“I have not ceased to be amazed at God's provision during this adoption. He seems to interrupt these long waits with blessings that leave me in awe of Him. Thank you all for entrusting us with a grant from Carline's Promise. Michael was just speechless when I called to tell him that we had received the grant. I have been thinking a lot about the blessings during the wait and I want to record some for you, perhaps it will encourage others with whom you come into contact.
We began this adoption journey bright-eyed and full of excitement as we thought about adding a precious child to our family. As the months wore on and all the paperwork had long been in country, it seemed as if all the fervor died down and it became so easy to lose the focus on why the journey was begun in the first place. Then, God would intervene in a very noticeable way and we would once again be in amazement of Him.
*One of the greatest blessings has been seeing other families within our church begin the adoption process. We have two precious friends that are bringing home children from Ethiopia. One of my former students in the youth is now a missionary in Kenya and they are pursuing adoption from Rwanda, also. (Kenya is closing to foreign adoptions it seems)
*We have been blessed to see so many within our congregation take up the cause for children in the foster care system as they now serve as foster parents. Several are in the process of waiting for their foster children to become legally theirs.
*So many of senior citizens at church are faithfully praying for our little girl to come home from Rwanda. They are not only willing to embrace a pastor with a multi-ethnic family, they are praying for it to happen soon!
* We have had the offer of a baby shower. This doesn't sound out of the ordinary, but we are actually having a family shower, with the whole family invited. This has been a family event all along, so it only seemed natural to include everyone in our invitation! We will have a Compassion Child Advocate on hand, so they too, can adopt someone before they leave that day.
* Had this been a short wait, or an easy one, I do not believe that so many would have been waiting and aching with us. We, as a body, have traveled this road together and many, many conversations about orphans have begun because they are becoming aware of the epic problem that young children are facing.
When I look back, the blessings seem so numerous, it is hard to even remember the droughts. Thank you, Caroline's Promise, for blessing us beyond belief. You all are making a difference in so many lives and I am so humbled to be one of them.”
Emily Bowers and her family .
