Why so surprised?

Why so surprised?

As we’ve been preparing for this adoption trip we have been seeking the Lord’s guidance as we make decisions that will affect our family for a lifetime.  We’ve asked that He provide the funds we need when we need them.  We’ve asked for His timing to be perfect.  We’ve asked for protection and health.   As I’ve reflected on these things, I ask myself, “Why are you so surprised?  Isn’t that what you asked for?”  I’d like to share some of those “surprises” with you.

The latest “surprise” was a financial gift from friends.  One friend gave me an amount and apologized that it wasn’t more.  She said that even though she couldn’t give us more she was praying that God would multiply it 100 fold.  Several days later, another friend handed me an envelope while we were at a meeting.  She said, “Bring those babies home.”  I didn’t open the envelope at that time, but later, when I did open it I wept!  There was the amount – multiplied – 100 fold!  Why so surprised?  Our God is an awesome God!

Another recent “surprise” is the timing of our trip.  Ever since we got our referral acceptance (Sept. 13) I have been praying for travel sometime around the end of November or the first of December.  I (selfishly) didn’t want to travel at Christmas time because I don’t want to have to deal with the crowds at the airports, the higher airfares, etc.  As I looked at other people’s timelines I saw that travel from the referral date was taking close to 4 months.  Some were sooner, but 4 months looked like the average.  But, I kept praying for our Nov/Dec. travel.  On Friday, Nov. 16, I was a little sad and kind of resigned myself to not traveling until next year.  I know God’s timing is perfect, sometimes I just don’t understand His timeframe.  And then the phone rang!  Why so surprised? 

When we started this adoption journey we decided to ask for approval for two children while doing our home study.  We thought it MIGHT be possible, but weren’t really planning on adopting two children at the same time.  But, if we got approval for two on our initial home study, we wouldn’t have to do updates and addendums, adding to the overall cost.  At the end of May, as we were walking up to the post office to mail our letter of intent to adopt Jennai, Guille asked me, “Now what?”  I said, “I guess we wait.”  He very quickly replied, “And keep looking at files!”  I asked him why we would do that.  “We found my sister, now we have to find my brother.”  And that was that.  Why so surprised? 

We looked at a couple of files for little boys but didn’t feel that those were the ones God was preparing for our family.  By now it was the middle of August and we were still waiting for our referral acceptance letter telling us that Jennai was ours.  We were on the road traveling home from Iowa when I used Guillermo’s phone to check my email.  There was a letter from our adoption agency with a newsletter on a new project in Henan province hoping to find families for more children.  As I skimmed through the newsletter, I saw the picture of a little guy riding on a “little tykes” school bus.  I read his information to Guillermo and asked if we could look at his file.  So, from somewhere in mid Illinois we sent our request for Isaac’s file.  We had his file reviewed by an adoption doctor and decided to see if we could proceed with his adoption too.  We sent in our letter of intent to adopt him on August 24.  On that next Monday I got an email from the agency saying that Jennai’s referral acceptance was ready but had not yet been printed.  And, since it had not been printed, we were able to have Isaac’s acceptance expedited and we received RA for both of them on September 13!  God’s timing here:  If we had sent in our letter of intent for Jennai back in February we would have missed Isaac.  And, if we had sent in that letter in February, chances are that Jennai would not have been taken in to a program where they repaired her cleft lip.  While preparing for that surgery they found a hole in her heart and the doctors decided to repair that so it didn’t cause damage to her little body.  So, she has been in the care of an organization that gives pretty much individualized attention to the little ones who need extra TLC since then.  She will have to go back to her home orphanage before we get her (in less than 2 weeks), so we continue to pray for her safety and that all these moves won’t be too hard on her emotionally.  We are so very thankful that God placed her in the care of LWB and the Heartbridge Healing Home.  Why so surprised? 

I need to get busy and get ready to go get my children!  While I continue to prepare, I’ll continue to ponder these things in my heart, the Love of our Heavenly Father and the goodness and great gifts he gives to his children.  I’ll continue to look for those “surprises” and trust Him for the provision of ALL we need.