I can't sleep. It's almost 4:00am here in China. The room is quiet except For the sounds of Dale, Rachel and Bella breathing. The events of the last few days keep rolling through my mind. I never imagined it would be anything like this. Of course, I had no frame of reference for this experience either. Each day has been full of pleasant surprises and new learnings about Bella and also about ourselves.
I keep thinking about Matthew 7:11 which reads, "If you then, although you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more then will your Father in Heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!" As a parent, I have a new understanding of this verse and the power of asking God for a bounty of blessings. We prayed everyday for Bella's heart to be soft toward us and for God to prepare her to be a part of our family. He ABUNDANTLY AND BEYOND, answered our prayer.
Last night as we walked back to our hotel after dinner, Bella rode on her Daddy's shoulders for the fifth or sixth time. She trusts him more and more each time and holds on more loosely than before. I'm watching this when she looks at me and smiles then says "I love you" so sweetly. We barely understand a word one another says but we know we love each other. At that moment it was almost as if God said, this, like salvation, is an example of a "good gift" I can give. He can mold our hearts. We, who are evil, no matter how much money or power we have can save ourselves nor perform that miraculous work on the human heart. Those surely are good gifts. We have commented over and over about how God has blessed us with her. God is SO good!
I was thinking about you today and the power of adoption. God adopts us into His family and you are painting a picture of this to the world. This is bringing the Kingdom to Earth. I had the wonderful blessing of giving birth to two children but, I have never known what you experience now. I hang on every update and every post because I would so much love to understand it...but, just as there is no way for you to explain it, there is no way for me to understand. But, watching your family experience this wonderful blessing is about as close as I have ever come to understanding what it's like for parents to adopt. Thank you so much, all of you...for allowing each of us to share in this wonderful experience. Please know that we are all rejoicing and blessed to overflowing for you and by you.
ReplyDeleteHi. First let me say that Bella is beautiful. Even though we do not know each other, we have a lot in common. I am from Alabama and have also adopted from China. Please enjoy your stay in China. Hope to be able to meet you and your family one day soon.
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