Gifts worth waiting for

I remember the excitement of finding out my wife was pregnant with each of our first four babies.  Each time there was excitement with an undercurrent of fear - “are we ready for this?” God was always good to quickly answer - “yes, or I would not have blessed you with this new child.”

As the husband, I admit, I had the easy part.  Mandy on the other hand had to deal with all the blessings of actually carrying our babies – morning sickness, swelling, hot flashes, a tired back, and of course prenatal vitamins.  I’m sure there were many other wonderful gifts of pregnancy that I am leaving off.

Then there was the waiting.  The first seven months seemed to fly by.  However, the last two seemed to take forever.  We’re ready for our new baby and the kids are ready for their new brother or sister.

As we approached the expected delivery date everyday was a new day wondering – is it going to be today?

Finally the day arrives, we rush to the hospital and I watch as my beautiful wife delivers our beautiful new child.  There’s nothing like the experience of waiting nine long months for your new child and then finally holding him or her in your arms.

Once again, about nine months ago God blessed us.  Again, there was excitement with the same undercurrent of fear - “are we ready for this?”  Again God answered - “yes, or I would not have blessed you with this new child.”

Once again, I had the easy part.  Mandy on the other hand had to deal with all the blessing of organizing our dossier – copies of wedding certificates, birth certificates, arranging multiple appointments for multiple fingerprints, and the most fun of all – trying to get a foreign country to send a letter stating that her husband who lived there (three government regimes in the past) was not a criminal.  I’m sure there were many other wonderful gifts of adoption paperwork that that I am leaving off.

Then there is the waiting.  The first seven months flew by.  Before we knew it, we had a referral of the beautiful boy that owns the beautiful eyes in the picture above.  Our first court date was also assigned before we knew it.  What a breeze.  Then everything came to a halt.

Ethiopia halted all processing of abandonment cases.  Nobody expected it to last too long but nobody knew how long.  Everyday was a new day wondering – is this the day we get a new court date?  Finally the courts started processing cases again.  We had our new court date today but - now MOWA has closed for two weeks.

So we wait some more – did we pass court?  Do we have to get a new date when MOWA opens again?  Will we get a court date before they close for the rainy season?  We’re ready for our new baby boy and the kids are ready for their new brother.

The adoption term is every bit as hard to wait through as the pregnancy term – maybe harder.  However, we’ve been here before.  I can picture it in my mind – after nine, ten, or twelve months of waiting – there will be nothing like the experience of finally holding my new baby boy in my arms.

Isaiah 40:31 (ESV)
³¹ but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.