God blessed me with such a wonderful opportunity today. A few weeks ago I wrote about going to our agency's "Ethiopia Open House" here in Birmingham. It was a time to meet and chat with other adopting moms and dads. After event, a sweet adopting mom named Malyssa contacted me, and after some chatting of Facebook, we decided to get together. Malyssa was also able to get in touch with one other Ethiopia mom-to-be, Amy, and we all met up today for a semi-blind date.
It was SO good to spend time with women who are on the same path. We met at a Starbucks inside a Target (keepin' it classy), and talked for almost three straight hours. Our conversation covered an incredibly wide range of topics, almost all adoption related, of course. We talked about where we each are in the process, how things have gone for us so far, which age range and gender we have been approved for, how we came to choose Ethiopia, what struggles we have faced, how the Lord laid orphan care on our hearts, and on and on and on. It was such a wonderful afternoon, truly a gift from God.
I am often amazed by how well the Lord knows us and knows our hearts. Truly, I should not be surprised; He is the One who created us, after all. But on days like today, when my Heavenly Father so clearly and obviously meets a need of my heart, I am amazed and humbled. Adoption is such a unique experience; it is not something that most people go through. What I mean by that is that adoption is an unnatural process. But it absolutely is something that has been created by God. He started it by adopting us into His family! And so today, God gave me the gift of being able so bask in the joy and comfort of knowing, really knowing, two other women who are experiencing what I am experiencing and feeling what I am feeling. Something I have really been craving and such a beautiful blessing and straight from the Lord.
I think God knew that this was a need my heart has been facing, and in His usual fashion, He answered in a way that was far beyond what I could have ever asked or imagined. I now have two dear friends with whom I can share my heart and our journey toward our child, and two friends I can pray both for and with as we wait for God to knit our families together. It is my prayer that God will continue grow our friendship and our faith in Him and our trust in the truth that He who promised is faithful. I am so grateful to be surrounded, in virtually every aspect of my life, by such a great cloud of witnesses, all of whom continually remind me of God's good and grace.
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders us and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." Hebrews 12:1
Love,
Baylor
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