Predestination Thursday, April 10, 2008

Just like any boy would on his tenth birthday, young Dmitry smiled from ear to ear as he peeked into the bag that his grandma handed him. He wasn’t hoping for candy or toys from his grandparents on this birthday, he had his eyes set on something far more special.

Dmitry’s story starts 10 years earlier and thousands of miles away. He was placed in an orphanage at birth in a place called Ulyanovsk Russia, where he spent the first two years of his life cramped into a room with twenty other Russian orphans. His caretakers did all they could to make the children comfortable, but the exhausted Russian economy didn’t seem to have room for orphans. There was no money for toys, teddy bears, or even a soft blanket to snuggle up with. It was just a place to lay and hope; hope that someday, somehow he would have a family to call his own.

Thousands of miles away in Corydon Indiana, Brother Greg and Sister Hannah Foster are anxiously huddled around a computer screen. The couple didn’t know it but the next few seconds would completely change their lives. “Hey look at that birthday, April 6. That’s Brother Branham’s birthday. There’s a picture, click on it.” Then Sister Hannah gasped, “That’s the most beautiful baby I’ve ever seen.” The couple knew that their search was over. He was the one.

The process of adopting a foreign child is very complex and time consuming. It was more than a year and a half before Brother Greg and Sister Hannah arrived in Russia to bring their son home and start their new lives as parents, but it was well worth the wait. The first time they looked into his eyes, their world was turned upside down. It was love at first sight.

Once Dmitry arrived at his new home in Indiana, things got better for him. He grew fast and quickly got used to his new life. He made friends and began growing up. Things were going well for Dmitry.

When the Fosters adopted Dmitry they were told about a heart problem that he may have. It had not been a problem up to this point, but recently he seemed quick to lose his energy. They took him to the doctor and learned that he would have to undergo a serious operation to fix the problem. At nine years old, Dmitry was facing a life threatening surgery. The brave young man boldly faced his challenge, and with much prayer, came out of it with great success. According to his doctors, he is making a remarkable recovery!

The first ten years of young Dmitry’s life have been full of trials, but he has bravely faced every one of them. He was recently baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and he makes it a point to listen to the Voice of the prophet every day.

So what was in the bag, you ask? What was it that had this 10 year old boy so excited on his birthday? The Russian translation of “My Life Story” and “How The Angel Came to Me” along with a cassette tape of “How the Angel Came to Me” in Russian. Thank the Lord that this young man knows what is important. Through this little Russian orphan, God has proved that He is still calling out a Bride from all parts of the world.

They are forever in there. They are brought in there by predestination: Ephesians 1:5, 'Predestinated unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ before the foundation of the world.' They are sons that are born into the church of God, and they ever remain there because they're borned into it. That's right. 62-1122 – Return and Jubilee