I’ve known this ‘anniversary weekend’ of remembering our Gotcha Day was coming but we aren’t doing anything ‘big’. The big thing is each and every day. Not the year mark. The big thing was a year ago when God orchestrated that we would bring home our sons to our family. A year ago this weekend, I couldn’t sleep. The Lord had landed us in Ethiopia, Africa awaiting the 2 boys we call sons. Andy and I arrived jet-lagged yet excited to return. 2 months prior our family had left those sweet faces(and they were etched on our hearts) sitting around a table for some ‘stew’ at the orphanage. Their excited looks of ‘that’s MY MOM AND DAD’ were priceless. THEY GOT IT! Of course we later realized they didn’t know what mom and dad really meant, but they knew it was GOOD. All the other kids they had spent a year watching leave with smiles, tears of joy and hugs...they knew. The nannies told them so. It was GOOD.
For us, it wasn’t ‘good’ to leave. My heart almost broke. It was worth every stinkin’ ounce of wait. At the time, we had no idea how long that wait would be because things were beginning to be ‘in flux’ with the US Embassy. We would wait for a call and be on a plane w/in the week. So many emotions and fears in those 2 months, but now, a year ago, we were on a plane. We were leaving 3 kids stateside in good hands, but arriving across the world to our other 2 with many unknowns.
The plan was to arrive on a Saturday after travel for 2 days then rest up and get the boys on Sunday. We knew we had a little time to adjust, rest and pray. Funny that God was already moving other plans. When we were picked up from the airport and dropped at our guesthouse. We were WIPED! We were welcomed by friends of our friends who were there with their family adopting 2 precious boys from Rwanda. The Cassadas had honkered down and were a breath of fresh air since last time we had had our kids with us.
In that moment of wanting to visit and share in life with them, our driver says, I’ll be back in a couple hours to take you to get the boys. WHAT???? Yep, our best laid plans to be ‘fresh’ for them (b/c w are older parents now...you don’t have to tell us that!) were thrown out the window. So, to our room we went to crash and there ...that same WIDE AWAKE FEELING I’ve had all week now was there in that guest room in Addis Ababa. Of course my sleep loving hubby didn’t have too hard of a time crashing;p, but with a wife bouncing off the walls, it didn’t last long. I remember sitting on this couch and praying, and crying and feeling like the curtain was going to rise and we were getting to open the prize winning door, yet again.
This ‘birth’ was not like the others. My heart had been seared long
before. The searing was the hand of God to see MY ADOPTION into HIS
kingdom. MY FATHER in heaven taking me into his heart and home for
eternity. My Lord SHARING His inheritance for eternity.
THIS.WAS.GOOD. This was what I was MADE FOR. To experience, to taste,
to see...that the Lord is GOOD!! Our adoption of these boys was only a
dim reflection of our own adoption, but somehow this searing of truth
had shown us more of “Thy kingdom come thy will be done, on earth as it
is in heaven” that we prayed.
And before we knew it, we were buzzed to come to the van with 2 other families already loaded and were OFF! The sight of those gates opening again, the sight of our boys with flowers in hand in the rain...oh could only see the SON shining and rays of HOPE. I couldn’t take many pictures...I wish I could have. I think the video andy tried to take is filled with ‘oh my’, sniffle, sniffle and some ahhs. There were no words. This was GOOD...they were now coming HOME.
I love that we swept them out of there and then were off for a few busy days but some down time to at the Guest house. It was like the hospital stay afterwards with the forgotten pain of labor. The only aches left were getting to get back stateside to the 3 others that awaited their siblings. They has waited too. They were READY! So began our journey as a family of 7 together;) The Lord is amazing to weave a path that only HE could see where it led. Truly blessed. When we sat in that van and we all were almost silent I realized the parallels watching those big iron gates open to the outside world and leaving that orphanage. I was no different than my sons, I needed someone to OPEN THOSE GATES WIDE...and Jesus has:)...I was an orphan too. We are not home, but the doors are flung OPEN...we are FREE ...and this connection across the world to our sons has forever changed the way I view this free gift of salvation.
AND...to top it off, I don’t find it ‘ironic’ that this weekend was our first ‘community wide’ picnic of other adoption, foster and orphan care families in RVA. What a way to see the Lord is doing something bigger than us. Bigger than our kids. Bigger than RVA. He’s inviting others into “pure and undefiled religion” to show and taste HIS LOVE AND HEART! Happy Gotcha Day boys...one year later, we can't remember life without you both!
...thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
For us, it wasn’t ‘good’ to leave. My heart almost broke. It was worth every stinkin’ ounce of wait. At the time, we had no idea how long that wait would be because things were beginning to be ‘in flux’ with the US Embassy. We would wait for a call and be on a plane w/in the week. So many emotions and fears in those 2 months, but now, a year ago, we were on a plane. We were leaving 3 kids stateside in good hands, but arriving across the world to our other 2 with many unknowns.
The plan was to arrive on a Saturday after travel for 2 days then rest up and get the boys on Sunday. We knew we had a little time to adjust, rest and pray. Funny that God was already moving other plans. When we were picked up from the airport and dropped at our guesthouse. We were WIPED! We were welcomed by friends of our friends who were there with their family adopting 2 precious boys from Rwanda. The Cassadas had honkered down and were a breath of fresh air since last time we had had our kids with us.
In that moment of wanting to visit and share in life with them, our driver says, I’ll be back in a couple hours to take you to get the boys. WHAT???? Yep, our best laid plans to be ‘fresh’ for them (b/c w are older parents now...you don’t have to tell us that!) were thrown out the window. So, to our room we went to crash and there ...that same WIDE AWAKE FEELING I’ve had all week now was there in that guest room in Addis Ababa. Of course my sleep loving hubby didn’t have too hard of a time crashing;p, but with a wife bouncing off the walls, it didn’t last long. I remember sitting on this couch and praying, and crying and feeling like the curtain was going to rise and we were getting to open the prize winning door, yet again.
And before we knew it, we were buzzed to come to the van with 2 other families already loaded and were OFF! The sight of those gates opening again, the sight of our boys with flowers in hand in the rain...oh could only see the SON shining and rays of HOPE. I couldn’t take many pictures...I wish I could have. I think the video andy tried to take is filled with ‘oh my’, sniffle, sniffle and some ahhs. There were no words. This was GOOD...they were now coming HOME.
I love that we swept them out of there and then were off for a few busy days but some down time to at the Guest house. It was like the hospital stay afterwards with the forgotten pain of labor. The only aches left were getting to get back stateside to the 3 others that awaited their siblings. They has waited too. They were READY! So began our journey as a family of 7 together;) The Lord is amazing to weave a path that only HE could see where it led. Truly blessed. When we sat in that van and we all were almost silent I realized the parallels watching those big iron gates open to the outside world and leaving that orphanage. I was no different than my sons, I needed someone to OPEN THOSE GATES WIDE...and Jesus has:)...I was an orphan too. We are not home, but the doors are flung OPEN...we are FREE ...and this connection across the world to our sons has forever changed the way I view this free gift of salvation.
AND...to top it off, I don’t find it ‘ironic’ that this weekend was our first ‘community wide’ picnic of other adoption, foster and orphan care families in RVA. What a way to see the Lord is doing something bigger than us. Bigger than our kids. Bigger than RVA. He’s inviting others into “pure and undefiled religion” to show and taste HIS LOVE AND HEART! Happy Gotcha Day boys...one year later, we can't remember life without you both!
...thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
