I felt the need to include this update because it reminded Josiah and me that adoption isn't easy. Just when you think you have it all organized, you realize you don't. Fighting for the child is an active battle and discouragement and lack of patience come right to the surface. After describing the process, some have asked me if the whole thing feels worth it. Yes. I know all of this work, effort, and vulnerability is only to help one child. In our world, one filled with orphans, this seems like hardly a drop in the bucket. But I do have faith that it is really a lot more than that. The ripple effects of how this could affect our family, the child's birth family, the child's future, and who they affect for the better is truly endless.
Last Sunday instead of a sermon, my church had thirty teens and adults who just went on a missions trip to Mississippi share about their experiences. Every year, my church sends whoever is willing for two weeks. They work in the Sawmill Quarter which is an extremely poor section in Canton, about thirty miles away from Jackson. This trip has been going on for about twenty years and each year they run a camp for the neighborhood kids and do construction projects for those in the community in need. The Sawmill Quarters are considered untouchable. No one from the surrounding areas ventures in. The area has high crime rates and is filled with poverty, violence, and children in need. As they were sharing, they talked a lot about how incredible the consistency of our church groups has been for this community. They expect our church to show up, they remember the people, they stay in contact during the year, and they feel loved. Now that this trip has been happening for several years, change is becoming very evident. Mothers are coming to the camp with their kids and the children and mothers are changing. Moms are feeling joy for the future, talking of college for their kids, something that at a time was unimaginable. The boys who have grown through the camp programs are coming back in their early twenties, and, despite their tough demeanor, are embracing our leaders and singing right along with the young kids. Youth outside the Sawmill Quarters are coming in to participate in the program. This land of untouchables is being embraced.
The similarity I see here is that many would say, "What is two weeks a year really doing for this community?" But the proof is there. Even if it seems small, this two weeks is life changing. A group from New England is embracing the hopeless in Mississippi and giving them consistant love, hope in heaven, and encouragement while on earth. It is in no way a small act. Even if those first few years were rocky, the work reaped beauty. The same is true for adoption. As impatient as I am, each frustration is going to be worth it. The group sang a song today with the lines, "I lean not on my own understanding, my life is the hands of the maker of heaven." And that is essentially what each of us has to do when we don't understand the hardship ahead. Even if we feel impatient or our work seems futile, we can find peace knowing that God sees the big picture and he has a great big perfect plan.