As you may know, we adopted our son Kolya from an orphanage in Russia at the age of 9. He’s now 15. We came to know about Kolya through a family in our community who had adopted Kolya’s best friend, Nadia, when she was 7.

Nadia has the opportunity to share her faith story at church this Sunday. Her family invited us to come hear her share her story since it included Kolya. However, we’ll be on vacation and unable to join them. Instead, they sent her story to us via email and when I read it, I cried.

I hope you are as touched as I was.

Hello my name is Nadia Cavanagh. I was born in Russia and I lived in an orphanage until I was 7 years old. In the orphanage I had a best friend named Kolya. He and I were buddies. We would play with each other 24/7. He would stay next to me and protect me from any danger. Kolya would always have his bed next to me and we would hold hands during the night.

When I was adopted I went to America. I wanted Kolya to get adopted, too. I would miss him and I would cry for him. My parents did all they could do to try and find him a family. All we could do was just pray that he would get adopted. God had helped me by finding a perfect family for Kolya and God also helped me find a family for me. Now Kolya lives 5 minutes down the street from my house. We go to the same school and even have speech together every week.

In Isaiah chapter1, verse17 says “Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows.”

In Russia I did not have religion. When I went to America we would go to church every Sunday and I would go to Sunday school. I learned that God helped me find a family and he helped find a family for my friend Kolya, too. God also helped protect Kolya while I was in America. The Bible verse I chose says to help people less fortunate than yourself. God guided me and my parents to find a family for Kolya so we can always be friends.

Thank you.

P.S. If you’d like to read the whole adoption God-story click here.