There are things that test us in life. I've been tested before. I'll be tested again. However, as I dwell in the testing that is currently international adoption I can't help but ask God, "What's up?" There are so many aspects of how this has all been laid out for us that I wonder how God is working in all of this. I know He is. I KNOW He is! There is no way that we'd be on this journey for 21 months and it not mean anything . . . you know . . . faith wise.
I ask myself all the time what I'm supposed to learn from this experience. There are several things I've come up with.
1. I am NOT in control. I'm not a control freak, but I do like to have a plan. That is really not at all possible when in the process of an international adoption.
2. There is so much that I don't understand about the world. Between cultural differences, language, and customs we have a very narrow view of what the world is truly like.
3. There are so many things that are really 'bigger' than me and my family. We are all part of the body of Christ and how we live in community is important. The community that we live in and engage with is very much a part of our experience.
I feel as though this whole experience has been a journey of great importance. We are adding to our family. We are being given the amazing responsibility and honor of raising two beautiful children from Ethiopia. While this is all first and foremost about these two girls, there is a deep impact on our lives, values, and place in the world as a whole. Through each step our faith has been stuck to the ins and outs of our process and what we're being asked to do. There has not been a single part of this process that excluded our journey of faith. It has been stretched beyond measure. It has been strengthened beyond measure as well. This sounds silly I know, but I feel like my journey in faith is like a piece of used gum on the bottom of a shoe. It's been in a wrapper fresh and pristine. Then, it's been taken out chewed up and now it's stuck. Messy, gooey, and not going anywhere it's sticky and stretched out. It's sticking no matter where we walk, no matter where we go. Like gum on the bottom of your shoe that you can't ignore and can't get rid of, our faith is constantly with us through all of this.
Our faith was sticky and stretched through the uncertainty of last December, January and February. There were concerns about licensing for all the agencies working in Ethiopia. We spent many weeks wondering if we'd even be able to adopt from Ethiopia. At the last minute the paperwork came through. After we received our referral we learned that there was a government official in the area "T" is from that was not favorable toward adoption. There were weeks of delays in scheduling our court appointment. We were worried beyond belief that this little girl that we had loved through pictures and skype would suddenly be no longer ours.
The latest issue came with embassy interviews. Before adoptive families are able to have an embassy appointment and bring their child home a member of the birth family or the "finder" has to have an interview. For Miss "T"s case the person they wanted to interview could not be found. We spent 3 days in limbo. Would the embassy clear the case without talking with this individual? Would they infinitely delay our case until this person was found and could come for an interview? We had spent the last 21 months working on this case to have an issue at the last moment. Ugh. Through all of these moments our faith journey has been evident. It didn't make these situations easy or make them disappear. However, we knew that God's will is perfect. We knew that he had called us to adopt "T". We were ready to add her to our family. That sticky, stretchy faith had to be tested once again. Was it easy . . . no. Was I angry . . . yes. Did I feel the need to through my own version of a hissy fit . . . by all means. However, here we are on the other side. I've seen that I once again we are called to trust God and his timing.
Because . . .
We are now FINALLY scheduled to leave for Addis Ababa in about a week. We will soon hold our daughters. We will soon be able to bring "T" home forever!!! Through all of this I can say that God is good! All the time! And all the time, God is good! But, it's a good thing he intended our faith to stretch, grow and stick to every aspect of our lives.
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