Here we go AGAIN

I've been told by many people that I need to start writing a sequel to my book, including "Juan" himself when I gave him his own copy and gave him a brief overview of what each part of the book was about.  That act in itself is enough to make me take a few steps back in amazement.  I remember writing somewhere in the middle of the book when everything fell apart that I wondered if God would ever cross our paths again. I was devastated that he'd never know just what we'd poured into that process nor would he ever read the poems I'd written specifically for him along the way. Then I remember writing that a year later I asked God to just let me hear from him again, and I miraculously got a letter and pictures.  Then another year after that I asked God to let me see him again, and I got a surprise, divinely arranged skype call.  Since February of this year when I heard he was not going to be adopted after all, I started begging God to reunite us, to give him back.  Little did I know that others who had read the book and felt like they knew him, too, were praying the very same thing.  God did indeed reuinte us, and I can't express to you what it felt like to see his eyes light up as he held "our" book, "our" story, in his hands and then looked me in the eye and said, "Now you need to start writing Part Two ."

What Part Two will entail is still to be lived out.  God gave me the title to the first book before the format of the the story took shape, and I believe He's now given me the title to the second book--From the Mountain...to the Valley...and Back...AGAIN!  It will, of course, deal with now our second attempt to officially adopt him, but I believe that the message of this book will be that God gives us so much more than we can ever ask or imagine.  We really don't know how it's going to work out this time.  However, we've been given enough favor by Colombia to let us get a new psychological evaluation and home study to see if we're even "approvable".  (The miracle in that is that it's never been done before. No one has ever been given the favor to try again.) If they are satisfied, then we can continue with the rest of the process.  If they are not, then we will become a supportive family role in "Juan's" life via the telephone and yearly visits.  No matter the outcome, it is still obvious to me that God has answered my prayer and given him back.

As miraculous as it is, it has sent me into quite an emotional frenzy as I face this process again.  It has put me right back on my knees before God, begging for guidance for every little step, for comfort as I relive a very difficult time in my life, for assurance that He's prepared us for a child now 4 years older who has been dealt much more loss than he had experienced four years ago, and for financial provision for something we weren't given the opportunity to save for and therefore do not have enough to even start these first two steps.  Yet this morning I was watching a DVD to catch up on the last two weeks of the ladies' Bible study that I missed, and the session I watched today was about taking shelter in the promise of God's provision. Sheila Walsh (one of my favorite authors and speakers) began and ended the session by saying that if we don't have enough, that's good, because it's right where God wants us to be.  If we did have enough, what a shame it would be to miss out on watching Him provide for our every need according to His riches in Christ Jesus.  What a great reminder--I need to take a stand on that promise today as we move forward.  So, here we go AGAIN!