Two years ago this month our family began to pray about and to discuss adoption. We decided that what was best for our family was one baby boy. Looking back now, I have to laugh at how little control we had over our circumstances and how God was using everything that happened, from the agency we chose to the people we met to direct us to the two children He had for us.
Yes, I said two.
Not the baby boy we were planning, but a strong, handsome 10 year old boy and a beautiful baby girl. God is funny that way. He takes our plans, turns them inside out and show us exactly what we wanted might not be the best thing for us, but what HE has is so much better.
One month after our paperwork was in Ethiopia, we received word, through another family in our agency, about a 9 year old boy in Ethiopia who was what they called a double orphan. Both of his parents had died. His sister had been adopted through another family and he was completely alone in Ethiopia. So much loss in one short life.
So we began to pray for him. We printed his photo and put it on our fridge. After a few weeks of looking into his eyes and praying for him by name, our 10 year old son spoke the words our whole family was feeling. This boy did not need a family to step forward to adopted him. WE needed to be his family. So we asked our agency to look for him and we waited for 3 long months. He was found and after our agency did their investigation, on October 14, 2010 he was referred to us.
We were given the referral of a precious baby girl a few months later and left on January 17th, 2011 to meet our children for the first time. It was a wonderful week of getting to know them and loving on them. After we gave our consent to the Ethiopian courts that we did indeed want to parent these children, with heavy hearts, we said goodbye and left Ethiopia.
It was 5 long months before we were able to go back and bring them home. On June 19th ( Father's Day) we were greeted at the Greensboro airport by family and friends that had come to welcome the two newest Mullis children to NC.
I am so grateful to the Lord for all of the people He has allowed us to meet as we journeyed through the adoption process. We have been strengthen, encouraged and blessed by many and I am so very thankful to included Carolin'e Promise as a supporter, a prayer warrior and a friend to our family.
Greg and Jackie Mullis and their children, Abigail, Nathan , Micah, Esther and Sarah Faith Mullis are from Kernersville, NC.
Greg is the pastor of Goodwill Baptist Church and Jackie is a full time home school mom.
You can follow our adventures at: www.themullislife.blogspot.com