From the very beginning of this journey "outside our own little world" about 8 months ago, Sean and I truly have felt that we are a part of something BIG---something so big, in fact, that we cannot even begin to imagine what it is. We know that God is shifting and moving our hearts toward something that simply cannot be explained apart from God's working and leading in our lives.
For the past couple of weeks, Sean and I have had many of the "what does this all mean" conversations!!! And we came up with the answer---we have no idea.....but we know God is in it! We say all the time that there are pieces of a puzzle being moved all around us---we just don't know what the picture looks like!
We have no idea why we have suddenly been given a heart for orphans and adopting apart from the fact that we are supposed to adopt....but still, there is this nagging feeling that maybe God is taking us to more than that. We cannot explain why we have fallen in love with Haiti and desperately cannot wait to get back down there each and every time we are getting on the plane....but I believe this is something that God is putting in our hearts!
Over the course of the past couple of weeks though, Sean and I have watched and participated in some of the "coolest blessings" from God...whether anyone reads this or not, I wanted to take a second to write them down so they are not forgotten. Some of these are not fully answered, but it is amazing to see how God is moving the pieces of the puzzle around.
One year ago, Sean nor I had any idea why in the world Sean felt called to go back to school---my husband HATES school. However, he felt that God was truly pushing him to go back for his masters in accounting.....now, 12 months later, my husband is getting ready to launch a 501c3 not for profit account so we can better service the orphanage---something he is learning as we speak in his Master's Program! We thought he was going back for job security....we had no idea that God wanted him to go back because this was part of His huge puzzle for our lives!
Six months ago, Sean and I had no idea that when we were asked last minute by Cathy Fitzsimmons to accompany the men on a work trip to Haiti, that God was really getting us to a place in the world that would not only break our hearts but literally change the direction of our lives!!! It was in Haiti in October 2010 that God gave Sean and I both the desire to adopt "brown babies"---a thought that had never entered our world up until this point.
Backing way up, 5 years ago, it never occurred to me that when I signed up for a "part time job" that God was going to use this job to eventually allow me to leave my full time career and be home so that we are now much more flexible to travel and to be home with my children when they come. Our frequent trips to Haiti would never be available if I still had my teaching position.
I have no idea why I have always felt from God an "unnatural" desire to adopt....many women I talk to just cannot seem to understand why I do not mind at all if I never birth a child. I had no idea, that was, until I got to Haiti and stepped foot into my first orphanage and fell in love with my son Moises--and I knew right there that what God had given me was not unnatural at all--if fact, I am a firm believer that this is going to be one of His greatest gifts to me and Sean because we have a love for these kids that we simply cannot explain.
I do not know why lately I have just been bombarded with the "biggness" of my God--but I truly believe that this is one of the many lessons that He has for me to learn in this journey outside my own little world. He wants me to have complete faith---complete...not shaking or wavering. Right now, I am learning to trust Him in the area of our finances. This is going to be a very expensive process, but as I was telling mom today, I am confident that God is bigger than money....He has to be! You know how I know that? Because He continues to prove Himself faithful everyday and answer the littlest prayers that we have. For instance, here are this week's answered prayers:
1. A good friend of ours was having eye issues---God allowed it not to be anything that requires surgery
2. I posted on my facebook that we are needing multivitamins for the kids---God responded by laying it on the hearts of TONS of people to get involved and help--can't wait to see how many He provides
3. Our laptop broke -- I took it to Best Buy fully expecting to have to buy a new one...one of the guys there fixed it for FREE!
4. We had a friend yesterday give us a plaque with Hudson's name on it....it was cut out in the shape of Africa....another reminder of God's future blessings and how privileged we are!
5. We were perplexed trying to find the money to go to Haiti this next trip...God provided a bonus from my company (instead of a trip!) that will cover all of our airline tickets.
6. We were looking for ways to double the support of our kids in Haiti from $25 to $50 a month....God responded by laying it on individuals hearts and now they were all fully sponsored within 1 day.
7. We are working through the Haitian adoption which seems nearly impossible--God responded by allowing us to connect with a Haitian consulate in Evansville who connected us with someone in Port Au Prince so that we can begin working on that process.
8. Sean and I desperately want to learn French Creole so we can communicate with the Haitians better each time we travel there--God responded by laying it on the heart of Lydia Smith to teach us Creole on Sunday afternoons!
These are just a few of His blessings to us this week. As I said at the beginning...I truly do not have any idea where God is leading us, but I am so amazed at how faithful He has been in showing us the next step to take that I can't help but trust that He is leading us to a place that He has wanted us to be for a long time....it just took stepping outside our own little world to see it!!!
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