Sweet Reunion!

Imagine 450 adoptive mommas in the same place for 72 hours. . . lots to talk about! So much to talk about that I barely got any pictures, but I did get a couple! A few MS adoptive mommas headed to Atlanta to the Created for Care 2012 retreat.

I'm not much of a writer, but when something happens that is so God-sized, I feel a responsibility to share it on my blog.  I count it a blessing that I got to get away and retreat a little.  I was able to spend some time in prayer without interruption.  On the adoption journey, you hear a million comments, lots of opinions, and a ton of questions - some valid, and some not so valid.  Just to state a few. . .


- oh, can you not have any more children of your own?
- well, it's becoming a trend, is this like an 'Angelina Jo Lee' thing?
- why would you adopt a child when you can birth a 3rd child?
- you are adopting a child from Eth*op*a, so......will he/she be black?
- why are you adopting an infant when there are older children who need a home?
- why are you adopting from Africa when there are kids in the US to adopt?


Like I said, some valid, some not so valid, however. . .  quite entertaining!  So, I'm sure there are people out there that have no doubts, but not me.  I'm admitting it, I frequently assess our decision to adopt an infant from Eth*op*a. And, I begin to ask myself questions much like the ones above.  And, because the Lord is faithful and I know in the bottom of my heart that this is soooo right, He always always always reminds me.  As He did at the retreat.  I began to pray. . "Lord, I know you have confirmed that we are to adopt an infant from Eth*op*a a million times over, but I just need another confirmation."  The wait has been so long, I get resistance from people a good bit, and you learn to know a "you have got to be crazy" look from a mile away.  But, you just keep on trucking, and you keep on praying for affirmation from the audience of One, the One who really matters.  I prayed boldly. . "God, please speak through someone here, someone whom I would least expect, and give me your peace in that person's words."  Well, I am walking to my room several hours later and I hear someone say my name, my maiden name by the way.  And, I recognize Molly.  Molly, who I had worked with 15 years ago at a summer camp in Florida.  There were only six college kids chosen from the Southeast to work at the camp.  Because there were so few of us on staff, we got really close.  Well, time moves on and you grow apart. . . and, since she is the only person I know not on facebook, we really lost touch!  The reunion was great . . in so many ways.  We sat up until wee hours of the morning catching up on life.  She adopted and our stories were so unbelievably similar.  She has 2 biological kids just like me and she has adopted internationally once and is in the process again.  She had no idea at the time, but as she talked, the Lord answered so many of my questions through her words, and I left our reunion with an overwhelming sense of God's goodness and peace.


And for fun and proof . . . here we are 15 years ago

And present day. . 

God is just faithful.  He is so faithful.  Even if I had prayed that prayer and Molly had not been there, He would still be faithful.  I am learning that God answers all prayers, it just may not be the answer we want.  But when we do ask for things in His will, and His answer is 'yes, watch this'. . what a sweet moment that is!


And, I am sure some of you are wondering the answers to my above questions.  Well, hmmm. . . 
-We CAN have more children, but there IS a global orphan crisis.  It's complicated, and ugly, and sad.  But, our God is a redeeming God and when He pricks your heart and says, I want you to care for one of my fatherless children via adoption, you just go for it.  I had to stop thinking about myself, and my American dream of lots of stuff and only 2 kids.  Going thru this adoption process and learning all that we have about the orphan crisis, our lives will never look the same.
-Although I wouldn't mind having a figure similar to that of Angelina Jo Lee, we are not adopting because she did, or because anyone else did for that matter.
-Yes, it's pretty safe to say our child will have dark skin.
-The agency we chose will not allow you to adopt out of birth order, and they have great reasoning behind it. So, the age of our child must be 10 months younger than our youngest child.
-I don't know why it's Africa and not the US, we just felt the Lord leading us there, and it's been confirmed many times.  I believe I will know one day.


Okay, my prayer warriors, pray for the Eth*op*an government and the US Embassy.  There are lots of changes being made that have slowed down Eth*op*an adoptions tremendously.  I am reminded that God is not bound by rulers.  Proverbs 21:1 reads The king’s heart is like a stream of water directed by the LORD; he guides it wherever he pleases.  I know that the Lord loves these children more than we ever could and I know that He sets the fatherless in families.  Pray pray pray!!