That was my motto for our first adoption. I went back to it many times when I was discouraged and needed reassurance of what God was doing in our lives. It holds true not just for our first adoption, but for life. We have to come to grips with the fact that we don't control anything. Our lives are much easier when we trust in Him and know that He has a plan for us. There were times when things just were not working out the way that I thought they should, but God would remind me that His timing was not my timing and His plans are complete. He does not take us somewhere to leave us...everything we do is for a purpose. We just have to go where He leads and wait for further direction.
God was faithful to His promise to us, as always. We adopted our daughter, Anna Mei, and it was just the way it should have been. She joined our family on June 4, 2007. We arrived home with her on June 15th and from the beginning she was a perfect fit. She has adjusted well, done better in every aspect than I could have imagined and we are so proud of her. The boys just love her to pieces. I cannot imagine our lives without Anna. Adopting has been one of the greatest miracles in my life. Rodney & I talked about "one day" adopting again, but it would be much later. Many times I would tease Rodney about wanting to adopt again and he would say, and I do quote "it will be a long time from now, unless God puts it on us." Little did he know what he was saying.
At the end of December 2007, we were asked to consider a child. A child that we had already grown to love, but we had only been home 6 months with Anna. Even though Rodney was very closed when I would tease him in the past, he was open to the possibility from the very beginning. We both wanted to be obedient to what God wanted for us, but this was so soon. We didn't have some of the resources we had when adopting Anna. The financial piece was going to be harder this time...more kids at home to provide for and less money on hand to pay for the adoption process. But we agreed to pray and be honest with each other about our feelings. We prayed for God to give us a clear, undeniable answer to what He wanted us to do. I prayed and pleaded for God to direct us, both of us. I knew that Rodney needed to "know" for himself if this was God's plan. After 4 days, God gave me a peace that this was part of His plan for our family. Rodney too became more and more confident that this child was to be with our family. I could see the excitement on his face when he would talk about her. He was falling in love...daddy love. We spoke with our parents and siblings and although a bit shocked initially, they were very supportive of our decision to move forward. On January 4, 2008, we were officially "matched" to Qing Zu Qiao, soon to be named Elliana Kate Qiao Gross.
I know that there will be some who will think that this is too much, too soon, but I really can't explain why or how it will all come to be. All I know is that God has given me a burden for these children. I know that I can't be a mother to them all, but can I not be a mother to one more? God is who gives me the health, strength, courage, wisdom, and provisions to care for the children I have now...can He not do the same for this child? God loves Qing Zu Qiao more than anyone on this earth can fathom. All I can do is be willing and obedient. The rest is up to Him. I have seen His mercies, I am living in His grace and I have experienced the miracle of His love. I know - God's timing is perfect & His plans are complete.
Waiting on His promises & sending love to Elliana.
God was faithful to His promise to us, as always. We adopted our daughter, Anna Mei, and it was just the way it should have been. She joined our family on June 4, 2007. We arrived home with her on June 15th and from the beginning she was a perfect fit. She has adjusted well, done better in every aspect than I could have imagined and we are so proud of her. The boys just love her to pieces. I cannot imagine our lives without Anna. Adopting has been one of the greatest miracles in my life. Rodney & I talked about "one day" adopting again, but it would be much later. Many times I would tease Rodney about wanting to adopt again and he would say, and I do quote "it will be a long time from now, unless God puts it on us." Little did he know what he was saying.
At the end of December 2007, we were asked to consider a child. A child that we had already grown to love, but we had only been home 6 months with Anna. Even though Rodney was very closed when I would tease him in the past, he was open to the possibility from the very beginning. We both wanted to be obedient to what God wanted for us, but this was so soon. We didn't have some of the resources we had when adopting Anna. The financial piece was going to be harder this time...more kids at home to provide for and less money on hand to pay for the adoption process. But we agreed to pray and be honest with each other about our feelings. We prayed for God to give us a clear, undeniable answer to what He wanted us to do. I prayed and pleaded for God to direct us, both of us. I knew that Rodney needed to "know" for himself if this was God's plan. After 4 days, God gave me a peace that this was part of His plan for our family. Rodney too became more and more confident that this child was to be with our family. I could see the excitement on his face when he would talk about her. He was falling in love...daddy love. We spoke with our parents and siblings and although a bit shocked initially, they were very supportive of our decision to move forward. On January 4, 2008, we were officially "matched" to Qing Zu Qiao, soon to be named Elliana Kate Qiao Gross.
I know that there will be some who will think that this is too much, too soon, but I really can't explain why or how it will all come to be. All I know is that God has given me a burden for these children. I know that I can't be a mother to them all, but can I not be a mother to one more? God is who gives me the health, strength, courage, wisdom, and provisions to care for the children I have now...can He not do the same for this child? God loves Qing Zu Qiao more than anyone on this earth can fathom. All I can do is be willing and obedient. The rest is up to Him. I have seen His mercies, I am living in His grace and I have experienced the miracle of His love. I know - God's timing is perfect & His plans are complete.
Waiting on His promises & sending love to Elliana.
