What We Might Have Missed

As I [Eric] awoke today, on the morning we leave to pick up our son, I was struck with the thought… “What might I have missed out on…?” If we had said no to the need and the prompting of God in our lives, what events would we have missed?

• Seeing our kids rally behind a cause to the point that they give freely and graciously from their newspaper route money to help buy gifts for the orphanage.
• Witnessing first hand how God can help a family living on one average paycheck pay for the $25,000+ of adoption expenses.
• The joy of getting to know some of the neatest families on planet earth – like Rick & Jamie DeBoest (one child by birth, three by adoption); Wetzels (2 by birth, 2 by adoption); John and Lynn Boal (2 adopted); Rochtes(4 by birth, 1 by adoption); our Holt internet friends; … Their stories stirred us onto where we are now at.
• Watching videos of orphans & being confronted with the reality that I live in one of the "richest countries in all of history" and being forced to stop and ask myself, "What can I do?"
• At each of the five major occasions when thousands of dollars were due for fees & expenses, what was missing just months before was now is full supply.
• Going through a significant life and job change right in the middle of the adoption process, and praying “God, no matter what happens to us please bring our son home.”
• Learning about the amazing emotional, physical and mental connections that are formed in the first weeks and months of a child’s life when a loving adult nurtures a child – and therefore go unformed when a child is abandoned.
• Becoming more concerned about others, less consumed with me.
• And best of all… hearing of other families who are now adopting because of what they see in us.

What might you be missing out on? I know that their are some of you who are reading this blog who have considered adopting... but that is as far as its got - simply a nice thought. I know it seems like climbing a Mountain - and at times it is - but I think that in the end we will look back and say "It was tough, but it was worth it."