REFERRAL!!!

Christian and I were playing Scrabble Wednesday night when the phone rang.   Oh, how life can turn on a dime in 30 seconds flat.  I knew it was the referral when I glanced at the caller i.d.   My heart dropped into the pit of my stomach, and our Scrabble game came to an abrupt halt.   

Leigh Ann told me about a little baby girl, only three months old, in Mekele.   Amazingly, this tiny little girl shares a name with my mom.  My beautiful, Jesus-loving mom.    It was too much.   God is so good.   She said more info would be sent in the morning.  I hung up with a sob in my throat.  God is so good.

William and I shared one of those looks -- like when you're in awesome wonder of new life and how in the world can we be so blessed and, oh my goodness, can you believe it?  I mean that was quick!  And a little baby?  You're kidding me!!! We thought we were getting a toddler!  I cried, the boys laughed, and William soon became the lone voice of reason.   After all, we hadn't gotten the official referral yet.  Just a phone call...a life-changing phone call, full of hope and promise and love and all those wonderful emotions God lets us experience in moments like these.   

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.  

                                                                                                                                        Ephesians 1:3-6

Part II... 

The next morning we woke up bright and early.  I checked my e-mail 10 times in 10 minutes.  Nothing.  William went to the club for a workout.  I sat down and spent some time reading the Bible and praying.   Well, I tried to sit down.   Eventually I did settle into a passage in John 12.

"Listen carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over. In the same way, anyone who holds on to life just as it is destroys that life. But if you let it go, reckless in your love, you'll have it forever, real and eternal."  John 12:24-25

Reckless in your love.   God is reckless in his love towards us.  (Well, Sasha just stopped by and said that this super cute children's boutique downtown is having a sale and there's lots of cute baby stuff, and so I just might have to cut this short!!!)  Anyway, GOD LOVES US SOOO VERY MUCH!  And He wants us to love others recklessly!  This means that whatever that referral says, namely those scary medicals, He has hand chosen this precious baby, and we are to TRUST HIM!  He brought my thoughts to Deb's blog and this post.    God is truly enough, and His power is perfected in our weakness and in our shaky "what-if" thoughts. 

William comes home with Starbucks (I so love this man!), the kids wake up, and we get the long-awaited e-mail.  We open up the e-mail, scan the very lengthy letter, and then we lay our eyes on our daughter for the very first time.  She's beautiful.  She's tiny.  She's ours.  Big, huge eyes.  A long, skinny little body.  So fragile looking.  Fearfully and wonderfully made by God Himself.  We are in awe.  So many thoughts, emotions.  Sadness over the loss of her father and mother and grandmother.  Sadness for the poverty and illness that has broken her family apart.  I grieve for her mama.  Yet, the Lord gives her beauty for ashes.  Her healing has begun.  Our hearts are full.   We can't wait to hold you and love you and take care of you, sweet baby girl.

Later that day, we officially accepted the referral.  Now we enter into another season of waiting.   

We pray, Jesus, for her protection and that she will have favor in the orphanage, that she will be loved and cared for by the nannies, that she will grow strong, and we ask that she come home soon.