Encouraged

Last weekend Kari Jobe came to my home church. The worship music was great.

Kari began to sing the song "Healer."

 

As she sang the words:

"Nothing is impossible for You

Nothing is impossible

Nothing is impossible for You

You hold my world in Your hands

 

I lost it.

I wept. Ugly cry.

I prayed hard. I wanted so hard to be able to sing those words and believe them.

But in that moment my faith fell short.

I felt like it was impossible for God to bring Malachi home.

I felt like this whole journey was impossible.

 

To y'all, the above picture may only resemble a mere table in a local diner.

To me... it represents a journey.

 

I have sat at this table and the one next to it several times.

I meet with a group of local moms who are/have adopted from Ethiopia.

We call it ET mom's coffee night :)

We journey together.

We all "get it."

I am so thankful to be surrounded by mothers who are like-minded and who can truly relate to the emotions I am feeling in the journey.

 

 

The above picture was taken as I sent a text message to some other "moms" saying I needed a coffee night!

We met together on Monday night of this week.

I vented to them about my frustrations and hopelessness in the wait.

When I left that night, although I was encouraged by them, I was still feeling pretty hopeless in the journey itself.

 

Then the next few days God began to open the floodgates!

 

We have had a lot of REFERRALS go out this week!!

It's been way more than we have seen in months!

I cannot tell you how excited that has made me.

It has given me the hope I needed.

 

*A referral is when a family is matched with a child. When a family receives a referral, other families on the waiting list move up a spot closer to being matched with their child.

For example: When an infant boy referral goes out, all the other families in the infant boy line move up a spot. Got it?

 

I am proud to say that we are number 63 on the "unofficial" waiting list for an infant boy and #36 for a toddler boy.

 

I know that 63 does not sound exciting to those of you who have been following us for a long time.

In fact, I announced LAST June that we were #66, so it sounds like we have only moved 3 spots in almost a year.

That's not the case.

Since it's an unofficial list, some families are not on the list and other families have changed their parameters (age range, gender, etc.)

Over the course of the months, we moved back up into the 70s and I stopped announcing our number because it hurt my heart so bad!

But today, for the FIRST time, we are #63!

 

Praying hard that we get out of the 60s soon!!

 

Please continue to pray for us, for Malachi and for Ethiopia.

We are waiting on the Lord.

 

On Monday night when I was talking with other ET moms, the common question came up:

Do you feel like God is telling y'all to continue waiting in Ethiopia program or to switch gears to a different program?

We honestly feel like God is telling us to stay the course.

 

That night after Kari Jobe, I laid in my bed and downloaded the song "Healer" onto my phone.

A wise woman once told me:

"Say it until you believe it.

Then say it because you believe it!"

 

So I have been listening to that song over and over and over!

Click Here for the link to it if you've never heard it.