I woke up today feeling really awful, and I literally had no
voice at all to sing harmonies with our worship leader in the first service or
to lead Kidstreet worship myself. I hate-hate not being able to sing-
particularly when people are counting on me (Sorry, Rochell and Andrew). It’s unusual for me to lose my voice, and
incredibly frustrating. Now I’m feeling
well enough to go to the second service, but still don’t have a voice to sing with
the worship team or choir. So, here I
sit in my den until it’s time to go, having my own worship of sorts, as I
listen to Shane & Shane’s latest album for the second time this morning. I’ve forgotten multiple times that I have no
voice and try to bust out with them, but to no avail. My voice is gone- empty- but my heart is full
and singing loudly.
We got great news this week.
The Ethiopian courts reopened on October 1st, as
scheduled! Yippee! I was really prepared for them to stay closed
another week or so and to have to wait even longer to go. Our preliminary court date that we do not
attend is scheduled for tomorrow, October 8th. As long as that happens, we should be good to
go for our scheduled October 22nd court date. This would have us leaving about the 18th,
arriving in Ethiopia on the 19th. - Twelve days before I meet my
sweet girl!!!! Twelve days!!! If I had a voice, I would be shouting it in my
empty house.
I think I love her more with each passing day. My heart deeply longs for her and I actually
miss her. How is this possible? How can I love someone I’ve never actually
met? How can my heart ache to hold a
child who I have only seen five pictures of ever? I know the Lord has inexplicably knit our
hearts together, and it’s His love in me that overflows for my girl. The more I realize my love for Addie, the
more I realize and am overwhelmed by the Father’s love for us.
We had the blessing of going on a family vacation to Disney
World in the middle of September, and we had a fantastic trip. We were bummed that Grandaddy, my dad, had to
spend ninety percent of the trip working, but we had fun nonetheless. The day before we left for our trip we got a
huge surprise- new pictures of Addie! We
were not expecting to receive any more pictures and were thrilled as her little
face appeared on our phone screens. At
the time of her initial doctor exam at three and a half months, she weighed
only eight pounds, but the new pictures actually showed plump little
cheeks. Payton prays with us nightly
that Addie’s belly will be full, and how amazing it was to show her tangible
proof of a God who hears prayers. Addie
turned six months old this week on the 3rd, and while it was painful
to not be there with her to kiss her cheeks, it is really quite remarkable to
know that the Lord of All is there with her, watching over her, providing for
her. It’s a real exercise in trust to
not be able to physically care for your child and rest in the fact that He is
capable. Addie (and also Payton) is
always His before she is ours. I pray I
never forget that.
Please join us in
praying that all goes well tomorrow (it will be 9 am there when it’s 2 am
here), and that we get to spend tomorrow afternoon making travel plans and
buying plane tickets! And yet, as we
have prayed all along- His will be done, not ours.
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