A Special Memory - and the Half Way Mark?

Today many who have been waiting for successful court dates and travel dates were disappointed by news of failed court and delayed travel. These waiting families must ache so much. Some have had a referral for 5 months! Can you imagine having a picture of your child and being completely incapable of getting to that child for 5 months and still have no certainty of when you will finally be able to embrace her? People who have not adopted will find it hard to understand, but a mighty, miraculous thing happens when you get the picture of your baby. You suddenly know and love a child you have never met. You instantly take on every emotion as a biological parent would feel. It's powerful, unexplainable, and overwhelming. The Scripture that says, "a hope deferred makes the heart sick" is so true. Please pray for those waiting and hoping to pass court and travel soon!

As for our family and adoption news - well, not much news, but if the estimate of 9 months still stands for the wait time for an infant girl - then we have passed the half way mark. And though there is no certainty that this is really the half way mark for us - its worth celebrating simply because it helps the wait time go by!

So - what is the special memory, you ask? It is more than special. I can't believe I haven't thought about this sooner. It's just plain beautiful how God set up this story (our ET adoption story)-

In February 2005 we had just begun the paperwork for our China adoption (Libby's adoption) when we decided to fly to Uganda, Africa with a group to visit some friends of ours who had been on the mission field for many years to the then unreached Karamajong people of Northern Uganda - the bush of Africa, truly. There are a thousand stories I could tell from that trip, but there is one that applies to this blog and this adoption far more than all the others.

While in Morotto, Uganda we stayed on the Singletary's "compound" - a "safe" (LOL!) fenced-in area where the Singletary's lived when they were not living in a 3-man-tent on top of a mountain -seriously! In Morotto lives a group of ladies who have affectionately been named "The Lonely Ladies of Lia". These ladies (because of the Singletary's obedience and God's love) now know Jesus. Again - so many stories I could chase right here, but I'll refrain. The Lonely Ladies of Lia were so kind and precious. But in their culture they simply could not understand how I could be 30 years of age and have no children. They didn't know we were working on an adoption and it wouldn't have made sense to them anyway. So Terry, as a way to teach these ladies how to pray for others, asked the ladies if they would pray over me that God would give me a baby. And that's what they did. The put a dark Karamajong baby in my arms, laid hands on me and prayed.

At that time I thought it was so sweet and I thought about our China adoption and - NEVER ONCE did I ever think about how God might one day answer their prayers in His own clever way. So, I started thinking about this the other day and remembered that I had photos of this special moment: (get some tissue!)









and I even located my journal to see if I journaled about it - and sure enough I did! In my journal on Feb. 22, 2005 I wrote: "...so Terry took the opportunity to teach them how to pray and they all gathered and prayed that God would give me a child. They said, 'next time you come to Africa you will come with a little baby in your arms.'"

Little did they know - and even littler (I know that's not a word!) did I know that indeed I would come back to Africa and have a baby in my arms - only - I will get her IN Africa!!!!!!!!!!

Well over a year ago I received word all the way from Uganda that these ladies were still praying for me. I remember thinking then that if I showed up in Africa with Libby (our Chinese princess) they would be really confused about how God answered their prayer. I wonder what they would say if I returned to visit them with both a Chinese and an African baby? Their minds might explode!

This adoption story is so good! God is so brilliant, isn't He?! The only way this story could get any more perfect is if I got a referral on Feb. 22 - the 4 year anniversary of this moment of prayer. But things would have to drastically speed up for that to happen - so I'm not "hanging my hat" on that (I'm such a good Texan for saying that).

Enjoy 2 more photos of some other precious Karamajong babies/children:





You know those old "Where's Waldo" games? .... but this one is just too obvious. My sweet (and very white) husband sits with some of the ladies of Lia.
- Stay tuned for the rest of the story! - Cindy