Update live from Ecuador (Nov. 10, 2009)

Informed that my sister-in-love and I would not get to see my nephew until Wednesday when the official paperwork was completed, we were blown away when our host asked us first thing this morning, “Would you like to go see Edison?”

Absolutely –  tears began to fill our eyes at the thought.

She warned us that the psychologist wanted to evaluate how he would react to being with us and that if he struggled, we would not be allowed to take him with us on our errands. Sharing that he had not been himself this week, and that he hadn’t smiled in days, the orphanage was preparing us for a possible disappointment.

Is that not a miracle? Is that not a picture of peer, unadulterated joy?

What a privilege to experience this moment of sheer grace.  I’m not a “crier,” but I was sobbing like a baby and just couldn’t believe the picture of this forever child coming home where he belonged, close to his precious mommy, while daddy and siblings wait patiently for them to hurry home.IMG_1257

After I finished hugging and kissing all over that sweet face, he reached for me and stroked my cheek and loved on me as well. The Lord has knit that love in this precious child’s heart and no skin color, language barrier or “paper signing” can change the fact that within minutes he was reaching and calling my sis in love, “Mama,” and me, “Tia Jen.” He smiled and giggled all day long and cried when we had to leave at the end of the night.

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Two more days, sweet boy and you’ll never have to leave again.

I’m so thrilled to finally introduce you to my precious new nephew. The passport was officially given to us after an eight hour struggle to receive it (and many more details still need to come to fruition before we can leave,) but he’s all ours (yes, mine included 🙂 )….

Edison Matthew…..

I’ve mentioned in past posts that this precious blessing is a special needs child. He is one of those gifts where the Lord allowed one extra chromosome to form. The medical field named it Downs Syndrome, we call him, “Miracle gift from God.”

I can’t wait to share with you the specific calling that my brother and sister in love received four years ago to pursue this blessing as their own after meeting him on a short term missions trip when he was just six months old.

It’s an amazing story that needs to be told.

Continue on with “Why Adopt a Special Needs Child?