Thursday, August 30, 2012

Already?

We're only ONE DAY into this, and our guts are torn inside out.  Yesterday, we were sent three files on children waiting in Bulgaria.  Two files were on children that were located in Pleven, and one file was located in an orphanage elsewhere in Bulgaria. 

When I wrote the first blog entry yesterday, I mentioned that the emotional stakes in this were high.  THIS is what I meant.  We've narrowed our choices down to two, and its KILLING us.  No matter what, one child is left behind.  No matter what, one child doesn't get chosen.  No matter what, one child goes on with no end in sight.  No. Matter. What.

This doesn't mean that, eventually, a family won't come to his or her rescue.  Maybe someone will.  I pray this every day for these kids.  Even before we decided to adopt 'one of the least of these', I prayed that someone would step forward and be Jesus to a helpless soul.  Even though we'll bring home one, I'll continue to pray that God would wrap his arms around these kids and that they'll FEEL him . . . that they'll take comfort from knowing the feeling of Jesus in a way that we as blessed Americans never will. 

We'd like to make a decision soon, simply because we want to know that face, those hands, that 'look'.  We want to hang his or her picture on our refrigerator and put that little picture in a frame.  We want to pray SPECIFICALLY for OUR child now, too.

Both of these kids have some sort of physical condition.  The girl isn't nearly as healthy as the boy, but if the boy (that's in Pleven) stays in this orphanage, he'll eventually become as the rest of these children . . . bedridden, completely anti-social, and probably unable to even straighten out his arms and legs from lack of stimulation.  However, the girl has (apparently) some heart problems, physical deformities, and slight malnutrition.  She needs someone to take her home and help her to get the care and love she needs to thrive.

Do you see?  Can you understand?  Please pray for us, friends, and for these two children.  ONE of them is ours . . . we feel certain.  We just need to feel GOD guiding and leading us to the right one. 



Wednesday, August 29, 2012

5 + 1 = God's Plan

This blog has been pretty boring lately.  I mean, there hasn't even been one boring post since, well, I don't know . . . seems like forever.  However, this thing is about to blow to pieces.  There's about to be so much to write about that my fingers may freeze up from the constant pecking on the keyboard.  But, its a good thing . . . a REAL good thing.

God has been working in our lives for some time now.  He's been tugging at my heartstrings for the last couple of years, but in the last few months, Craig has become increasingly aware of God working in me, and we, as a family, have answered the call.

Friends, hopefully within the next year or so, we'll have a new addition to our family.  We're in the process of adopting a child from Bulgaria.  I'm so excited that I can hardly stand it.  This has been a long time coming, and my heart is bursting at the seams.

Some of you have seen my recent links to a blog that I've been keeping up with for some time (www.nogreaterjoymom.blogspot.com).  This sweet lady is a special advocate for lots of children that are in Bulgaria, specifically the city of Pleven.  I encourage you to follow the link above and look through some of her posts.  The condition of the orphanage in this city is simply heinous.  There are no other words to describe it.  She is currently in Pleven making the first visit to a child that they're adopting.  Her sweet Hasya is 14-years-old and weighs about 17 pounds.  If I begin writing about how these children get into this shape, I'll be here for hours and hours, of which I simply don't have right now.  PLEASE take a look at this, though.  Its a grave injustice, and thankfully, the government has intervened somewhat, but there is still MUCH to do. 

But GOD has spoken to us, and through HIM, we'll rescue ONE!  Praise the Lord for his works, his ways, and his wonders!  We're trusting him completely for his provision, his guidance and for his help as we prepare for another exciting journey in our family.  This is going to be quite hard on us emotionally.  Right now we're dealing with the emotions of choosing only one.  More than likely, the child we'll adopt will come back to the US with us and go straight into a hospital.  He or she will probably have significant health problems, and a lot of those will simply have come about from severe neglect.  People, all it takes sometimes is love.  Sometimes more than that, but we're willing to step out and LOVE what the world sees as unlovable.  We're so very excited and we've already taken ownership of the child that's ours, although we haven't yet made that decision as to which one we'll bring home.

We're early in the process but that's where we think we're headed next . . . picking out OURS.  We have choices that have been provided by our agency and hopefully within the next few days that decision will be made.  PRAY for us as we make this decision.  Right now, I struggle with choosing one, but leaving others behind in a place where there may be no one else to care for these sweet children.  We kinda have our eyes set on one inparticular, but we're in the process of making sure that she's still available, as her file has already been transferred to another agency. 

So, again . . .here we go.  What a life we're about to experience!  Please, PLEASE say many prayers for ALL of us during this time in our lives.  God is good, and we've only begun to experience the blessings he has in store!  Pray for our child that's in Bulgaria right now, waiting for his or her family.  Pray for God's provision as we make financial decisions, and pray for our emotions, as we're sure they'll be all over the place in coming months. 

I love you ALL, and stay tuned!

Paige