My Story of Hope & Resilience

Sonja Harper

Adopted at 19 months old by an American military family, Sonja Harper knows the familiar emotional pain many children suffer due to separation from the only family they knew.

Experience God with her as she shares her testimony of how God led her from brokenness to wholeness during her life-long journey to find her true identity and the calling God’s providence had for her. Finding her biological mother and siblings from Germany through the power of prayer before the era of DNA test testing was one piece of the journey. And finding her husband at age 50 is a dream she had always hoped for. Sonja and Randy’s story was published by Godwinks author, Squire Rushnell, and appeared in his book, The Godwink Effect: 7 Secrets to God’s Signs, Wonders, and Answered Prayers, released in 2017.

My Journey

I have often thought about The Providence of God through the years and what it truly means; The protective care of God, his providing spiritual care.

My journey as a child was just that, now as an adult I share through my testimony his Beautiful Providence over my life. I was the one looking into the mirror at an early age questioning my identity, when most kids (Teens) were wondering normal teen things, such as what is going on for the weekend and who am I going to hang out with. While I was in my bathroom looking into a mirror and asking God who is this face and why did you make me? Like most adopted children, the ones who know they are adopted struggle with these very real questions.

My parents had told me as far back as I could remember, they talked about my adoption as open as a book. They would introduce me as “this is our daughter, we adopted her from Germany”! Some think that is strange or wrong but as that child it was a good thing. It taught me in a way who I was at my very core and gave me a glimpse into my heritage. But most importantly it taught no secrets! Too many adopted adults that I know were told at a late age like 18 or some were never told and had to find out on their own or in an unconventional way and it was very Traumatizing to them.

On the other hand, I grew up hearing the word as far as 2 years old, and although I did not understand it was very normal to me. I thank my parents for their gift to me, the gift of Truth.

My earliest memory was when they were coming back to the states, my dad was retiring from the military, and they decided not to fly back with me but take a ocean liner back home from overseas. I was 3 years old. I have vague memories of the ship “SS United States” this huge ocean liner five city blocks long, memories of being dropped off in the nursery and the little round windows!

But there was the one memory that has never left me, the memory of us coming into New York harbor after 2 weeks at sea, we came in very early that morning. All the passengers gathered out on the deck and as I stood there watching through the very early morning fog, I heard the Liberty Bell ringing and as I looked up through the fog as it began to part, a very beautiful image begins to appear and it is her, this statue Lady Liberty and to a 3 year old it is quite astonishing the feeling that came over me. You see I had a deep sense of knowing something very special was happening. God was bringing me into a land, quite different from where I had been. I was too young to understand the entirety of it all but wise enough to feel Gods presence in that moment which today I call his Providence. His hand was over my life in a mighty way so now as a adult I can articulate what it means to have seen Beautiful Lady Liberty!

She represents so many things, but to me she represents Providence, Gods protection over me, but truly over any American who has come to settle here. She represents freedom, The Land of the Free for ones who want to worship our God freely without fear of persecution! My religious freedom to Love the God who first Loved us and to worship the very God who brought me here. The God who has a plan for my life and a purpose; Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, to give you Hope and a Future”.