Here We Go. . .

Playing catch up in life’s journal seems way daunting (and probably way boring for anyone happening to stop by this page) so I think the best place is to jump right into the current chaos.   We all know that life can be unpredictable and lead us down turns we never expected to go, yet when we look back we can see how every twist was part of God’s perfect plan.  I’m really excited about the latest example of that in our lives, and that is in relation to our adoption journey.  Yep, I’m saying it, OUR ADOPTION JOURNEY, which means it’s really happening.  Sometimes I have to do a reality check myself! 

For those who know me well, you’ve probably heard me mention that adoption was always a possibility for us, but then a few kiddos into our family, and I pretty much only gave that idea lip-service. I’ve admittedly been enjoying the newest stages of independence in our kids – I really love that we can safely ignore them in the early mornings while we catch up on sleep since they can all fend for themselves now, and I definitely was glad to see the diaper era go alongside the Wiggles (after all we’ve already changed 22,000 diapers by conservative estimates).  I’ve given away every last baby item in our house so I really felt like that train had left the station.  Until recently, which only by the grace of God, there was no denying what was stirring in our hearts.  Through a series of events and nudges, we began feeling like someone was missing from our dinner table, from our bedside snuggles, from our family circle.  This feeling was different from the desire to reproduce more of ourselves, it was more of a calling that our child was already out there somewhere waiting for us. 

To be perfectly honest, we fought that calling.  Brian and I tried to convince ourselves in so many ways that this was someone else’s call, but when it all came down it felt so right to say, “Yes, we hear you, sweet child, and we’re coming for you!”  I literally prayed over the globe we use for daily geography lessons asking God to show us where that voice was leading.  We talked about many options locally, but in the end we feel a global call to go to Ethiopia for our child.  I’ll have to save “Why Ethiopia?” for another post, but I will just say that God loves all the children of the world, and He is sending us there.

So if you’re kindly taking the time to read this, will you join us in prayer?  Pray for this harried momma who needs more of God’s grace than ever, pray for our sweet child who is waiting, and pray that paperwork and pennies will come together to make this dream become reality.

 The kids found Africa on the big globe at the Norfolk Zoo. . . I couldn't resist a picture!!