“He has confidence in our presence to make his needs known.”

Milestones are celebrated to acknowledge the formation of the new family unit. On the one-year anniversary of Calvin’s adoption, the Georges celebrated by making his favourite cake and buying chips and Greek salad, which is what Matt, Louise and Anabella ate for most of the week they were in Bulgaria when they picked Calvin up from the orphanage.

However, it hasn’t been all plain sailing since. Calvin’s traumatic first few years have left a mark and the Georges are supported by a government social worker, speech therapist and a child psychologist. They are also very thankful for the support of family and friends.

“It can get very overwhelming at times,” Louise shares. “However, thankfully, we are not Cal’s saviour and healer. He has a Heavenly Father who was with him from the very beginning, saw his pain, rescued him out of a dark place and placed him in a family who loves him and will never leave him. It’s what God does for us, in Jesus.”

Matt and Louise draw encouragement from the gospel truth that God has transformed us and continues to do so by his definitive adoptive act.

“From our own adoption as Christians, we become more like his son and as we pray in Jesus’ name, we share in the fruitful prayer life of the Son,” Louise says. “It’s incredible that the Father hears us as he hears his own dear Son.”

As theologian John Piper puts it, “The deepest and strongest foundation of adoption is located not in the act of humans adopting humans, but in God adopting humans. And this act is not part of his ordinary providence in the world; it is at the heart of the gospel.”