Friends,
Wednesday, for our family, was a very special day. We had lunch with friends and celebrated together and have termed it Gotcha Day…for one year ago Kenya’s adoption was final. And she loves to say – Gotcha!
In some ways her coming into our family was a natural thing. We met her and began caring for her when she was 3 weeks old and smaller than either of our boys were when they came home from the hospital. She lived with us for her first 11 months, was sent to live with biological family for seven months but visited often during that time, and then came to live with us for good when her parents asked us to care for her again (she was 17 months old then). She has been with us every since.
A week ago Michelle and I visited with friends who’ve taken a baby into foster care. We shared that the one regret we have as we look at our experience with Kenya is that the first two years of her life for us were filled with great anxiety – a fear of losing her. (Each month we went to court and listened as the judge decided where Kenya would reside.) I don’t know how this anxiety could’ve been helped. We fostered not intending to adopt, but then we met Kenya and we all were in love.
As we talked last with our friends who are fostering a beautiful baby, we also shared that there is no way we could’ve traveled on this journey with sanity if it had not been for our church family. I don’t say this in a cavalier manner. There is absolutely no way.
I remember when Kenya had been sent to be with her biological family one friend (a church member) said, Stay in touch with them if you can, this is not over. I think this is far from over. At the time I just knew it was over, I thought she was lost forever, and I was in a fog of grief wondering how our family would go on. I didn’t even know how to pray. Never did I dream this friend would be right.
You know, I probably don’t encourage you often enough to go and be the church. Jesus calls us to be his hands and his feet, his compassion and his love, his church. I also probably don’t praise you often enough when you do just this. Sometimes your pastor and his family need you and you have certainly been the church for us. For this I am thankful.
God bless you.
Ande
