Expecting Miracles: A Family Reunion

Jeremiah 29:11-14a

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.  You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.  I will be found by you, declares the Lord.

Psalm 105:4-5

Seek the Lord and his strength;
seek his presence continually!
Remember the wondrous works that the has done,
his miracles, and the judgments he uttered.

Having grown up in the era of closed adoption, and being completely comfortable with my own closed adoption experience, we were naturally more comfortable with international adoption as an option when we began the adoption process.  Ten years into experiencing life as an adoptive parent (paper work, waiting, post placement, etc., etc.) and we now find ourselves enjoying the blessing of a larger network and definition of family.  

I really have not shared too much about our oldest teens and how God brought them here.  It is, after all, their story and they are old enough to share it if and when they choose, in whatever venue they choose.  However, it is an amazing story and we are blessed to be a part of it.  

Today I want to share how I went from being blinded to the miracles of knowing and loving birth families, to being able to expect miracles as we seek to embrace family in its expanded definition.  Part of this transformation includes our part of the story of finding our oldest children and growing our family in multiple ways.  

When we first heard of our oldest teens, a dear friend was advocating for a family for them.  Originally we thought, "Surely not us!  We have done that already."  Older child adoption has its unique challenges and we were not actively seeking more of those challenges at that time, but we committed to praying for these teens.  A week went by as we prayed for them day and night, asking God to provide a family who loves Jesus.  I advocated for them with other adoptive families, families experienced in older child adoption, and together we prayed and prayed and prayed.  After just a few weeks, I could not stop thinking of and praying for these two teens who had caught my heart, and we inquired about what else our family could do.  Without even knowing them we loved them!  One conversation lead to another, and several weeks of phone calls later, we found ourselves furiously completing our home study paperwork, eager to welcome these two teenagers home. 

While completing our paperwork, I sat one night and read the entire 26 page Colombian abandonment decree, single spaced, entirely in Spanish.  I have no words to describe the emotions that go along with reading such a document.  My heart was heavy with sorrow, but it was also hopeful, as I knew that it was not God's plan to destroy these children, but to give them a future and a hope, through the testimony of His presence, purpose, and protection in their past, present, and future.  

Another thought occurred to me after reading the entire document, having memorized names of family members and been drawn into their story.  At first I was unsure, and then slowly I realized that I knew the younger siblings of these two teenagers.  The internet is an amazing tool and adoptive families often connect via country specific or special needs groups online.  I was surprised to find that I had "known" the siblings of these two teens for some time now via the internet.  They lived in New York and we shared much in common, especially a fierce love for our children.  Finally we were connected again as we continued to pursue the adoption of our two oldest kiddos.  They have walked alongside us in this journey, encouraging our family and praying for us.  Essentially, they have become part of our extended family in a precious way that was virtually unheard of in the closed adoption era.

Their family, and the relationships we have been able to grow and maintain over the past year have been a blessing to our entire family.  They were able to come to Minnesota for a long weekend visit, see some MN sights, hang out and relax, and get in on some of our soccer season.  I am amazed at the miracles that I see God working in the lives of these precious siblings and I am thankful for the opportunity to expect miracles as our families are united by a common faith and by these children.  In the future, I would love to share more about other ways in which God has blessed us with a widening network and definition of family.

You can read a more detailed record of our MN stay-cation with the Weeks family and see pictures (my pics ended up unclear for some reason) at their blog Expect Miracles.  I hope that you will be blessed!