Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Post #2...Every Bump...


I guess I'll start by saying that EVERY story is different....EVERY person's REASON to adopt varies....BUT for us... it's important to remember that WE NEVER ONCE IN OUR LIVES DREAMED OF ADOPTION!!! We never discussed it, talked about it, or ever THOUGHT it would be a part of our life!!! With that said....I was completely happy and content with 4 babies at the time!! I wasn't overly worried that we COULDN'T have any more pregnancies due to 4 c-sections...it just all seemed to be "fine" with me!! This is WHERE God stepped in....BECAUSE our plans aren't always HIS PLANS!!!

*I know with out a shadow of doubt that ANY person with a 5 yr. old, a 3 , a 2 and a 10 month old WOULD have found 100's of reasons to NOT adopt when faced with the "possibility"...IF GOD WASN'T INVOLVED!!! NO husband in their "right" mind...who had NEVER discussed the possibility of adoption ...WOULD HAVE EVER SAID YES....IF GOD WASN'T INVOLVED!!! You see....across the world, sat a pregnant teenage girl PRAYING with her family about her unborn child. And, I know NOW that the exact same time she finds out she's pregnant and her FAMILY GOES to PRAYER over it.... I go to sit at my computer, just like i did at some point every day...and there....in my INBOX was an email from a friend...It simply said, "Pass this to your sister...I think she'll enjoy it." It was one of those
moments where I wish someone could have tapped me on the shoulder and said, "RIGHT AT THIS VERY MOMENT....YOUR ENTIRE WORLD IS GETTING READY TO CHANGE!!! EVERYTHING YOU LOVED AND VALUED BEFORE WILL NOW BE SO DIFFERENT...ENJOY THE CRAZY RIDE"

*AND, I made the fateful choice to OPEN the email instead of passing it straight on to my sister Kelly. And, at that moment...a family in Ethiopia is praying over the baby in the young mom's womb...knowing they would NOT be able to keep the baby!! And, at that very moment...MY HEART BREAKS..I watch the VERY first Gotcha Day video I'd ever seen...I watch a family adopt from Ethiopia ( a country I knew nothing about)...and my HEART BREAKS INTO A MILLION PIECES!! I sit crying WONDERING how i'd gone my whole life with out knowing or caring about the fatherless children of our world!!! And, at that very moment....God answered the prayers of this family in Ethiopia....And, as baby girl continued to grow inside another young woman's womb.....WE BEGIN THE PROCESS TO ADOPT!!

* About the time this young mom gives birth to her daughter Martha....we are WELL into our wait on the waitlist!! As this family decides IT's time to take the baby to an orphanage....teenage mom decides she just can't do it yet....and we reach #1 on the wait list.... and are referred ANOTHER baby!! As we sit and fall in love with Baby "k" just knowing she was going to be OUR daughter.... A teenage mother is pouring love and trust and courage into her infant baby girl at home!! As we fall more and more in love with Baby K over the next month....Teenage mom spends valuable time with her daughter...seeing her smile and giving her the gift of LOVE like only a mother can do!! As we get the DREADED call that our Baby K is gone...(her birth mother came back for her).... A teenage mom has decided it is TIME....TIME to let her baby go!! TIME to take her baby to a state run orphanage FAR from her village....having ONLY prayer that she'll find her way to a family that can care for her!! And, as we sit CRYING at home...asking God "why" is our Baby "k" gone....Lucy Lane Martha is handed over to strangers at an orphanage. For 3 weeks we sit and cry and wonder and plead with our agency and ask them over and over again WHY it is taking so long to get a new referral....ALL ALONG...our Lucy Lane is making her way to Addis Ababa where she will reside at Hannah's Hope Orphanage.....As I hand the pain over to God..and tell HIM that HE is in control....NOT ME....I just can't TRY and control things any longer....Our Lucy Lane arrives to the arms of strangers once again at HH...where she is put through various tests to PROVE she is healthy for referral....WHEN i think I can't CRY one more tear.....MY PHONE RINGS!!! And, on the other end is our case worker....with a baby girl she needed to tell us about...and her name is "Martha"....a name chosen from the bible!!
* I will always be GRATEFUL and HUMBLED by this young mom...for making an incredibly hard choice for her daughter's sake. (I will save all details to WHY she was given up for adoption for LL to share some day if she wants) AND, I'm forever grateful that God broke my heart that particular afternoon. I will always VALUE that time that LLM got to spend with her birth mother....If my wait hadn't been as long as it was...OR if we hadn't experienced the loss of referral....and IF we'd been given LLM right from birth...then I don't think she'd be the SAME person she is today!! God intended for her to be secure, strong, funny and full of love....and she came to me with those qualities...which I know she learned from the valuable time she was able to spend with her birth mom.

* So, NOW i'm grateful for the wait...i'm grateful for the pain..and for all the little bumps I didn't even mention...cause THEY all got me to HER...which I know was ALL GOD'S PLAN!!

*And, as I landed on Ethiopian soil....
ready for my daughter to be placed in my arms...there was ONLY one other thing I wanted ever so badly...and that was to thank the woman that gave birth to her....I couldn't wait for my birth parent meeting...I had dreamed of the day we would meet...the day I could hug her and let her know JUST HOW MUCH I loved her daughter....but that day never came....For several reasons...she didn't get to come to the meeting...and instead I was handed pictures of this beautiful YOUNG Ethiopian girl kissing and loving on her baby daughter. You see... JUST TWO WEEKS EARLIER...she had come to say good bye to her...and they captured it on film.

*I've NOW sat and stared at those pictures for 16 months....still dreaming and praying for this young girl that I never got to meet....AND, OUT of the clear blue....my hubby ups and "gifts" me with a return trip to Ethiopia....to full fill a dream I'd held onto for 16 months....BUT, before I could commit.....I HAD TO SOME WAY, SOME HOW ASK HER PERMISSION TO COME...... (to be continued...)

25 comments:

  1. oh my goodness! that is amazing- I cant wait for the rest of it!

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  2. Wow, such a powerful post! You are changing lives girlfriend! What an example of showing that prayers do get answered and how perfect is God's timing right? Thank you for sharing this beautiful story!!!

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  3. Oh tears.... girl.... can't wait for more of the story....
    I am loving reliving this story as I watched it unfold from Texas...

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  4. Beautiful post. When I feel like this is taking so long, or why do they need that again, I remember it is all happening because there is one little princess out there destined to be our daughter. Thank you for all your posts they are so encouraging and wonderful to read.

    Meghan

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  5. I have goose bumps all over! I too sat at the computer, my heart breaking into pieces, at the fact I had no idea what was going on in Ethiopia. And at that very moment I remembered a long time ago when I was about 9 years old I had told my youth group leader at church that I wanted to adopt. I had always wondered why I was put on bed rest during my pregnancies and my 2 girls were born prematurly. God was working even then to push me towards my dream of adopting.
    I am so excited for you to go back to Ethiopia and I am looking forward to reading all about it.

    Kristel :) www.7397milestoyou.blogspot.com

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  6. I am constantly amazed at how God quietly orchestrates everything in the background, and then at the perfect time puts His plans into action. When it happens, we look back and see Him in ALL the details leading up to that point. It is so extremely humbling to know that He is using us to carry out His plans. I always wonder how many other things are going on right now that we are actually a part of and don't even know? He is so AMAZING, and I'm so glad He is in control of our lives. Thanks so much for sharing a part of your incredible story.

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  7. beautiful Kristi. Thank you so much for sharing this. I am hoping and praying that we can meet Tucker's birthmom. Now that I have more info about her, I cry every single time I think of her and pray for her.

    I'm in such suspense reading that last part!!

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  8. I am truely in awe of what God is doing!! He is so amazing.

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  9. I am crying tears. It sounds so much like my way to my ethiopian baby girl. Funny how God works isn't it? Like a puzzle. Every single piece is different. Putting it together is rough and we become discouraged. But when God finishes it it is beautiful. SO much more than we could ever imagined!!!

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  10. OH DEAR I LOVE THIS STORY CAN'T WAIT FOR THE CONTINUED OF WHAT GOD HAS RECENTLY DONE! THANK YOU FOR SHARING! WE HAVE NO ELECTRICITY AT OUR HOME SO WE ARE HANGING OUT AT CHURCH CATCHING UP ON EMAILS AND BLOGS. LOVE HOW GOD JUST PUTS EVERY DETAIL OF BRINGING LUCY HOME! SO NEAT TO HEAR MORE!
    THANK YOU AGAIN!
    HEIDI

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  11. Ohm my goodness, I am on the edge of my seat! Love hearing the amazing story of how God place Lucy Lane in your family! So beautiful!

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  12. REALLY? You're going to leave my crying face hang like that? Come on.......I need to know more!!!! Love your story!!!!!!!!!!!

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  13. Such an incredible story. I can't wait to read the rest.

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  14. Oh my goodness! Can't wait to read the rest. Your story blesses me so much!!

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  15. What a beautiful God-ordained story!! I can't wait to hear the ways the Lord uses you there.

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  16. oh kristi, i could bawl through this whole thing...love seeing how God works...amazing...cannot wait to read more!

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  17. Wow...you really WEREN'T kidding when you said God aligned EVERYthing. Can't wait to hear the rest!

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  18. That is one of the most incredible stories I have ever read!! Thank you for sharing! I cannot wait to hear more.

    I have been following your blog for quite some time but maybe only commented a couple of times. I am inspired to continue to pray for my desire to adopt from Africa. We already adopted a little girl from China, the same time you adopted Lucy. We recently lost our baby boy at 18 weeks pregnant and moved here to the States from England In April, so it has been a trying time. But God has been so good to us and we sense the Lord moving us to adopt again one day.

    How I would love to travel to ET one day, but until that time, I shall enjoy following you there once again!!

    Thank you for being such an inspiration!

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  19. I am hanging on every word ... WOW!

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  20. Beautiful post, Kristi! I love to hear stories of how God moves in the lives of His people - He is so good! Looking forward to the next part!

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  21. Wow! Beautiful. Can't wait to hear the rest of the story!

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  22. Kristi this is a beautiful post, it brought tears to my eyes. I cannot wait to hear the rest of the story!

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  23. Kristi,
    I have followed your blog for awhile. I have to share something really cool that happened. I ordered "A one less orphan" T-shirt from one of the families you featured on your blog. Tonight I was wearing it when I stopped to pick up dinner. The gentleman at the counter asked in broken english what an orphan was. I explained it was a child without parents. He got teary and told me that he had been an orphan his entire life, but did not know the word for it in English. He told me he had been raised by his "mommom" but was never adopted. I am not quite clear on how he ended up in Colorado. He told me that he wanted to adopt someday and asked me if it was hard to do. I was able to talk to him briefly about my experience of adopting older children through the foster care system. It was a very touching encounter all because of a T-shirt.

    I am going to go back through your blog and find the family who I bought the shirt from. The gentleman very much wanted to know where to get it. I am going to get it for him and send it to him.

    Thought you would appreciate knowing that your words had a hand in connecting two hearts tonight in Colorado.

    God is good all the time, all the time God is good.

    Dianne
    akneed.blogspot.com/

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  24. Oh my goodness lady! I am seriously doing the "ugly cry" right now. That was an absolutely beautiful post, I had goose bumps the whole time. I am so thankful to be able to read your blog and be introduced to a whole new world of thinking. I have always dreamed of adopting but I never knew when, where, or how. Or even if it was in my future. Regardless of what the future holds for my family I am humbled and blessed to be able to pray for yours and so many others around the world.

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Thank you for your kind words!!