Picture pages, picture pages...

It's unreal.  Like a "too-good-to-be-true" kind of unreal.  The way that God meets you in your darkest place...right in the middle of the pit...and draws you to Himself...sometimes in the most tangible and incredible ways.

I mentioned the despair in the waiting...the hopelessness that grips your heart and convinces you that this will never happen.  It stifles your ability to function in the mundane...and creates within your soul a longing for something far beyond your reach. I even told Chris last week that it didn't feel like we were still adopting the kids at all!

I recognize that our hope is in Christ.  I'm well aware that outward circumstances shouldn't destroy our joy.  I've read the verses...memorized them...put them into song...then taught it to others!

But let me tell you...if it doesn't saturate your heart to the point of a total mutiny of sorts, you'll soon find yourself on very shaky ground...in an unfamiliar land...with no weapon to defend yourself against the enemy.

That's the despair I'm putting before you.  Maybe you've never been there...wow...that's awesome.  So blessed to be in those shoes.  But I believe a far greater number among us know exactly the feeling I mean. We don't talk about it in the hallways at church...we rarely want to burden the others at our Bible studies...we even hold back in sharing these secrets with our spouses because that would expose too great a weakness.  So we then find ourselves in that foreign land where everyone speaks Chinese, (seemed like a good example) and we need to find a hospital.

But God.  I love when Scripture uses that phrase...but God.  It paints the gloom and doom picture like I did above, and then says "...but God..." did this or took care of that...in His great mercy.

And that's where I left you hanging a couple days ago.

(I feel as though I should address the hostility put out by some of you regarding the "to be continued" portion of this blog...yikes! Chill pills are available at the desk...take a few...or 20! You're the people that opened up all your presents secretly and rewrapped them before Christmas, aren't you?!  Admit it!! Okay...moving on.)

I received an incredible email from my friend Laura after reading her blog posting about meeting our little ones.  If you missed that the first time, read it here. http://www.alittlebitclosertoday.blogspot.com/

She said her contact at the orphanage had read our blog and, seeing that we had pre-approval for both kids, asked if I might like to have some pictures of the kids over their first couple years...uh...yes please.  Of course, Laura...in all her rule-breaker nature (haha)...said "ABSOLUTELY!"...and then she told me about it!  That's why we're friends.  Rebels with a cause.

You just wouldn't believe the FLOOD of pictures I've received over the past two days...as if you were sitting down with a momma who loves her children and wants to show off all the special moments as they've grown. I have the fun times...the sweet times...the times you want to get a cute picture, and the toddler is NOT HAPPY about sitting there (and those tend to be the pictures we think are so funny years later)...the cuddle times...and my favorites, the birthdays...with cakes and parties (you know how much I love parties)...and even a birthday crown that keeps falling over their eyes! :)

I've received a precious gift. I can't wait to compile these in a scrapbook (as if...haha) to show off our newest children to the world.

This just doesn't happen. Adoptive parents never have such a window into the life and times of their adopted children before they meet them. We have history...such an incredible blessing.

AND THEN...

I seriously thought about making you wait again, but I fear I'd have to get a restraining order on a couple of you...so I'll go ahead and finish.

In the midst of getting all the pictures, I asked a question that's been pressing on my heart for the past month..."Is there any way we could communicate with the kids?"

Our family is over here...eagerly anticipating their arrival...and they don't know us at all! We are so looking forward to making them part of our family forever...and they don't have anything to look forward to!

Drumroll please...while we'll still have to wait to get things lined up, we now have something else to look forward to...and it won't be 6-8 months away.

I'll just leave you with one word...skype.

GOD. IS. GOOD.