We are leaving next week and will have Ben in our arms in 8 days!! We will get to meet face to face for the very first time next Friday, June 11th.
Isaiah 55:8-9 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
God does have our best interest at heart and His plans are always perfect. The last two weeks, the enemy kept discouraging me as we waited and waited for our travel approval. As we prayed and prayed every day for it to come, God chose to make us wait a little longer for at least two reasons. I can now see the end result, the one you want to see sooner than later. We always want to know everything now and not wait for it. If God had given us what we wanted, we would not be getting Ben until the end of June or early July due to the lack of consulate appointments in China. If we had received our travel approval just a week ago, I would have not asked my agency more about traveling to get him before the Dragon Boat Festival, June 14-16. We would have received our TA and booked a consulate appointment at the end of June or first of July. We would have missed this great blessing of getting Ben sooner and now we will be able to spend more time in his province and share the Dragon Boat Festival with him! How awesome is that, God has once again shown me that He has everything under contol and He is sovereign! I also believe the longer we have to wait for things hoped for, the more appreciative we are when we finally do take these little ones into our arms. The wait also allows God to grow such a deep love within our hearts for them, which is so important for our initial bonding. It also allows for us to be able to truly connect with them. It wasn't easy to wait but I am so thankful to God that He knows so much more than I do. He sees the big picture of how it will all play out.
I would like to encourage those of you in the waiting stage to trust God for His perfect timing, eventually you will see why He has made you wait. A verse I have read over and over the past two weeks is Psalm 27:14 Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. You may not feel like waiting, but the Lord truly does have a perfect plan for you and in His perfect timing, you will know His plan.
It looks like we will be leaving very early on Wednesday 6/9 and returning Friday afternoon 6/25. Please keep us in your prayers throughout the next few days as we prepare to leave, we have lot's to do. Also, for Ben's transition to go smoothly and for his foster parents to have comfort and peace as they say goodbye to this sweet little boy they have had since he was just a few days old. Oh how it breaks my heart to know the sadness they will feel as well as the grieving process for Ben.
Please also pray for our kids who will be staying home while we are gone, that they will have lots of fun things to do and not be sad. I know they will all miss us but I'm especially concerned for our two youngest. Of course, this momma will need lot's of prayer as I have to leave the rest of our kids here with family and dear friends. Thanks for being our prayer warriors!
