Inside the Kremlin in Moscow

Mr. & Mrs. Beaver:

It was our last day in Moscow in November 2010. Our family had traveled to Russia to bring home our newest members through adoption--Daria (15-1/2), Alexander (11), and Oksana (6). We went inside the Kremlin to see the beautiful churches hidden to the world by the tall walls. The weather was lousy--a cool damp drizzle--but even so the domes on this church seemed to glow without the help of sunshine. The tiny mosaic tile which wrapped each column was a work of art all in itself.

While we were awed by so many beautiful sights within the Kremlin, as parents we only had eyes for our new teenage daughter. For her these famous tourist draws represented the colorful, unique and beautiful culture she would be leaving as a result of agreeing to be adopted. Daria was suffering with the knowledge that the next day she would be say farewell to all she'd ever known and loved. Our normaly vibrant daughter was as droopy as the weather, and our hearts just ached for her! Truthfully, we couldn't imagine what it would be like to lose language, foods, smells, just to mention a few of the losses she would experience. We longed to listen to her heart on this last day in her motherland but since we didn't share a language yet, all we could do was move through the Kremlin at the pace set by Daria, with tissues handy as tears fell.

Daria dipped low this day and again several times once she was living in America. Each time we gave her space in our attempt to treat her the way we would want to be treated. After she'd had time to grieve the loss of Russia, she'd emerge caustiously ready to embrace being a member of our family in mid America. God's grace saw all of us through these difficult times, which now are nothing but a distant memory. She still loves Russia deeply, but now her ties are to our family here in America. Even more importantly, Daria also now belongs wholeheartedly to Jesus Christ and is investigating ways she can spend her life serving the Father of the Fatherless who has rescued her twice.