Going Home

 

This past Wednesday, we took Scott, Abby, and Mary to the airport to fly home.  It’s been over a year since Abby has been home and this will be Mary’s first time in her new home in another country.  What was to have been a three month visit after Mary’s adoption turned into a nine month blessing for our family.  It has been amazing to watch and see so many of God’s provisions during these days.

Upon arrival in the US, even with all of the paperwork filled in correctly, a wrong code entered at the time of processing caused several delays.  Added to that, the citizenship laws for foreign adoptions were changing and the government had a shutdown.  But at just the right time, each of the items on the list were processed and granted.

Because of the delays there were additional blessings:

* Scott and Abby were able to attend a two day adoption conference at Houston’s First Baptist Church where they gained valuable information to help with Mary’s adjustments.

* Counselors and doctors with adoption expertise were available.

* We had the joy of watching Scott and Abby lovingly parent Mary.

* A townhouse became available for them to rent which helped with the bonding process.

* Scott was able to have access to books for his research that will be beneficial for his doctoral work. 

* Mary’s passport and citizenship papers came at just the right times.

* When the citizenship interview was completed, the woman asked Scott, Abby, and Mary to wait in the lobby.  She issued the papers to them that day so they wouldn’t have to wait additional weeks for them to arrive.  They hadn’t even asked for that!

* Each family gathering took on a special awareness of gratitude for special times together.

* Mary knows who we are and calls us by name.

* We were blessed with time to share activities, games, and songs that Mary associates with us.

* Last Spring, direct flights were made available to the place where Scott’s family lives.  No layovers for their trip home!

* Last week a friend made an unexpected trip to their city.  She took 2 full suitcases for them.  Leigh Ann and another friend unpacked the suitcases at their apartment.  When Scott, Abby, and Mary arrived, Mary already had some of her favorite toys, books, and other familiar items set out to greet her in her new home.  They also took four videos so Mary could see the rooms in her new home. 

* On the day they were to depart, the parking lot for their apartment was to be resurfaced.  That meant they would have to move the van that we were using to pack their luggage quite a distance from the door.  Due to the all day rain prediction, they postponed the resurfacing for a day.  And the rain slowed to a slight drizzle while the luggage was being loaded.

* Scott does not like to fly in turbulent weather.  It rained all the way to the airport.  Thirty minutes before their plane took off the rain stopped, the fog lifted, and the skies cleared.

* Their 12 hour flight landed 30 minutes early.  Scott said, “Flight went about as well as we could have hoped.”  Your prayers were answered and made a difference.

* Seeing and knowing that God has taken care of the details, in their right time, helps me trust and know that He also knows that this is the right time for them to go home.

* Yes, I will miss them greatly.  I would love for all of our family to live close by and be able to see each other all the time.  But even more, I want them to live in obedience of going and doing what God has asked and gifted them to do.  And I want to do the same.

Scott, Abby, and Mary, as you go, you have our hearts, love, blessings, support, and prayers.  In Matthew, you also go with a command and promise from Jesus.