Do
you not know? Have you not heard? The
Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. HE WILL NOT GROW TIRED OR WEARY, AND HIS
UNDERSTANDING NO ONE CAN FATHOM. HE
GIVES STRENGTH TO THE WEARY AND INCREASES THE POWER OF THE WEAK. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young
men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they
will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:28-31
It has been a while since I have sat
down to write. That normally means the
Lord is dealing heavily with me on a few things. I promised the Lord to only write when He
told me and to not make this blog about adoption, but about Him. Lots of things have happened in the last few
months…some things we expected and some things we have not. An update in our process is…we are still
waiting….waiting on paperwork issues to be worked out, waiting on other
situations to be worked out and just waiting.
When we began this journey to Haiti we were told a typical adoption in
Haiti takes 3 to 5 years. We are
entering in year 3. So, for those of you
who keep asking when is she coming home?
The answer is when the Lord has done all He needs to, when His timing
and His will is revealed to us and when He is feels our family is ready. Until then, we trust. Trust is not easy and it does not come
natural for me. Especially when there is
nothing I can do about a situation. However, there is something beautiful that
happens when you learn to let go and you learn to trust. God promises us in John 10:10 that He has
come to give us life, and to give it to us abundantly. I have experience abundant life through
trusting Him. Because when you trust you
learn to let go, you learn to listen instead of instruct and you learn to sit
instead of being “busy”. Through
trusting I have learned to let the Lord take the lead…in my every minute, in my
everyday life. To be such a planner, I have
thrown plans to the wind and have learned to live in the moment, and let God
make my plans for the day. This may seem
reckless, but it has been abundant living for me. I have seen so many more opportunities to see
things through His eyes. I have
experienced richer moments with my family.
I have experience laughter to the deepest. I am able to sit among the blessings the Lord
has already bestowed on us as a family and truly embrace them and enjoy them,
instead of rushing through them. Trust
for me has been learning to let Him carry my burdens. To let Him take the lead, and in that is
freedom, Freedom with Christ.
Two Sunday’s ago was Mother’s Day. I have noticed holidays take a toll on my
emotions. Especially when I know I have
two children, and only one of them is able to experience things with me
currently. However, I saw the Power of
God and the healing abundant life He so freely chooses to give us. About six months ago the Lord blessed us with
a new home. This new home is equipped to
handle all the handicap issues we might experience when our little one comes
home. It is equipped to allow us room to
grow and expand our family. It allows my
husband to run his business from our home.
This was not something we expected in our life. We were not looking for a new home, nor did
we want to leave our old one. Anna Lee
still cries at times missing her old room and “all the memories” we made there
(that is what she told me the other day during a meltdown). However, the Lord chose to bless us with this
home. He saw our future and our
needs. I feel like this blessing was for
my husband the most, because he works so hard for our family and this is the
fruit of his labor. On Mother’s Day I
got to truly see the blessing and life abundantly. My parents were married for almost thirty
years, and through circumstances were divorced after many years of being
married. Since then both have
remarried. For those of you who have
divorced parents you know the heartache that can accompany divorce, the
division, the upset, the unwillingness to cooperate. This past Mother’s Day I got to spend with
both my parents and my step-parents and my brother’s family and even my sister
in laws mother in the same home…our new home.
Four different families were represented. Four different families that could have been
torn apart…but I saw life abundant instead.
As I looked out over our new yard the Lord has blessed us with my mom
and my step mom were playing volleyball with their grandchildren as my dad
stood by laughing at every move. Our
children got to see parents who love their children as the Lord loves us and
wants the best for us. Our children got
to see differences set aside to enjoy one another and see each other through
God’s eyes, not human eyes. I love my
mother for her heart. She has the capacity
to forgive like no one I have ever met.
She forgives as God forgives. I
love my Step-mother for her ability to love.
She loves as God loves…unconditionally and always sets her wants aside
and serves others. I love my Father
because of his passion. He is always
willing to stand by his children and fight for what they want even if he doesn’t
agree or puts up a fight himself! And I
love his ability to laugh. When he
laughs it is infectious. I love my
step-father because he embraces all this craziness. Not many families share as much as we do and
he just goes along with it and loves my mom unconditionally. As we spent Mother’s Day afternoon together
from 1 until about 9 that night, (I thought everyone was there for one meal…instead
it turned into two) all of us together, I felt the healing power of God, the
healing power to put a family back together and strengthen them, even when what
was meant to tear them apart was in place.
Brad and I have been so weary in this adoption lately. Most adoptions take place quicker than three
years. However, we are taking each
blessing along the way. We are seeing
God move and work in our family and in others around us. We have seen God use the least likely people
to encourage and strengthen us. We have
seen His power at work. Our family has
been strengthened and healed through the process of adoption and our little one
isn’t even home yet. I cannot wait to
see what else our Heavenly Father has in store for us.
Our last fundraiser, our Both Hands
Project, raised $14, 409.02. I was
hoping for $5000. Not only did the Lord
pour out his blessings on us, two widows got home repairs they could have never
afforded to make. Not to mention over 80
people showed up to help us. I sit amazed at what God did that entire weekend.
From putting people in just the right place at the right time. From people
calling at 10:30 that morning saying their plans got changed that day and they
wanted to come and help, and just at that time I needed lunch picked up at the
church and they did. From people like Nancy, who brought sandwiches for the
day, and saw a need and left, went to the store and came back with more than
just sandwiches. From people like Chuck and Ashley who left to get one chicken
tray that was donated and one that we were paying for. They came back with both
chicken trays and the money we gave them to purchase the other. Hearts like
that come from the Lord. Hearts like that inspire. I know they didn't do it to
get recognized, but they did it because the Lord inspired them to give. People
like Wayne and Iantha who sent out a "Hail Mary" email the week of
the project, and one of the recipients of their email showed up on Saturday to
work. They didn't know us, they didn't know our child in Haiti, but they knew
the Lord and they knew enough to see where He is at work to join Him. They
showed up to work and by the end of the day they handed me all the cash they
had in their hands that day, and then that sweet man and his wife hugged me and
said, "I Love You." He didn't know us at all, but this sweet man
loved us, and I knew he did. That is the Love of our Father at work. That is
His love that transcends all understanding! We ended up taking in over $500
just on Saturday. How incredible and inspiring is that? It gets better....
That same couple that showed up, invited by Wayne and Iantha, went back to their church and shared with their pastor what was going on in our lives and in this sweet child's life that lives in Haiti, and how her journey has allowed us to in turn love on two widows. The next day (Sunday night) my niece was singing at church (this sweet couples church). On a last minute whim we loaded up, in the pouring rain and headed to church to see her sing. After she sang, and some good ole pickin' gospel music, and a wonderful message, the congregation began to sing, "This is my story, This is my song." I began to weep. When we were in Haiti, we attended a Haitian Church. The service was in Creole, but there is one thing that language barriers transcend...and that is good ole hymns and worship to our Father. I began to listen to, "This is my story and This is My Song....Praising my Savior ALL THE DAY LONG in Creole. I couldn't believe the Lord plucked me out of Hueytown, Alabama, and I was now standing on the mountain top of Haiti singing This is my Story This is my Song. As this sweet congregation sang this same hymn I sang in Haiti over four months ago, it took me back and I began to weep. Loudly...I couldn't help it. Brad put his arm around me and held me. The preacher began to close in prayer and as he started praying, He started praying for this little girl in Haiti. He began to pray for healing for her, and for comfort and peace. He prayed for her family that would be bringing her home. He began to pray for the process and for all involved. (They didn't know the family of that little girl was standing amongst them that night!) I began to weep louder and now people are handing me Kleenex. They began to pledge as a church to lift this family up in prayer and this little girl up in prayer daily. As if that wasn't enough, he shared with the church that they would be taking up a love offering the next two Sunday's to help support this family and this widow project that was going on. I am a mess at this point and now Brad is crying. As we watched an offering plate pass in front of us, with people's gifts of love in them, we completely lost it. At this point the pastor put two and two together and realizes that we are "that family". He realizes the family is standing among them, and as they closed in prayer for us we were strengthened and once again standing amazed at God's provision and power. We have experienced God's divine appointments time and time again throughout this journey. As quickly as I want her home, I don't want to rush the Lord and miss out on the beauty that He has for us during the wait. So, until she comes home, we will worship while we wait, we will serve while we wait, and we will trust the Lord for His timing and His plan!
That same couple that showed up, invited by Wayne and Iantha, went back to their church and shared with their pastor what was going on in our lives and in this sweet child's life that lives in Haiti, and how her journey has allowed us to in turn love on two widows. The next day (Sunday night) my niece was singing at church (this sweet couples church). On a last minute whim we loaded up, in the pouring rain and headed to church to see her sing. After she sang, and some good ole pickin' gospel music, and a wonderful message, the congregation began to sing, "This is my story, This is my song." I began to weep. When we were in Haiti, we attended a Haitian Church. The service was in Creole, but there is one thing that language barriers transcend...and that is good ole hymns and worship to our Father. I began to listen to, "This is my story and This is My Song....Praising my Savior ALL THE DAY LONG in Creole. I couldn't believe the Lord plucked me out of Hueytown, Alabama, and I was now standing on the mountain top of Haiti singing This is my Story This is my Song. As this sweet congregation sang this same hymn I sang in Haiti over four months ago, it took me back and I began to weep. Loudly...I couldn't help it. Brad put his arm around me and held me. The preacher began to close in prayer and as he started praying, He started praying for this little girl in Haiti. He began to pray for healing for her, and for comfort and peace. He prayed for her family that would be bringing her home. He began to pray for the process and for all involved. (They didn't know the family of that little girl was standing amongst them that night!) I began to weep louder and now people are handing me Kleenex. They began to pledge as a church to lift this family up in prayer and this little girl up in prayer daily. As if that wasn't enough, he shared with the church that they would be taking up a love offering the next two Sunday's to help support this family and this widow project that was going on. I am a mess at this point and now Brad is crying. As we watched an offering plate pass in front of us, with people's gifts of love in them, we completely lost it. At this point the pastor put two and two together and realizes that we are "that family". He realizes the family is standing among them, and as they closed in prayer for us we were strengthened and once again standing amazed at God's provision and power. We have experienced God's divine appointments time and time again throughout this journey. As quickly as I want her home, I don't want to rush the Lord and miss out on the beauty that He has for us during the wait. So, until she comes home, we will worship while we wait, we will serve while we wait, and we will trust the Lord for His timing and His plan!
