This was my journal from March 19, 2007, just a month and a half away from traveling to China to bring Caleb home.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"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 40:31
"Wait"....a verb I have become very familiar with
over the last 15 months. As adopting families know all too well, you
prepare and prepare and then you WAIT! Sometimes that waiting is painful
but through the wait, God so sweetly whispers his promises in our ears.
Promises that He will never leave us nor forsake us (Deut. 31:6), promises that
when we can't pray for ourselves, our Holy Spirit intercedes on our behalf
(Rom. 8:26). That is where I have been. Though this wait has not
been the most pleasant thing I have encountered, God has taught me so much and
He has been preparing me and my family for the glorious reward at the
end. I wanted to take some time to share my thoughts with those willing
to listen and I pray that through our family's experience in what God has been
teaching us, we can be a light of his goodness and mercy in your life. I
hope you will follow along:
Well today was a great day! At 4:10, right after we
returned home from school, we got the call that our referral acceptance letter
came in today! We are now one document away from going to China!
Praise the Lord! After me and the kids, and of course Louie our dog,
finished doing the "happy dance" we were able to make phone
calls with our good news! I feel that we are rounding the bases and
homeplate is in sight. What a journey this has been! First, I want
to say what an awesome God we serve! I can't bear to think of what
blessings we would have missed out on if we would not have answered the call to
adopt. Even though we don't have our precious son yet, God has so deeply
touched our lives and we will never be the same. Sure, this journey has
been one big roller coaster, and anyone who knows me well, can attest to the
fact that I am not a fan of roller coasters. However, on this roller
coaster, God's hand has guided me through every loop, turn, and dip only to
bring us to the final stretch and only by the grace of God have
I held it together. What an awesome God!
My heart if so full of anticipation right now just
thinking of our precious son waiting in China for us. The
Chinese government has labeled Caleb an orphan. And by their
standards, he is. But God has known his sweet name even before time
began. He formed him and predestined him to be a part of our
family. I awoke last week with Caleb's sweet face in my thoughts and
the words of the song, "He Knows My Name". He never has been
without a name. God knew and has revealed it to us! I think of the
woman who gave him life and abandoned him at the gate of a children's hospital
in hopes he would be found and have the chance of a better life. I think
of Jesus holding this innocent child until a person found him and brought
him into safety where he now awaits his family from Burgaw, NC to come get him
and take him home. Not too much longer my sweet boy!
Over the last three months I have closely followed three very
dear families in their journey to China to bring their daughters home. To
see God work in these families and these children makes me want to shout
"Hallelujah!" I'm sure I have a time or two if you ask my
kids! God is at work! These children are removed from the
orphanages into the arms of their "forever families" and have made
drastic improvements so fast. What confirmation that we are on the path
God laid before us. But most importantly, these precious souls are in
godly, Christian homes, with parents that love the Lord and are following the
commandment given to them in
Duet. 6:5-9,
"Love
the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your
strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your
hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit
at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get
up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your
foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your
gates."
Oh, glory to God! These children are hearing the most
important message ever! If that doesn't make you want to get up and
shout, I don't know what will! God is so good!
There have been so many people that have played an intricate
part of his little life. People that we may never, on this side of
eternity, know of, but God so beautifully orchestrated every piece of this
precious life and proves to me that adoption is truly a miracle! I have
been so blessed in my life. God has allowed me to be married to a man
that loves the Lord with all his heart and is so faithful and loving to his
family. He is my best friend and every day our love grows sweeter.
I am honored to be called his wife! God has also blessed me with two
spectacular children. Benjamin is a loving, tender-hearted boy who loves
people and is ready to follow God's leading in his life. Callie is very
nurturing and full of life. She is a joy to be around. Each one of
us has a beautifully colored thread that God has woven together into a
tapestry for his glory. I can't wait to see how Caleb's thread will be
woven into the tapestry of our family to display God's beautiful masterpiece!
Now as we take this final stretch of our journey, I want you
to know that we are so honored that God chose us to adopt. That first
step out of our comfort zone was difficult, but just as we took that step, God
carried our feet the rest of the way. Although our journey is not over
yet, I know in my heart that this adoption is not the end for us. God has
shown us the need for these orphans to find their forever families. There
are millions of orphans all over the world just waiting. Does that mean
that we will adopt again? Well, that I don't know, but I do know that I
don't want any family to miss out on this miracle of adoption because of fear
and uncertainty. Fear of the financial, fear of the unknown, uncertain on
how this would impact your family. If we had succumbed to our fear and
uncertainty, Caleb would be in that orphanage without hope of a family.
Pray for these orphans. Pray for the families seeking God's will
regarding adoption. Pray for the orphanage workers taking care of these
precious children. Pray that God will remove any fear from those ready to
take that next step. God is bigger than any fear! He sent his
only Son, Jesus, to die for us! He sacrificed so much to adopt us into
his family.
"In
love, he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in
accordance with his pleasure and will." Eph. 1:5
God bless you for taking time to read my thoughts!
I know they are long and believe me I could go on for hours about the many things
God has shown me through this but I will finish up. I ask you now to bow
your head and pray for Caleb. In just a matter of weeks, he will be
removed from the only life he has ever known and it will be a little
frightening for him. Pray that God will saturate him with peace and
that he will know that he is loved. Pray that God will prepare his
little heart for our family! I appreciate so many of you and your
encouragement of our family during this time. Please lift us up
daily! We are blessed to have you take part in this miracle with us and
we are so excited to become a family of five! We love you all very much!
Praising my Lord!
Allison💜
No comments:
Post a Comment