A Dress for Anna

by Deborah Amend

CSS  Publishing

Estimated publication date, July 30, 2009

Every little girl loves a pretty new dress, and my daughter, Anna, was no exception. Trembling with emotion, she ripped open the department store bag that contained her new dress, tights, shoes and undergarments. Then, she pulled out the lavender floral print dress, caressing the silk lining and rubbing her face in the soft fabric.

“Platya,” She whispered. Dress.

The quiet was only momentary, though, as the reality of the situation sank in.

“Platya,” she then cheered, “Halya doma.” Halya is going home.

Although it was the first time in her life that she had ever owned any piece of clothing, it was not the dress that brought such emotion, but what it represented. The new dress meant that it was finally the day that Halya, whom we would name Anna, would leave the orphanage and travel home to live with her new family. It was a day that she had awaited for over 3 years, and a day that I had worked toward for nearly as long.

A Dress for Anna:  the Story of the Redemption of the Life of a Ukrainian Orphan is the story of how God led our family to adopt a handicapped preschooler from an orphanage in a small city in Ukraine, and intricately knit her into our family.  The story honestly shares the struggles, grief and joy our family faced as we followed God down the rocky path of international adoption.