Sasha, the Administrative Assistant and Web Designer for Ting Ministries, speaks about a Biblical adoption story we may tend to miss, and her own journey to finding her birth mom.
My Story: Russia & Redemption
Thank you for your encouragement, support, and prayers for Ting Ministries. In this month’s update, I’d like to share a few words the Lord has laid on my heart. Some of you may know that this coming fall, I will be a senior at Bucknell University. Next fall, I plan to pursue a Master of Arts in Religion (Biblical Studies track) at Evangelical Seminary. This spring, i am blessed to share about the open door the Lord has placed in my life. At the end of April, my Russian TA helped me find my birth mother, younger half-sister, and relatives in Russia! After I did an interview in Russian with my friend Maria, she helped me look through my adoption documents. After less than an hour of searching, she found my mom on Russian social media. Since then, it has been an incredible privilege to video call my mom, tell her I forgive her and that Jesus loves her, and learn more about the previously unknown circumstances surrounding my adoption. Just a small excerpt from my story follows and you can read more and watch the interview on my blog here.
My mother was very young when she was pregnant with me and when her dad (my biological grandfather, after whom I am named) took her to get a very late-term abortion. The force of the procedure is what caused my very mild Cerebral Palsy. When I was removed from the womb, doctors thought I’d be dead – but the Lord preserved my life! My mom stayed with me in the hospital until one day, when she came to visit me, I was gone. They had moved me to an orphanage, but didn’t tell my mom what had happened. For 21 years, she thought I was dead. On his deathbed, several years after my birth, my grandfather asked for my mom’s forgiveness for making her give me up. What a beautiful story of redemption the Lord has been writing and is continuing to write, for everyone involved…
Let’s Talk About Moses: What We Miss about this Biblical Adoption
As this new chapter in my life is unfolding, I find myself turning to the story of Moses. One thing I realized we don’t talk about when we talk about Moses is that…Moses was adopted. The Lord chose him to be saved from the life of a slave and to be given a life of privilege, so that one day, he would return to his people, his family, and lead them out of bondage (Exodus 4:18). We know that the Passover in Exodus foreshadows the ultimate sacrifice through Christ’s death on the cross. This new realization of adoption in Moses’ story only serves to add more assurance that adoption is at the center of God’s heart. When we accept Christ as our Savior, we are adopted into God’s family (Ephesians 1:5). I’d love to share more about my story and God’s Word with anyone individually, or at Bible studies, prayer meetings, a Sunday service, or other venues! Please don’t hesitate to contact me and Ting Ministries.
The Story Continues: Return 2 China
Not only does my family celebrate my adoption story the Lord is continuing to write and pray for my relatives, that they may come to know Jesus. We are also soon bringing home my two sisters Hope and Brittan! We plan to travel at the end of June and are only $3,000 dollars away from completing the adoption. If you feel led to help us in the final weeks of Hope and Britt’s adoption, you may give online at: www.paypal.me/Tingministries or send a check to our mailing address at the top of this letter. Thank you, dear friends, for your continuing encouragement and support.
