Choosing to Trust

February 21st was the beginning of another great week. We recieved our LOA (Letter of Acceptance) from China. This is another huge milestone in this process. This came a whole month earlier than expected. Praise the Lord and truly an answer to so many of those that are praying for this process to be expedited on our behalf! There were a lot of emails sent this day and overnight FedEx deliveries the next day. The next few days I sorted through all the emails from CCAI that contained travel packets. Yes, that is right, TRAVEL packets. This is CCAI's way of communicating, "get ready to travel because that will be your next step." Yahoo! We also received new pictures of Lucy the week of the 21st, which I posted in the last blog post. We recieved updated information about Lucy with these pictures. Apparently, she had her palate repaired back in May which was never communicated to our agency until I asked about it. We have her discharge paperwork from the hospital and we are wondering if an organization like Show Hope had anything to do with her surgery because she was in a "charity hospital" for her surgery. It will be something we ask when we get over there. Now we are waiting on more immigration paperwork, visas, approvals, etc. in order for Lucy to leave her birth country and for Jason and I to travel to China. I have looked at several timelines of families that have adopted from China and at this point we are cautiously anticipating being united with Lucy in late April to middle of May. So our time of waiting is gradually coming to an end.....

Now, as I review all these travel packets, I start to get anxious. Yes, I know, what is wrong with me? I have been waiting and longing to be with Lucy for so long and now as the end of our wait approaches I start to get anxious. If you ask my parents they could tell you how much of a "worry wart" I was growing up. I remember my dad once pointing me to Matthew 6:25 and on where Jesus teaches about worry. (However the things I worried about growing up is nothing compared to this.) I thought I pretty much had that under control until now. Maybe I just placed myself in situations that I didn't have to worry about things or something, but this situation brings on new anxious thoughts. What is life with 4 kids going to be like? What if Lucy doesn't connect with us well? What if something happens to our other 3 kids while we are half way around the world? What if I forget a major paper we need to get into China? What are all the items we need to take to China? What if........? On and on it goes. So, I have had to refocus my worriesome thoughts on the One who does not leave me. My God is sovereign and has had this entire process to this point in His mighty hand, why do I think He would leave me now to fend for myself? Yes, I can review those packets over and over to be prepared for the trip, but I need to trust Him for those things that are out of my control. I am choosing to trust Him with our other 3 children while we are gone. I am choosing to trust Him with preparing Lucy to be a part of our family. I am choosing to trust Him with my life and all the details of it.......

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. "   Philippians 4:6-7