We told the kids last night, and they were super excited, and seemed to embrace it. They had rationale and logistical questions about room arrangements, school and such. Someone immediately counted and said, "9 people will live here!" Grannie had the good grace to look dazed and keep her mouth shut, lol. (She already knew but thinks we are C-R-A-Z-Y).
We know this is a little crazy. We know raising kids costs a lot of money. We know we only have so much time and attention. We know we will need a 8-passenger vehicle, lol. These are all good and valid arguments and we have thought and prayed about them on our own, as well as been presented them by loving influences in our lives. But we cannot in good conscience ignore God when he presents something so clearly to us.
We have sponsored this 9 year old boy since February of 2011, so we have already both forged a bond with him. He loves us. He seeks me out doggedly when I'm at the orphanage, and clings to me when I leave. He's a typical 9 year old boy, he loves to run and play and likes cars. But he's also untypical....his mother is dead, and his father cannot care for him. He likely has little hope of being adopted out of the orphanage where he lives. How can we ignore that?
The kids have saved their own money and put it in a jar with his picture, we have bought him presents and have spent precious time with him.
I'm not going to lie--it was the bond he has with the baby that won me so completely over. It was like God had forged that bond. He loves the baby and the baby loves him. They know each other well, they giggle and laugh together. He is everything a big brother should be, loving and protective.
There are other reasons we've decided to pursue this. Adoption is an expensive business, but adopting two children at once is more fiscally possible for us than doing another adoption later on.
Our two boys will look alike. This may seem minor if you are a white middle class American, but I'm beginning to understand that it is not minor if you are brown or black. The baby will always have a big brother who looks like he does. :) Living in a primarily white community, I have been painfully aware of the culture change that a black child will endure, and have been wracking my brain trying to think of how to maintain his cultural ties. Not so easy when Haiti is so far away....because being Haitian American will be a different experience than being African American.
Regardless of my rantings, my hopes, and my fears, God has presented this to us. We are accepting it as an opportunity. An opportunity for our children to mature, stretch and grow. To understand the meaning of sacrificial love and giving, and to learn it better ourselves. We may not have the nicest vacations, cars, or gadgets, but I promise that our home will be filled with love and laughter. Christmas morning may not be filled with tons of toys like it has been in past years...but it will be filled with joy.
Please pray for us and for our boys as they struggle to understand what is happening. The baby will not know, but our 9 year old will. He will long for us and miss us, and this may seem to take a very long time to him.
Please pray for our children, who so sweetly and lovingly accepted this. It is my hope to model the love of Christ to them. I don't want to short change them, or cheat them out of time with us, but I do want to teach them about sacrifice, and about how much love the human heart can hold for others.
Please pray for the finances surrounding this adoption. We know that God is able to provide it all. We are counting on Him.
And please pray for Desaray, Riley, Grannie and I. They're going to have us outnumbered! ;)
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| And that looks like brothers! |
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| Love these boys! |
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| The morning I was leaving, he is very sad. :( |
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