Life Unexpected

"Be strong and courageous...the Lord will be with you wherever you go (Deuteronomy 1:9)."  That verse seemed to be the one God had chosen for me over the past three weeks of my life.  I had read those words over and over in multiple devotionals, been texted those words from several friends, and stumbled on them continually as I started on a journey that would prove to be one that required strength. God must have a sense of humor, because for both of our adoptions, we were given 1-4 days to prepare to fly across the world to pick up our kiddos (opposed to the typical 2 week notice).  I kind of think it was a good thing, because when you're given 48 hours to buy plane tickets, pack, and get your work covered, there's not a whole lot of time left to worry.  That's what the 17 hour flight is for. Before we left, our social worker had told us that we should keep our expectations low when it comes to how our day would go in meeting and bringing home our dau...

I’m sitting on a plane, currently watching my son sleep soundly next to me, on our way home from a quick trip to my parent’s house.   It’s hard to believe that in less than 48 hours, I will be flying out yet again, but this time to bring home our daughter, Madhavi.   Even as I write those words, I can hardly believe them and feel like I have to pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming. This past summer, Biruk said to me, rather a matter of fact, “Madhavi is going to be home for my birthday.”   To which I said, “Buddy…it’s going to take a miracle for that to happen.”   Fast forward several months and that miracle has found it’s birth in a season of our life where we least expected it.    On Monday, I decided very last minute to fly home with Biruk to visit my parents.   My mom had recently had knee surgery, I had few free days, and I hadn’t been home since last Christmas, so it sounded like a great plan.   The night before we left, I w...

He told us that God wanted to "bless us in huge ways."  He continued to say, "I'm not just talking about blessing your youth ministry, or even this mission trip, but he wants to bless you beyond what you can imagine in something you've been praying for in your home."  "He" was a Youth Pastor of one of my friends from Honduras, whom I had just met about an hour before he spoke those words. There have been very few times that someone has spoken prophetically to me and I didn't walk away feeling like I was questioning everything they said.  This was one of those moments.  I felt as though God was speaking through this man directly to Nate and I.  I walked away feeling confident that God was up to something, and while I had no idea what, he was going to do something seriously awesome.  That happened on August 16th. Fast forward to this past Thursday, September 21, just a little over a month later.  Nate and I both received a phone call from ...