--------------------Welcome!

The Lord has blessed our family greatly both through adoption and birth. And because there are so many personalities in our family there is much to think about. This blog is a way to put some of those thoughts down and share our journey.



I hope that my words spur you on, encourage you on a so-so day, and point you to the Lord.


Wednesday, February 27, 2008

A Guatemala Weekend



Our Little Guy getting ready for bed.

This is a picture of Nathan our first night in Guatemala getting ready for bed. I am still processing this great trip in my mind, but thought I would share a few thoughts.

1. It seemed so natural. While we were both excited to meet Nathan, the entire weekend just seemed right, like this was what was supposed to happen. Here is our son, not quite legally, but in our hearts he is part of our family.

2. I have always loved watching Ken with our kids. He is a "hands-on" dad! He is so tender with them. Nathan was no exception to this rule. We arrived Friday afternoon and spent a lot of time just playing with him and gazing at him. Saturday we went to go for a little walk and Ken was carrying him AGAIN. :) I finally said, "Can I carry him?" and Ken said, "Oh, sorry" and handed him to me. I thought I was going to have to fight him for him. It was fun to see Ken so excited about Nathan.

3. While we took a pretty short trip it was worth every moment. To get to meet in person this little child we have prayed for was such a blessing. He is at a fun stage of development so his smiles were easy and priceless.




4. Our other kids did great without us. We are truly blessed by family and friends that helped us out while we were gone and kids that go with the flow of things. We called home one afternoon and as I was talking with Joel and asking him how things were going he quickly said "fine, How's Nathan?!" I am so thankful for children that have welcoming hearts.

5. It was difficult to leave. As a foster parent I have been at the end of many visits but then I was the one taking the child home. This time I was the one leaving the child, it's hard. The Lord prepared our hearts ahead of time for that moment as we left him temporarily behind. We know that the Lord's timing is best so we are continuing to pray for us to be content with the Lord's timing in Nathan's home coming.

These are my initial thoughts. I have been doing mountains of laundry and trying to get my mind back in the Midwest. I'll post some more later. Thank you to all those who have and are praying for us. We know that we are living the benefits of those prayers.

10 comments:

Charisa said...

We are so excited to see your update. Welcome home! We love the pictures. Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us. Nathan is so precious. We'll keep praying him home!

Sara said...

Glad everything went so well and that you enjoyed your time. Nathan is such a cute boy!

Janie Rider said...

I remember my first "feel" of Gracie. Sometimes I play that moment over in my mind, and it is a precious to me today as it was 3 years ago. The waiting is hard. We are all waiting for something in life. The question is how well do we wait and rest in our Father's arms. Lift your eyes to HIM in those weak moments. He is sooo faithful and will carry you through. Nathan is adorable. We will continue to pray him home.
Love
Janie

Jen said...

We are so thankful that your trip was wonderful! Praise the Lord. You are in our prayers.

David and Marianne said...

Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us! So glad you had such a wonderful trip...praying the Lord comforts your heart as you wait for the next time to hold your sweet boy again! Thank you for your continued faith and trust in the Lord!

jeffpope.com said...

Sounds like a GREAT visit. Did you meet the Kennedy's and their mission group that came in Saturday 2/23? I hope so. I'm with you on the preparation thing that God took care of for us too as we left our 2 after our December visit. It was also very comforting for us to know that they are loved and cared for so well and that God has got them in his care.

Anonymous said...

So glad to hear your trip was wonderful! Nathan is so precious. I will continue to pray you through this waiting time- until you are back on that plane to hold Nathan for good!

flora said...

Hi Amy,
I just personally wont to say thank u for the pic of my little one, while u were visting en. Gods Blessing!

Whitney said...

Praying you are packing soon to go back!

He is precious!

Anonymous said...

Amy, He is precious! :) I'm so thankful that it was a great trip for all. Praying you can get him home for good very soon. Thinking of you and praying for you as I'm working on our laundry today.

Love,
Nicole