Two Children Wait No More...

Praise God that two families Eric and I have been following in "blog land" have returned home today with their newly adopted family members! The Jewett's and the Nordstrom's have returned home with their daughters! (To view the Nordstrom's site, click HERE. To visit the Jewett's site click HERE. We had the privilege and honor of being able to drive up to Sioux City, Iowa to attend our first ever "Welcome Home" gathering for the Nordstrom family at the "large and in charge" Sioux Gateway Airport. (The size of this airport is a complete exaggeration for those of you who have never had the opportunity to encounter this airport.) To say that the welcoming crew descended on the waiting area and overtook it, would be an understatement. Eric asked me if I knew what flight number they were arriving on, to which I promptly burst out laughing and said, "I'm sure we won't have trouble finding them in the ONE waiting area...they'll be the group with all of the balloons, posters, and Africa shirts on!" He cracks me up sometimes. CLEARLY he does not follow all of the adoption blogs like I do...I love him, what can I say?

We would have also loved to have been a part of the Jewett homecoming, but as they live in the SE United States and we live in the Midwest (sadly I have not yet, to my knowledge, learned to clone myself or aparate to two different locations) we were not able to accomplish this. If I'd have been able to be in both places today, believe me, I would have - as Lady Jewett has been a TREMENDOUS source of encouragement, support and knowledge to me in our own adoption journey. Luv ya' girl! ;) The Nordstroms have been an encouragement too, although they are probably less aware of that fact. ;)



I have only seen photos and read of the many Airport Welcomings through adoption blog land, but this was the first one I have been able to be a part of, and it was wonderful. It was such a joy to watch the Nordstrom kids wait in anticipation (*note all of the faces of the above pic) of their parents and new sister's arrival, literally counting down the minutes...fun to witness what a wonderful supportive network they have walked with throughout this process. (We strategically placed ourselves with the camera so that we could capture the overwhelming emotion of Mom and Pop Nordstrom de-boarding the plane and the siblings response to it.) There are no words to describe it!



We have followed the Nordstrom's journey through their blog and exchanged brief messages with them, and today we got to officially meet them. (Which is strange, considering that when you follow someone's blog for the better part of a year you feel like you already know them well!) Of course, the meeting was brief and we did not wish to take up too much of their time when they had traveled so long and far and had so many people vying for their attention! So we introduced ourselves, visited briefly, gave our congratulations, and slipped out quietly to allow them time with the rest of their friends and family. We merely wanted to encourage them and show them support in the final leg of their adoption journey home. Now she is their daughter and a new chapter of the journey will begin.



Their new daughter, is BEAUTIFUL! She handled the swarm of people surprisingly well, quietly taking it all in from the comfort and security of her parents arms. I had the most enjoyment watching her...wondering what she was thinking, how she was feeling, and how my son or daughter might feel if they encounter the same situation. I feel so blessed to have been a part of this celebration.



Thanks Nordstroms and Jewetts for allowing us to "walk" with you and to be a part of your journey. It has been so wonderful to witness the God-sized plan He has laid before you and how He has guided you down this path. I pray you much rest and special time with your family in the weeks to come.

Nic

In the wake of many changes: Letting God be God...

These last several weeks have been a doozie for us here in mid-west Iowa...when the enemy comes calling, I'd like to say I'm always prepared for it, but many times I am blindsided by it. It is never an expected visit...and it's usually not a short one.

A co-worker and friend of mine passed away unexpectedly in the beginning of March. Another friend of mine is up against substantial battles in her life. In my personal life, on March 8th the Ministry of Women's Affairs (MOWA)-which deals directly with adoptions cases within the country-decided to reduce the number of cases it reviews and processes each day by up to 90%. There is still a lot of ups, downs and uncertainties with this at this time.

To say that these things have not affected me would be dishonest at best. In fact, the despair readily took hold of me as each of these events was added upon the other in that 48 hour period. Many questions regarding our adoption immediately began to surface in my brain.

Does this mean that the country will shut down and we won't be able to adopt from Ethiopia? Does this mean that wait times will substantially increase like they have in other countries? (The wait time for bringing a healthy child in China back home was 4 years as I last heard it.)

Not surprisingly my husband says he has peace about this situation...it bugs the snot out of me that he can feel that way sometimes and I don't. :) However the peace did not take long in coming. That following Sunday, during my pastor's sermon, God reassured me of His hand in the details of every path and to refocus my perspective. I love it when He does this...and boy am I ashamed to admit how often I need it.

If you are interested in hearing my pastor's sermon (which is likely to sound much better than my pastor's paraphrased quotes and statements below), follow this link:

http://www.valley-church.com/dlgMediaPlayer.aspx?id=1437

He started the sermon with a 1962 clip of JFK talking about choosing to go to the moon not because it is easy, but because it is HARD. 7 years later Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon.

Our pastor's message was this: DO HARD THINGS - Any great thing is accomplished through great difficulty.

5 types of hard things:

1. things outside your comfort zone - taking risk in order to grow
2. things that go beyond what's expected/required - going the extra mile
3. things too big to accomplish alone - dreaming and daring big with other people involved
4. things that don't earn an immediate payoff - be faithful, choosing integrity even if you don't see the payoff immediately
5. things that go against the cultural norm - taking a stand and choosing what is right over what is popular or commonly accepted as okay

The basic gist of the message was this: KEEP ON - God tells us don't be afraid...I've got your back and I'm with you. It's going to be hard but there are still many people that you are going to impact through this journey and I am going to use you, so I will protect you. KEEP ON.

He said that we live in a culture of low expectations that tell us we can't do it. We've been told again and again we can't do it, so just give up and give in. THIS is a lie. We CAN do it.

I would definitely say that I have a strong resemblance to Peter in the Bible where he goes out to Jesus, walking on the water. Maybe you have a strong resemblance to him too. Just as Peter experienced in his story...the wind, the muck, the mire and the waves we face in life seek to overpower us...to freeze us in fear until we sink into despair. We, like Peter, become distracted by the obstacles and the fear that rises up because of the obstacles, rather than focus on the path that God has set us on.

This is where I found myself in church on Sunday after all the events I had experienced that week. Pastor Quintin reminded me that we are not exempt from hardships...in fact, we are guaranteed hardships. Challenges are normal but the help is abnormal. If we think we can't do it, that's false. God has a bigger plan. God does not say "I know the plans you have for you...he says I know the plans I have for you."

I needed this reminder that Sunday in March...that He DOES have a plan, and His plan is NOT my plan. He WILL come to our aid.

Pastor Quintin closed by saying: "God's will. Nothing more, nothing less, nothing else."

Thanks Lord for that reminder and reassurance.

Nic