Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Looking Back, Part I

What a fabulous gift that God has given us in allowing us to travel in January to bring home our little princess! As I knelt down by her toddler bed last night, I was simply overwhelmed at how God has brought this adoption about in our lives. I thought I'd share a bit of the beginning of our journey with you. It was last January that God began to fan into flame in my heart the desire to adopt a child. I had thought about it when my kids were very young, but had not acted upon it. In January, my husband was preaching on the book of James at our church. I began to read James to our kids at home. After I finished reading James 1:27, my daughter looked right at me and said, "See! I told you we SHOULD adopt!" (She's been praying for a sister for years!). During my own quiet time with God's Word, He showed me II Corinthians 5:14-15..."For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again." I kept thinking and thinking about that verse. I asked myself, "Am I just living for myself?"..."Could we as a family love and care for a child who has no family?" The next step was to talk with my best friend,my husband,about it. We were on a date at Outback. He looked across the table and gently asked me, "What are you thinking about?" I smiled as I replied, "I'm thinking about what it would be like for our family to adopt a child." Without blinking an eye he said, "That is so not what I thought you were going to say!" Needless to say that was the first of many significant conversations concerning adoption!

Last night as I remembered that II Cor. scripture, I was looking at a picture of "B". My heart was so grateful that God helped us to obey Him last January! He has special plans for our little girl!

Thank you to all of you who are praying for "B" and for our journey to go to her! We are very, very thankful!

3 comments:

Amy (Barnhart) Ephrem said...

Hi Kelly!

Marty passed on your email to me, and I was so excited to hear you're adopting from Ethiopia! My sister and her husband are doing the same...hoping to go sometime next year to pick up their kiddos. They're getting 2! Ermias and I are of course excited that our kids (someday - we don't have any yet!) will have Ethiopian cousins.

Have a wonderful time in Ethiopia next month...we miss that place SO much and look forward to going back one day.

Love from Seattle,

Amy (Barnhart) Ephrem

Clark and Sarah said...

Thanks for the offer to hold our baby girl. If you want I can email you her information and picture so you can spot her. Thanks again!

Kimmie said...

Hi Kelly;

Thanks for sharing your story and how it all began. Beautiful. I can only imagine how shocked your husband must have been at first. Well, you didn't share if God also had been preparing him with the same leaning.

I love adoption stories, well, honestly I love adoption...a nice addiction to have if you ask me ;-)

Kimmie
mama to 6
one homemade and 5 adopted