Gosh. Where do I start when making a list of prayer requests? There are so many we would like to ask of you.
First of all, I have to admit, my heart is heavy tonight. The closer we get to meeting Max, the heavier it is becoming. Don't get me wrong, there is so much excitement and happiness. SO very much!
But, there is a little boy (just now waking up for breakfast) in Kaifeng, China, who has no idea who the Bush Family is. He has no idea that in just a few short weeks, his WHOLE life is about to be completely wrecked. Everything he knows, sees, smells, feels, will no longer be. Two strange-looking people, speaking in a foreign language, are going to take him away from all things familiar. We will put him in a car, for probably the SECOND time in his whole life, and take him to a hotel. He will have a new and temporary crib. We won't know how to comfort him best. It is heartbreaking that, as his mother, I won't know much about him. I don't know how he likes to be held. I don't know how to put him to sleep. What are his fears? What makes him happy? Does he feel safe with us?
I put Anne Riley and Drake in his shoes, and I cannot imagine them having to go through something like that.
Adoption is not all sunshine and roses. There is plenty of darkness there too. You have to think of where Max's life began. I don't think God makes mistakes when he creates a life. I don't believe He intended on us being Max's parents. But through unfortunate reasons, ones we will never know, Max's birthmother could not care for him. She loved him THAT much. I can't even fathom it. I think of her often. The other mother. I pray for her. I pray she can somehow feel my admiration of her, and know that Jason and I will love her son so very much. That we will do our very very best to care for him and raise him to love Jesus. I believe she thinks of her son everyday. She probably lies in bed at night and wonders where he is and if he's okay. I would give anything to let her know. She is an amazing woman.
"To all who mourn, He will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the LORD has planted for His Own glory." Isaiah 61:3
God turns ashes into beauty. This is where we are.
Yes, adoption is a beautiful thing. We know this is true, because God has adopted us as His children. He is our Father, and all of us who believe and follow Him, we are His adopted children, longing to go home one day.
So I need to move on to some prayer requests. I will try to keep this short.
1.
Max: need I say more? Our sweet Max. PLEASE pray for him. Pray that he will feel safe with us. Pray that he will easily adjust to the new. That God would bring peace and calm to the storm (new everything, car rides, plane rides, a toothbrush, a bathtub, etc). Pray for his health, as we don't know what his condition will be when we get him. Pray that God would protect his body from sickness. That he will quickly learn who a Mommy and Daddy are.
2.
Jason and Haley (the parents): Oh dear, so much. Pray that God gives us wisdom, peace, perspective, strength, energy, SLEEP, health. These next few months are going to be so very hard. We have a lot of little people to keep happy and alive. Each one will need their share of attention, and of course Max, he needs a LOT of love and time to adjust. Pray that we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, that we will feel his presence every moment, and that we remember where our help comes from.
3.
Anne Riley and Drake: Please pray for our babies that we have to leave behind for 2 1/2 weeks. Oh my heart, this is going to be SO hard for me. Drake hasn't been away from me yet, only for a few hours. Pray that these weeks will fly by for them. That the days and routines go smoothly for my parents, who are keeping them for us. That God would protect them from sickness.
4.
Grandparents: Pray that God would give them the energy and strength to care for Anne Riley and Drake. Pray that God protect them from sickness. That God would give them plenty of rest.
5.
Travel: Pray that God keeps us safe and that our travel itinerary runs smoothly.
6.
Provision: Pray that God will provide for us financially. Travel to China and in-country adoption fees are a huge amount of money. Basically, half of the total adoption expense that we have yet to pay for.
Since Jason is now self-employed, there is no paid "vacation leave". We will have no income for nearly 3 weeks. Pray that God would continue to provide good work for him before and after we return, and that it will cover us while we are gone.
And let me quickly insert here another HUGE thank you to those special people who have donated financially/donated items for our yardsale/bought an adoption tshirt....y'all... This part is so emotional for me... every single dollar, we are so very very thankful and it means so much to us. We cannot describe it in words. From $10 to $1000, we are SO grateful. God bless you all.
We know that this is God's story, His plan, His call on our lives. Most importantly, we again pray that His will be done, His kingdom come. We pray that He uses our adoption journey to bring glory to His name. We cannot do this alone, absolutely not. God is not shaken. He goes before us. He is already there.
We truly appreciate your support through prayer. It is the most important and we feel it already. We are so thankful for our family and friends helping us along this uncertain path. We cannot thank you all enough.
Much love to you all...
Haley
Max, your Mommy longs to hold you in her arms.
