Searching for a needle in a haystack...

Our search began for one girl in a country with approximately 5 million orphans. At the time, all I had was a name and a picture. I researched and got a list of possible adoption agencies that might be representing Sehin. Call after call , message after message, e-mail after e-mail....NOTHING. One lady told me that I was literally looking for a needle in a haystack. I responded, " I guess if it is God's will for Sehin to be my daughter, He can lead me straight to that needle."

David said is Psalm 139

"Oh Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it. Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me."

Praise God! He knew where she was and led us right to her!

Lord, you want us to do WHAT?

One of the greatest parts about being a Christian is the personal relationship that we have with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We talk with him... invite him into each part of our day... and we HEAR from him in a very real way.

This particular conversation started on Amy's birthday, August 24th. Ryan and I were talking with Zac and we asked him how we would feel if we had another child. His response was unexpected. He said, "What are you going to do, adopt a child from Africa?" We both replied, simultaneously, "If God put that on our hearts, we absolutely would." The conversation seemed harmless at the time...

On September 12th we were at our church bible study. We were studying in Ephesians (1:8) where we learned that Paul prayed, "that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so you may know what is the hope of His calling..." At the end of the Bible study a gal handed out a picture of young girl from Ethiopia who desperately needed a home in America. Ryan and I were both in tears.

You can probably see where this story is heading...

When God asks us to do something that is so out of our comfort zones, it isn't uncommon for people to ask for "a sign" so that they know that this is really a request from God. And the "signs" started coming right away...

-Amy calls her mom to talk about the possibility of adopting an orphan from Ethiopia. Linda says, "I'm not sure why, but the book that I got you for your birthday might help you in this decision." The book, a birthday gift, was written by Mary Beth Chapman, called Choosing to See. The page that Amy opened to was the lyrics from a song written by her husband called, What Now?



-We rationalized that "sign"...and prayed, "Lord, if you really want us to adopt this girl, please play a Stephen Curtis Chapman song on the radio. Not long after, sure enough, a Stephen Curtis Chapman song comes on the radio. I thought to myself, of course a song from him would come on the radio... it is Christian radio! I couldn't say the same thing after the next 6 songs all had to do with helping the orphans, the needy and the least of these...

-On September 16th, Amy was listening to the radio and a Focus on the Family broadcast came on talking about International adoption from Ethiopia. Ryan heard the same broadcast, on the same day, on a different station.

-The next day, at Women of Faith, a video presentation comes up on the big screen talking about how World Vision was helping a family in Ethiopia.

The signs kept coming until we both finally felt at peace about our decision... then they stopped completely.

A Prayer...

Have you ever prayed a prayer without knowing how exactly God would answer?

My prayer... Lord, break my heart for what breaks Yours!

My goal in this prayer was to become more Christ-like. What I forgot was that often times instead of giving us exactly what we pray for...He may give us an opportunity to learn something through experience. For example, when I pray for patience God may not give me the gift of patience...instead, He may give me an opportunity to practice patience.

So you can imagine what can happen when I pray for God to break my heart...