Sharing our news

A couple of weeks ago we began to tell our family and friends about our decision to adopt. I underestimated how fun it would be telling people. Everyone we have told has shared in our joy and excitement and it has been a relief to be able to openly talk about it now. Our families have been wonderful and supportive, not that we thought they would be anything but. The night we told Matt's mom she told us that just that very morning when she was at church she had gone to the front of the sanctuary with her granddaughter to hear the children's message. After the message was over the congregants at the front of the church were told to place their hands on the child's head in front of them as they prayed. Jan placed her hand on an African American boy and as she prayed over him she thought to herself that we truly are all God's children, and he loves everyone of us. Little did she know that we would call her that night and tell her that we would be adopting a child from Africa through the agency named All God's Children!

Two funny reactions came from my 5 year old nieces. One of them thought that we were trading in Brooke for an orphan and fled the room crying as Matt's sister was explaining what we were doing. Luckily everything was straightened out in a few minutes! When my other niece heard we were adopting a child from Ethiopia she said to her mom with wide eyes, "They are getting a child from Genovia!" If anyone has seen the Disney movie, "The Princess Diaries," Genovia is the land in the story where the main character in the story comes from. Luckily, her confusion was shortly made clear as well.

The day after I shared our news with one of my dear friends, Lisa, she came over the next day and gave me a picture frame. The words on it reads, We loved you before we knew you- even when there was just the hope of you we loved you. Those words couldn't be more perfect because that is exactly we feel! Even though we don't know our daughter yet, we know that God knows her and it is amazing for us to think that halfway around the world is a precious child who will one day be a part of our family. We do already love her. One verse that come to mind during the past two weeks for me is Ephesians 2:10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.