"Momma, Why Did It Take So Long For You to Come For Me?"

Amy asked me this question at the end of the summer.  

At the time, I answered her as best as I could.

Sharing this conversation has been something I have pondered off and on in my mind.

In light of November being National adoption month, there are some things to be said for sharing our story.

First off, so my sweet Amy will have this to read some day, if the question still lingers in her heart.

Secondly, in hopes that someone, who may be on the fence regarding their decision to adopt, will stop waiting and move forward.
 There are so many children.  Children who wait.  They are lonely.  They are hungry.  They are afraid.  Their days are so long.  And their nights are even longer.

How do I know this?  I have the eye witness, personal account of a sweet little daughter, who is old enough to remember,  and who has shared with me so many things. The worst being that after she had to leave her foster grandmother and go back to the orphanage, she was so afraid and upset, 
 "that she wanted to just be dead."

Her testimony wrings my heart out.  And quite honestly,I hope it wrings yours out as well.

We all have a part to play in caring for those who are vulnerable.  

Adoption, fostering, hosting, giving of your time and talents, giving of your money for others to go if you can't, money for provisions in providing for the least of these,
 and praying.

May my sweet, happy spirited, life loving Amy Joy,  be a voice for the children who wait, a voice for each and every  child who is not in a position to speak up for themselves. 

  As these children wait for hope, love and the belonging that comes with family, the older they get......the chances of them finding a family.....goes down.
 These are God's precious children.  

Who will go?  Who can He send?

  Please don't let it take.......so long.......to help them.... to go for them.

Amy in China,  holding one of the toys we sent her.  This was taken about 5/6 weeks before we got her.

This picture was taken last week.  One year and six months after the above photo from China.

My dearest Amy,
In answer to your question:

Please know, we came for you as soon as we possibly could. 

We prayed for you long before we even knew you.

We said yes to you in less than 24 hours of learning about you.

We loved you from afar while we waited for you.

We had hoped for a girl with a special hand like yours.

 Two years earlier we pursued a little girl like you, with a special hand like yours, but her papers were not ready so we could not adopt her.

All along, God was preparing our hearts for you, my sweet Amy.
He knew you were meant to be our girl,  before you were even born.

God is good like that.
May you always remember He loves us with a Never Stopping, Never Giving Up, 
 Always and Forever Love.
 He delights in setting the lonely in families, The Bible tells us so.

We completed the paperwork in less time than it usually takes.

Our bags were packed weeks ahead of time, but we had to wait on official documents.

We booked the first available travel dates when China gave us approval to come for you.

We longed for you as we waited to come for you.

We hate it that the wait was so long,

but we are trusting in God's timing.
1 John 4:16 We know the love that God has for us and we trust that love.

We testify to the fact that we have seen God's loving hand in the details of you joining our family. 

Precious Amy, we have all seen the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

May you read these accounts and see the photos recorded here, someday when you are older, and see yourself blooming and growing as you live out the wonderful plans God has for you.  Plans of hope and a future.....not to harm you!
We know you have been through some very difficult days.

May you take comfort in realizing, that how you start out in this world
 is not going to measure out to be nearly as important as where you end up.
We love you and we have now through eternity to spend together.

 Because you often ask me, "Momma is that true?" 
Amy Joy, my beloved daughter, "You can trust these words I write are true."

Isaiah 45:3  I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name.  

Ephesians 3:20

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!  Amen.