Falling For Evie, Part II



It has been a challenging week in our pursuit of Evie,

so we are going to spend some time remembering the miracles that the Lord has already performed on her behalf. 

 

Time to tell the rest of the story, started here.

 

So, we'd fallen in love, and had discovered that she was by pure miracle, a file of our agency, Lifeline Children's Services. 

 

God had already moved mountains for us. 

 

Unfortunately, on that Sunday AM, we were told that she was on hold with another family and had a list of other families interested in her.  Another neat connection was that we were one of those families.  Not recognizing her from the photos, we had no idea.  Still, many families were before us, so our hearts dropped.  She was SO close, yet truly far away.  We contacted some prayer warrior friends, and asked for another miracle. 

 

We prayed all day Sunday. 

Monday, the phone rang again.   

 

In a few words, our agency mentor, Andrea answered a prayer.  She told us that she was on hold for us if we wanted her.  She shared that the other family had released her file.  And though the list was long, Lifeline had prayed about it, and felt it clear that

 

God was speaking.

 

About an hour later, another agency worker called excitedly telling us that after months of paperwork, our dossier had a LID, Log in Date in China!  My prayer all along had been that we'd find our child around the same time that were were logged in. 

 

In perfect answer to prayer, it was the same day. 

 

This is a moment that has forever altered our faith, how we pray, and how we listen.  So often we pray, doubting the outcome, but hoping for the best.  This moment; however, was an "only God" experience. 

 

We later learned that a long series of families had had our girl's file on hold.  One family had even submitted a Letter of Intent for her to China and was in full pursuit of her.  Many others had wanted her, but had released her after having doctors review her file.  In the Lord's PERFECT timing, all of these holds and releases had actually held her for us, for the moment we were given her file.   

 

The week we were given her file also happened to be the week we were packing to move, and when Mark had heavy work travel.  We had two weeks to decide.  

 

We'd love to tell you that after seeing mountains moved, we said yes immediately. 

 

The truth though is that we are human and got scared. 

 

Her file was hard to read.  Evie had been fighting and that fight is far from over.  Her medical photos are hard.  Days before a house closing, we needed medical review of her needs.  We started with our pediatrician, who told us that her needs were extremely complicated. 

 

She suggested that we "let someone with more money to pay for medical expenses adopt her". 

 

That same night, our friend Laura called with a telephone number of a medical specialist who just happened to be a close friend of their family.  This man was leaving THE NEXT DAY to move his family to Kenya for medical missions, yet he reviewed her file and called us.  He confirmed that her issues were significant and that many tests and many surgeries would be required.  He is a man of faith though, so he reminded us that

 

hard for us is not hard for God. 

 

Though we wanted her with all that we are, we got scared.  At the same time, our microwave stopped and our sink flooded, all the week that we were moving and Mark was travelling. 

 

After moving, Mark immediately had to travel again to Haiti.  So, I sat in a new house filled with boxes & two little girls with a hard file on hold calling more doctors.  Local surgeons and a specialist at a children's hospital in Cincinnati confirmed the level of complication.  We contacted hospital financial departments and our insurance company to learn more hard news. 

 

I shed lots of tears and forwarded the information to Mark.  While in Haiti that week, we barely were able to speak.  I was able though to tell him that I believed that God had confirmed to me that she was our daughter, but that I submit to his leadership of our family.  Beyond that, we were not able to talk. 

 

If God had confirmed it to me, I trusted that He would for him too. 

 

 So, during that painful week, we both experienced a test of faith.  I was surrounded by friends to talk it through with, but Mark was in Port au Prince dealing with God. 

 

Of course, the miracles continued and Mark returned with tears in his eyes and a yes on his lips. 

 

God was calling us to do something that made no sense to the world,

but the call was clear.  We'd been given a gift.   

 

On March 6th, we submitted an LOI for Evelyn Han Huizhen, and have been fighting for her ever since. 


You can read Claire's story here.