Have you ever fallen in love with a place you’ve been? Maybe it was a city you visited or a cute
little town. For me, it was a country
and the people in that country. Eleven
years ago, I flew across the world and for the very first time stepped foot in
a country that I had barely heard of before, a country where I did not speak
the language, did not know the people, had never eaten the food, and into a
country that quickly found a very special place in my heart.
Six months there
turned into six years, and I found myself living and working in this amazing
place. Little did I know back in 2002
when I stepped out to fill a short term need, that this country would stay a
part of me, that my time there would have such a huge role in shaping who I am,
what I do, and how I view the world.
Thailand is a place near and dear to my heart, so many
people there that I love so dearly, a language that is now music to my ears,
food that I crave, and the country where our first son or daughter has been
born. That’s right our son or
daughter!
Marc and I have had time
together in this amazing place and he loves it too. It was a pretty easy decision for us to
decide that we wanted to adopt from Thailand and that’s exactly what we are
doing!! More info on where we are at in
the process to come!
Wow, I wish I had started this blog months ago! There is so much about our journey that I
want to share with you, last week we got the surprise of our lives! We have finished one part of the waiting on
our journey and are getting ready to begin another part of the waiting, perhaps
the hardest part yet. Stay tuned as I
hope to post a few times throughout the week on what God has been doing in our
lives over the last couple of years that has led us to where we are today.
For awhile now, I’ve let my
lack of what to call this blog stop me from making it. I got caught up in the name. Well, that and the fact that I have not been
sure that I want to share things that I am feeling and thinking with the world (or
the dozen or so that might read this!) Tonight,
as He has on numerous occasions, God gave me a couple of thoughts and
experiences that I needed to write down, that I feel I need to share. "Really Lord, you really want me to write
about some of my innermost thoughts and put them in a place where anyone can
read them?"
You know how sometimes, you
can have a burden for something or someone and it goes away after you pray
about it or you forget about it, but then there are other times when the burden
only grows or you think about it even more?
In my life, I have come to know this as God asking me to do more. So, this is the beginning of my attempts to
share with you (whoever “you” might be) a little of what God is teaching me and
the journey He has me on, the journey to love and be loved by Him, the journey to know and be known by Him, the journey
to make Him known. The journey that someday I want to “end”
(really truly only begin!) hearing the words, “well done, my good and faithful
servant”.
My journey has involved a lot
of waiting, yours probably has too, but I have been, and am being, challenged
to keep my eyes on Jesus and remember what is Beyond the Wait.
I write not because I think
my life is so interesting, but because I feel burdened to share. Burdened to let those who struggle through
infertility know they are not alone, burdened to do and say more for the millions
of children around the world waiting for a mommy and daddy, burdened to have a
voice for adoption and a place to share what God is teaching me about Himself. So if you will, join me on my journey to Him,
my journey to get Beyond the Wait.
