Sometimes, God gives us the beautiful privilege of seeing a small portion of His grace and mercy in our past tears and pain. As we began to examine our life and the God moments that have brought us to begin this journey for our sweet China baby, we became aware that this journey began with the breaking of our hearts. Nearly 16 years ago, shortly after we were married, our precious niece and god-daughter MacKenzie went home to be with Jesus at only 17 months of age. We were truly heartbroken. Much like the earth must be broken up before seed can be planted, God in His infinite wisdom saw that the broken state of our hearts had prepared us for the seed He was to plant in our hearts. Only a month or so after MacKenzie's passing, we were watching a Children's Miracle Network telethon to raise money for the hospital in which she had been treated. There on the TV screen was the face of a precious little orphan boy from Russia who had been brought to the area to be treated for the same disease. They were hoping to find a "forever family" for him while he was being treated. Our hearts ached, we wanted to bring him home and love him so badly, but it was not God's timing. This ache came from the planting of the seed of adoption in the fertile brokenness of our hearts.
From that point on it seemed as though God kept bringing people into our lives who had adopted children or fostered children. He began to allow us to see these precious little ones as He sees them - priceless treasures of the King of Kings. As the seed grew, so did the ache to make sure that every child we came in contact with knew that they were wanted and treasured by the King, and that He had a special destiny for them that no one else could ever fullfill. Through seemingly small encounters, God began to make us more and more aware of the sweet orphan children in China that have no one to tell them that King Jesus desires them to be one of His beautiful treasures and that their worth is unmeasurable. Whether it was a college professor who spent summers in China and loved to talk about it, or the faces of the many Chinese children who are now part of American families that continuously cross our path, He has turned our hearts toward China.
And now, He has brought us to this point where we have to step out in faith if we want to see this seed blossom and become a harvest. God has faithfully nurtured and watered the seed He planted in our hearts so long ago. We feel Him telling us that it is about to burst forth into beautiful bloom if we are willing to place our eyes on Him and walk by faith. If we don't, it will wither and be lost forever. I pray that you will join us on this journey to bring our sweet baby home and witness with us the blossoming of this seed of adoption. Thank you in advance for your prayers, support, and encouragement as we step out in faith and watch God do greater things than we could ever hope or imagine.
