Blessings beyond the sacrifice

On Thursday, I took some time and reflected about the things I am thankful for and one of the thoughts that kept coming to mind was the sacrifice to adopt. It is financially costly, the wait is long and uncertain, there is a lot of fear of the unknown, and there are so many other things which is unique to each person/couple who goes through the process. It is a sacrifice, there is no doubt in my mind, but I hear over and over again as a new parent holds their child with tears streaming down their faces, "It was worth the wait." "I would do it all over again." "This is the best day of my life." And then there are those who cannot even utter a word. It is a sacrifice, but the blessings of adoption far outweighs the cost, fear, uncertainty, etc! It is a priceless gift not only for the child but also for the family. I am so thankful for adoption and families who choose to adopt.

I was reading my Facebook "recent stories" and I hope it is okay to post this as it is now official, but I am so excited because Bryan's sister and brother-in-law are starting their journey on this wonderful road of adoption. I realized something new. I have seen the joy of parents and grandparents as they come to Beautiful Gate and meet their children, but now I am beginning to feel the joy as a future aunt! Adoption blesses so many and now my kids are going to be blessed with a new African cousin :) Here is Amy's post:

It's official! Andy and I are joining the 8% - one less orphan in Ethiopia :)

“The truth is that the 143 million orphaned children and the 11 million who starve to death or die from preventable diseases and the 8.5 million who work as child slaves, prostitutes, or under other horrific conditions and the 2.3 million who live with HIV add up to 164.8 million needy children. And though at first glance that looks like a big number, 2.1 billion people on this earth proclaim to be Christians. The truth is that if only 8 percent of the Christians would care for one more child, there would not be any statistics left.”
― Katie J. Davis, Kisses from Katie: A Story of Relentless Love and Redemption

We love you Amy and Andy and we will be praying for you as you start this amazing jouney!