You Are Worth It!

I was on the phone 2 weeks ago when I freaked out with our bank about letter of good standing. SCENE: I was in San Diego attending a conference on women in leadership with some friends. I was missing said conference because I was sitting on hold with the bank for over an hour. But instead of crying (which I did later on the phone with Brian) or screaming at the "customer service rep" (which I kinda did too) I started writing a letter to Baby Ethiopia.

Here's what my messy heart had in it...

Baby Ethiopia,

You are worth it! I'm sure there will be many days in your life that you'll drive me crazy, and today is one of them! I have spent over 2 1/2 hours on the phone this past week attempting to procure a stupid bank verification so that you can enter our family. This is on top of every other piece of paperwork and the many other phone calls I've made in the past couple weeks. Yet every time I want to give up, I envision your little face and imagine holding your for the first time. You are worth every minute that I'm "on hold" with the bank. You are worth every awkward conversation demanding more information about our suitability to be your parents. You are worth increased stress levels. You are worth the thousands of dollars we've already spent. You are worth missing sleep so I can write a letter, track down a document, or send another email. So today you are driving me crazy, but you are worth it my baby girl.

I love you!!!
Your Momma

Adoption Inspiration :: Hedy & Charles Lee

Dillon International, who's doing our home study, is a personal connection for us. Charles and Hedy Lee attend Newsong, our church, and started the SoCal location for Dillon. They adopted a couple beautiful kids from Korea several years ago, and last year Hedy created a video for Mother's Day to help other hurting women on this difficult weekend.

Hedy sent me this video today, and I cried. What a picture of God's love...

If Only...No Orphans!

My friend, Hedy Lee, who's also an adoptive mommy posted this quote on her Facebook:

Quote from Steven Curtis Chapman, August 2008
"If only 7 percent of the 2 billion Christians in the world would care for a single orphan in distress, there would effectively be no more orphans. If everybody would be willing to simply do something to care for one of these precious treasures, I think we would be amazed by just how much we could change the world. We can each do something, whether it is donating, adopting, fostering, mentoring, visiting orphans or supporting families that have taken in orphans. You can change the world for an orphan."

Pretty powerful.

I also just read this on my friend, John Waidley's Facebook:
"Men are saying that Jesus Christ came as a social reformer. Nonsense! We are social reformers; Jesus came to alter us, and we try to shirk our responsibility by putting our work on Him. Jesus alters us ...to begin to work where we live..." [Chambers]

Who says Facebook isn't awesome? Convicting for me today, too.