Sunday, August 29, 2010

One Year Ago....

Exactly one year ago we were in agony - literal agony! We knew we needed to travel SOON to go and get Jada or everything in our adoption file would need to be renewed - we were looking at thousands of dollars to renew all of that but if God would move mountains, that would all be forgotten and we could go and get Jada. He did it - we had only a few days notice, but He put it all in place and with just a few days to pack and get everyone in order, we were off.

I have been thinking on that a lot lately - this time last year I was wondering what God was going to do. I was worried about a little girl that had so many "unknowns" to her. I was fearful to leave our four children and travel all the way around the world YET AGAIN to add to our already-busy family. I remember it well - all of the unknowns and fears. And yet, I'd do it again tomorrow if God called me. Has it been easy? Wow - if you read my blog at all, you'll know we've had HUGE hurdles - beginning with my lovely blood clot that formed while in China!! But God has worked in it all - and I pray it's only to bring glory to Him.

What I think on most though is the little girl that I easily could have never gotten to know. The day we got to meet Jada for the first time I remember saying to Joe, "There is nothing in there - she's an empty shell." She didn't talk, she didn't look at us - it was scary. I prayed and asked God for ANYTHING - any sign to tell us to take her home - little did I know that Joe was praying the same thing - and we both felt He showed us nothing. We felt alone - scared - worried - I can hardly put it into words. We felt we had clearly followed His path and yet at the end was a little girl that was so empty that she was almost frightening to us. (This coming from someone that has seen ALL kinds of kids - I have worked with kids for over 20 years - but I had never seen anything like this.) I remember the day we took her back to the government office to sign the papers and we had another family there from the U.S. that was giving their little girl back and saying they could not take her. They were beside themselves - it literally hurt them to say no, but her needs were so far beyond what they could care for that they felt they had to give her back - they could not take her home. My heart broke for them - what horrible pain - and yet, a part of me totally understood - I, too, was given a little girl that seemed FAR WORSE than what I had envisioned. I remember that part of me that thought - it would just be easier right now to say No, and head back home - empty-handed and sad, and yet with far less to worry about.

BUT I am SO glad God intervened - He gave us no reason to NOT take her home - that is what we kept coming back to. We had been called, this little one needed a home, and we could do that. I kept looking for a glimmer in her eye - anything to show that she was "there" - that she was ok. Now, almost a year later, we have seen it. We have seen her "glimmer", there is a little girl in there that only needed to be let out to live. A little girl that makes funny jokes even with very limited speech. A little girl that amazes us with her zest for life after all she has been through. A little girl that is far more resilient than her own mom could ever be! She has taught me so much - about myself, about life, and about God. I am glad God never gives up on me - just like we have never given up on her. I am glad He brought us on this journey to watch our little blossom unfold and bloom. All I can say is "Thank you God, for what you've called us to. Amazing."

9 comments:

alicia said...

Thanks for sharing your story. So many tender mercies in your life. Come join me on my smile crusade. Sounds like you have much to smile about.

Faith, Hope, and Love said...

What a beautiful story!!! Thank you for your honesty. We went thru some of that with Mia Hope and maybe some day I will be able to write about it.

Praising God for healing your sweet Jada's! Thank you for not giving up on her.

Love and blessings,
Robin

Musings from Kim K. said...

Continued blessings to your sweet daughter.

JulieM said...

What a beautiful post and a testimony to God's perfect plan for sweet Jada's life. Thank you for being an amazing inspiration to me on this journey and for showing us what it means to trust him even when it is hard and uncertain.

Dawn said...

Just precious. :)

Carey said...

Beautiful...

m & m said...

Awesome, awesome, awesome!!! I know it's not been easy but what in life is? Your family has been a shining inspiration of following God and fully trusting in him even when things have been tough! How amazing it's been 1 year ago that you brought Jada home!! WOW!! Thank you for being such a great example to us all!! Miss you!!! The Drier Family

Kelley said...

All glory is His indeed! Thank you for sharing and for the reminder that through all the ups and downs, He is great and He loves us without end.

Some day we WILL enjoy lunch together...

Kristi said...

Becky, I can not help but think of the post you wrote prior to your trip to get Jada. How difficult to leave your precious lambs to go after the "lost" little one. I can't help but think of how precious Jada has been found by her loving family. Thank you for sharing the honest story of love which includes the whole truth...and yes suffering, those hard things that cause us to seek and depend upon our good shepherd in ways we never knew before. God is using your journey in my life and in the lives of so many others. We trust God has wonderful plans for Jada.
We rejoice with you in the good things God is doing now. Our prayers remain.
Luke 15:6 Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost.

When you are harvesting your crops and forget to bring in a bundle of grain from your field, don't go back to get it. Leave it for the foreigners, orphans and widows. Then the LORD your God will bless you in all you do.
~Deuteronomy 24:19

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