our prayers, and the prayers of those who have prayed for and helped an orphan in distress James 1:27.

May the Lord be Glorified for His marvelous works Psalm 139:14.