Christoff's Journey - A Continuing Story.

Christoff’s Journey - A continuing story.

Finding my son, Christoff, across an ocean in Sofia, Bulgaria, was an inspiration of faith. He is an incredible blessing in my life. God is using Christoff to teach me as much as I teach him and I discovered quickly after adopting Christoff how much I had to learn. Christoff sees the good in everything and has a light from within that inspires everyone he meets.

Christoff came home from Bulgaria when he was six years old and has now been home for 5 years. Watching Christoff blossom in that timeframe and watching the hurdles he overcame with language barrier alone - has been an inspiration. Being a single parent – Christoff and I are very close and our love and trust has been built each day one layer at a time. My friends comment on how he and I are more close than they are to their birth children. No doubt – we had our share of challenges in the beginning with lots of adjustments but we learned a lot together in the process as well. Our humble beginning stories now make us laugh outloud (and it’s because we had some doozies! J) but we also see how God was using those situations to bring me and Christoff closer together as a family and also closer in our faith.

In the past 5 years Christoff has grown over 22 inches, gained 60 pounds (he went from being in the 5th percentile for height and weight to being off the charts now). Christoff embraces each day with a smile, faith and love toward everyone and everything. Christoff makes me laugh every single day. He has this amazing sense of humor and total, unconditional love for me. Christoff makes me want to be a better person and I know I’m a better person for having the blessing of his smile and heart in my life every day.

We talk about his stories with his birth family - prior to the orphanage days. Christoff is also my hero because when he was 4 ½ years old he was abandoned on the streets in Sofia, Bulgaria by his birth mother and left to fend for himself. He has an incredible story of faith of what led him on the path that he followed that day that ultimately led him to safety and to the orphanage where I found him. He’s just a truly remarkable child.

When I saw Christoff's photo when I was looking to adopt, I had an immediate reaction and knew in my heart that he was the child God had meant for me. There was something in Christoff's eyes and expression that helped me to know this. Words can’t really do justice to that feeling – it was just something that I knew with certainty in my heart the instant I saw his photo –- that this little boy was meant to be my son. I had initially started out my adoption journey to adopt an infant girl from China but God had other plans and I ended up with a 6 year old boy from Bulgaria. Once I saw Christoff’s picture with Wasatch – I never looked back. Everyone at Wasatch became more like an extended family in the process instead of just being my adoption agency.

Meeting Christoff for the first time in Bulgaria was the most amazing and unforgettable journey of my life. The two moments I'll carry in my heart always are the first time our eyes met in the orphanage in Bulgaria and then subsequently traveling back to Bulgaria to bring Christoff home.

Christoff is truly a gift from God. I love him with all my heart. He helps me to understand the true meaning of love, patience, joy, humbleness, blessings (and exhaustion J) and that our purpose in this world is to give back to others. I see the world through his eyes now and danced in the rain with him when he was little and we marvel at rainbows together as he so loves to do. I’m his biggest and loudest cheerleader at his soccer games. You don’t realize exactly how loud you can cheer until you have a child J He is a gifted soccer player and is a strong athlete.

He and I both talk about how it feels as though we’ve been together forever. Even though Christoff was older when adopted everything was still a "first" after he came home so neither one of us look back at what we missed but only how blessed we are to now have each other and how much joy and happiness lies ahead. Christoff is making his mark in this world with his compassion and heart and the world is a better place because my Christoff is in it. I know my life now has new purpose and meaning and if I could be 1/10th of the person Christoff is I’d be a fortunate person indeed.

Maria and Christoff

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