Our Missing Piece

We had a fun family get together yesterday. The kids were rowdy, chasing around with their cousins, the kitchen was full of moms, and dogs and great smells, the table was packed with food, laughter, and conversation...and yet, as full of a day as it was...I couldn't stop thinking of the missing member. Talk turned to summer and plans for the lake..."We're reserved and paid up" grandpa announced...all I could think is will she be here by then? This morning at church, one of our friends stopped me and said, "I hear big things are coming up!" I thought he was talking about us singing in the next service....he was talking about my daughter! Another older lady, stopped me and smiled.."Each time you come to church, I always look to see if she is here yet!" I reassured her that everyone will know when she has a name and a face. There have not been many referrals in the last few weeks. We are # 63 on the unofficial list (which makes us about 120 on the big list) It is looking more like a 7 month wait to referral than a 5 month wait! Some days the wait is so hard.

Part of my solace in all of this is reading other blogs, and our Ethiopian adoption forum. I stumbled across a blog of a woman from Duluth who is currently living in Addis, working for an NGO and volunteering at an orphanage. Her stories of abandoned children, orphans left on doorsteps, and little children taking care of other little children brought tears to my eyes and a fervent prayer to my heart. God, bring these children hope....be it food, a warm blanket, or a family. As we prepare more for our trip, I am researching what more we will do. We are so blessed, and our adopting of this daughter will help her, but there are so many left behind. So stay tuned...If you are reading this, you have been called to take some part in this journey, too...it's a big calling, and one we cannot afford to let go unanswered.