WOW! Where do I even begin. Such an amazing eye opening experience my trip to Ghana, my trip to see my girl, was. As an adoptive parent, not yet having met your child, only having a beautiful picture to stare at, to dream about, to wonder, to cry over, to pray over and plead with our ALL KNOWING Father to bring them home now, you can only imagine the thoughts that race through your head when this tiny face in a picture will become reality and be in your arms. SO many fears race through your mind as you prepare to make that trip to see your child. BUT OH how extciting it all is!
After I landed in Ghana and was on my way to the orphanage I was filled with anticipation, my heart was racing, I could not wait to meet my little girl. Once we arrived and saw ALL of the children that I have come to know through pictures over this past year it was so surreal, I could not believe I was finally there. And then my beautiful girl made her way out of the crowd, smiled so beautifully at me, came to me and wrapped her arms around my neck. Finally!!! We were together!!! It felt right, she was mine and all I could do was hold tight as tears of joy streamed down my face. If only I could describe to you what my heart was feeling at that moment. How precious. How priceless. How thankful I was to hold this amazing, beautiful child and know that the Lord, in all of his goodness, picked me to bless with this little girl. In the short week that I was there, I saw my little one blossom right before my eyes. So shy and quiet when I first arrived, to this silly, unique, awesomely quirky, sweet as sugar, talkative little girl!! How amazing to see the transformation of a child when they feel loved and wanted. When they know they have a mommy and daddy. I had my expectations from staring at that photo and they were all wrong. Seeing her face to face...it was real, this little life was so much more than anything I could have came up with staring at that photo. She has hopes, she has scars, she has fears and tears that follow close behind. She has a story. She is real and she is mine. I know that this is just the beginning of our journey together and so many memories are yet to be made, so many struggles are yet to be walked but what I do know is when she does finally come home, in God's perfect timing, hand in hand, we will begin to write the rest of her story...our story. A story of trust. A story of love. A story of joy and of tears. We will show her and constantly remind her that we are forever....a word she does not "know". We will teach her of our Saviors perfect, unfailing love. And that while she is the apple of our eyes...Jesus's love for her goes above and beyond ours. When I left Ghana, I praised the Lord for redeeming my little girl's life. For allowing me to leave knowing that this little girl, my little girl, has a family, a mommy and daddy who adore her. I can't wait for her to come home BUT my heart breaks for the rest of those "beautiful faces" you see in the pictures who do not have a family, a mommy and daddy, a home. You see, these children are so much more than what you see in the pictures. They have a depth to them, they have hopes. A hope to be loved. A hope to be wanted, to have someone to call them "mine". To have a mommy and daddy. My heart breaks for these "beautiful faces" that long to be known and loved. In one short week, I saw the beauty these kids bring to life, the joy that the Lord has given them despite their circumstances. Their smiles and laughter are enough to light the world. So beautiful, so precious, so much more than a "beautiful face" in a picture. It's at times like this that I am beyond grateful for having a God who at all times has our best interests at heart. Who loves and adores us right where we are. Who gives love, peace and joy to these children who have no one else. So while too many of these children will remain just a "beautiful face"...to Him they are sooo much more. They are real. They are His and that is amazing.
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