God's Timing... NOT Mine

For all those of you who know me well, you know I do not like to wait for things.  If I had it my own way, Kimberlie would be home with me and I would be in full swing with my mommy gig (I have always wanted to use the word gig). But, when I started this journey, now close to 2 years ago, I prayed  that God would use this journey to make me more like him, I am still in process, but aren't we all?  

Tom Vanderwell, who is the Manager of Partner Relations for GLA wrote this about the adoption of his two children from GLA. As I read the post, I begin to think, what does God want to do with me as I wait for her? What does he want to do in my family or with my friends as I wait for her? We all want to be in charge of our own timing, think today, what does God want to do in your life as you wait?  God is making things happen all around us, we don't always see the big picture, but God is all about the BIG picture! 

The Timing of Adoptions and the Power of God’s Plan 

Posted by TomVanderwell

I know I’ve told some of you this story before, but I know a lot of you haven’t heard it. So, I’m going to tell it again……

First off, for those of you who are currently in the process of adopting, I apologize, 9 years ago when we brought our two kids home from GLA, the process took 10 months from referral to going home and we thought that was long! I’m sorry that things aren’t going that fast now. Know that every day I and many others are praying that the process will speed up.

Now, when we began the process of adopting, Dixie told us to expect 7 to 9 months. We got our referral in August of 2003, so that would have put us as coming home in March to May of 2004. Now for a little Haitian trivia question……

What happened between August of 2003 and May of 2004 in Haitian history (think something notable)?

Can’t guess? That’s when Aristide was ousted in the coup. Breaking down the story into one sentence, for approximately 6 weeks, the adoption world in Haiti was a great big ? and nothing moved. Surprise? Nope.

But after 6 weeks, things had somewhat settled down and adoption paperwork began moving again. In the end all it did was cause a fair amount of pain and anxiety and delayed things from a March to May timeframe to a June homecoming.

Now trust me, that extra month seemed really long at the time. But God had a plan.

Our original plan was that our older three (the vanilla kids) would stay with the grandparents while we went and got the younger two. But, because of the delay, we ended up traveling after the older kids were done with school. The volunteer situation was such that they were able to come down and spend 3 weeks as volunteers while Cheryl spent time with our chocolate kids and I came to join them the last week.

So, we ended up waiting 6 weeks longer for our adoptions to be finalized and because of that, our older kids got to see GLA. So what’s such a big deal about that?

Jump forward with me about 2 years, we were coming back from going out for dinner (all 7 of us – so I think it was some place cheap) and my second oldest chimes up from the back seat, “I think I know what I want to do.” It’s a Friday night, so I’m thinking it’s something like going over to a friend’s house, going to see a movie, something very here and now.

What?

“I want to become a nurse and go back to Haiti full time.”

Gulp.

I’m writing this today because tomorrow, my 2nd oldest, an RN like her mother, leaves to go to Haiti to spend 9 days working with Lori and Licia and Allison at Real Hope for Haiti. She is an RN, she’s pursuing her pediatric nurse practitioner degree and has led numerous teams down to GLA from our church over the last years.

If God’s timing had been our timing, she wouldn’t have gone down to Haiti in 2004.

If God’s timing had been our timing, she wouldn’t have had the opportunity to see and love on the kids in Haiti.

If God’s timing had been our timing, she might not have become a nurse.

God has a plan and He is constantly moving and using the events of your life and my life to impact others.

9 years later, we’re seeing that God’s plan and the delay in our adoptions of our two youngest has had a significant impact in the life of one of our older kids and the lives of many others as well.

I know it can really stink when you are stuck in a delay where your idea for God’s timing is way different than what it appears His timing is.

God looks at a picture way bigger than the one we do – trust Him and His timing…….

It quite often isn’t easy – but in the end, it’s the only way to do it.

 

But I am pretty sure Kimberlie will be well worth the wait!!!!! 

Who knows, maybe God will place the man of my dreams into my life while I wait...

stranger things have happened!   HA HA