"I believe in angels!"

"See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared."  Exodus 23:20

"Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?"  Hebrews 1:14

Nina and "Petah"...Our angels in Amsterdam

Friends in Entebbe Airport

Joan looking at the airplane she has been dreaming about...

I believe in angels. When Laurel was 22 months old she fell 15 feet from the second floor window of our home.  She hit a holly bush and landed in a mound of pine bark.  About 3 weeks after the fall, Todd and I struggled with the guilt and the thought that we could have so easily lost her.  One day when she was sitting in her high chair I asked her, "Laurel, who caught you when you feel out of the window?"  I anticipated her answer to be "daddy caught me".  Todd was the first one to her.  He practically jumped out of the window after her.  She looked me directly in the face and without hesitation, she answered, "the angel caught me mommy".  I had never talked to her about angels.  She wasn't even two years old.  I asked her with tears in my eyes, "Laurel, what did the angel look like?"...she paused and smiled, "she looked like me."  That was the end of the conversation.  I needed no further proof.  The angel did catch her that day.  There was no other explanation.  It's really hard for me to sometimes  to write these blogs without rambling.  I hope that I am able to explain this to you without to much confusion.  The best way for me to start sometimes is to just dive in and go straight to the point.  Here we go.  Around the middle of May, I began to loose hope that we wouldn't get a court date before the summer break that the courts in Uganda take.  This is adoption...a roller coaster ride and for those of you who know me, I don't ride roller coasters.  They make me feel sick to my stomach.  I cannot ride them.  This time in May, God was growing me in a way that I never saw coming.  I had been praying and praying and praying for God to please give us a court date.  It did not come.  I began to know that the reason God wasn't answering my prayer the way I wanted HIM to was because my prayer wasn't inline with God's will.  After much thought, prayer and consideration, I changed my prayer.  It was difficult for me I have to admit.  I was so full of "self" at this time.  We were so close to being able to go to Uganda and hold Joan and Derrick.  God led me to pray that the children who needed the court dates the most be granted the dates.  I surrendered the prayer of the court date for Joan and Derrick.  The first time I prayed it, I cried.  My motherly instinct felt like I was giving up on Joan and Derrick.  God was showing me AGAIN, I'm not in control of this adoption and I never was.  The next day I prayed again for the children that needed to get home first be granted get the court dates.  When I started praying this prayer, I began to feel a peace.  I can't explain it.  I just know it was the Holy Spirit!  My anxiety left me.  My hope did not deminish.  My faith grew.  It was really hard for me at first.  The only way my faith could grow was by trusting God.  Not that I really had in choice in the matter but I could either surrender and live in peace or I could keep fooling myself, thinking that I am in control.  It was during this week, that I gave the date to God Todd said, "I think it's time we go."  He said, I think we should go without a court date and pray that we get one while we are there.  I was again on the roller coaster but this time, I loved riding it.  You know the rest of this part of the story.  We were there one week.  We went to visit the Nile River in Jinja and as we were walking down to the water where Moses floated down the river in a wicker basket, the phone rang.  It was the lawyer.  We had a court date.  So, fast forward to day 32.  I'm sitting in the Entebbe Airport in Uganda praying that the two African children that I have been dying to bring home don't act like I'm kidnapping them.  Laurel and I are sitting in the airport and a woman comes up to us.  She asks, "are you adopting"?  I said yes and told her a little of our story.  She was from America. Her name is Casey.  She said, "I had a court date but one of the witnesses that they needed never showed up so I am going to have to come back in one month.  I felt so bad for her.  Another lady comes and sits beside us.  She is from America.  Her name is Betsey.  She says, "are you adopting?"  I say yes and I tell her a little of our story.  She says, "something went wrong with my lawyer and the judge."  I will have to come back maybe in a year to get my son.  I felt sick for her.  The three of us sat there and all I could think about was remembering my prayer, "please let the children that need to come home before the courts break", and looking at Joan, staring out the window looking at the airplane that she has been dreaming of for 6 months, maybe longer.  I watched Derrick line all of his cars up, neatly and orderly, at almost midnight, waiting to fly on an airplane.  These ladies were God's angels that HE sent to me.  They both told me they were okay leaving their children behind.  There children were in safe places.  They said they weren't bitter or upset, maybe a little disappointed but they knew it was God's plan.  To witness the faith Casey and Betsey's have  was God moving a mountain for me.  Joan, Derrick, Laurel and I got on the plane almost last.  I passed both ladies. Both of them watched us walk past them.  They took my hand and said, "you've made it!"  They were happy for me instead of sad for themselves...they may have been sad but they were not without hope.  Many adopting parents will tell you that you don't really feel good about the progress of the adoption until you are "on the plane".   There are more things that can go wrong than right.  Again, I shed tears of joy and sadness as we prepared to leave Uganda.  God sent me angels in every airport.  Nina and Peter...Derrick still sees a ball and says "Petah".  We don't watch "Finding Nemo"..."it's finding "Nina".  My friend Casey who I met in Entebbe is going back very soon to bring her child home.  She sat in the Amsterdam Airport with us after the seven hour flight while we ate breakfast. I don't really remember how but Joan and Derrick befriended Peter and Nina.  Peter took Derrick to the center of the airport and played ball with him for at least 30 minutes, maybe longer.  Derrick  needed to run around and play and I was already exhausted from the first leg of the flight.  Nina read books with Joan.  It was a nice break for Laurel and I that God knew we needed before the next 8 hour flight.  Nina left for a brief time and came back with two yellow presents.  She handed the packages to Joan and Derrick and Derrick said, "pank you".  Joan and Derrick had never had a present before so they didn't know to open them...maybe they had had a gift before but I don't think they had ever had something that was wrapped.  They were excited to get the package but they were thrilled when they realized their was something inside of it.  I don't know if Peter and Nina have children but if they don't they should.  Nina was smart enough to know to buy them exactly the same thing.  It was the perfect gift for 2 orphans whose world was changing in front of our very eyes.  Nina, if you are reading this, please email me.  I have not found your email address.  Peter and Nina were our angels in Amsterdam.  The next leg of the flight was extremely difficult.  I don't really want to go into the details but emotionally for me I had a hard time not thinking about the children of Uganda.  Joan was difficult to deal with. That's another blog.  I realized as we got closer to Detroit that we would only have 3 hours instead of 4 hours because of the time change.  There must have been 500 people waiting in line for visas to be processed and I'm not exaggerating.  After you go through visas, you have to go through customs.  After you go through customs, you have to go through security again...then you get on a train and go to the next gate.  Oh yeah, we had to visit the CDC officer because Joan's medical report in March indicated she had had TB.  There was no way we would have made our plane without a special officer.  I have misplaced his card and I'm praying that I find it.  He got our boarding passes for the four of us while we waited in line for visa's.  He let Laurel go get our luggage before she was supposed to.  He took us through customs so we didn't even have to stop there.  He put us ahead of people in line at security...He gave me his card which I have misplaced and told me if we ever flew internationally again and if we needed his help to please contact him.  He was our angel in Detroit.  We flew to Atlanta and I have to say we were so glad to be in the South.  I'm sure there were angels in Atlanta but I confess I was to tired to see them.  We were done.  We were so close to home...Atlanta to Birmingham is about an hour and a half drive.  We were delayed in Atlanta 3 hours including the time we spent on the run way waiting to take off with our seats straight up and seat belts fastened.  Then, we arrived in Birmingham...angels that had prayed for "Reeves Party of Six" were waiting with open hearts and open arms.  There were some of our angels that weren't there physically but they were there in spirit.  God sent HIS angels ahead of us and prepared every step of our journey.  I believe in angels!  Thanks be to God.

In HIS Grip,
Amiee