A Love that Stretched Across the World.

A young girl from Ukraine finds a new home with loving Alaskan parents.

David Scott Fields II, Senior Writer

May 1, 2015

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”
James 1:27 ESV

Great verse, right? But how many believers actually live it out? More to the point, how many believers would be willing to go around the world to live it out? It is my great pleasure to share with you today the story of two such servants of Christ – Michael and Heaven Brock, and a little girl, Alina, who has changed their lives forever.

The Brocks adopted Alina from Ukraine in late 2014, but the seeds of this adoption were actually planted years before. As Heaven recalled, “…in high school I did Russian Missions [with Grace Christian School of Anchorage] and we went to the orphanages and worked with the kids there.” Not surprisingly, such an experience only deepened an already present desire to one day adopt. As Heaven and soon-to-be-husband Michael were growing closer and moving toward marriage, Heaven made it clear adoption was something she wanted to pursue one day. Michael agreed this was a calling on his heart as well, and though it was unclear whether the biological kids or the adopted kids would come first, they were both open to Christ’s perfect will.

Then the shocker came, as Heaven recalled, “One day Mike came to me after a really long night shift and said, ‘I really feel that God has placed on my heart to adopt from Ukraine.’” Naturally, Heaven was stunned, but also excited, and the couple began exploring their options. One of the first things they learned was that Ukraine was a Non-Hague Convention country. In a nutshell, this means that an adoption agency is not required to process the adoption, vastly reducing the paperwork and overall costs of the process. Heaven took the initiative to find the needed social worker for their home study, and a lawyer for the final adoption in Ukraine. God was definitely bringing the pieces together, but the ultimate and best piece would be the child herself. For that, the Brocks would be introduced to Alina.

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The Brocks had had a few basic details they preferred in a child – especially that they were looking for a girl, but they were open to God’s will. Surprisingly, they were told by their facilitator in Ukraine that there was a child ready and waiting for them. However, upon arriving in Ukraine, the Brocks were met with a tough question, “We found you a little girl. However, she’s deaf. Are you okay with that?” Heaven and Mike didn’t even hesitate – they were more than okay with that. In fact, on the nearly 5,000 mile journey from Alaska they had ironically been discussing that very possibility, and both had come to the conclusion that they were more than willing to adopt such a child, even before they knew Alina’s situation.

With seven-year-old Alina home in Alaska now, she and the Brocks are experiencing a tremendous learning curve as all three work to learn sign language and grow together as a family. As Heaven related with a laugh, “The laundry has doubled, and the electric and heating bills have skyrocketed, but the real challenge is learning sign, learning a new child, and learning to grow together as a family of three.”

Naturally the question had to be asked, “How have you seen Christ’s faithfulness through the entire process?” One of the things the Brocks had actually worried about was being torn between multiple children, so they prayed specifically that God would show them the specific child they were to adopt, and they were shown only Alina! Additionally, locking down a court date proved problematic resulting in a 9 week stay in Ukraine, compounded by a cantankerous judge known for rejecting adoptions simply because she was having a bad day. However, that very judge approved their adoption and approved it quickly! And miracle of miracles, God kept the very hyper Alina calm and sleeping for 13 hours of the 17-hour train ride out of the country.

I concluded by asking Heaven, “For anyone considering adoption, what advice would you give them?” Heaven’s advice was very simple, “Just do it!” God provided in every way for the Brocks from amazing donors to court details to the right child – even the simple luxury of a working toilet on the train was something Heaven and Mike were praising Him for. Ultimately, the point is Christ is faithful, so have faith in Him and watch Him do amazing things.

As Heaven’s former teacher, I couldn’t be more proud of the Brock family, and I can’t wait to see where God will take them over the next few years. They truly are examples to all of us of Christ’s boundless love, and I know Alina will have an amazing life growing up with them. May their entire family be richly blessed.