A Special Story

I wrote about her here, just after meeting her. You can see how much I already loved her, how much her story touched my heart from the very first moment of meeting her. We knew that the time to find her a family was short, but we felt confident that someone would see how special she is. We felt confident that her family would find her.



That was a year and a half ago. Many people have heard her story, seen her video, and been touched by her in so many ways. More than one family expressed interest in making her their daughter.

I saw her again in June of this year. Again I was impressed by her grace and maturity. But this time I was a little more concerned. The time for her family to step forward was getting shorter. We all spoke again about how outstanding she is and how we could not allow her to turn 14 without a family.

After we got home, the story took several twists and turns which need not be detailed here. Suffice it to say, we found ourselves with three months until she would no longer be able to be adopted with no family committed to her. We were heartsick and heartbroken!

I called my friend, Kelly, to ask her about the most effective way to advocate and how to expedite the adoption in the event that a family stepped forward. I knew already of Kelly's love for her. I knew she would help me if anyone could.

That ended up being some of the most effective advocacy I've ever done. After thinking and praying about it Kelly and her husband, Eli, decided that she was the perfect fit for their family. They are experienced adoptive parents and have already adopted a teen from China. But more importantly, they found their hearts drawn to her and realized they were ready to do whatever it took to make her their daughter.

When we were in Texas recently our family was able to meet Eli and Kelly and their family in person. And guess what? We loved them as much as we thought we would (which was a lot). We have so many things in common! Our lives are pretty much centered around Jesus, family, and doing what we can for children who need families. Does it get any better than that?

But think with me for a moment about needing to fund an adoption that you weren't really planning for in three short months!  Eli and Kelly are willing to sell everything they can and do whatever it takes to get their daughter, whom they are naming Anastasia, home. Here is where we all can help. If you can donate even a small amount it will make a difference. They expect to travel in about three weeks and they still need about $8,000 to be fully funded.

There are a couple of ways you can donate. You can give through PayPal to kellypillar@gmail.com  ("send money to family and friends" and write only "Anastasia" in the comments) or send your tax-deductible check to The Well, PO Box 34, Moody, TX 76557.