Gotcha Day!

I'm writing this a little early just in case. I just realized today that we may have to let go of our cell phones for a while so we can catch up on some other stuff. We might be able to use wifi in our area, but there's no guarantees. Oh well, makes life interesting, doesn't it? Which helps lead me to our story and this blog post.

All Glory to God! 

It was getting late on September 29, 2009. I think the workers thought we weren't coming. Lera was in bed and they had to go wake her for us. We didn't have time to stop to get her clothes before we got there because there wasn't any time. Even though we got up before sunrise, it was dark before we got to Lera's orphanage. We had just spent the entire day in Donetsk gathering Lera's birth certificate and official papers in order to prove she was our daughter before we could take her home. We went from Kramatorsk by bus early that morning to Donetsk, then all the way back to Lera's orphanage in Druzhkovka. Everyone was tired, but there was no time to waste. After things were set, we said our goodbyes, leaving with Lera for the first time, ever! Our cab was waiting for us outside to take us to our apartment. Lera started screaming to get inside, partly for fear and partly for joy. She was so excited she could hardly sit in her seat! This went on all the way from Druzhkovka to our Kramatorsk apartment. She was happy to be in our apartment once we got there, but we couldn't stay for long because we had a night train to catch! We quickly got our bags together and took our second cab ride with our daughter to our train. With no time to waste, we barely made it! No kidding, we had to run along the outside of the train to catch it, because it was already leaving when we got there! Running and reaching, we grabbed to pull ourselves up and climbed inside while it was in motion. What crazy, scary, FUN! I couldn't believe we made it, BUT WE DID! We were finally headed HOME! (or so we thought!).....(please read my book - Chasing A Dream Where The Sunflowers Grow - for what happens next!) 

On the bus to Donesk 

It was a long day! 

At the orphanage on Gotcha Day! 

Lera at our apartment

So happy! 

Lera hugging our facilitator :)

Daddy & Lera ready to go home! 

Life is good :)

18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. Romans 8:18

Just in case you wonder about me, I'm writing this to let you know, my life is good! As much as I love keeping in touch with all of you, my Internet family, and the latest happenings in the world that inspire me to pray and be a better me, and at the same time hoping my being around has inspired you in some way too, the upcoming days will change. And it's ok! I already know God has good things planned, and if losing material things means gaining Christ, so be it! Glory to God!!!!! God has a reason for everything. :) we just can't afford everything right now, and we have a lot of important things to catch up on! Please know I will miss each and everyone of you! The stories you have shared mean a lot because I love to hear how God works in your life and around the world. As well as the songs you have written, played, and sing, they will continue be heard on my radio! I will be listening to you and singing with you! I do hope our story has blessed you too! ( Chasing A Dream Where The Sunflowers Grow ) God knows He is writing the next chapter in each of our lives. I need to pay attention! I don't want to miss this! I do hope our paths cross again. Until then, let it be said, we gave it our all! God is good! Don't worry, God's got this! We are all in His hands and He won't let us slip through the cracks. I'll be keeping my Bible open, Lord knows I need to read it more! Your prayers, my greatest blessing! I promise, I won't forget to pray for you, or the orphans and the widows! I'll keep praying for justice and freedom for Pastor Saeed. May he and his family stay strong! Oh, how I admire their courage. What we are going through doesn't touch that! God bless you all my friends. Keep trusting, keep watching, keep praying. May God's peace rest on you, and may you feel His love! Amen. 

With Love,

Debbie - Jim, Alice, Hannah, Lera & the rest of our family, The Norsworthy's (photograph by Alice) 

Nothing Ever (Could Separate Us) - Citizen Way 

http://youtu.be/D-lvu54wBOU

Adoption: 10 day wait!

On September 14, 2009, it was decided in court that Valeria Angel Norsworthy should be our newly adopted daughter!

On September 24, 2009, it was supposed to be the day we were to take Lera out of the orphanage, after a ten day wait period required by Ukrainian law for adoption! Deciding to wait a little longer to be closer to our departure date, we broke her out on September 29, 2009 instead, to try and keep the schedule she was already used to at the orphanage before leaving for our long flight. But we found out once we got there, that our fingerprints expired in country while we were adopting Lera, so we didn't all get on the plane together as planned for October 2, 2009! Instead, Jim went home ahead of us, as only he was able to, once we updated our fingerprints. He was able to return to our other waiting children, while Lera and I waited in Ukraine for our fingerprints to clear, before we could go home, too. Boy, was I missing Jim while we had to wait three weeks for them to clear! I was an unexperienced mom of a former orphan, that we'd only known for two months, and even though we visited her every day from the time we met her, it didn't help our years apart. She was a five year old at the time, but more like a toddler, ready to explore her world! Can't say I blame her, but it wasn't easy - we were practically strangers - we couldn't even communicate with each other properly! As her mother, that was the hardest part, because she took to our facilitator's language over mine. :( She refused to listen to me! She wanted his family over me because she understood them. We stayed in their home, her first home, with her first real family, (sweet family!) EVER. It lasted for three.whole.long.tiresome.weeks!!! The most confusing and awkward time for both of us, but we got through it. :) Soon, what seemed like an eternity, turned to us eventually, both getting "home" too. :) ~ ADOPTION! 💖 this is what it means...

HELD - Natalie Grant 

http://youtu.be/aaj9c2_eUz8

Happy Dreaming!

I am teaching you to perform. ~ God.

“Your name will no longer be Jacob .... From now on you will be called Israel.” (Genesis 32:28a NLT)

"Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I am teaching you to perform, so that you may live and go in and take possession of the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, is giving you." (Deuteronomy 4:1)

Singing, or listening to a singer perform, is part of who I am. It motivates me and captivates me to pursue my dreams. Put a child in the midst of all that and I am yours, especially if it has anything to do with orphans or being a mother. I will listen to you much more if you sing your point!

I've wrestled with God, often. I can't wait to make it to heaven and sing with the angels!! I'm just passing through this old world to my heavenly home, but it gives me great pleasure to linger here on planet earth as long as I can hear a good song to keep me going, or I hear how orphans are being taken care of, or when it come to taking care of orphans, if there is a need that arises, and I know I can give to help one out, I jump on it! 

That's all. Just thought I'd share that with you. I'm still chasing my dreams, but it helps to identify who I am in Christ and how God wired me so I know how I'm gonna get to my dreams. I hope you are listening to God, as well, and together we reach for all He made us to be! ~ Happy dreaming! 

Chasing a Dream Where the Sunflowers Grow [Podcast]

³ O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. (Psalm 34:3)

I am super excited this aired today! This is my podcast for Finding Justice and my interview with Eric Dye. Inspired by our ninth child born with Down syndrome, that led us to adopt our tenth child from Ukraine, also born with Down syndrome. I hope by sharing our story, you will feel as much a part. Be blessed!! 

http://findingjustice.org/chasing-a-dream-where-the-sunflowers-grow-podcast/?fb_source=pubv1

Would you please help me and write a review?

²⁸ “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? ²⁹ For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, ³⁰ saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’

³¹ “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand?³² If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace.³³ In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.  (Luke 14:28-33)

Warning: don't write a book if you don't want to sell it. Yup. That's me! Because isn't selling a book like saying, look at me. Listen to me. Hear what I have to say? 

That scares me!! I don't even know if I said it right. But I do know I got this right, a little girl is home, and not living alone in this scary world without her mother! 

Believe me. I've thought about it a LOT! But honestly, do you want to know what I think about now? I don't care that we don't have a retirement saved up, or that we lost our house when the economy dropped, along with Jim's business, and his business truck. Or that we couldn't afford to fix our 15 passenger van when it died. Because God died to set us free! He got us through all of that, led us to our little girl, and led us to our new home! Jim is working again, we have transportation, and God's promise for a hope and a future beats any retirement and is out of this world! 

Writing a book was the least I could do to pay forward the gift of knowing our daughter has a family. But what keeps me awake at night now and hurts the most during the day is not that people hear what I have to say, but to hear the cry of every orphan we left behind! God opened my eyes to so so many more orphans laying in their beds helpless. No family, just walls. No one to tuck them in at night, kiss them goodnight, or give a drink of water before bedtime. They are lost without a family!

Would you please help me, help them? They need you more than I do. And I don't expect you to love my book. But if you read it, would you please write me a review and show your love for orphans? My goal it to get the word out about all the orphans waiting for their families! Do it for them and tell your friends. Please, It's not for me, it's for THEM!! 

Please go to Amazon and be their voice. Who knows, it might be just the thing that would help them find their mother. If God could use an e-mail, He could use a book too! With God, all things are possible! (Matthew 19:26)

With Love, 

Debbie

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1449716911

P.S. THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart. Be blessed! ~~ Eternally! <3 XOXO