Living Sacrifice

I'm back! As many of you know, during our adoption process, I was asked to take down my blog. Not because of anything that I had said, but because navigating the Adoption Waters is very tough (HUGE understatement!) and the less information floating around out there the better. We can talk more about that in another post but for now, the important part is that we're home... WITH our beautiful daughter! Can I get an AMEN!?

After a 16 month waiting process, and 2.5 months spent in Uganda, it's safe to say that we learned a lot. Not only about adoption but about ourselves as well. Some of our hardest, ugliest, most brutal days were spent in Uganda and yet, we continued to see God's beautiful plan unfold before our eyes. Let me tell you something y'all: when you are down and out, but can recognize the fact that God has you EXACTLY where He wants you to be, you sit down, buckle up, and hold on for dear life. Some of the greatest lessons were learned when we were at our lowest point, holding on for dear life, trusting that God would reveal what the heck was supposed to happen next.

About three weeks before we came home to America, a team from our home church arrived in Uganda for a mission trip. It was so good and so refreshing to see some familiar faces and be able to have dinner time conversations with new and old friends. The team was there for ten days and on one of the last days, a devotional was given about living sacrifices. It was about how dead sacrifices (a slaughtered goat or lamb) were good, but what God wanted to see were the living sacrifices. People sacrificing themselves for the Kingdom of Heaven. I looked over to Mike, who was crying uncontrollably. I had no idea what was wrong with him, so after the devotional was over, we went somewhere private to talk things through. He told me, "THIS is why we've been made to stay here so much longer. This is what it's all about. Think about all of the people who have made sacrifices for our adoption." And you know what? He is so right...

First up is Maama Scovia, the woman who had raised our daughter until we were gifted with that responsibility. One day, about seven years ago, she was at the hospital with a friend, when she overheard a conversation from a woman who was there to abort her baby. Her name was Sarah, and she and the father of the baby, Khadambi, were very poor and had no means to care for a child. They felt that abortion was their only answer, and Sarah had come to the hospital that day to follow through. When Maama Scovia heard Sarah's intentions, she approached the woman and told her, "I believe that abortion is wrong. If you have that child, bring it to me and I will raise it." They exchanged information, prayed, and each woman went their own way. Keep in mind that Scovia has no steady monthly income, four biological children of her own, and is the caretaker of a handful of other children she has rescued from unspeakable circumstances. Maama Scovia has told us that she wasn't entirely serious about the offer, but felt that God was telling her to speak up. She also said that she didn't know if she would ever see Sarah again. But she did. Eighteen months later, Sarah showed up on Maama Scovia's front doorstep with a baby, OUR baby, and said, "Here is your daughter." That was it. Sarah was never seen from again.

What an incredibly selfless act! I thank God everyday that Maama Scovia spoke up to Sarah and was bold enough to stand up for what she believed in her heart was right. You never know, but our daughter may not be here today had Maama Scovia not been at the hospital and intervened with Sarah. I wonder, though, how many of us would do the same thing? How many of us would say, "You know what? I don't have the financial means to care for another child, but I don't believe in what you're doing so give your baby to me and I'll raise it." That's a tough spot to be in and we will be forever grateful for the boldness and faith that Maama Scovia has shown.

Next is Peter, Maama Scovia's husband. Peter works for Servants of the King, as a church planter. He gets paid about $200/church plant. There was a period of about one month that Peter was with us, driving us the four hours back and forth from Kampala for appointments and paperwork. On one occasion, our first Embassy appointment, when we learned that we would not be coming home yet, we were incredibly discouraged and just flat worn out. By this point, we had already lived in Uganda for a month, already established an incredible bond with our daughter, and the very thought of not being able to bring her home was too much to bear. I'll never forget what Peter said. He said, "I started this with you and I'm going to finish this with you." For a man to put his mission and his source of income on hold, to help us bring our daughter home... that's sacrifice. And he stayed true to his word- helping get paperwork, continuous trips to Kampala, up all hours of the night... for us.

Next to make a sacrifice for us was Mike's work. He had only been with his company for 8 months before we got the call to go to Uganda. He was very upfront with them and told his bosses that we weren't for sure how long we'd be gone, and that he understood whatever plan they decided would be best. His boss told him to not worry about the time spent away, that he would still have a job when he returned. Not only did he still have a job, but his work would not allow him to use any vacation time (they said he would need a family vacation when we returned), continued to pay him in full, AND gave him a raise! What company have you ever heard of that did THAT?! By his company making that sacrifice of time off and money, we were able to remain in Africa as a family and we were able to get off that plane in America as a family. I will be forever grateful to his company for everything they've done. Oh! And they bought our daughter her first bicycle. :)

Rounding off the list is everyone who was part of this adoption journey. Anyone who prayed for us, bought our crazy fundraisers, listened to us while we talked about how sucky the process was and how we just wanted our daughter in our arms, comforted me on the days when I thought I couldn't continue down this road anymore, and most importantly- loved us even when we weren't fun to be around and were a total buzz kill... Thank you! Your prayers were coveted and you played a tremendous part in helping get us through. From an adoptive momma's standpoint, I can't tell you how comforting it is to hear someone give you permission to feel the way you're feeling and to still love you through it with no judgment attached.

I leave you with this: what kind of living sacrifice are you willing to make for other people and/or the Kingdom of Heaven? If you knew that you could not fail, what would you be willing to do for God? I'd love to hear your responses, and you never know what an encouraging word could do for someone else! Please share!