Happy Birthday, Dear Eli, Happy Birthday to You!

There are a lot of things you hear and read about internationally adopted children; a lot of them are very accurate but they do not all apply universally. I am not generally one to tell others that I have great kids but I want to take this opportunity to tell people not to be scared of adopting older foreign born children and I am going to do it by bragging on the birthday boy. Eli turned 11 December 1, 2008. I gotta tell you, this boy breaks all stereotypes. He has never asked to be “returned” to Ukraine and is aghast at the mere suggestion of it. He tells me quite often how happy he is to have been adopted, thanking Gabe and I for adopting him and “for everything” we have done for him. He got money for his birthday, we took him to Target and he came home with one item and most of his cash left over; he wants for nothing. The rest of the kids have Christmas lists but there is genuinely nothing he can think of that he would like. However, he expects and trusts that we will be generous to him at Christmas time. The boy is smart as a whip; excels at English; and is willing to admit when he does not know something. He is anxious to learn new things and will even ask to do extra lessons in math! He is willing to share anything and everything about his past without shame. He is honest and thoughtful and has compassion on others. Granted, he is not perfect. He is easily offended and often quickly resorts to pouting. But God has had such mercy on Him. Yes, God. There is no way this child could have come through his first 10 years unscathed but for the hand of God in his life. He has a testimony of God’s faithfulness on his lips. He prayed for a family and knows that God heard his cries. He knows that Christ came into the world and died to save him from him sins. He understands that God is loving and tender and cares for him. I thank God for Roman Elijah Davie. I thank God for all He did in his life prior to July 2008. I thank God for missionaries like Shane Duke who faithfully shared the gospel with him and the other children in his orphanage. I think God for bringing him to America in the summer of 2007. Eli says that there are two days he will never forget. One is the day his first Papa left him, his brother and his mother. The other is the day he was adopted by a new Papa and Mama. May the Lord continue to always bring comfort, goodness and love where Satan means him harm. Happy Birthday, son.