Seven years ago something in my life changed absolutely everything. It is still so hard for me to put into words, and, to this day, I can't speak of it without bawling my eyes out. Seven years ago yesterday, I met this amazing, incredible girl that I would have the privilege of raising as my daughter. Before her, this idea of orphan care and adoption..babies without mommas and daddies was so abstract..so easy to ignore. After seeing this precious girl for myself...15 pounds at just over two years old with horrific signs of abuse and neglect..I could no longer turn my head and look the other way because instantly I loved her with a momma love that made me physically hurt for those left behind. After this day seven years ago, I would never, never be the same. Before her, my heart could get through a day without the overflowing JOY that comes with watching healing redemption first hand because, honestly, I have never experienced God the way I have as I have raised up this baby girl. I have needed Him, like never before, for survival many times in the last seven years. I have had Him carry me through some deep, dark valleys, and I have seen Him turn ordinary moments into mountain top accomplishments again and again. I have felt Him so close, and praised Him exuberantly for not giving up on inviting me to do this work for Him. For years, I turned a blind eye to these least as I clung to my one child policy. My plan was to have a controlled, safe Christian life, with one bio child, and it was working out quite nicely until..Jillian. I often look at this girl of mine, and wonder if she will ever grasp the incredible impact God has allowed her to have on me, and, quite frankly, many others. She is a miracle that some would look at, and think of as inferior or a burden to us as we care for her as she is nonverbal, has serious difficulty processing sensory input, and has autism but the truth is..this girl of ours has something so much more precious than anything this world can see. Many times I watch her JOY in the mud or swinging, and I wish for just one moment I could have her unique perspective because she is the one who has given me so much as I walk alongside her. So on this day, it with great JOY that we celebrate the moment she was placed in our arms seven ago.
We eat her favorite dinner, hot dogs with macaroni and cheese, outside in our backyard which is her favorite place in the whole world. We swing, play on the monkey bars, dig in the mud, build a fire, roast marshmallows, and enjoy just being with her because without her my heart would be much less full, and my JOY incomplete. Today, I give great thanks that the God of the universe had this beautiful plan for my life, and that He saw fit to bless me with this amazing girl to call my daughter. What an indescribable, enormous JOY she has brought us! Happy seven years home my dear baby girl! We love you more than words can say because it was Christ who first loved us!
Seven years ago something in my life changed absolutely everything. It is still so hard for me to put into words, and, to this day, I can't speak of it without bawling my eyes out. Seven years ago yesterday, I met this amazing, incredible girl that I would have the privilege of raising as my daughter. Before her, this idea of orphan care and adoption..babies without mommas and daddies was so abstract..so easy to ignore. After seeing this precious girl for myself...15 pounds at just over two years old with horrific signs of abuse and neglect..I could no longer turn my head and look the other way because instantly I loved her with a momma love that made me physically hurt for those left behind. After this day seven years ago, I would never, never be the same. Before her, my heart could get through a day without the overflowing JOY that comes with watching healing redemption first hand because, honestly, I have never experienced God the way I have as I have raised up this baby girl. I have needed Him, like never before, for survival many times in the last seven years. I have had Him carry me through some deep, dark valleys, and I have seen Him turn ordinary moments into mountain top accomplishments again and again. I have felt Him so close, and praised Him exuberantly for not giving up on inviting me to do this work for Him. For years, I turned a blind eye to these least as I clung to my one child policy. My plan was to have a controlled, safe Christian life, with one bio child, and it was working out quite nicely until..Jillian. I often look at this girl of mine, and wonder if she will ever grasp the incredible impact God has allowed her to have on me, and, quite frankly, many others. She is a miracle that some would look at, and think of as inferior or a burden to us as we care for her as she is nonverbal, has serious difficulty processing sensory input, and has autism but the truth is..this girl of ours has something so much more precious than anything this world can see. Many times I watch her JOY in the mud or swinging, and I wish for just one moment I could have her unique perspective because she is the one who has given me so much as I walk alongside her. So on this day, it with great JOY that we celebrate the moment she was placed in our arms seven ago. 
Beautiful family! I have a granddaughter adopted from China, an amazing blessing.
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