We have officially entered the "hurry up and wait" phase of the adoption process! Our crazy, maddening, wild paper chase is over, and we mailed our dossier to the adoption agency last week. It is currently under review, and then will be sent to China within the next couple of weeks. (Edit: our dossier is being mailed to China TODAY! 6/8) So now, we wait. We wait and prepare for the next chapter in our family's story. We finish our parent training requirements; we gather all the goodies for little Rose's suitcase; we prepare a place for her in our home; we pour as much love and attention into our five kiddos before their new sister arrives; and we fund raise...
That last part is undoubtedly our least favorite. We live in a society where independence is valued above all else. Survival of the fittest. Each man for his own. Asking for help, whether it be financial help or physical help, does not come easily. It goes against everything that has been ingrained in our minds since we were children. The problem is, that was not God's original plan for His people. He created people for relationship, for interdependence--not independence. He created us to depend upon Him for all of our needs, no matter how great or how small. He created us to be a body--with each part contributing its specific job, working together in harmony to accomplish His purposes. He did NOT create each of us--each part of the body--to be able to do it all alone, independent of the other parts. The hand does not perform the duties of the ear, the nose does not perform the duties of the eye, etc. Do we view our hands as weak because they cannot hear? Do we view our eyes as lazy, or incompetent because they cannot smell? Of course not. We know that every part of our body is interconnected to the rest, each depending on the others to function as a whole. Why would it be any different for the various parts of the body of Christ, or the body of the human race at large? We need each other, people. We aren't supposed to do it all alone. Above all, we need God. He is the only One with all the answers, all the power, all the resources, all the honor, and all the glory. He is the only One that can ever truly meet all of our needs. His Word says to "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow, or reap, or store away in barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" (Matthew 6:26 NIV) Is Rose not much more valuable than the birds? While much of the world might say no she isn't, we say YES SHE IS! We know that Rose is immeasurably valuable to our Heavenly Father, and we know that He will meet her needs.
It is with that faith that we ask you to come along side us as we walk this road, in any capacity that God places upon your hearts. We are reaching out to the rest of the body to accomplish God's purposes for Rose. We must fight against both pride and unworthiness to do this. But we know it is not us who are worthy...it is Rose, and above all, it is our Father Who is worthy of all that we have. For it is by His grace and mercy that any of us have been granted stewardship over His resources to begin with.
We have already been blessed by so many along the way. Yesterday, when we went to print out our fundraising flyers, the owner of the store read our story and offered to donate all our flyers at no cost! Thank you, Michael Brewster of Kwik Kopy in Brenham, TX. We were blown away by your generosity!
The owner of Honeysuckle Cafe and Bistro in Chappell Hill, TX offered to place flyers on her counter to help spread the word. Within minutes, a customer came in and saw the flyers, and was able to recommend a treatment facility that a close friend of hers takes her son with Down Syndrome to. A dear friend has offered to help spread the word to friends, family, and local churches. Another awesome friend has offered to help fund raise as well. And we received our first donation, $200!! Our community rocks!
We are so excited to see how God is going to finish this work that He has called us to--rather, how He is going to get us to the beginning of the work he has called us to! Completing Rose's adoption is merely the dawning of this journey, the first of many mountains to be moved.
With Much Love,
The Hadsell Family
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