My buddy Sam recently inspired me with his series of posts about the members of his family. I thought I would steal his idea and write about the people that make up my family, beyond Casey and Caleb, whom I write about often; if this works out well, maybe we can convince Casey to write about his family also. I thought I would start with the youngest and work my way up, so today’s post is about my little sister, Mihaela.

I remember praying for a little sister when I was very young. I also remember very clearly the day my mom brought home the sonogram picture of our new baby: a boy. I was eight years old, and I have to admit I was quite disappointed. I remember crying and asking her if she were very sure; you see, I already had a brother.

My little sister was a long time coming; in fact, I was eighteen when I finally got her, and she was eleven years younger than me, which is not exactly what I had in mind. But I am always amazed by how much greater God’s plans are than my own.

We adopted Mihaela from Romania when she was seven years old. She was skinny and malnourished and didn’t speak a word of English. She had spent her entire life in Romanian orphanages. She had absolutely nothing; in fact, we had to bring a change of clothes for her to the orphanage because she didn’t even own the clothes that she wore. Her hair was cut short like a little boy’s, because that was easier for the orphanage staff to care for. Even though we were complete strangers to her, she was very happy to go with us, which proves how miserable the orphanage must have been. I will never forget seeing the little bed that she slept in; it was a baby bed with out the railings, but it was half the size of Caleb’s crib and was lined up along the wall with probably twenty other beds.

Bringing Mihaela home was harder than any of us would have expected. The adjustment period was many years long, and more trying than I can even explain. But Mihaela has been a great blessing to me and to our entire family. She has taught me so much about real, faithful love, and about following God even when things don’t turn out like you expected.

Mihaela is one of the funniest girls you will meet. She loves to laugh, and I love the glimmer she gets in her eyes when she has said something funny. She is also a very observant and encouraging person; she notices everything from new socks to a new haircut and is always full of compliments. Mihaela is very aware of people that are suffering or lonely. She is compassionate and often befriends them.

I love Mihaela very much, and I am so glad that God brought her into my family. She is a wonderful sister and also a wonderful aunt; Caleb loves his Aunt Mimi very much!

More family entries to come; next up: Billy!