There's a beautiful five year old girl with big brown eyes in Hyderabad, and I call her mine. Sometimes I'm less selfish and call her "ours."
In my mind, her middle and last name have been chosen, so that her full name means "beautiful joyous melody," as that is what she is to me. I daydream daily about us getting to be her parents and love on her on a daily basis. And although there's a lot of red tape, time, and paperwork ahead, we pray and hope that she will someday be ours.
This September, we are moving to India. There are a lot of unknowns, but God has all the answers, and so it's not as big and scary as it may seem. I am excited about all of the possibilities that lie ahead of us, and to see to which one God leads us. But most of all, I will get to see my baby girl for the first time with Liban by my side. And I can't wait.
In April I will become old enough to be able to adopt from India. In October, we will be married long enough to adopt from India. And this time next year, we could be on our way to becoming her parents. It's a wonderful and joyous thought.
God has shown me time and time again that I can trust in Him with my sweet girl. He's shown me that it's okay to hope for her last name to be ours.
But...
But He hasn't promised her to us, and so when I speak with confidence that we will do everything in our power to pursue her, to fight for her, to love her with all that is within us, I know it does not mean that she will in fact be ours someday.
Yet I trust in Him. I trust that if it's His Will, we will have the honor to be her family. And I trust that, if not, He will provide the best family for Angel and prepare our hearts for another little one. That cannot be stated lightly, but I know it's true, and I want to share why:
In my mind, her middle and last name have been chosen, so that her full name means "beautiful joyous melody," as that is what she is to me. I daydream daily about us getting to be her parents and love on her on a daily basis. And although there's a lot of red tape, time, and paperwork ahead, we pray and hope that she will someday be ours.
This September, we are moving to India. There are a lot of unknowns, but God has all the answers, and so it's not as big and scary as it may seem. I am excited about all of the possibilities that lie ahead of us, and to see to which one God leads us. But most of all, I will get to see my baby girl for the first time with Liban by my side. And I can't wait.
In April I will become old enough to be able to adopt from India. In October, we will be married long enough to adopt from India. And this time next year, we could be on our way to becoming her parents. It's a wonderful and joyous thought.
God has shown me time and time again that I can trust in Him with my sweet girl. He's shown me that it's okay to hope for her last name to be ours.
But...
But He hasn't promised her to us, and so when I speak with confidence that we will do everything in our power to pursue her, to fight for her, to love her with all that is within us, I know it does not mean that she will in fact be ours someday.
Yet I trust in Him. I trust that if it's His Will, we will have the honor to be her family. And I trust that, if not, He will provide the best family for Angel and prepare our hearts for another little one. That cannot be stated lightly, but I know it's true, and I want to share why:
Before I had the chance to meet her, there was another family pursuing Angel. They saw her picture and God opened their hearts towards adoption. Unlike Liban and I, they were actually old enough to apply for adoption, and they pursued her for YEARS. They waited for her name and picture to appear at their agency so they could formally accept her as their child. They loved her and longed for her to become a part of their family. I prayed with and for them, hoping that Angel could be a part of their family now rather than waiting 2-3 years for us to meet the age/marriage requirements. But one day, God closed that door.
However, He wasn't finished. Unknowingly to her, God had used our little joyful Angel to help another. He took the family's heartbreak and hope and love for Angel and molded it into love and pursuit of another little beautiful girl.
And this week, because He is good and powerful, and loving and all-knowing, there will be one less orphan in India.
