Three years ago, we flew out early on a Wednesday morning and finally landed in China on Thursday. It was Thanksgiving, and we were beyond thankful. We were only a few days away from finally holding Sofi in our arms.
That Sunday would be her 3rd birthday, and then on Monday we would finally hold her.
After three years, our precious Sofi would be coming home.
 |
| November 28, 2016 |
This year her birthday is Wednesday, and Thanksgiving will mark 3 years together. It's a milestone, because from Thursday on, we can say she has spent more of her life home than away.
Family is finally taking the majority.
I am still amazed as I look back on God's providence during the trauma of her first years. God literally put Sofi on our hearts at her conception, so we have prayed for our daughter her entire life. We know things now that prove God answered specific prayers we prayed during that time.
One of my main prayers over and over during those years was that Sofi would always have special people in her life - that somehow in the middle of whatever loss or abandonment she experienced God would bring special love and care into her circumstance.
And He did.
Sofi was found on a street at 2 weeks old. She had pneumonia and could hardly be fed because of her severe cleft palate. The orphanage thought she wasn't going to make it, but a person from a non-profit care facility came looking for children who needed medical help. The orphanage director asked for help for Sofi. Because that organization was going out and finding the most needy children, Sofi received care outside her orphanage that literally saved her life.
This rescue care and other stories are outrageous when you understand the realities of living in an orphanage.
Every step of that adoption journey was full of miraculous timing. Our travel to China could have been delayed into December or more, but all of those phases happened just in time. Even the matching of Sofi to our family was purely the hand of God. I could talk and talk about all the details.
And, I do. I keep telling, because I will always give testimony about the Lord's faithfulness.
Thanksgiving will never be the same. My spirit overflows with thankfulness. This year is perfectly beautiful: Sofi's birthday is Wednesday, and the anniversary of our union as a family is on Thanksgiving day.
May we all treasure the gift of family and show our love to each other during this season.
That's where my heart for adoption began - the love of family.
I am so thankful for the blessing of my family. My parents and sister began my life with beautiful love, then I have been blessed so greatly with Kevin and our children. It breaks my heart deeply that all children do not have a family. May God teach us true thankfulness - A gratitude so deep that we act - Thankfulness displayed in love - Love so deep that it will give and serve and sacrifice.
Because sometimes real thanksgiving takes you on a trip around the world.
