Friday, October 12, 2012

My Story...Part 2


At the grand count of 4 domestically adopted kids, we were “done.”  Our family was officially complete.

God chuckles when I say that, I am certain.

We had just begun sponsoring our first child, a beautiful little girl in Uganda with the oddly Western name of Aisha.  My husband brought her picture home as a surprise.  A new way to love and share Jesus.  We were all so excited.  We stared at her picture and wrote letters and prayed for her, not being able to fathom what hardships she faced or what life in Uganda was like.

Then my oldest daughter began praying for a sister from Africa.  Every single day.  She was seven.  We thought she would get over it.  She didn't.  She left notes around the house, notes at Christmas time...

"Dear mom,
All I want for Christmas is a sister from Africa.  
Love, Me."

She was nothing if not persistent.

Around that time a blog began to circulate and gain popularity... kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com.  I read it faithfully and sat, tears running down, as my heart tried to grasp something so beautiful and awful.  I wanted to be like her, though somehow it appeared that I was actually old enough to be her mother.

How did that happen?

A friend invited me to a fundraiser for a local family who was adopting.  I went because Katie Davis was going to be there and I wanted to see this little powerhouse of a girl with my own eyes, even if it was from 20 rows back.

I saw more than Katie Davis, I saw for the first time a community of adoption and orphan-loving Christian families who were willing to unashamedly ask for help so they could bring a needy child into their home, to give them what every little one longs for...a forever family.

Sold.

Well, sort of.

I mean, really, we had four kids.  We were busy.  Drew was an all-over-the-place and into everything toddler.  God wouldn't call us to that now, right?  That would be crazy.

But my heart began to long.  That feeling would not go away.  It grew and sometimes ached and I wondered what He could be thinking to put that desire there again.

We thought we were done, but God was lovingly chuckling as He worked.

We went to another fundraiser.  Friends were stepping up to adopt in droves.  Of course, we had done it four times already so the idea wasn't anything new.

Except that this time the pull was to Africa.


to be continued...

No comments:

Post a Comment

Let's keep the conversation going...