In 2007, our daughter Juliana got cancer...
Juliana beat cancer but in
2011 the cancer returned!
2011 the cancer returned!
| Videos of her struggle in 2007 |
Adopting 6 Children – How Did It Happen?
(Very Short Version of a long and detailed saga)
In 1988 my wife (Tammy) and I married. Within a year
we started trying to have children. For several years
we tried, cried when we could not conceive and cried
when we saw baby in a restaurant. I can remember
my wife sobbing as she banged on my chest crying,
"Why is God doing this to us?"
After nine years of infertility we decided to adopt
internationally. We interviewed many adoption
agencies and chose Nightlight Christian Adoptions.
In February of 1998 we adopted a little boy and girl (Ivan and Ksenia) from St. Petersburg Russia. It was
an amazing trip. While we were leaving our new daughter's orphanage quite a few of the orphans were
literally, hanging on me yelling, "Papa." It changed me forever.
Less than a year later we adopted a six month old girl
from the same orphanage that our son was raised in.
We were done. Our family was complete until...My
parents and I decided to take a humanitarian trip back
to St. Petersburg Russia with donations from members
of our congregation and local stores. Long story
short, while I was in a Wal-Mart store my cell phone
rang. It was Ron Stoddart, the Executive Director of
Nightlight Christian Adoptions. He knew that we were
traveling back to Russia and he "just mentioned" that
there was a little two year old boy that was turned
down by a few American families for adoption. His
eyes were crossed in that culture someone with
crossed eyes is considered "mentally deficient." I told Ron, “no” as we had just arrived back from adopting
our little girl a few months earlier. There's a funny story here but I will get to the bottom line. I asked how old
the boy was. Ron checked his birth date. It was May 4, 1999. I was shocked!! I said, "Ron, that's Lindsay's
(the little girl was had adopted a few months earlier) birthday. LONG story short we ended up adopting the
little boy with crossed eyes and named him Timothy. We were; NOW, complete...four kids...that are enough
UNTIL...
Some time later my wife and I decided to sponsor and advertise an Adoption Information meeting less than
an hour from our house. LONG STORY SHORT...few people showed up but Ron Stoddart had flown in. Of
course, he brought his photo album of children waiting to be adopted. As my wife I am flipped through the
album WITH NO INTEREST IN ADOPTING ANY MORE CHILDREN, we kept coming back to a little tiny girl with
crossed eyes. I got some emotional I had to walk out of the hotel room where we were looking at the album
and cry...I didn't know why but there was something about this little girl was took our breath away.
Several months later we flew to Minsk Belarus and adopted
the little girl Irina. While in country, as we were in the
orphanage director's office, she casually mentioned that
the little girl (who we named Juliana) had an older sister in
another orphanage whose name was Svetlana. OH NO…
how could this happen!! Adoption agencies ALWAYS know
if there are other siblings as they want them to be adopted
together. I thought. I said, "Let’s go see her." LONG
STORY SHORT...we wound up adopted her too several
months later.
In 2007, Juliana (the little girl from Minsk) was smitten with
cancer. She, with the help of tons of prayers and great doctors beat the cancer. Now, in 2011 the cancer
has returned. She is trying to beat it as I type this story.
There are so many more details, videos and other pieces to this story. Juliana's website can be found at
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/julianacarver
Six children? I would have never imagined it but if we would have gotten pregnant our children would not be
living in a Christian home and Juliana, surely, would not be alive today.
(Very Short Version of a long and detailed saga)
In 1988 my wife (Tammy) and I married. Within a year
we started trying to have children. For several years
we tried, cried when we could not conceive and cried
when we saw baby in a restaurant. I can remember
my wife sobbing as she banged on my chest crying,
"Why is God doing this to us?"
After nine years of infertility we decided to adopt
internationally. We interviewed many adoption
agencies and chose Nightlight Christian Adoptions.
In February of 1998 we adopted a little boy and girl (Ivan and Ksenia) from St. Petersburg Russia. It was
an amazing trip. While we were leaving our new daughter's orphanage quite a few of the orphans were
literally, hanging on me yelling, "Papa." It changed me forever.
Less than a year later we adopted a six month old girl
from the same orphanage that our son was raised in.
We were done. Our family was complete until...My
parents and I decided to take a humanitarian trip back
to St. Petersburg Russia with donations from members
of our congregation and local stores. Long story
short, while I was in a Wal-Mart store my cell phone
rang. It was Ron Stoddart, the Executive Director of
Nightlight Christian Adoptions. He knew that we were
traveling back to Russia and he "just mentioned" that
there was a little two year old boy that was turned
down by a few American families for adoption. His
eyes were crossed in that culture someone with
crossed eyes is considered "mentally deficient." I told Ron, “no” as we had just arrived back from adopting
our little girl a few months earlier. There's a funny story here but I will get to the bottom line. I asked how old
the boy was. Ron checked his birth date. It was May 4, 1999. I was shocked!! I said, "Ron, that's Lindsay's
(the little girl was had adopted a few months earlier) birthday. LONG story short we ended up adopting the
little boy with crossed eyes and named him Timothy. We were; NOW, complete...four kids...that are enough
UNTIL...
Some time later my wife and I decided to sponsor and advertise an Adoption Information meeting less than
an hour from our house. LONG STORY SHORT...few people showed up but Ron Stoddart had flown in. Of
course, he brought his photo album of children waiting to be adopted. As my wife I am flipped through the
album WITH NO INTEREST IN ADOPTING ANY MORE CHILDREN, we kept coming back to a little tiny girl with
crossed eyes. I got some emotional I had to walk out of the hotel room where we were looking at the album
and cry...I didn't know why but there was something about this little girl was took our breath away.
Several months later we flew to Minsk Belarus and adopted
the little girl Irina. While in country, as we were in the
orphanage director's office, she casually mentioned that
the little girl (who we named Juliana) had an older sister in
another orphanage whose name was Svetlana. OH NO…
how could this happen!! Adoption agencies ALWAYS know
if there are other siblings as they want them to be adopted
together. I thought. I said, "Let’s go see her." LONG
STORY SHORT...we wound up adopted her too several
months later.
In 2007, Juliana (the little girl from Minsk) was smitten with
cancer. She, with the help of tons of prayers and great doctors beat the cancer. Now, in 2011 the cancer
has returned. She is trying to beat it as I type this story.
There are so many more details, videos and other pieces to this story. Juliana's website can be found at
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/julianacarver
Six children? I would have never imagined it but if we would have gotten pregnant our children would not be
living in a Christian home and Juliana, surely, would not be alive today.