He Goes Before Us
I can't get over the miracles that God has done to get us to this point. And she's not even here yet. Just imagine what He's going to do once His beloved child, His baby girl, is in the arms of the second momma He chose for her and no longer tucking herself into her own lonely bed at night. (I know deep, deep inside that we are not Plan A for this child. My God, however, makes beauty from ashes. The intense complexities of adoption, that is another post for another day. Another series of posts.)
If I ever, ever doubt God's timing, please remind me to think back to this time, this day.
What was impossible, is happening. Shortly after we began this process to bring home Rosy home, we found out that Rob would be deploying this summer. We scrambled to make the adoption happen quickly so that he would get a least a couple of months with his new daughter, but when we encountered few hiccups in paper process, it became less and less likely that he would even get to meet her before he deployed.
Aside: isn't her name so sweet? I just love it. Rosalyn Noelle Xiaoyu. Rosy. We do nicknames around here, to the extent that we picked out her nickname before her full name. It's how we roll. We deliberated on the spelling, but only for a short bit. We have me, Jody. And we have Lily. We even have Suzy, our beloved horse. Of course we had to spell her name Rosy. She's a member of the Fasnacht Girl Club.
So back to our miraculous story. Rob is still deploying, but at the last moment, God moved a mountain or two or three, and we are getting to bring Rosy home before he deploys. Rosy will have a living, breathing person to associate to the fuzzy Skype daddy she will be bonding with over the next six months.
It's gonna be hard, people. Rob is staying with our boys while Lily and I (and my dear friend Shanny) are traipsing about Asia. As much as I would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to take all six of us to China, well, any independently wealthy relatives have not stepped forward to offer that many plane tickets. Sheesh, it's so stinking expensive. I'm relieved beyond measure, however, that Rob will be able to be with our sons as they enjoy a couple week's of bonding time in preparation for Dad being gone for six months. The hardest part about being in China to bring home Lily was the time away from our two big boys, and by big, I mean ages 6 and 4.
Also, we are moving while Rob is deployed. Fun times, people!
Another aside: I'm so proud of my husband and his desire to bring Hope to the Marines and Sailors in his care. He is making sacrifices for the sake of the Gospel, and we have a promise to hang on to:
"Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” Mark 10: 29, 30
I don't like that prepositional phrase highlighted with dashes just so we don't forget: along with persecutions. But it's there. And we hold open our hands, trusting our good, good God, allowing Him to give and to take.
I have so, so many people to whom I am beyond grateful. I mean, they surrounded us, and they believed in us. And they believed in God's goodness and His love for the orphan. And they propelled us forward. They prayed, supported, gave, encouraged, asked, prayed some more. I'm a little terrified to write their names down, because what if I forget someone? My brain is only working on one cylinder right now. Adoption brain makes pregnancy brain look like genius.
If you are reading this? Thank-you. You know what you did. You know who you are. You can't imagine the depths of our gratitude. Humbled only begins to capture our hearts. Full of praise to our amazing God. What you have done for us, you really did for Jesus. May the good that you did come back to your family a hundred fold, Amen.
Two weeks from today, Rosy will be in my arms! (Maybe flailing, trying to escape her new, terrifying, big, white momma, but in my arms!)
I hope to be able to post updates and photos to this blog. Last time we were in China, we had a hard time getting photos to post to blogger. I've started a yahoo group, Bringing_Rosy_Home. In the recent past, we were able to post pictures, which are like adoption-following candy, to the yahoo group.
Okay, back to packing. Lots. Of. Packing.
Love,
Jody
 |
If I ever, ever doubt God's timing, please remind me to think back to this time, this day.
What was impossible, is happening. Shortly after we began this process to bring home Rosy home, we found out that Rob would be deploying this summer. We scrambled to make the adoption happen quickly so that he would get a least a couple of months with his new daughter, but when we encountered few hiccups in paper process, it became less and less likely that he would even get to meet her before he deployed.
Aside: isn't her name so sweet? I just love it. Rosalyn Noelle Xiaoyu. Rosy. We do nicknames around here, to the extent that we picked out her nickname before her full name. It's how we roll. We deliberated on the spelling, but only for a short bit. We have me, Jody. And we have Lily. We even have Suzy, our beloved horse. Of course we had to spell her name Rosy. She's a member of the Fasnacht Girl Club.
So back to our miraculous story. Rob is still deploying, but at the last moment, God moved a mountain or two or three, and we are getting to bring Rosy home before he deploys. Rosy will have a living, breathing person to associate to the fuzzy Skype daddy she will be bonding with over the next six months.
It's gonna be hard, people. Rob is staying with our boys while Lily and I (and my dear friend Shanny) are traipsing about Asia. As much as I would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to take all six of us to China, well, any independently wealthy relatives have not stepped forward to offer that many plane tickets. Sheesh, it's so stinking expensive. I'm relieved beyond measure, however, that Rob will be able to be with our sons as they enjoy a couple week's of bonding time in preparation for Dad being gone for six months. The hardest part about being in China to bring home Lily was the time away from our two big boys, and by big, I mean ages 6 and 4.
Also, we are moving while Rob is deployed. Fun times, people!
Another aside: I'm so proud of my husband and his desire to bring Hope to the Marines and Sailors in his care. He is making sacrifices for the sake of the Gospel, and we have a promise to hang on to:
"Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” Mark 10: 29, 30
I don't like that prepositional phrase highlighted with dashes just so we don't forget: along with persecutions. But it's there. And we hold open our hands, trusting our good, good God, allowing Him to give and to take.
 |
| Sunrise at the farm, overlooking our orchard. The smudges in the window may or may not be from my eager face pressed up against the pane. |
I have so, so many people to whom I am beyond grateful. I mean, they surrounded us, and they believed in us. And they believed in God's goodness and His love for the orphan. And they propelled us forward. They prayed, supported, gave, encouraged, asked, prayed some more. I'm a little terrified to write their names down, because what if I forget someone? My brain is only working on one cylinder right now. Adoption brain makes pregnancy brain look like genius.
If you are reading this? Thank-you. You know what you did. You know who you are. You can't imagine the depths of our gratitude. Humbled only begins to capture our hearts. Full of praise to our amazing God. What you have done for us, you really did for Jesus. May the good that you did come back to your family a hundred fold, Amen.
Two weeks from today, Rosy will be in my arms! (Maybe flailing, trying to escape her new, terrifying, big, white momma, but in my arms!)
I hope to be able to post updates and photos to this blog. Last time we were in China, we had a hard time getting photos to post to blogger. I've started a yahoo group, Bringing_Rosy_Home. In the recent past, we were able to post pictures, which are like adoption-following candy, to the yahoo group.
Okay, back to packing. Lots. Of. Packing.
Love,
Jody
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