March 13, 2007 7:23 AM
The continuing story of our next grandchild
You all know that my daughter Samantha and her husband left the five grandchildren with us in November as they journeyed to Guatemala to meet the baby girl they were supposed to bring home this spring. And you all know that Baby died the day after Christmas before the bureaucratic process to bring her home was complete.
A couple weeks ago you rejoiced with me when Sam and Kip again went to Guatemala, again trusting us with their five precious children, who romped it up at Grandma and Grandpa's because the aunts and uncles were all home from school during the ice storm - meaning I had 10 kids under 14 - plus Sophia - for four days.
Glad I have the experience to handle this!
Both times, Sam and Kip met not just the baby, but the birth mother - spending a few hours getting to know her with the help of an interpreter. Baby L, who was three weeks old when they met her, had been placed by the mother at the orphanage and would remain there for six months or so while the paperwork was processed (sad reality).
We've always asked ourselves why such a long time - it seems so unnecessary and almost cruel when the unwanted baby will be in an orphanage with so many other babies - more than the workers can possibly pick up at one time - though the orphanage Kip and Sam are working with is exceptionally beautiful and well run.
This time, God used that time to knit together his own plan for the baby. Here's what Samantha wrote last night:
God’s wild ride:The birthmother of L changed her heart this morning and picked up little L. I actually was expecting it. I just told someone on Friday night that I would be very surprised if the birth mother did not change her mind. We knew she was going to be going to court today to make her decision so our family prayed for her last night. We prayed first and foremost for God’s will and that N would have wisdom in her decision making. Patrick and Tim specifically prayed that she would change her mind and keep her baby! You see, in a child’s mind, it just makes sense for the baby to be with her mother. Amazing! So I was not surprised when they called this afternoon to inform us that L had gone home with her mother. This has been another faith builder in our family. The kids saw God answer prayer and they are watching how mom and dad are handling it. I have to say that I really never got attached to idea of being L’s mother because what I saw when I was with N was a strong love for her baby. I would be being selfish if I wanted otherwise. God is good! Please do not be sorry for us; we are rejoicing that L will be with her mother.
I guess we will keep you informed as we continue on this wild ride.
Samantha
I am so proud of Kip, Samantha, and the children! In situations like this, so often we are weak and selfish, thinking only of ourselves - our wishes and desires. I am so grateful that Kip and Sam have the larger picture - that they are trying to see things through God's eyes. Knowing how much Sam is longing for a baby, I see God shining through her heart and her actions.
Many of us strive to do better than our mothers did - and it's wonderful in Samantha to see the strength of generational Christianity. I was 38 when I became a Christian - with five children already. Samantha was 17 when she became a Christian a few months later. She and Kip reclaimed their purity and conducted a hands-off relationship for two years, got married at 19 (together they put him through college), and never looked back. She was able to raise her kids saturated in faith from the get-go.
All of us - no matter where we come from - have the hope of seeing this kind of faith reflected in our kids when they grow up. No, kids aren't like the stuff we get from vending machines - where if you put in the right combination of spiritual currency and push the right buttons, you can expect a perfect adult. We all have free will. Even Adam and Eve - who knew a perfect relationship with our Heavenly Father - got distracted, turned away. Some kids reject what we taught them - I have a prodigal wandering (who I love dearly and have absolute faith will find his way back to the Lord); I also have a daughter who's removed her family from our lives (but she's in God's hands, and I know I can trust him).
As parents, all we can do is strive each day to put each child's hand in the hand of God, to teach them to love and serve, to put others before themselves.
Samantha's right - her kids are learning by watching their mom and dad walk through this.
So am I.
Posted in Adoption, Family | Permalink
Comments
Barbara,
Just finished your blog on "generational Christianity" and Sam's wild ride with the Guatemalan adoption process and you got me right in the heart. A tear welled up as I neared the bottom--what I saw was your ability to learn even from your own loins--which is what makes you so alive. Not sure if you watch Americal Idol, but last night old-time singer Diana Ross came out, diva-like, before a new generation. And a tear came to my eye, then, too, as I pondered how she, in essence, is passing the baton on to the next generation of singers, and it was like she knew her light was going out, and although it was an unspoken truth to everyone in TV land, something about it seemed right. And I though to myself, now there's a woman who gets it. She may or may not know the Lord, but, hey, we're all made in God's image, and I was able to see something of God in what transpired, yes, even on American Idol. Two years ago, I shuddered at the thought of such a show. Today, I'm seeing God in the strangest places...funny how He makes us see by applying just a little handful of mud. Anyway, may my ramble be a salute to your mothering heart, as you spread abroad the fragrance of the knowledge of Him all over the seedbed of your bustling family.
I'd love to see you again sometime soon~
Elizabeth
Posted by: Elizabeth | March 15, 2007 6:07 PM
