Our Story.....Part 8

Part Eight……who knew this was going to take so long to write!!?!!


Sorry to leave you all hanging for so long, but, life happens, you know!


Just in case you might need review on the last thing that happened in our “Adoption Story,” the last installment was here!

……….

After we visited-in Oct. of 06-the truly heart-rending wait began!

We had left our precious daughter in another country!

(& yes, for those of you who are wondering if your hearts can be instantly bonded to a child not born in your womb-I say a resounding YES!!!! I know from personal experience, it doesn’t always happen-but in this case it did & that wait from Oct-Dec of ’06 was one of the worst waits of our lives!)

We knew that if everything went well with our case, we should be getting the news she was ours around the middle of December.


We stayed busy in those few months-

I began the Home Schooling venture with Ana in Kindergarten.

We went on one of Dave’s business trips with him-packing the school books along.

We went back east to see family & attend a good friend’s wedding around Thanksgiving.

Then…..after we returned home, I began to get antsy…….I knew the news could come any day.

Finally, toward the middle of the month, things began to happen. We got a call on the 15th of December from our case worker (who now has her own agency & ROCKS!),

who told us that our case was having a slight hang-up that *might* push us into the month of January to go & get Ruth.

Not the call you want to hear.

But, then, it got even more interesting.

She called later that day & informed us that our daughter’s foster family was going on Christmas Vacation & couldn’t take Ruthie with them.

The lawyer would have to turn her over to a

DIFFERENT foster family until we could get down there.

Three caregivers in less than a month-once she was placed in our arms.

Not something you really want to hear. I was brokenhearted for her!

(& heartbroken at the possibility of another 3-4 weeks w/ out her.)

Dave & I prayed about it……& quickly decided I should just GO! On Friday, I spent the remainder of the day searching high & low for a ticket leaving anytime in the next few days (keep in mind, this is Dec. 16) & returning sometime after the first full week in Jan. (when we KNEW her visa should be issued by).

After spending all day on the Internet, there was not a single, solitary ticket to Guatemala City on the airline we needed to use that I could find until after Christmas.

Heartbreak-again!

Late Friday night, after finally accepting the fact there was NOTHING more we could do

……..I sat down & “had it out with the Lord.”

Yes, there were tears.
Yes, once again, there were the questions of

“Don’t you love us?”

But, through the tears……the picture of Christ coming to His disciples walking on the water-

kept coming to mind.

Finally, after a few hours of tears-
my Father gently reminded me of these verses,
from Psalm 107

28 Then they cry out to the LORD in their trouble,
And He brings them out of their distresses.
29 He calms the storm,
So that its waves are still.
30 Then they are glad because they are quiet;
So He guides them to their desired haven.
31 Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,

And for His wonderful works to the children of men!

Would I trust that not only COULD He bring me out of my trouble, but that He (IN HIS PERFECT TIMING) WOULD bring me out of my trouble?

(If your heart has ever been breaking because your baby is not in your arms, you know EXACTLY the kind of battle I was doing here).

I finally admitted I had no other choice but to trust.

& then…….I fell into bed-EXHAUSTED!

But-this chapter in my little story is not quite over yet!
(I know, I know, it’s not at all “little” ……..
but, please bear with me-it’s worth it, I promise!)

Dave, (thanks to all his travel) holds a status of some sort
(don’t ask me what) with this particular airline we wanted to travel.

Saturday morning, he got on the phone with an attendant, who, after an hour or so on the phone, was able to find ONE seat on a plane to Guatemala City before Christmas.

It was FIRST CLASS!!!!

(just kidding-it wasn't quite this nice!!!)
It was flying out of our hometown in less than 24 hours!

I went from thinking I wasn’t going to see my baby until after Christmas,
to flying FIRST CLASS & holding her in my arms 36 hours later!!!!

To make things even better, Dave & Ana were able to find flight on another airline & got down to Guatemala on Christmas Eve at about midnight.

Ana met her sister for the first time at the airport in Guatemala City on Christmas Eve while fireworks lit the night sky!

Isn’t that just like our God!?!?

(P.S.-wouldn’t you know-
there are many other little things that show God’s
greatness in arranging our Pick Up Trip with Ruthie-
but there is not room here-
& it might bore some of you-
although I NEVER tire of telling the story!)

“I love to tell the story-
‘twill be my theme in Glory!
To tell the old, old story
Of Jesus & His love!”

(I know the words to this old hymn are really more about the story of salvation-

but I can’t get over the amount of LOVE my Savior has shown me in the way He has chosen to grow our family!)

(Oh, & don't forget to stop by the NEW host of FFF!!)