“Love never
fails…”
-1
Corinthians 13
Her name is Anya.
She has 12
children.
5 of her own, and 7 that she and her husband have adopted.
Immediately, you
may get some “cheaper by the dozen”
mental image- and it’s sort of true. Her life consists of huge vats of food, tons of laughter, kids playing sports and musical
instruments…
…her home is full
of joy.
One of her sons, Vanya, was born with issues in his
spine. There were surgeries, but in the development of his life it has left his
legs unusable, so he
does not walk and lives out his in a wheelchair.
He is sixteen years
old now, but when he was younger, Anya was with him at a hospital visit. During the visit she met another little boy who had similarissues as Vanya, but had been abandoned by his family- left at the hospital for strangers to deal
with.
Her heart broke.
She told the
doctors she would take him home on the spot.
However, she was not
allowed and even when she made another attempt to truly take him in, he disappeared into the hands of the government.
She was ruined
though.
After some time,
with God working on her husband’s heart as well, to give him the same desire as Anya’s… they began adopting…
And they just didn’t
stop.
One of the healthiest and craziest addictions I’ve ever seen.
She and her husband
do not have times without stress, without worry creeping in- finances, clothes,
food, education…
…but our team saw how in the midst of those worries,
they surrendered,
and when it looked crazy
to take on another child, they allowed
God to expand
their capacity to love and to care
for. Even with their own child handicapped,
they took on another
boy with leg issues.
As I sat, sipping my tea (oh yes- mom I am a tea drinker now), I
listened to Anya who spoke with a genuine
tenderness
about each of her kids, the joy they
bring her, how her life would be incomplete without them… she
loved so well and so deeply.
There have been
moments in my life where I have been profoundly inspired to be something more…
When I saw the film “The
Mighty Ducks” for the first
time, it made me believe that any athletic event I ever participated in had the opportunity for victory no matter how much of an underdog I was…
There is that feeling
of triumph over
the impossible.
Each time I hear
the song “How Great Thou
Art”, my heart feels connected to a God who is absolutely indescribable, and as I lift my voice with a hundred
others I feel apart of an unshakeable
energy…
There is that feeling that you can’t quite name… but you know
you are apart of something great.
I
had a volleyball coach in college who made me believe that as a 5’2″ setter I could play like I
was a 6 foot giant…
And I would end up performing
beyond my ability.
As I sat in this
small kitchen listening to this woman’s story, Anya made me believe that love
could change the world. I got that feeling that victory was possible in the face of impossible
situations, that we as humans possess the ability to perform beyond our abilities when we are working in tandem with the
One TrueLivingGod.
Sweatpants… a big
t-shirt… hair up in a clip…
…and she was one of the most beautiful, extraordinary women I’ve ever met.
I could not help
but feel that I was sitting in the presence of someone truly great, and here
she was tucked away in a smallvillage of
Ukraine, where she would never get any earthly accolade or recognition…
But she is absolutely changing this world.
And I pray that
some day, some young woman will sit in my kitchen, listen to me share about the
way God has moved in my life, and instead of hearing about anything impressive,
will see the same love in me that I saw in Anya.
