Hey Gabriel, Watch This ...

Every now and then, you just need a boost to your confidence.  An affirmation that you are actually doing the right thing, that God has not forgotten you, and is fighting for you.

This is especially true for adoptive families.  Because adoption is freakin' hard.  The spiritual warfare surrounding the process of redeeming lives is breathtaking.  And it doesn't get any easier when you get them home, like I used to think that it would. In fact, it gets harder in many ways. A different kind of hard, but harder, nonetheless.

It's in these low times, that we have found God  most likely to show up and blow our mind in such a way that gives us the encouragement we need to "Keep pressing on."

Yesterday was such a day.

Except yesterday, He decided to give us a triple shot of encouragement.

Story 1:
We have become friends with the Watson family over the past year or so.  The Watsons are in the process of adopting a sibling set from Ethiopia.  As of yesterday morning, they were lacking only their last $3500 needed to travel to bring their kids home. We had shared with them about a fundraiser that had worked well for us last year when we were in the same boat, and they decided to give it a shot yesterday.  What happened was nothing short of miraculous and a testament to God working through His people to provide for His children. What an encouragement that God will meet every need!  Read their recap of yesterday's events HERE.

Story 2:
Many of you saw and have been praying about what I mentioned in our previous post. Thank you so much!  Yesterday, my friend Travis returned home from Ethiopia and emailed me saying that he HAD BEEN ABLE to find and connect with our girls' biological father, and his clinic was able to evaluate him and provide some care!  He said they were going to try and get him into the program! In addition, he attached 4 photos (sorry, those are private) and I cannot tell you what the emotions were in being able to see him at the clinic!  I wish I could tell you all of the details, but I cannot, due to security reasons.  Just know that what happened is AMAZING!

Story 3:
As I like to call it, "Icing on the Cake."

First, a little backstory ...
Several years ago, when we lived in Knoxville, there was a couple about our parents' age who became good friends and supporters of our ministry there.  They had a daughter (our age) whom we found out worked for our agency as in-country staff in Ethiopia. As it turns out, she was very close to Ansley and Karis while they were in the Transition Home. In fact, according to the girls, she was the one who went and picked them up from the orphanage and brought them to the TH. That right there was cool enough. But wait. It gets WAY better.

This friend and her husband (not using names, for the sake of privacy) ultimately returned home to the Nashville area and has since gone back to adopt another little girl that they had fallen in love with.  This little girl is a little younger than Ansley and they know each other from the TH.

Fast forward to the present.

We have recently moved to Nashville as our family is a part of a team planting a new church in West End.  Moving, of course, meant changing the girls' schools and making new friends.  It has been somewhat stressful. Understatement of the year.  We have obsessed over choosing the right school for the girls, who to send where, and in what grade.  We also wanted a place that would reflect the new diversity of our family. We ultimately decided to send Mallory and Ansley to the school we are zoned for and to allow Ansley to repeat Kindergarten, since last year was such a difficult year for her.  We have gone back and forth with this decision, but finally made up our mind that this was best.

Last night, we went to the school to see what teacher and class the girls had been assigned to. As we were looking at Ansley's class, there was the name of our friend's little girl. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? At first we couldn't believe it.  But surely there could not possibly be another kid in Nashville with that Ethiopian first name and that last name, right?

We rushed home and emailed our friend and it was FOR REAL!!  Not only will there be another Ethiopian child in Ansley's kindergarten class, but it will be one she KNOWS from Ethiopia, who also happens to be the DAUGHTER of the person who took care of her and Karis when they first became orphans!

Surely God had to be laughing His head off at us last night.  I can almost see Him leaning over to one of the angels and saying, "Hey. You're going to want to watch this.  This is going to be good. Ha ha ha ha."

As it turns out, yesterday is an overwhelming message to my family from the Creator that He is in control. Yes, it may be hard. Yes, we may want to give up, at times. But we can't and we won't, because God is orchestrating every bit of this and is still fighting for us, and for all the orphans of this world.

We will keep pressing on.