Answers

We're a week into the trip and I've been postponing blogging about it... because to be honest, my head is swirling! My emotions are just running high. The things that we see, hear, feel over hear are just overwhelming and difficult to process at times.

I was looking back through past blogs last night, making a list of the things that we’ve asked you to be praying for over the past year… A year when we had little to no idea what was happening in our kids’ lives on a day-to-day basis... I’m so clearly seeing how God has been faithful to us and gone ahead of us here. He has been present with our children and is making a way for our family to be united.  

You collectively prayed with us that God would…

·       Protect our kids in Africa. Keep them safe and healthy. Use this time to grow their English skills. Prepare their hearts and minds for adoption… The kids are well and we're thrilled to be loving on them in person. They know enough English now to understand much of what we’re saying. They can ask us questions and express their needs... It's amazing to see how they come to us and are bonding with us. We're still getting to know them and I can't wait til we can tell you all about them... but where we are now feels like the first steps of trust and attachment. In some ways it seems incredible and in other ways it just seems so simple.
 

·       May God meet them where they are… make Himself known to them... Fill their little hearts with His peace… The best way to explain this in action is to tell you about the first meal we shared with the kids. We brought them to our hotel for lunch. When the waitress laid out the plates, Chad and I were distracted helping our daughter into her seat. We looked up to see our son, head bowed over his food, praying. Not a little, quiet grace. He was PRAYING. Fervently. Even the waitress stopped to watch him and said “do you see him praying?!” My heart overflowed! God is with our son. Our son knows Him and knows that all thanks are directed to Him!

 

 

·       Lift Asher’s anxieties from his mind so that he doesn’t carry the weight of worrying about their well-being… The message that we can take home to Asher from this trip is that the kids are alright. But more than that, it’s being able to tell Asher (and show him via photos and videos) that at the end of the day, they are just kids! They laugh. They play. They bicker. They hold our hands. They are easily distracted. They sing and dance. They go to school and church. They have favorite sport teams. They love taking selfies. They ask for phones and iPads. And on and on… J  

 

Thank you all so much for continuing to pray for our family. We are just overcome with support and so appreciate each of you! Please continue praying for the actual adoption proceedings. We're still wading through the steps, but feel confident and know God is walking this with us. More to share in the days to come...!