21 Nov - Three days until our GOTCHA day!
When I rose up this morning, the last thing I anticipated was a day sprinkled liberally with tears of joy. But then, God is like that often presenting us with unexpected surprises.
We received the last administrative thing we needed today before we leave for Bogota- Thanks Julie! We are beginning to feel that "last minute we'll never get ready in time" kind of felling! Those of you who have gone before us know what I'm talking about! :-) But like each of you, we'll pull it together just like you did, mostly thanks to the most amazing woman I know- my wife Betty. (she doesn't know I'm writing this entry, shhhhhh don't tell OK?)
We are mostly finished packing and hope to wrap everything up tomorrow and then try to rest a bit on Sunday before we head to the airport early Monday. We plan to meet with our small group (10 adults and around 26 kids) for a time of prayer and fellowship before we leave. These have been the people who have labored in prayer with us all along this journey. They have been there with us when we wept with disappointment and when we wept with joy. Thanks to all of you for your support along the way and for simply being our brothers and sisters in Christ. Special thanks to: Kurt, Sue, Steve, Terry, Kameron, Carol, James, Dana, Dan, Nancy, Robert and Mimi and all your families for your support each time we met. The prayers of the righteous availeth much- thanks for praying for us and with us. Robert - your leading all of us in Children of the Living God is always in my mind and will be on my heart as we complete this journey.
A bit of explanation for the title of this entry- A Day for Tears (of Joy). The obvious part I have mentioned- I have reflected on all who have come along side us on this journey over the last year and cannot help but be moved to tears. So many have given of themselves through gifts, prayers and encouraging words. My deepest thanks and know we will never forget. We listened to Focus on the Family today which was about adoption - yep my eyes were all leaky again. I must figure out what causes this and see if I can fix this leaky thing. We are following the blogs of two other families who met their kids in the last couple of days, reading their entries not only fill us with anticipation, but also make us feel as if we are along side them. I must confess I was also move to tears of joy when I read the Woods entry today and saw we were mentioned by name that they are praying for us when we have not even met. We do though I think feel a sort of kinship through the shared experiences of our adoption journeys. Thanks guys for lifting us up before the throne of Glory. We have added your Tatiana's sister to our prayer list and will keep our eyes open while we are down there! But mostly it has been a day of tears as we have looked forward with anticipation to to meeting Carlos, Tatiana, and Yeisson on Tuesday. The reality of this for me is becoming more apparent with each passing hour. We love these guys though we have not yet met them. We long to hold them in our arms - to whisper to them mi hijo, mi hija.
I wonder what they are thinking tonight. They must surely know about us by now. How I hope their hearts are filled with eagerness and anticipation. My simple prayer for tonight is:
Father help me to love these little ones as you have loved me.
Blessings to all of you.
Jim
Why "Eight Is Not Enough"?
When we were younger, there was a television sitcom that was called "Eight is Enough". The television watching world was entertained with the thought of a family with eight children. Most of us were shocked at the prospect of such a large family- myself included! Then ever so slowly, God began to work on our hearts, until we surrendered to Him all of our lives- yes even gave Him sovereign control over the size of our family and He has blessed us immeasurably, with eight biological children. Each of these children have been an amazing gift to us and we cherish each of them. And we praised God for them and felt to ourselves "eight is enough" - at least for a time.
Then God began to stir our hearts. It was as if He spoke to say to us "these 8 precious children I have given to you, but what have you given to my orphans in return?" A burden began to build on our hearts to adopt. We knew that for us God still had other plans for us as parents if we would be faithful to His calling- that eight is not enough. And so, we followed this call to adopted and He has continued to blessed us through adoption. First a sibling group of three from Soacha, Colombia. They joined our family in November, 2008. In May 2010, we adopted twin infants from Texas. In September of 2012 we were privileged to return to Colombia and adopt a sibling group of two from Cali. At this time, we anxiously wait for our travel date to depart for China where a very special girl and boy wait for their forever family. By the time they all reach adulthood, we will have had the amazing privilege to be parents of children in our home for a half century. Our life is full beyond measure, beyond our wildest expectations, yes even beyond anything we could have ever hoped. Truly, eight is not enough. As of late we have wondered if God's plan for us as parents all along was not for eight children, but rather eight plus eight. Our heavenly Father knows and His word assures us "I know the plans I have made for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you." We trust He knows the number of His children He wants us to love and to nurture on His behalf, and whether that is eight or eighty times eight we stand ready and say speak Lord, your servants are listening and are prepared to be father and mother to your fatherless on earth.
Then God began to stir our hearts. It was as if He spoke to say to us "these 8 precious children I have given to you, but what have you given to my orphans in return?" A burden began to build on our hearts to adopt. We knew that for us God still had other plans for us as parents if we would be faithful to His calling- that eight is not enough. And so, we followed this call to adopted and He has continued to blessed us through adoption. First a sibling group of three from Soacha, Colombia. They joined our family in November, 2008. In May 2010, we adopted twin infants from Texas. In September of 2012 we were privileged to return to Colombia and adopt a sibling group of two from Cali. At this time, we anxiously wait for our travel date to depart for China where a very special girl and boy wait for their forever family. By the time they all reach adulthood, we will have had the amazing privilege to be parents of children in our home for a half century. Our life is full beyond measure, beyond our wildest expectations, yes even beyond anything we could have ever hoped. Truly, eight is not enough. As of late we have wondered if God's plan for us as parents all along was not for eight children, but rather eight plus eight. Our heavenly Father knows and His word assures us "I know the plans I have made for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you." We trust He knows the number of His children He wants us to love and to nurture on His behalf, and whether that is eight or eighty times eight we stand ready and say speak Lord, your servants are listening and are prepared to be father and mother to your fatherless on earth.
Friday, November 21, 2008
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