Tears were shed today.
We got our consular appointment, travel dates, and (closest to our hearts) we now know when we’ll pick up our daughter. She will be the best Valentine’s Day gift in history this year. On February 23rd, we’ll stand in the US Consulate in Guang Zhou and swear her in as a US Citizen (although she won’t get that paperwork officially until she gets back to the US).
It is truly a relief that we’re now only a little over a month away from bringing our little girl home!
Faith is important in a situation like this. We have no backup plan, and the majority of the process is out of our hands. Sure, we can make phone calls and ask for updates, but other than chasing down some paperwork, we really do not have much influence over anything in the process. Still, we fell like God is calling us to adopt again, even though there have been traumas in our life in the last year, even though a number of things are unclear, even though we are already blessed by such wonderful children.
Several people have asked “why do it again?” or “how can you afford it?” or “haven’t you done enough?” They comment about how “people like you are special.” I keep telling them that we have submitted our lives to the control of Jesus. That’s the only reason. No other reason makes any logical sense.
In the years since we gave up on the stuff the world thinks is important, our lives have been rich beyond belief in every way. There have been insurmountable tragedies and huge problems. There have been so many changes and challenges. And yet one thing keeps shining and making the whole thing a joy.
There is nothing else that I can say to explain it – I have joy in all of this because of Christ.
We’re doing this because we believe that God is very clearly asking us to adopt again and to do it this time without borrowing a penny and without much of a plan, and without much worry — to show that anyone can do it if and when God calls them to. I believe that we are supposed to prove to people that when God calls you to a thing, he will provide the way to make it happen, whether that’s handling the financial issues, or getting a government approval or two, or giving you the hope to continue when hardship hits, or just giving you the feeling that you’re living where he wants you to live.
This is not some positive thinking mumbo-jumbo. This is not some new age thing. It’s not some magical formula.
If it were up to me, I would live quite happily on my own, making my own way. I did it for years. But somewhere along the way, though we were happy enough on our own, God called us to listen to him and we actually did. Continuing to follow him has made all the difference in our lives and we would not trade our relationship with God for the whole world.
Faith matters.
