How we got where we are...

Yesterday, a new friend and her sweet children came to our house to visit. She asked the question, "What made you decide to adopt?" As many of you, who have also adopted, know, the answer to this question can be both profoundly simple or very involved. Since Grace was chatting a mile a minute (we do need to teach her not to interrupt!!), I wasn't able to give the involved answer. But, I thought that I'd share a little bit about "what made us decide to adopt" here.

When I was about 10 years old, my parents left me at home with my older brother (who was supposed to be home very soon) in charge. The problem was, my brother did not come home as soon as planned. (Just for the record, this was not a regular occurance. I only remember this happening one time.) I was a very fearful child, and I remember sitting in the living room, terrified, and hoping that my brother would arrive home. I decided to watch television to get my mind off of my fear. I remember the brown and orange flowered chair that I was sitting on and can picture myself there, as if it happened yesterday.

I ended up turning the channel to a television show where people were soliciting funds for children in Africa. The little children, who had distended stomachs and were being swarmed by flies, captured my heart at that very moment. And though I would not have been able to verbalize it at that time, I believe that it was then that God put a call on my life. I wasn't even a believer at the time. But, God knew what would happen later in my life and He was preparing me for how He would reveal Himself to me as I grew to know Him.

During the remainder of my childhood I occasionally encountered others whom I decided needed my "help." I remember putting one little girl on an excercise regimine, because she wasn't very coordinated and she was teased by the other children. God help her and myself!! I hope that I didn't emotionally scar this little girl with my youthful zeal (and great lack of maturity). I did seem to attract those who needed a bit of attention, but getting "help" from a very shy, immature and instrospective child, was probably not particularly "helpful" for some.

But God is gracious, even through our learning and mistakes. I did have a heart for the lost and needy and, in particular, for children who experienced the extreme pain of being without parents. As I grew older, my heart expanded and I began to see these children (at least in part) the way that God saw them. I saw that what they really needed was love. The other thing that happened (by this time, I was a Christian), was that I began to see God's great love for them. He had made these precious children in His image and they were being (quite literally) discarded. I believe that God revealed a portion of His heart to me through the way that He loved these dear children, and I began to know my heavenly Father in a new way that was so very precious to me.

During my first year of graduate school, I ended up having housemates from Hong Kong, the Philippines and Korea. I grew to love the Asian culture, as these wonderful young women taught me things like how to eat rice with chopsticks (they had a lot of good laughs out of this!). Also, at this time, I heard about the plight of Chinese baby girls. I knew that even if I never got married (and I actually was not real interested in getting married, at the time), I would adopt at least one of these little girls.

Three years after David and I got married (I was pretty interested in getting married to this particular man! LOL!), Adam was born. Oh, what a delight! I loved being a mom and we knew that we wanted more children (and soon). God began to reveal to us that now was the time to consider adopting. We knew that we wanted to adopt from China and we simply looked in the phone book to find an adoption agency in the area. We were so blessed to find a wonderful agency 45 minutes from our home. We began praying for our daughter, and have never looked back. We adopted Lily 18 months later and were blessed beyond belief.

After visiting China, we fell more in love with the country and its people. God began revealing His heart to us more and more. I could "see His face" most clearly when praying regarding His love for the orphan. His love is overwhelming at times, and when you see His face that clearly, you can't stop seeking Him for the things that He reveals. So, as you know, God led us to adopt three more treasures, and in the process, He has shown us love abounding!

Our Father's heart is so big. It is so wide. He loves each of us as His own precious son or daughter. We are lovingly made in His image. But, I believe that He has a special heart for the orphan. Through these beautiful children, He can show us His plan for His people. He can show us how to love one another as brothers, sisters, fathers and mothers (regardless of biological connection). He can also show us how He provides for His people as they depend on Him (even when we having nothing to start with). He can show us how love can overcome loneliness and fear, and He can show us that He gives us a new heart as we become His son or daughter. He replaces an orphan spirit, with a spirit of sonship! How great is the love of our heavenly Father.

So that is a bit of how we got where we are. As for the future, I do not know where God will lead us. I do know, however, that if we keep seeking Him, we will be in for a great adventure and will definitely see more of His heart. I am so grateful that He gives each of us a small part to play in His great love story. May we each know our part, as we seek to know the great Giver of our part, more and more.