It’s been a few years since I penned my last post here. There were periods of time over years when I wrote there everyday. Especially as we picked up our family (then only numbering seven) and moved to China. Daily my brain and emotions were so thick with input that writing that blog helped me clean out the clogged filters. It allowed me to process and it forced me to think. As the household grew to 9..11…12…13 members, and as my everyday life in China became, well, an everyday thing, I slowly stopped writing.
Today I’m beginning again.
I’m venturing out again into the world of capturing thoughts, straining through my mental pea soup, and marinating in vulnerability through writing.
In full disclosure, the season ahead is forcing my hand. We’re about to mobilize our household of 13, leaving our host country and home of 10 years, to expand our vision and dreams in a new place.
A location at once foreign and familiar. A roost inviting and terrifying. A field full of promise and staggering expense.
America.
Most of our children have never lived in America. Those who did, remember America as Disneyland and barbecues. Of course I look the part, as one who spent my first 37 years there, but I’ve changed so radically on the inside that my gut churns at night as I wonder if I will ever feel at home again.
How will our children transition? Will we find community? Will my marriage be strong enough? How will we afford to live there? Where will we rest our heads? Will our children suffer? Can we keep our family united and safe? A billion swirling questions besiege me and there are no answers from this vantage point.
Oh, we’ve got vision. We’ve got big dreams about expanding our ministry. We have Words spoken over us by brothers and sisters who are praying for us. We have faith.
FAITH.
So, with faith I am beginning again. I want to tell this story. It’s His story. He will reveal His goodness and faithfulness as we carry on. If I hide inside the unanswered questions and whisper in the caverns of fear and lack, then I rob Him of His glory when He shows off His brilliant compassion again.
So I invite you to journey with me on this adventure of expansion and faith.
Ours is a path of the daily miraculous.
Philippians 1:6 – being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
I loved your video, the story of your seven adoptions. I was so touched by your family. I watched the video once with tears and joy, thanking God for the lives of all your children. I watched the video twice the next day. Again, I was deeply affected. The following day, last Thursday, I shared the video with a dear friend who had adopted five children. She also loved your story. Since then, I have watched your story two more times. Each time I was blessed. I’ll probably re visit your video many times, it is that powerful! Today I was showing my friend how to get the video on YouTube so that she could share it and saw that you now have eight adoptions. We were both so curious and happy about this last adoption. Where can we get the story? Also, we had been concerned for your family’s safety in Wuhan because of the virus. My friend Bobbie is 87 and adopted five and had two biological children. Two of her adoptions were special needs. My husband and I (We are 80 and 78 are too old to adopt again ) had one biological and three adoptions.
God bless you and your family,
Diane