Oh, friends.
What a surprising few weeks we have had.
We are soon to be The 9 Irons. We sound like golf clubs.
We are adopting again. Only this time it is from Eastern Europe.
Nigel and I have discussed the possibility of doing international adoptions before, but it was always in the “oh-that-would-be-nice-one-day” sort of way. Not the get-your-paperwork-and-passport-right-now sort of way.
Apparently, God had something different in mind.
Meet our sweet boy…
I miss him. I have never met this boy, and I miss him.
I do recognize all of this is illogical. Which is kind of a deviation for me. Logic says I could save a lot of money and time and adopt domestically.
But birthing or adopting children is almost never logical. As my sweet friend Sarah says, “There is always a better time.” A time when we have more money, more time, less kids in the house, older kids…there is always a much more logical scenario I can dream up to do anything.
But this baby may not have time. And that terrifies me.
I found out that children born in our child’s country are usually transferred to a mental institution at the age of 4. And many do not live past the age of 5. Our boy will be three in five months. He has a wealth of medical issues that need to be addressed.
I have spent a lot of time praying. A lot of time thinking. A lot of time crying and crying…I am trying to keep the crying under control, but so far, it isn’t working.
I am broken.
Broken because life discarded is the most wretched of human activity.
No matter in what country it takes place.
I am joyful too…
Joyful in the hope that we will get there in time. Joyful in the abundance of God’s grace in my silly, little, petty worries along the way. Joyful in seeing God’s hand in each and every step. Joyful as I watch our wonderful kids brain storming ways to get their brother here sooner.
No matter in what country it takes place.
I am joyful too…
Joyful in the hope that we will get there in time. Joyful in the abundance of God’s grace in my silly, little, petty worries along the way. Joyful in seeing God’s hand in each and every step. Joyful as I watch our wonderful kids brain storming ways to get their brother here sooner.
What the heck are we doing?
I am generally fairly clear in my head about what is right and wrong. But this decision wasn’t so clear. There ARE kids here that need a home. We certainly know that. There ARE kids here that have special needs. We know that too. We are also keenly aware that we cannot save all children. If I didn’t know that, I would have significantly MORE than almost 7 kids.
While we know we cannot save everyone, we are just as positive that we can save some.
And in some way, so can all of you. We can all be involved in some capacity in saving parent-less children.
It may not mean adoption.
It may mean mentoring. It may mean funding someone else who is adopting. It may mean babysitting while parents have a night off. It may mean just sending a note of encouragement.
I am 1000% sure God did not call one single person on this planet to do nothing.
Logical thought, or maybe just good old common sense tells us if we all do something,
something WILL get done.
something WILL get done.
So, in this life, in this moment, in this leap of faith, we choose to get our boy.
We CHOOSE to DO something.
We CHOOSE to DO something.
We choose to fly across the ocean for this one. Not all, not even some this time…just one.
So, we are doing lots of paperwork.
We are getting lots of certified documents together.
We are trying to figure out logistics.
We are excited and nervous.
We are blessed with one more….
the sometimes 8 irons 
I am so encouraged and amazed at your faithfulness. You are not a family of excuses. You always look for a way to make it happen! Thanks for inspiring me along with many others. So proud to call you friend!
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Wow. I am encouraged & challenged by your faith.
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Exciting news! Looking forward to hearing details along the way, and meeting your little guy when he arrives.
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Amazing and exciting news. You Irons' are the bomb!
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Yay! So exciting and terrifying at the same time! Completely normal! Been there in '09 getting our little sn girl. Cant wait to follow the journey. Happy toanser any questions along the way. (Your friend Rachel recommended your blog to me)
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So very happy for you! We hope to adopt a special needs child internationally…someday. I also have enjoyed reading some of your past posts. We have 6 kiddos, have recently said goodbye to our sweet fosters children, and we homeschool. Glad to know there are people out there who are like minded. Helps me feel normal…ish. 🙂
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This is just beautiful! God bless you guys as you bring this sweet boy home. -Jeanna
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Congrats. I have prayed over your son for a long time. I am so glad he has a family now.
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We are very excited! This has been a rather quick and surprising road thus far…cannot wait to hold this boy and bring him home. Thanks for all of your wonderful comments!
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How wonderful! Would love to exchange stories with you!! We said someday to international adoptions to…little did we know… 🙂 which always seems to be the case with us. We think we have it figured out, and then we are wrong…I should learn to quit making MY plans. They just don't ever seem to pan out. And I am so, very, glad…otherwise I am not sure we would have any of our children!
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I am sure I will be shooting some questions your way! The paperwork is mountainous (and somewhat confusing) Thank you!!
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We have been praying for this little one to find his family for a long time now! SOO happy he will know the love of a family soon!!! ❤
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Christy! This is so great! Praying for you & your family as you prepare to welcome this little guy into your awesome family! You are an inspiration. Love & prayers…..
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Oh I'm SO thrilled!!! I have been praying for this little one …. and YOU without knowing who you were … for some time!! I will continue praying as you work through the paperwork!! God is good!!
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I am so humbled by your selfless act.makes me want to be a better person.i am glad to have the pleasure of knowing you
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