Many compare the emotions associated with international adoption to those of riding a roller coaster. Having ridden the roller coaster, we were prepared for the twists and turns ahead of us. One thing we never anticipated was a major turn early on in our process or as Shelby describes it, an entirely different roller coaster. After years of praying for God to lead us and finally surrendering to follow wherever he was leading (even to Africa) we were ready. I was excited for this adventure, but I did not have peace about what was ahead. I thought my reservations were due to the mountains of paperwork, the financial needs, or how adding another child would change our family. I continued on, trusting that the peace would come in following His will. But it didn't.
I had this vision of what our family of five would look like and I was excited to welcome another culture into our family. As much as I want Africa be a part of our family story, I was reminded many times over the past few weeks that God is the author of our story. Bottom line is my reservations these past few months had everything to do with our choice feeling forced. We were ready to move, so we stepped out in faith and moved. Due to many reasons, some in our control and some out of our control, we have decided to switch countries and ride an entirely different kind of roller coaster. This switch brings us to a country a little closer to home and to heart. This was not a country we considered initially due to the extended stay and what that would mean for our family. I am trusting in this adventure and I am elated to say that I have more peace than I have had in months. We cannot share the country due to privacy and protection of the child, but I can tell you that our decision is a bold move for our family. The boys will get to travel with us and to make the twists and turns of this adventure more thrilling, we don’t really know when! As always, we continue to thank God in this ever-changing journey.
