Thursday, January 3, 2013

THE PRODUCT OF THE PROMISE (a summary)

Tim and I met in high school.  We were married almost seven years later.  We always knew we wanted to adopt and when our baby number 4 was four years old we began to make that dream become a reality.  Two years prior we had interviewed with an agency, but we both felt we should wait.  It was Mother's Day (May 2008) that we all sat in our van one sunny Sunday after church and said a prayer as a family for God to lead us and guide us as we began our adoption journey.


"Who?" and "Where?" and "How?"...these answers could only be answered by divine guidance.  As we took in all the information from research, discussions with adoptive parents and prayer upon prayer, we were blessed with direction.  The "Who?" became clear to us.  He was calling us to parent an African toddler girl.  I couldn't give you a clear answer if you asked me "why?", but we both just knew.

Now we needed to know "Where?".  One day while fasting and praying for guidance, I went out to the mailbox and found our answer.  A Compassion International magazine had arrived and an article caught my heart.  It was entitled "A Promise for a Princess" (the article header has become our blog header).  The article highlighted the dire need and distress experienced because of poverty in Ethiopia.  While there, the author of the article held a tiny infant girl in his hands as she breathed her last.  He had decided they had to make a difference there in Ethiopia and I felt we needed to do the same.
Then came finding our adoption agency.  I had narrowed the large field of agencies down to three which I called and interviewed.  Ironically, I felt most led to use the only non-christian agency I had interviewed.  Knowing God is sovereign, we went in that direction.  (This decision was crucial and I had to hold onto this as a God directed decision in the years to come, as the process turned out to be full of unexpected twists and turns).

Now, "How" were we going to pay for this adoption?  I had full faith God would provide for the large sums of money we were going to need and I was hoping for the ol' "envelope method" where the cash unexpectedly shows up in your mailbox, but that was not to be the case this time.  Months into the beginning of our journey with part one of our application submitted, I received a call from my son's preschool.  They were looking to find a pre-school teacher for the upcoming year, and wanted to know if I knew anyone who might be qualified.  Unknown to them,  I do have a degree in Child Development and Child Care and taught pre-school PK (pre-kids...12 years ago!).  As much as I felt unprepared and anxious, I knew this was the Lord's plan and after interviewing, I accepted the position offered.  I ended up being there for two years and was so very blessed for taking on that calling.  Not only did that job provide a significant amount of the financing needed to complete our adoption, the resulting growth and new friends made the experience so much "richer" than the "envelope method" could ever have delivered.

I began that position in August of 2008 and we were finally paper ready and on the agency wait list in April of 2009.  The estimated wait at that point had grown from 6-12 months (which is what it was when we interviewed the agency) to 12-18 months.  A bit discouraging, but knowing God's timing is perfect, certainly seemed fine.  Well, when the 18 month time had come and gone and people we knew from other agencies were getting their referrals with only a 12 month wait or less from beginning to end, the struggle started to set in.  Time and time again, as I wrestled and pleaded and prayed to God, wondering if I heard correctly, wondering if we went in the right direction, I kept being told in my spirit "stay put".  Ugh, how difficult.  Thank goodness for the reminder of Abraham and the promise God made him.  I did not want to mess us things by trying to go my own way (the Hagar experience) so though the aching in my heart would continue, my spirit was able to find peace when I finally relinquished my "expectations" unto His sovereignty.  I would tell myself "If I believe He is God and He is sovereign and His ways are always best, then who was I to insist this was not the way it was supposed to be!?".  Peace finally came when I could believe in my spirit that WHATEVER God determines as best, is BEST!  Though the flesh would often try to take back over and rob me of peace, as long as I took that angst to the Lord, He was faithful to provide the peace that passes understanding to guard my heart and mind. 
It was not until that beautiful day (March 7, 2012), as I was painting a door I had unhinged on my back deck in preparation for listing our house for sale, that our call came.  (Yes, that was just one month shy of 3 years of being on the wait list!)  The product of the promise was revealed to us!  She was a two year old cutie just waiting for God to bring us together.  Two trips to Ethiopia later, (amazing trips I might add :) we arrived home to US soil on August 31, 2012 with our wonderful little princess.  FOR ALL THE PROMISES OF GOD IN HIM ARE YEA, AND IN HIM, AMEN, UNTO THE GLORY OF GOD BY US. 2 Cor 1:20 KJV  All glory be unto Him.  We are so blessed to have her!

So to anyone considering adoption my advice would be to "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and ALL these things shall be added to you.  Mt 6:33  He always has more than just the end result in mind and I can honestly say, I am so grateful.