It's All About Timing...

Unlike many adoptive couples, my husband and I never talked about adopting before we got married. In fact, we didn't talk about it at all until about four years ago. At first, it was just a little something I would mention. I know that God placed Ethiopia on my heart. I did not know anyone who had adopted from there. The only thing I knew about Ethiopia was what I learned from Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson singing "We Are The World" in the 80's. So, about four years ago I began to spend a lot of time on the computer learning about adoption and reading blogs. About three years ago, I started to seriously follow blogs of adoptive families that were traveling to bring their children home. I began to share my heart with my husband. It is fair to say that he had what some have coined "reluctant husband syndrome." I understood that God had not yet begun to break his heart for Ethiopia. I was steadfast in my belief that Ethiopia was where our daughter was. I prayed a lot. I even remember feeling frustrated and praying that God would "please take away MY desire if my husband's heart was not in the same place..." The pain of not being able to act was so hard.

Now that Grace Hiwot is home with us, it is so obvious why I had to wait and pray for so long. She was not ready to come home to us yet. She was still with her birth family. I have no doubt that God knew all along what He was doing...I'm so thankful that He didn't answer my prayers a second sooner!

Here is Grace the first time I met her. She looks so scared and confused. She was thinking about and processing so much that day.

Three years ago when I was on my mission to get my husband "on board," I used to email him inspirational quotes every day. I would send him these quotes along with a cute picture of some adorable Ethiopian little girl (just so he could picture a little one in his life).

I recently came across the document that I have that had all of the quotes I had sent to him...I thought I would share them with you all over the next few days...who knows, maybe some of you may use this approach. I wish I could tell you that it works, but I think the real "work" was done by someone with a little more influence than me...HE was in control the whole time.

And now, I can use my own pictures of an adorable little Ethiopian girl...

"God doesn't call the equipped, He equips the called..."

-unknown

"The will of God will never take you where the

Grace of God will not protect you."

and the quote that really struck a cord with my husband...the quote that appears on the top of my blog every single day...

"Sometimes I'd like to ask God why He allows poverty, famine, and injustice in the world when He could do something about it...but I'm afraid God might ask me the same question."
-Anonymous