I have a story for you. It’s not a fairy tale or a made-up story. Instead, it’s a true story about a man, his God and a dream. The man’s name is Rick. Rick is an in-your-face, loud-talking Italian. On Dec. 23, 2002, in the middle of the night, he had a dream. In his dream, he found himself in a Russian home looking down some basement stairs. The back of the basement wall had been blown out and rubble lay everywhere. While he gazed on the destruction, a little girl peeked up at him from around a corner. When he saw her, he cried out, “My daughter!” and ran down the stairs. As he ran, hands kept reaching out to stop him. He fought his way down and finally picked her up. He says, “It was so real; I knew I had actually held her.”

Rick awoke from his dream and looked at the clock. It was 3 a.m. Later that morning, he told his wife everything that had taken place in the dream. They agreed to do whatever it took to find their daughter. He hired an artist to draw a picture of her and had it sent out all across Russia. He and his wife began the process so they could qualify to adopt a Russian child. Many people laughed and tried to discourage him from going to such great lengths to follow a dream.

On the day the paperwork was complete, he went online to view the newest additions to the Russian adoption site. Suddenly, he saw her: the little girl from his dream. He and his wife got a flight to Russia as soon as they could. After a 12-hour ride from Moscow, they found themselves in a Russian orphanage. The staff tried to prepare them for the worst. “This little girl’s name is Nadia. She was found in a home, abandoned. She’s 2-and-a-half years old but has never spoken. She’s not used to being held, so . . . don’t expect much.”

The door opened and Nadia toddled in. Immediately, she held up her arms to Rick and his wife. Rick, a concert pianist, carried her over to the piano. When he hit a note, this tiny girl reached out and hit the same one. He hit another note and she repeated it. He was playing a scale, and when he hit another key, she reached up and finished the scale on her own. Almost immediately, she began to call Rick and his wife “Mama” and “Papa” in Russian.

Russian law says that in order to adopt a child, you must make two trips to their country. When Rick returned to appear before the judge, she began the proceedings by announcing they had found the little girl’s birth mother. She died of tuberculosis at age 26. Before she died, the judge told them, she signed away her rights to her child on Dec. 23, 2002.

Rick’s wife yelled, “When?” The startled judge repeated the date. “What time did she sign?” Rick and his wife wanted to know.

When the court figured out the time difference, Rick and his wife realized that his dream came at the exact time the birth mother had signed the papers. The judge asked him to repeat his entire story for the official record. With tears in her eyes, she announced, “What God has done is now recognized by the Russian Federation.”

Later, Rick asked his wife, “Why did God give me that dream?”

She leaned over and said, “Because God knew you would do something about it.”

Do you know the most dangerous person in the world? It’s not someone who has a dream. Instead, it’s someone who has a dream and will do something about it. I just watched Susan Boyle, who now has one of the most-watched videos in the world. At 47 years old, she walked onto the stage of “Britain’s Got Talent.” People laughed as she stood there looking like a frumpy old maid. Susan told the hosts that she had a dream of singing in front of a large crowd. The crowd laughed when she shared her desire to be a professional singer. But when she sang her first note, all the laughter stopped. Today, people across the world know about Susan Boyle and her dream.

“And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions” (Joel 2:28).

What is the dream God has given you? What are you doing about it?

Rick had a camera following him as he searched for his daughter. To see the actual story unfold along with live footage, go to: www.projectanna.org/Videos/Default.aspx.