A Valentine's Date to Remember

After our ride

Yesterday afternoon Mady begged me to go on a bike ride with her. I wasn't feeling the greatest and so I asked her if she would like to join me for my 6 am ride through what I call "The Sanctuary" - a ride in the back stretch of the breeding grounds where we live. She agreed and we talked about what to wear and how long it would take. While I was at my weekly Rotary meeting last night Jenn said she talked about it nonstop, so I knew she was excited. I wasn't too sure she would be excited about getting up at 6 am though.

I woke up a little late myself (around 5:45 am) and I need to do a nebulizer treatment before I exercise and as I walked into our living room I found her there dressed in her workout clothes with her shoes already on (actually they were flip flops - I found out she doesn't have any sneakers here. That will change today.) I finished my nebulizer about 6:10 am and when I turned off the machine she told me "Daddy, we were supposed to leave at 6:00, we're late." Ok, she's ready.

We got our bikes and headed off into the wild country. She sky was radiant with little beams of light hitting the foothills with brilliance. We laughed at the monkeys, stirred up a big pack of impala and spooked about 8 Oryx grazing on the grass. We enjoyed the Guinea fowl and a host of other animals. It stormed the night before so everything was glistening and there was a freshness was in the air. I taught her how to pick "a line" to ride, anticipating grade changes, guiding through the puddles and mud and navigating the rocky terrain. Although I went half my normal speed, this was more than double the enjoyment.

After about 20 minutes she started to slow down (and her plastic flip flops kept slipping off her muddy pedals). We ended up walking our bikes and talking for the last 20 minutes of our journey. Apparently my 21-gear, dual-suspension Trek Superfly AL100 Elite mountain bike with 29" tires was too much for her department store special.

The conversation got a little quiet and finally she asked me about what we were going to do today since it was Valentine's Day. I told her I was speaking at a young adult service tonight and that we were going to the church this afternoon for the after school program that we help lead. I also told her that I was going to buy her a pair of sneakers as well (a very special treat). A few minutes later she quietly asked "Did you get an email from Nonny?" My response was "yes." Her face lit up with anticipation and joy.

You see, this wasn't just any email. We've been checking and checking our email for the past 2 days waiting for an email. Actually, an attachment. An email attachment with a copy of our birth certificates and marriage license. You need them to be able to submit the paperwork to become foster parents and to adopt a little boy from South Africa...

A week ago we visited a baby shelter (an orphanage) with the missions team that was here. The moment we walked in, the Lord spoke to both Jenn and I individually about one little boy that was there. We didn't tell each other anything that day but that night, as we were getting ready for bed, I nervously mentioned that something had happened at the baby shelter that day. Jenn told me that something had happened in her heart too. We started talking and we both realized that the Lord had given us a heart and an affection for the same little boy. We had both heard God speak to us about adopting...again. We were a little overwhelmed. "Is God doing something?" "Is the timing right?" "How will this affect our children?" "Can we afford it?" "Can an American living in South Africa adopt a boy from South Africa?" The questions just kept pouring in. We were both cautiously optimistic, considering how enormously disappointed we were when we started the adoption process in 2012 and things went south. We cried out to the Lord in prayer.

As the days went by, we couldn't stop thinking about this little boy. We met with the social worker this week and got the application paperwork. It's all filled out, we just needed a few of those documents that my mom sent me. We are cautiously stepping forward right now, realizing this is a marathon, not a sprint. Knowing that as foster parents, we could lose the child any day if the biological family steps forward. Our hearts could be ripped from our chests, but we have to acknowledge that God did something last week and that we must act upon it by faith in submission to him. "Lord, we're asking that you'll do this for us. Our children are walking in faith in this journey with us. They've already nicknamed him Daniel. This will change our lives. Change our family tree. It will change us. Hear our cry we ask."

This is truly a day we'll never forget. I'm not sure how you are spending your Valentine's Day, but we are doing something that is in our hearts. We are loving. Loving children. Loving on the unlovely.

Loving orphans. 

Happy.Valentine's.Day. 

"Pure religion that God accepts is to take care of the widow and the orphan in their distress and to keep thyself pure from the world." 

James 1:27