Isaiah's Story

It is customary when posting a blog regarding adoption to "tell the story." Each child has their own magnificent story that is precious, deserving of being told. So, I'll start there.

This is our second adoption from China. We traveled there last year with our entire family. One set of grandparents, 4 of our children ("Butterfly" age 16, "Magpie" age 7, "The Bug" age 5, and "Busy Bee" age 3.) For the purposes of this new Blog, I need to give our daughter, adopted last year a special Blog-name too...how about "Potato"? That's what we call her around here...so, it will work for her brother's story.

In November last year, we began to ask the question "Is there another child for our family?" I thought after returning from China last year, that we would be there again...but I was unsure how soon. My wonderful husband began to pray with me, ultimately fasting for a period of days asking God "are we to adopt again?" Now as parents of 6 children already, the oldest, the flagship grown and gone...that's a crazy question to be asking God. But we did. And, very, very powerfully after waiting on His answer He spoke to Daddy through a chapter in the Book of Isaiah. It was:

Isaiah 49:12

"Behold, these will come from afar; And lo, these will come from the north and from the west, And these from the land of Sinim."

In the study notes of Daddy's Bible it said that according to the Dead Sea Scrolls...that "Sinim" the place referred to in the passage above, was likely and ancient name for CHINA.

Then he read on and came to:

Isaiah 49:20

"The children of whom you were bereaved will yet say in your ears, 'The place is too cramped for me; Make room for me that I may live here.'

With those passages and the peace we felt at moving forward we determined that we would view the list of current waiting children.

Daddy was certain that, as our current household make-up is of 5 female children, that the next one should be female as well. But, in an attempt to be open minded, we looked at all the waiting kids. One in particular really stood out to me...a little guy...who was "winking" at us in the pictures.

I was hoping that our newest addition would be from our daughter's province in central China. We have very dear relationships there already and we longed to return and share more fellowship with them. But, this darling boy's file said that he was in HeBei province, in the Northeastern part of China.

As we climbed in bed that evening, I asked Daddy, "Which of the children really sticks with you?" Just as he began to answer me, he kicked a book under our bed that we'd been reading. The books title was "God Winks." Its a book that generally says there is more to coincidence than mere coincidence. That those occasions are when God is "winking" at us letting us know He's there and He cares.

Daddy picked up the book, chuckled, and said, "The child I was drawn to is the one who was winking at us in the pictures today...that little BOY."

So we agreed to request his file from the agency.

The next morning I was offered a new job. I hadn't been looking for a job. God just brought one to me. One of our considerations in adopting again was that I would have to make a job change. That very morning, the day we received the little boy's file, I was offered a new job. The perfect job for our circumstances.

When I finished my phone conversation, I hurriedly went upstairs to check my computer and to see if the boy's file had been sent. Within moments I was reading that "the child was found...and was now being fostered through....in HUBEI province." HuBei? The waiting child list said HeBei....HuBei is our daughter's province...where our precious friends are...which information was true? I quickly searched the internet and as I confirmed that indeed the town this boy was from is in HuBei Province...I felt a lightening bolt of excitement burn through me.

I called Daddy to tell him. When he answered the phone I tried to casually say to him "Well, we got that little boy's file." I then added..."But there was a typo." That's all I said. And Daddy replied to me...chuckling that knowing chuckle..."He's in HuBei, isn't he?" I shouted "YES!" And we both laughed and cried as Daddy said..."Well, that's our boy!"

Upon reflecting on that...Daddy could have guessed that the typo was anything...that he was really a girl or that he wasn't really blind in one eye or anything...but I know the Holy Spirit prompted Him supernaturally at that moment and he KNEW that this child was the one God was bringing to us from Sinim (China).

So Isaiah, we are making room for you. In this pink palace...I pray that you're tough...I pray that you are long suffering because they are going to love you to pieces...I pray that you'll be patient because I don't know how to be the mom to a boy...I pray you'll come home soon, where we know God has planned for you to be since the beginning of time.

We hope you enjoy our journey...we hope to be off to China no later than the 1st of September...maybe we'll have our Travel Authorization as soon as tomorrow...and then...we'll begin our final plans.

It's going to be another wild ride!