The day that changed our lives

Four years ago today, our family came to Austin, Texas to meet two kids from Colombia whose pictures had been up on our refrigerator.  It just happened to be Colombia's Independence Day, so we met them at a picnic celebration at a lake. Though nothing at all turned out the way we'd hoped and planned over the years that followed, I look back over these last four years with very fond memories.  I got to love and be loved by those two sweet children.  Our family became much more aware of the realities of the orphan and their need to be loved and cherished.  We learned a ton about Colombia, specifically, and have even had the chance to go twice in the last 13 months for more time than most people would even spend on a vacation.  Because our adoption attempt did not work out, we splurged on a fun family vacation out to the East Coast and then on a mission trip out to the West Coast.  We met Julian and became an unofficial family, I became an author and have had the chance to touch many people with our story.  I finally started teaching ladies' Bible studies like I always wanted to, and I found more joy than I ever could have wished for in doing so, along with all of the support, accountability, love, and connection that I've found in all of those women.  We've met and connected with so many amazing people along the way and now have more friends and family all over the globe.  Plus our own little family unit has grown so much closer to each other and to Christ through it all. How in the world can we look back over the events of the last four years and consider it a failure?

I find it a little uncanny that here were are again, four years later, back in the very same place.  I didn't even realize what God had done when we scheduled this first appointment with a psychologist in Austin until I realized what the date was.  July 20th--Colombia's Independence Day.  Exactly four years later, and we just went through another round of psychological testing and interviews to start this process all over.  Our hearts are guarded.  Though we have a ton of blessing and support behind us with incredible connections in both continents, it's still hard to even give our hearts a glimmer of hope that it will all work out just fine this time.  But we've been given the unlikely chance to try again, so we have to give it a shot.  Either it will finally bring that boy home or it will give us the closure we desperately need to know if this adoption was ever meant to be.  So, we're taking a very positive stance on everything, and we're turning it into just another family adventure and experience.  Yesterday after our appointments, we just spent the day together as a family, enjoying lunch together, then touring a little bit of Austin to give David a chance to see all the things he studied in Texas history in fourth grade.  He was fascinated and so excited to see so much that he learned come to life.  Then we hung out at the pool for the afternoon, and then our new friend (who we are incredibly grateful for because he gave us the connections we needed to restart everything) met us at a cool Colombian restaurant here in Austin called Casa Colombia.  Needless to say, we felt right at home. :)  Today we plan to do a little more touring around, visit some friends, and then head home.  We're so thankful for the opportunity to spend these three days here, though, especially considering the date. :)  Happy Colombian Independence Day!  Colombia, you will forever have my heart.