A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE!

Today is the day Michael and I headed for our annual anniversary vacation. We planned to go to Williamsburg, VA and to Washington D.C. over the next week. We left later than planned this morning, but we kept saying it did not really matter since it was vacation and we did not have a schedule to keep. Not long after we got on the road (about 12 PM), I called CHI and left our coordinator a message just checking to see if there were any updates for Tver. A little after 2 PM, we received a call, and I recognized that it was CHI. It was our coordinator. She asked how we were doing, and I told her we were traveling for our vacation. She asked if Michael was with me, and I said yes and started getting nervous. Then, she told me the most wonderful news—she had a referral for us!!! We were shocked and definitely not expecting to receive this news today! IT’S A BOY!!! She shared his information with me and told me we might travel as soon as next week or the week after next to meet him! I asked if we should turn around and go home, and she said to give her 15 minutes and they would try to get more information on our travel dates. We pulled off the interstate in Lenoir City, Tennessee and waited for her to call back. We found a hotel parking lot where we could get an internet signal and were able to check our email and see his little picture and read the full page document about his medical history and social interactions. He is so precious, and his medical history seems okay to us! (Of course, we will send it to the Vanderbilt International Adoption Clinic this week to get their expert opinion.)

Not long after we viewed his information, our coordinator called back and said that Yuriy (the Russia program director) called the CHI reps in Tver and woke them up! They said we could come as soon as we could get there! Tomorrow, we should get more details about our travel and find out what documents we will need to bring. Needless to say, we decided we would head back home. Fortunately, we were only about 2.5 hours from home at that point. On the way back into Nashville, we stopped at the Gap Outlet and bought him some clothes!! I have wanted to get clothes for our baby for so long, and we were finally able to do it!

We certainly did not expect this call today, and it has been so amazing! One other fun fact I’ll always remember… I was in the middle of working on my Bible study from Experiencing God when our coordinator called this afternoon. The focus of the week is on Hebrews 11:1, and Michael and I had just been discussing the verse before she called. The verse says “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.” This whole process has been such a faith walk, and the last 2 months have especially been a test of our faith. We know the next few months will continue to require our faith and complete trust in God. As He has done many times before, He showed us again today that He is faithful, and that if He calls us to do something, He will make it happen—just in His own way and in His own timing. Praise God for His answer to prayer and perfect timing in bringing this little one into our lives!

Thank you to all of our family and friends who have been so supportive and encouraging during the past year. You’ve been such a blessing to us, and we can’t wait for you to meet the newest member of the O’Neal family!

What happens next: We will update our post as often as we receive updates and will blog daily while we are in Tver. Please check back frequently for our updates.