Fingerprints of God

It's incredibly easy to look at other people's lives and see the fingerprints of God. It's much more difficult to be walking your own journey and KNOW that God is with you. We started this adoption not knowing where God was taking us. We knew He wanted us to adopt, to be open to bringing home an orphan or two. We didn't know that those orphans were coming from Eastern Europe.

I want to make sure that I clearly acknowledge the fingerprints of God whenever I see them, especially in my own life. Marty and I started seriously considering adoption around the first part of this year. I knew in my heart, we could parent "special" kids, but Marty was much more reserved and uncertain. God showed me Reece's Rainbow and I showed Marty and we spent many days and nights discussing and praying about where God was leading us.

We thought, "Maybe we can just adopt two healthy children from Africa." So we headed down that path.
We found an agency. We took their orientation. We met with our Pastor and sought spiritual counsel and Godly wisdom. Everyone we knew were in agreement that this would be a great thing for our family to do.

Meanwhile, God had shown me the children in Eastern Europe. He had opened my eyes and then Marty's to a truth we could not ignore. Three times we tried to pay our initial deposit money with the agency that would facilitate our Ethiopian adoption. Three times, God clearly interrupted our plans. We even decided we would put that we were "open" to a child or children with special needs from Ethiopia. We were doing everything possible to satisfy what we knew God was telling us without being fully obedient.

Finally, I told Marty that I would most definitely follow wherever he led our family, but that he was going to have to pay that initial deposit himself, because I just couldn't. Well, turns out he couldn't either. God had been dealing with his heart, as well. Within a few days we had committed to bringing "Dawson" home.

We have been totally at peace about our decision ever since. Isn't it amazing how being inside the will of God brings such contentment? Could we have adopted from Africa? Surely, God would have been pleased and God calls many people to Africa and other places to adopt, but he was calling us to two precious boys in Eastern Europe. Two littles who had been overlooked and abandoned. Two children who were meant to be ours. I'm so glad that even now as I look back I am able to see the fingerprints of God along this journey. There is no room for doubt. Our hearts are overflowing with love for our sons. Our sons, who like Eli and Julie, were handpicked and created by God himself and who are covered with His fingerprints.

Their lives and ours will forever look different, brighter and more beautiful, because we have each other. We chose to hear God's voice and respond with obedience. While we were slow followers, we know that God is honoring our obedience. We are ever grateful for the fingerprints of God covering our lives, our journey and our family.

Please continue to pray for us and advocate on behalf of orphans everywhere.

If you want to be a part of our miracle, read here to learn about our recent fundraising efforts and join us on this journey to our sons.

Pray, Adopt, Advocate, Support...

Hidden in Christ,
Mandy