Thursday will mark one year since we first saw our sweet baby Eli's face.
It's hard to believe that this time last year we were anxiously awaiting "the call" that would introduce us to our son. Funny how slowly the six months he waited for us in Ethiopia crawled by and how quickly these last six months with him home have flown by in a flash!
He has filled our home with such abundant joy, we could not imagine our lives without him in it.
He is the sweetest, happiest, funniest most loving baby and we couldn't be more blessed!
I've made videos for all of our kids' homecomings. Kind of like visual "baby books." When I heard Audio Adrenaline's new son "King's and Queens," it really struck me.
Little hands, shoeless feet, lonely eyes looking back at me
In Ethiopia, we've seen so many lonely eyes starring up at us. So many little hands and shoeless feet that we can not forget. It's what draws our hearts across the world almost daily. There is rarely a day that I do not long for the people of Ethiopia. My heart is there. I've seen so much need, but so much hope and beauty as well.
On their own, on the run when their lives have only begun. These could be our daughters and our sons.
These have been our daughters and our son.
And just like a drum I can hear their hearts beating. I know my God won’t let them be defeated. Every child has a dream to belong and be loved.
This song speaks so directly to me because we have witnessed this first hand. Every child has a dream to be loved. We've seen this will all of our children--those that came through birth, adoption, even our sponsor children. God's glory shines through them when they are loved. The transformations we've seen in our kids from waiting children to home with their family is amazing!
Adoption is hard. It stems out of great loss, but there is beauty to be found when we allow God to use us to love. Through loss, grief, struggles and heart ache, God has redeemed many for his glory through adoption and our family has been blessed to experience this four times over.
Boys become kings, girls will be queens. Wrapped in your majesty. When we love, when we love the least of these.
The bible mentions "the least of these" often. A term to represent orphans, vulnerable and needy children and people, the poor, the sick, the lame.....I always find that phrase hard to swallow as I can honestly say my life has been blessed the most by those that are considered "the least." I'm so thankful that God has opened our eyes to show us the world around us. I pray that he will continue to use us to love others and that we will love them well for his glory!
If not us who will be like Jesus to the least of these?
