We grew in our faith, we learned to love His Word more, our family worship times became even sweeter as our children are maturing in their knowledge of Jesus and began to participate more. Our church continues to be such a source of encouragement and grace to us. The two men that Jase is on staff with, are beloved by our family. We will celebrate 9 years of service here in March and it's just such a blessing to still be serving with God's people in this local body.
God cared for our family in countless ways...from the healing of my brother, Kevin, from a very serious postoperative infection and trauma...to providing a new job for Jason's brother closer to home in the Southeast...to knitting a baby together in my sister in law, Mattie's, womb. He has shown Himself faithful and able over and over again.
The Lord strengthened our resolve to care for orphans, to speak out for them and to draw attention to their plight in 2011. We watched with anticipation and praise as our dear friends brought their son home from Thailand after an agonizing 32 month wait. We hoped that he and Joel would be best buddies and it sure seems they are. I love that they are growing up together in the same church, same school...at least for this season of their sweet lives. It's a blessing I dreamed about for a long time. We stepped out in faith to bring home another beautiful boy, our Seth, in the fall. But the Lord brought him home in another way. Not the way we wanted. But in all things, He is good. So we rest in that and trust Him to do what is best for us and for Seth. Still, it's so hard for me to reconcile. But on the 30th, we drove to the big city to have our dossier documents verified so they can be sent to the Chinese Embassy for authentication. We're sure that we have another son in China! We just need to find him. :)
I was humbled to be asked to serve as a monthly contributor of a blog that advocates for Chinese Waiting Children. It also exists to educate others on various SNs as well as provide resources and encouragement to families who consider these sweet children. My allotted time is the beginning of each month. I recently wrote about going to see "A Christmas Carol" with our family this year. You guys know that's a long standing tradition, right? Well, this year, we had decided not to go {Jase, the kids and I} because it is just so expensive. And at the time to purchase tickets for the play, all pennies were being set aside for Seth. But a series of events happened and I found myself there again this year.
*Excerpt from my post on NHBO. Copied here for my babies.*
Each year, I walk away from this play with more gratitude than the year before; and with deeper conviction. Have you ever noticed how these two are bed fellows?
Gratitude and conviction.
They go together like peas and carrots.
We weren't even supposed to see the play this year. Honestly, it's $44 a person and well, we have a baby boy in China to find and bring home. So even though I adore it, "A Christmas Carol" took a backseat in my financial plans. Usually, when times are good, my mom and dad treat us all {siblings, kids, friends} to a December evening at the theater. But money is tight all around and I told my dad to just do for he and mom. We could skip a year...no worries.
But I had a text waiting for me a few weeks ago after church. My dad said to call him asap. He told me that my mom was feeling bad and couldn't go to see the play with he and my siblings. A friend had also backed out at the last minute. My husband is a staff pastor {youth/education} at our church and had a million responsibilities that afternoon. So, I snagged my nine year old and we headed south to the big city.
Literally five minutes before exiting to the theater, my sister calls and said that the tickets were for last night.
$500 worth of tickets for last night.
I thought my dad may cry. But he went in to the ticket counter and they gladly placed us in other seats. We didn't sit all together like usual since the show was nearly sold out. But hey, we were in the theater!
The entire time, I sat there with a lump in my throat. Gratitude and conviction swirling in my head. Realizing that I had been placed in that chair for that day to hear those words being spoken to me. Sometimes you wonder, when unexpected things come your way if maybe you should stay the course because you're under fire or if you should simply relent because surely you are not on the right path. I wondered if there were some reason that all of these things, these details had come together so that I could be sitting in that theater. Church that morning had been rather emotional for me as we had been out of town the week before and this was the first time I had been to worship since Seth died. But there I was nonetheless watching the play unfold and entertaining these two beautiful and constant companions, gratitude and conviction. Gratitude for the countless blessings in my life and the undeniable peace we have felt in the midst of current storms. Conviction that so many others can't say the same. That people are wondering around with little, if any, hope to carry them. Children needing parents, parents needing to find a way to feed their babies or keep a roof over their head.
I could just about recite this play. I know when the best parts are and when the scary ones happen that I need to hold my baby's hand. I remember which songs they sing and when they come during the play. I love everything about it. It's familiar.
But this year, this afternoon, I saw it in a new way. I mean, I have always understood the meaning of "A Christmas Carol". I had just never been mourning during it. I've never been hurting when it rolls around. Sadness has not marked a Christmas for me like it has of late. And all I could think of was, to me, the most profound piece of the play.
You all know the story. Just after the onset, Marley's ghost visits Scrooge and they have a haunting conversation. It comes to a head like this,
'But you were always a good man of business, Jacob,' faltered Scrooge, who now began to apply this to himself.
'Business!' cried the Ghost, wringing its hands again. 'Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, were, all, my business. The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!'
Isn't that so powerful? And this year, sitting in a packed theater with my sister on my left and my Sydney baby on the right, my thoughts drifted to China. And our Seth who now lives in Heaven. And the countless others who are left waiting for families and security and love. These beautiful, made in the image of God, children...who are our business.
Our attorney, who recently finalized 18 adoptions in just two days, said to me last Wednesday, "Kam, there is no shortage of orphans in this world." How depressing and true that statement is.
Are you like me?
I have so much that vies for my time and affection. So many things that steal my focus. Trinkets worth nothing that I selfishly place value on. Oh, that I; that we; would see the need to have a different perspective. That we would be awakened. That our hearts would be redeemed as Scrooge's was. May 2012 be a year that we would rise up and change the lives of the fatherless.
Because my friends, mankind IS our business. And business is booming.
To be continued~
1 comment:
Didn't know you were contributing to NHBO. So exciting! Wishing you a blessed 2012!
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