Encouragement and Disappointment

My heart is full of emotions this morning as I write.  I hope my words on this page can make sense - writing through your emotion is usually a dangerous thing.  This weekend we attended our mandatory parenting class for the adoption.  We laughed and thought how could we learn anything about parenting - boy, were we wrong!  We learned so much and had a great time with the other families.  It was amazing to see how adoption plays out in everyone's life.  Some have thought about it for years and suddenly decided to take the plunge, some felt like it was the last straw after years of infertility, some felt drawn to certain countries due to their family heritage, some felt drawn to a child they had seen on a website or waiting child list......Whatever the case - the common bond of adoption links all these families together and the words we shared were all so encouraging. 
After the class, I was retelling our story to someone who was talking about it, who isn't a big fan of adoption.  Their comments were heartless and discouraging - a shock to my system after such an uplifting weekend.  As I recounted the day we received an email on the little girl we were sponsoring through an orhpanage program ( you know - there are many programs out there like Compassion Int'l, World Vision, etc) telling us she was being adopted out and did we want her since we were her sponsors - I said, "How could we say 'no'?"  The lady responded that she would have said 'no' and just said she'd keep sending the monthly money.  What?  Was she for real?  Sadly, I have no doubts that she wasn't kidding. 
The statistics on orphans our there are staggering - mind blowing!!  If we proclaim Christ - then we must do something.  I know that many send their money and this is a good thing - maybe that's the best you can do and more should at least do that! - but when faced with such a pointed question as "Do you want her?" - Jay and I firmly believe we must say "YES"!  There is no amount of money that can replace the type of tangible love God has designed human parents to give to a child.  Our money may pay for her food and shelter - but our home can provide her with love, the gospel, a place to cry, a place to learn, a place to grow, a place to be a part of a family.  Why would we so purposefully rob her of all that when asked "Do you want her?"
I hope that our story can spark others into saying "Yes"!  We have so many reasons we  shouldn't be adoptiong (according to comfortable middle-class standards).  We already have 5 children, our house isn't big enough, we don't make enough money, we aready have so many things we can't afford, adoption is so expensive, who will watch the kids so we can go to China for 2 weeks, etc, etc, etc.  We've heard and thought through all the arguments.  But, the bottom line is - will we say "Yes" - will you say "Yes"?

To read more about sponsoring a child - you can visit http://www.harmonyoutreach.org/  

It's Official

We received our phone call saying we were being officially locked in to Lori.  Yay!! Another milestone in the ominous process.   Praises to the Lord who foreknew all this was going to happen before we ever could have imagined it.  Isn't it funny that we spend so much time planning out our lives and thinking about our futures - when they've already been so carefully orchestrated for us in advance.  Why do we think our ways are better than God's ways??

Where have I been?

I just had my first Chai tea.  Pumpkin pie in a cup.  Only 1 word describes it - AWESOME!!!  Why hasn't someone told me about this before now??  This is definately right up there with the Fuji Apple Salad from Panera Bread - Yummy!!

Just an Update

It's been a while since we posted anything - so for everyone who reads our blog - we are still diligently getting our paperwork ready for China.  We thought we were up against some more obstacles - but God has graciously worked all those kinks out.  Thank you, Lord, for your faithfullness.  Also, some things that were going through our mind about how to pay for this adoption seem to have been confirmed and we continue to be at peace with waiting on His provision.  We ask that our friends and family keep us in you prayers as you ask for our hearts and home to be ready for Lori when we finally get her. 

This week we have a family staying with us who have come to town to utilize the Kenny Rogers Children's Center.  They have been such a blessing to our home and we are glad to be part of their story.  You can learn more about them at http://www.exceptionalfamilytv.com/