Katrina was a pre-teen girl living in a Russian orphanage when she was adopted by an American family. They had one daughter, and wanted another for companionship. When they met Katrina, she was bald; her head had been shaved, the cure for lice in the orphanage. Katrina was relieved to know that she would have a real home, and the family was excited to welcome her. In America she had her own room with clothes in the closet and a chest of drawers. In Russia she had received a Christmas box from a Christian group, and it contained a “slinky.” It was the only toy she had ever had, and at first she carried it around with her . She thought that God had sent it to her.

One day in her new home, Katrina, who could understand English and speak it somewhat, received a phone call from her adoptive grandmother, who told her that she, the grandmother, would be coming to the house to pick her up and take her shopping. Katrina didn’t know what to say, but her new sister said, “Say Yes!”, which Katrina did. When she hung up, her sister said, “When Grandma calls, you ALWAYS say Yes!” Katrina wondered why, until Grandma arrived and said , “We’ll have lunch, too, and Katrina got in the car with her to go shopping, a thing she had never experienced. Grandma was wealthy and adored Katrina; and the packages began to pile up. The family had tried not to “spoil” Katrina, but Grandma had not received the message.

Years later, when Katrina had finished high school, and she was asked what she had learned about the U.S. A., she said, “I learned that when Grandma calls, you always say, ‘Yes!’” Not all adoptions are successful, but I couldn’t help thinking that Katrina was adopted for all the right reasons. Her adoptive family felt the need and desire for another child, and were ready to make a lifetime commitment to a foreign child in their home.

The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself. (Leviticus 19:34) When Moses brought the Israelites to the very border of the Promised land, he sent out twelve spies to evaluate the place and decide how and where to approach it. When they returned to Moses only two of the spies, Joshua and Caleb, said, Yes! This is a good land that the Lord is giving to us! (Deuteronomy 1:25)Nevertheless, the people’s fears prevented them from going forward, and so they wandered for forty years until they were able to cross the Jordan and receive God’s gift. Only Joshua and Caleb of the original twelve spies survived to enter the Promised Land.

When God calls,ALWAYS say Yes!

Love in Him,

Prue