Today's Post Is Brought to You by the Letter "O," as in Overwhelmed
Since the beginning of this journey, I've:
Read Adopted for Life by Russell Moore - a good place to start for those of you considering the call to adopt
Read Orphan Justice by Johnny Carr - an excellent book if you'd like to get the big picture of orphan care and if adoption might not be in the cards for you and your family
Read The Connected Child by Karen Purvis - the must have book for those who will ever have anything to do with children from hard places, Karen does a wonderful job of helping you to better understand these children and the challenges they face
Gone to Summit 9 in Nashville - hundreds and hundreds of people who want to serve the fatherless all crammed into one place for one weekend trying to get the most knowledge they can acquire before being set loose on the world, it was a lot to take in
Completed my 500+ hours of online Hague training, including reading the attached dissertations of doctors from Sweden, as well as passing my tests on all ten units - okay, maybe it wasn't 500 hours....and maybe they weren't Swedish....and maybe the tests were like 4 questions max, multiple choice and it won't let you move on till you get the right answer, which only happened once or twice because I'm a good student! I even got a certificate upon completion. No, it's not on my fridge, I had to forward it to my agency.
I'm currently completing my last 4.5 hours of online courses given by my agency, complete with workbook filled out by yours truly - the A+ adoption education student of the year - and it is.......boring. Ssshhh, don't tell my agency, but it's very repetitive of information I've already had to learn, and I'll admit I've had to rewind the video once because I've come to with a little drool on my chin, a blank answer space on my paper and ten minutes has passed....I went back, people, cut a girl some slack!
And this past weekend, I attended the Help Hope Heal Conference in Louisville given by the fabulous Orphan Care Alliance. It was a great day with more great people coming together for a common passion. It was FREE!!!! (when trying to come up with thousands to fund your adoption, the word free comes with a parting of the clouds, angelic singing and rays of golden sunshine)
So, now that I've given you my vast, extensive education credentials, let's be honest - I am more than a little OVERWHELMED.
This ain't easy stuff, peeps. Please note the topics covered weren't - How To Pick the Perfect Pattern of Bedding For Your Little Snookum's Room, or Best Places To Eat While You're In China. It's hard stuff. It's emotional. It's challenging. It's, in a word, terrifying. Like stomach queasy, what have we gotten ourselves into, are we sure we can handle this, maybe we should run for the hills and just donate that money we saved scary.
Can I just say right now - I don't know how people without God ever think of taking this journey.
Where do they go when your thoughts want to consume you and hold you hostage in a little corner, afraid to move? How do they keep moving forward in such an unknown future without knowing that there is a Mighty God who is in control, even in the heartbreaking moments that are sure to come? Who gives them peace in the midst of the financial stress, the emotional roller coaster, the 36-hour plane ride to the other side of the planet?
Case in point - I met a lovely couple this weekend. No children, adopting from Ethiopia. They accepted a referral for a little boy, 16 months old. They have been updated that he may cerebral palsy. They received further update that this little guy may have had a stroke. They're hoping to have him home before we say "Merry Christmas." They love, they have firmly grounded faith, they have a church home that is holding them tight and so, they keep going. It's amazing. It's precious. It's 100% a God thing.
If you decide to join me in bringing a precious child home to be part of your forever family, you are in for the ride of your life. A ride that doesn't end when you stand in a foreign land with that little boy or girl in your arms, but that extends far beyond what you can see or comprehend. It is an act of faith. It is a thing of beauty. It is you and God walking side by side toward whatever He has planned.
I may be overwhelmed, but I'm also amazed, blessed, and loved through every nerve-wracking moment, so I'm going to keep going. As always, pray for me and my family, pray for others. Believe me folks, we need it.
***** Fabulous update news - our friends, the D Family are in China right now bringing their baby girl home. They are jet lagged and in love with this new addition to their family. They will be there till November 24th, so say a prayer for them too. God is amazing! *****
Comments
Post a Comment