"Time"

"I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry.  He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand."  Psalm 40:1-2

This has been an interesting week and I have a lot to pray about.  We had our second home study meeting with our social worker.  She interviewed Todd and Coleman about the adoption.  Coleman is a man of few words.  His smile is amazing.  His heart is enormous.  His spirit is contagious.  He says what he means and he means what he says...literally.  Sometimes his legalistic approach to the English language makes it confusing to understand  what exactly he means.  I have always thought he makes things harder than they are but in reality it's me that makes things harder than they are.  Coleman is actually very simplistic.  The social worker asked him just a few questions...mainly things like "how do you feel about the adoption?", just stuff like that.  All of the simple, obvious, questions she asked Coleman responded with his simple, truthful answers.  I don't remember how she phrased the last question but I think it was something like, "Do you think you will have to give up anything for these children to come and live you?"  With a smile on his face and confidence from his heart Coleman answered "yes".  And she said, "What do you think you will have to give up?"  Coleman answered "time".  Of all the answers he could have given her...a bathroom, a bedroom, traveling less, his answer was "time".  She tried her best to get him to elaborate.  But, again, his answer was simple and self explanatory.  His answer what spoken in truth and love.  Then she asked him "Why do you think you are going to sacrifice "time" for them?"  Coleman's answer was, "so they can have a better life".  As a mother, I want to give our children everything.  I don't want them to be without anything.  Now, God is blessing me with these two children on the other side of the world that have nothing.  Coleman's answers challenged me to think about what am I willing to sacrifice for these children to come and live with us.  He is exactly right.  What they need more than a bathroom, a pillow, food, shelter, is they need "time".  Time with a mother that adores every imperfect quality God has given them, time to get to know us, time for them to process what God's plan for them is in their life.  They need time for their daddy to play with them, time for their daddy to teach them to ride a bicycle, time for their daddy to dress them in purple and gold.  They need time for their sister to read to them, time for her to teach them the sign language that she is so earnestly learning and I'm sure if Laurel can get Joan to sit still, she will be knitting before we get home from Africa.  They need time to grieve for their country, their grandmother and the only life that they have known.  They need time for their big brother to teach them to play baseball, basketball and unfortunately wrestling.  Maybe they will need time to learn to play the guitar too.  We will give them all the time they need and we will love them with all that we are!  We already do.  Todd's interview took about 40 minutes.  I knew all of the answers to the questions that she was asking him but to hear him articulate his plans for our family's life before these children and his plans for our family after we adopt these children was one of the most touching times I've had with Todd.  Todd's answers are simple to him but honestly sometimes I think we speak different languages.  But, his answers were straight forward and easy for me to understand.  There was nothing he said that surprised me and through his answers, God confirmed to me again I am right where I am supposed to be...submissive to my husband and my knees are at the foot of the cross.  I am praying that pride will not creep back into my heart and that I will continue to know and believe that all of this is going to happen in God's time.  I am praying that I will continue to trust in Him with these children that are living in conditions that I can't comprehend.  I am praying that I will not be anxious about their safety because God has completely provided for them and kept them safe in the most undesirable conditions.  I'm praying that the fingerprints we did at Shelby County Jail that took two hours to acquire  (because I have worked my fingers to the bone and some of mine wouldn't process) print today and can be mailed for the state back ground check.   They wouldn't print because the only printer that prints finger prints broke.  The only man that can repair the printer was in Montgomery.  I pray that God will help the printer print them today.  I pray that our passports will come back expeditiously.  I pray for God's speed in this process.  See, I'm already getting impatient.  Lord, help me keep my feet set on the rock.

Love,

Amiee