Good evening friends!! So many times I know that I want to blog b/c I have much on my heart, but when I sit down I don't know where to begin. I don't want to ramble, but I want to express the things that God is doing in our lives through the adoption!! So here goes!!
Today has been a wonderful and emotional day! In the mail we received our approval for Julia's visa!! This is huge, and one of the final steps before sending paperwork to Ukraine! We are awaiting one more thing, which I will pick up tomorrow, then I'll be off to the apostille office to finish up! So that means either Monday or Tuesday we'll be sending our dossier to Ukraine!!
It's hard to believe how incredibly fast this is going, yet some things seem so slow! It seems like forever since I have given my sweet girl a big hug and told her face to face that I love her. Yet, it also seems like we just started this journey! It's hard to describe the feelings in my heart, but with this approval comes some of the many emotions, that I understand are quite normal!
One emotion is pure excitement! I'm going to have my daughter home, with us FOREVER!! God chose us as her family, and she will be here soon!! I can't seem to get there soon enough! She asks each time we talk with her when we are coming, so she is ready! Our children ask when she is coming, so they are ready for us to bring her home! We are ready to be a complete family!! So this is all so exciting b/c we know this is happening!!
The next emotion is sadness! When Jarrod and I go to Ukraine, we'll be leaving our 3 small children. As I type this, I can't help but cry. I have NEVER left them more than a weekend, and this trip is going to be terribly hard. Probably more on me than on them! God willing, we will be making 2 trips. The first will be for about 2.5-3 weeks. We'll then come home for about 10 days, then we'll go back to Ukraine for an additional 10 days, in which Julia will be with us the entire time, then we'll all travel home together as a family. We're also taking a very special Chelsea Louwho with us on the last trip! I have some WONDERFUL friends and family that will be taking care of our children while we are gone, so I know they will have a blast! Thank goodness for Skype, so I can see them each day! I'm praying that won't be too hard on them! I know the reward in the end is going to be magnificent, but I do ask for extra prayers for us during this time of seperation!
The next emotion is nervousness! Nervousness of the unknown. I've never been outside of the US, never been to an orphanage, never done any of the things that we are about to do! So this is all new!! We are also still in the fundraising mode! While we've raised some $$, we are still quite a ways away from being ready to go! God has brought us this far, and I know He won't stop carrying us along on this journey! My faith is truly being stretched, and I'm trusting that He is providing all of this!! I know He loves Julia even more than we do, and He wants her with our family even more than we do. So I keep speaking His words and His promises. Sometimes I need to speak them for myself if no one else!! God has had me in Hebrews 11 the past couple of days!! I love the journey of faith, although it's not an easy one, it's definetely going to be worth it!!
Each step that we have taken makes this journey feel more and more real!! It's amazing to see what God is doing in our family. Hannah told me the other day that when she is older, she wants to adopt! What a wonderful thing that God is doing in not only Jarrod and I, but in our children! They see the Father's heart for adoption, that so many Christians overlook! I want to change this generation. I want us to get out of this "it's all about me" mindset. God has put us here for a purpose "For such a time as this", and we need to grasp that. He didn't put us here so that we could be the most popular, the most famous, or the richest. He put us here for His kingdom. It's time for the church to rise up and grasp that concept.
We've been labeled many times as being "different" by the world. That's okay, b/c the only one that want to be "like" is Christ! I love children, and want children to feel loved and accepted, and this means that my home will be open to as many children as the Lord sees fit to send through the doors. It's not about me and all the "material things" that I may want. It's about me committing my life to Christ. Which means that I may be "inconvenienced" so to speak. I was thinking today about how many people will do things at Christmas, like an Angel Tree, or something similar. These things are all great, and are needed. BUT, how many of those giving to something like that would be willing to open their homes to the orphans, widow, homeless????? People want to give, but only what is convenient to them. They don't want to get inconvenienced in their lives. There have been many times where I have gotten frustrated, b/c my plans for the day didn't work out. But the Lord had other plans, and my "inconvenience" was all ordained! So I encouarge Christians, embrace the "uncomfortable" or "inconvenient". If He's calling you to adopt, don't let fear grip you, don't let what others thing grip you......let what God is telling you to do grip you! We may be labeled different, but that's okay, we are being obedient to the call of the Father!!
So as I end this blog, I want to ask for prayers! When praying for us, I encourage you to pray His word over us, straight from the Bible! We want and trust in God's promises!! Thank you for listening to my heart! I randomly get things, and sometimes they have no rhyme or reason, it's just what God has laid on my heart!! Be blessed my friends, and I pray that the Father will speak some new blessings over you tonight!!
No comments:
Post a Comment