What on earth made you...?!

"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you."  Jesus

After nearly 2 years of waiting God displayed a glimpse of His glorious adoptive heart when He placed Raphaella and Wana forever in our family on February 17, 2012.  Four days later we boarded a plane in Port au Prince that would bring us home with our twins to Weatherford, Texas.   

There were 3 ladies sitting in a row.  They had boarded the same plane as us.  They watched us closely.    

My husband, Trey, held one of our babies snug.  I held the other tight and close.  We fumbled to put away our carryon bags in the overhead bins and under the seats before finally getting situated to take off.  Neither of us knowing exactly how the treasures we held in our arms would change our world but never before filled with such joy. 

The sweet old ladies who just wrapped up their mission trip loving on orphans in a Haiti orphanage were overly happy to see such a “beautiful family of 4”…but as soon as we told them we have 3 more kids at home…well that sort of shattered the perfect picture in their heads.  Their acceptance of our adoption immediately dropped a few notches.   We are used to this reaction.  All of the sudden approval turns to concern.  Some pity us others question our sanity.   One of the ladies on our plane waited several minutes before posing the question.  She probably wrestled to just let it go but in her head our actions were too outrageous.  She couldn't help herself.  She had to know.   She is a gentle old lady with a kind face who holds the position of children’s director at her home church.  In her most polite way she leaned forward to make eye contact, “Do you mind if I ask a question?”  Then without giving me a real chance to reply she blurted out in a half shocked half judging way, “What on earth made you decide to adopt when you already have 3 kids?!” 

It’s the question every rational human who crosses our path wants to know.

When people would ask us this in the past defensiveness would sometimes rise up in me.  But as I sat there holding one of God’s faithful miracles in my arms and next to me sat Trey with another miracle in his arms, I didn't care what others thought.

Raphaella

Wana

There was not a single sole in the universe that was going to convince me that we made a bad choice.  These two little girls had slept every night of their entire lives in an orphanage but this night would be different…it would be the first night of their new life without the orphan label.  As soon as we got home I would put them in their own beds safe and cozy and I wouldn't be able to leave for a long while.  I’d stand there just watching them breath.  Watching them live.  They would have extra servings of their favorite foods and quickly learn they can call out for a papa and mama and we would come running to their rescue.  To participate in setting an orphan free from the inside walls of an orphanage is to participate in a miracle and it has everything to do with God's redemptive love.  You have to know there is nothing great about us...we are just a couple of messed up sinners who dared to believe Jesus is real and means what He says.  In the deepest part of my being it doesn't matter in the least if the whole world thinks we've flown off the deep end because we adopted twins when we already have 3 kids.  With Raphaella and Wana sitting in our laps on that airplane I knew it was right.  

With the greatest peace and assurance I answered the dear baffled lady.  My reply was simple. 

“Jesus.” 

“His love made us do it.”

It wasn’t like we were unwillingly forced.  Jesus didn’t MAKE us do it…He didn’t threaten us at gunpoint or anything like that.  But His love.  Oh His sacrificial matchless love.  It had an intoxicating effect on us giving our hearts a wild passion for adoption and orphan care.  It was His love combined with all the things we read in our Bibles about God’s heart for the orphans that motivated us to adopt twins from Haiti even though we already had 3 kids.  

That’s what on earth made us do it.

And it’s this same love that takes me back to Haiti every opportunity God gives me.  I go back for the small band of orphans Pastor Nahum and his wife care for at Back to Life orphanage in Mirebalais. 

I'll be leaving for Haiti tomorrow morning.  It’s spring break and Trey has off so he will be with our 5 little treasures at home while I’m gone.   

our beautiful tribe

There will be 4 of us going to Mirebalais to love on the orphans and for technology training.  Praise God for His provision of several laptop computers for the Back to Life Kids School.  Please pray for our team.  Pray God will continue to fill us with the love of Jesus that can't be contained.  Pray it will flow from our hearts and hands touching the tender souls of Pastor Nahum’s orphans in tangible ways.

It is His love and His example that made us adopt and takes me back to the fatherless in Haiti.  I do it because of Jesus.  

If you are looking for a place to pour out God’s love to the orphans please consider supporting Back to Life Ministries.