The Next BIG Step

A person once said, "An unopened gift is still a gift."

It doesn't matter whether anyone comes along to tear off the paper and gleefully exclaim joy over what's inside. Although you may think there is no fun in giving something that remains under wraps, the fact is, it's still a gift. 

God gave each of us a gift when He sent Christ to die as payment for our sins. We're born into this fallen world and, while we may have to wait until someone shares that there is the life-saving gift of redemption waiting for us to accept, the fact is, the gift was there long before we took a breath. The most precious gift, waiting for each of us to choose whether or not we wish to accept it. 

An unopened gift is still a gift

When we began our most recent turn in our adoption journey, it was because we felt called to give the gift of a family to 4 little girls and 1 little boy. I've written in my journal about these five, I've prayed over them again and again by name, I've raised money to bring them home, I've spent hours preparing rooms and sorting clothes, filled out paperwork, tried to getting a tiny grasp on speaking Spanish - every effort taken in order to bring our 5 home,

You could say that all of this could be wrapped up into a gift, and up until now, it's remained unopened. While our  family and friends may know the names of our expected children, while our social worker and Costa Rican attorney have been working with us to put everything in order, our kids in Costa Rica have just been living life day to day not knowing that there was a family trying to get to them. Until recently, we weren't officially "matched." In order to protect children from being pulled back and forth emotionally (and rightfully so), until you reach a certain point in the adoption, we would know about them but they wouldn't know about us. 

That is until this week. Friday to be exact. 

On Friday, June 23rd, our kids will finally sit down with their social worker and she'll present them with cards that we've sent and gifts and share with them the news that there is a family coming to adopt them. 

It's funny how in adoption, you know there are so many children wanting a family and you feel like you want to bring them all home, but when it comes to being matched with your kids, you get a little nervous, wanting it to work both ways. "We've said yes to you, now please say 'yes' to us!" 

But let's be honest, while I hope there is some excitement over the news of a family, I also realize that there are a million other emotions our kids will be facing as well. My youngest daughter at home right now turns into a nervous wreck the night before any big event. New school, new camp, field trips, competitions - the unknown just spins in her head and she can't sleep and her tummy gets all twisted. It isn't that she thinks she's facing anything bad, there is just so much unknown. Well, finding out you have a family after several years comes with a whole lot of: What will it be like? What will the US be like? Will I like my new siblings? Will me new family like me? 

If our kiddos find out this big piece of life changing news and cry or laugh or want to throw up or lose some sleep, I'd say that is all par for the course. And being many, many miles away, I won't be there, but God will. And while there isn't anything I can say to them outside of the short cards we've written, I can pray for God to give them peace and comfort as He continues to bringing us closer to the moment when we're finally face to face. 

So, if you have a mind to set an alarm sometime Friday morning and pray for our 5 ticos, we sure would appreciate it. I know it certainly couldn't hurt to have a few more people lift them up alongside us. For 5 five young lives and for our family, this Friday marks a big step. 

Thanks, Friends!