Silent Journey : A True Adoption Miracle

“I don’t have any idea what we are doing, where we are going, or if what we are doing is the right thing. I’m just trusting that God will take care of things from this point on.”

With those words, Steve and Edwina Champion went to see their daughter for the first time on a cold, gray, winter day in Ukraine. They had never before flown on an airplane when they left their North Carolina home for a country where everything-the language, the food, even the toilet paper-was unfamiliar, and finding a simple can opener was nothing short of miraculous. After many frustrating days of being cooped up in a drab, soulless apartment, they were about to meet Lillyann, the little girl of their dreams.

This is the story of one couple’s experience of adopting a child from a foreign country-a child that not only had developmental delays but was deaf. Most of all, it is a story about God’s hand in the lives of everyday people. Adopting Lillyann led Steve and Edwina back to the Lord and made crystal-clear the importance of a loving church family.

Although they have since experienced numerous heartaches and trials, the Champions’ conviction that God always intended for Lillyann to be their daughter has never wavered, and their love for her has only deepened. Edwina’s letters to Lillyann capture the couple’s anticipation, anxiety, and joy with a freshness and poignancy that will touch your heart.