#LoveAtFirstSight
Category Archives: Adoption
China Trip Day 2
We made it to China!
I love this picture because it pretty much sums up how I felt at that point! The actual fourteen hours weren’t so bad, but it’s not easy to sleep on a plane, and I was exhausted by the end. Okay, it’s not easy for me to sleep on planes. But I can’t sleep in cars or anything either!
Just one more plane ride to Lucy’s city. . .
And my first view of China outside an airport! So foggy–so beautiful–so exciting!
China Trip Day 1
The day our adventure began!
Here we come, China!
Tomorrow!
My blog, one year ago:
Are we going to China tomorrow?
I don’t think so. It isn’t possible, is it?
Come on, people, give me some grace: I haven’t convinced myself yet that we are going to CHINA!
During our first adoption, I never would have guessed that we would ever do an international adoption. We actually wanted to do a second domestic adoption… but that door was closed–God closed it. Because he knew Lucy was out there for us.
He knew she needed us… and we needed her.
We weren’t thinking China either, it was just an open door. It was just the option that seemed like it was the best fit for our family.
Lucy was born in 2006… the year we went to Florida as a family (at the time, which was without M and Lucy 
)
I wonder what my little five-year-old self was doing that day when, on the other side of the world, things were happening that would change my life–forever.
Forever and ever! More than I ever dreamed when I wrote that!
Throwback Thursday came just in time for this! Tomorrow I’m going to start a series of pictures and re-posts to recap our China trip, this time last year. I’m going to post every day we were in China, if I can manage it!
Happy Thursday!
Today is Orphan Sunday! This is a video Spencer made of all the families at our church who have adopted:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-Xm9vd4aFs
If you want to hear more of my thoughts on adoption, read this, this, this, this, and this.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
-James 1:27
Adoption is God’s command to His church. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. I have never seen anything that can be so ugly, but it can be so beautiful–so beautiful.
But real beauty always goes hand-‘n-hand with ugliness in this world.
Adoption can be sad. It can be convicting. It can be humbling. Because every one of us needs to be adopted. Every one of us needs to be redeemed.
We love, because we are loved.
We give, because we have received.
We care for orphans, because we were orphans.
We adopt, because we were adopted.
The drive to the airport
Almost a year ago Becca drove Mom, Dad, and I to the airport to get Lucy. Very early this morning the three of us rode with her to see her off on her flight to China, on her first trip out of the country!
Love ya, sister! Can’t wait to hear your stories from this place I love.
A poem by Mama and Lucy
Beautiful Lucy with eyes of brown,
she never ever has a frown.
Beautiful Hanna with eyes of blue,
she always has a smile for you.
Beautiful Becca with eyes of blue,
she’s always learning something new.
Mr. Michael busy, busy,
round and round, he’s rarely dizzy!
Handsome Spencer, such a buddy,
he’s always ready to go and study.
Our new little birdie, who are you?
We just can’t wait to get a clue!
Blessed
We’ve planted dill and parsley in our garden for a long time, to attract Swallowtail butterflies. We kept Swallowtail caterpillars inside in an aquarium when Becca, Spencer, and I were little; and we did again this summer with Michael and Lucy.
Jane the butterfly came out of her chrysalis today and was released today!
She came just in time for Lucy’s Dedication Day!
Lu was dedicated at our new church building this morning. Our building was a bowling alley before we bought it, so it. . . needed some help.
We’ve held meetings there three Sundays now. Back in February we had a worship night there, in the midst of the construction. There are all kinds of things I could say about that, but let’s stay focused (for now).
To tell the truth, I wasn’t really planning on worshiping. I mean, really worshiping. To give you some context, I’m usually an “all-out worshiper”. A hand-lifter.
But I wasn’t really planning on it that night. It just hadn’t been one of “those days”. And the feeling deepened when we got there, and I found that there was dust everywhere that made your nose feel weird, and I was burdened down with a winter coat and purse, since I had nowhere to set them because of aforementioned dust.
We were there to worship Jesus, and I was letting a ‘mood’ and some dust get in my way. Anyways, to make a long story short: I got there not expecting to be passionate, and the music started, and Lucy started singing–and dancing. If she can worship tonight, shouldn’t I be able to?
Yes! Of course! I should anyway!
Lucy has an incredible interest in Jesus, but of course she doesn’t understand everything yet. But she reminded me to worship that night.
Adoption isn’t easy, but I can’t imagine life without it. It is such a blessing! And I’m not trying to say that we should adopt children because they will bless us–far from it. I’m just saying that they will.
I was helping Michael with something at the grocery store once (I think I was pushing him in the stroller or something while Mom shopped), and a lady stopped and said to me, “He’s lucky to have you, you know that?” I’m probably the worst in the world at thinking on my feet, and I just smiled and said something pathetic and uninspiring, like “Yeah.” It was hours, or maybe days later that I realized that the only real answer to that question was:
“I’m just lucky to have him.”
!!!!!!
Sorry, guys, but I don’t think the book review is going to happen today. You can read this on the family blog instead. Seriously, read it!!! Big news!
Actually, I wasn’t that surprised. I think if you’d asked me if we would adopt again, I wouldn’t have been sure; but I think I kinda’ saw it coming. This feels normal. This is just how we operate, I guess! It’s hard, but I love it!
Have a happy, happy Thursday!
??? {Mystery Quote #8} ???
“Mystery Quote” time again! 🙂
Last week’s quote came from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien.
Wow. I finally managed to ‘stump’ you guys (to quote Leah 🙂 ). Though that part of the book doesn’t have a lot to do with the problems being faced in the rest of the books and was left out of the movies, and isn’t as popular. Also, like I said, the second character only comes in in that chapter, so that probably threw some people off. Anyway, our next quote:
But when tomorrow came, the children had more than bread and milk, as you will soon see.
Hmm. . . this might be a hard one too. I know it’s a popular book though! Happy guessing!
P.S. Click here to read Spencer’s Memorial Day post. Just sayin’, it’s really good!
P.P.S. You should totally watch this! “Jesus Loves Me” in Chinese, with a little cartoon to go with it. It’s so cute! There’s also English, Spanish, and Russian versions by the same people you could look for.