One of my best gifts ever....

Our family had a very nice Christmas this year. I am thankful for all that we received from those around us as well as the opportunities that we had to give. This was Kate's first real Christmas with her family. (Technically she was home the week of Christmas last year, but she wasn't even 2 yet and her mother was a raving lunatic with all that was going on so I am not counting last year's experience.) This year she was right in the mix though. She found opening gifts and eating sweets galore very agreeable. Surprise, surprise!!! Anyway, Christmas morning was a lot of fun. My husband really shocked me with photography software. Never saw it coming. Such a sneak! And I love it!!! Anything to feed the PHOTOGRAPHER WANNABE BEAST within.
All this aside , I didn't receive my sweetest gift until 2 days after Christmas when one of my closest girlfriends emailed me. She said she was sending me an email and then she wanted to talk. I thought I was in the doghouse over something...so.... imagine my delight... when.... I opened the email to find the faces of 2 little girls in the Ukraine that she and her husband were considering ADOPTING!!!! I was speechless!!! This particular friend and her husband have desired a 4th child for over a year now and have struggled with infertility issues. Having 2 adopted daughters myself, I would ,now and then, gently,lovingly (Kristin, are you on the floor laughing??) try to plant the seed in their hearts of allowing God to bring this 4th child into their family in the same way. Her heart was open, but her husband had a lot of reservations about the whole idea and process of adoption and had for years. And I knew that. I had spent many a shower and middle of the night insomnia moments questioning God over this. "Lord ...why don't you just change his heart????" This was a family in want of a child and the world is full of children in want and need of a family!!! Seems like a perfect fit!!!! "God...why aren't you moving in this???" Well, obviously God was and is always at work whether we can SEE it or not. So....looks like a precious girl somewhere is going to get a precious family after all!!! I could not be any happier for both sides!!! Yipppppeeee!! One of the biggest blessings of this situation will not be given to the family or the baby, however, but is reserved for the rest of us. We all are allowed to see,once again, the hand of God at work. We all are privy to the softening and opening of a heart to the call of caring for" the least of these." We all get to observe the purest form of religion play out. We all get to witness the miracle of the unwanted becoming treasure!!! We get to watch a man and his wife rescue a lamb from the pit. We see our own adoption into the family of God play out on Earth as this helpless child is taken in and given new life. It is humbling to the core of our hearts and spirits. I give all the glory to God...great things He is doing and great things He has done!!!
I will post more as I know it and once the child is chosen I will put her picture up. Please pray for this couple and their family as they move forward...Jim and Kristin and their children..Allen, Josi and Micheal. Pray for God's wisdom and discernment to cover their decisions. Cannot wait to post more: )
ps-I don't want to embarrass anyone, but some of you that will read this post should know that God used you and your examples to bolster this family's decision to adopt.