Chapter 5

Our news has been "released!"  It's out there floating around in the air across the continent and there's no going back.  Although Galen and I might have been able to keep it under wraps a little longer until things were a little more underway and more "certain," there was no holding back our kiddos.  We would not dream of curbing their enthusiasm or encouraging them to keep such exciting news "secret."  Because to them, it's AWESOME.  They have no fears, no financial concerns, and no reason to think that others would be less than 100% supportive of their getting a new brother.  Oh to have "faith" like a child!  They are content to rearrange and share bedrooms, to forgo vacations and toys, and are just plain excited to share their love with a boy they've never met.  While I hem and haw about wording and explaining our decision to each person wondering if I said it right and what they'll think, they simply blurt out to their whole classes, "We're getting a big brother!"  While we fret and complain about the ridiculous paperwork and costs, they empty their entire piggy banks to contribute.  While I'm concerned about the years Abraham spent without us and the effects of his experiences on our family, they have not expressed an iota of worry or regret that Abraham isn't younger or a baby (and my girls LOVE babies).  Markos cannot wait to have a "bwover fwom Afwika in Eefiopia" just like him.  They have no reservations.  They trust us like we should trust our Father.  And it's beautiful.
I have been amazed and humbled by the outpouring of support and excitement that we have received in sharing about Abraham.  It's sweet to have some outward confirmation that I know we won't always experience, but for now will enjoy.  (People could be thinking and saying other things behind our backs, but I'm ok not knowing those things-- I'll opt for at least the demonstration of support :)  This week, we worked through more of the details of our home study.  We were fingerprinted, we did our criminal record and child abuse checks, we completed 10 pages of personal questions about ourselves, we scheduled our physicals, and we dropped off medical paperwork to our pediatrician whom Addison enthusiastically informed would be getting a new patient.  This weekend, we hope to make a dent in the 10 hours of training hours required for adoption (in addition to the 2.5 years we already have?!?!) Today, I had long phone conversations with 2 different moms who adopted teenage boys FROM Ethiopia.  I am SO thankful for their knowledge and insight that I thought might scare the pants off me but in reality has only heightened my excitement and deepened the peace I feel about adopting Abraham.  The fears that most people, including myself until recently, have of boys at this age are often rooted in stereotypes, societal narratives, media, and isolated instances.  Because of those stories, more often than not, older boys (and girls) are written off, passed by, and not even given a chance to have a family.  And that should break our hearts.  When Jesus talks about loving and WELCOMING the outcasts and the unwanted, these kids are in that category.  Our society labels them and so does God in Matthew 25: 

³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

I know that not every person is called to literally adopt a child, but we do figuratively adopt one of these labels in our attitudes toward people on the margins of our society and we treat them as such: "outcasts" or "brothers and sisters."  Already in 2013, I am amazed and in awe of the way God is moving in families within our community to bring in "outcasts" and call them "brothers and sisters", "sons and daughters."  And it's not out of guilt or obligation or pity, it's out of LOVE.  It's because they/ we can't NOT love them and bring them home into the fabric of our family.  It looks strange, crazy, and risky to onlookers but to those who follow Jesus and believe Matthew 25:40, it should look perfectly "normal."  I think my children get this more than we do based on their often automatic responses to love...  Maturity says to evaluate and calculate and make "rational" decisions but when you really absorb God's word while investigating those on the margins-- whether "too old," "deformed," or "diseased"-- I believe He changes your heart to love them so that you can't NOT act.  And the magic of it all is that acting doesn't depend on your abilities or resources, it depends on His, which are unending.  So my challenge to other believers in Christ is to not ignore the people that our society overlooks, labels "too difficult," and pushes to the margins, but to pray for God's love to bring them into your heart and then trust that He will give you what you need to do what He wants you to do.  Don't leave them out there while you're in here.  They and you might miss an incredible opportunity to love and become more Christ-like...  which is what this life should be all about!