Coincidence? I think not.

As a follow-up to yesterday's post on waiting, I wanted to share about another way I've been receiving encouragement in the adoption process.  God has been so faithful.  Looking back over the past several months, every time I have been in a valley, at a low point, doubting, dreading, fearing.....I haven't had to wait long before I find myself being comforted, sustained, motivated, and encouraged.

When I feel like no one is really interested.....a family member offers to do a fundraiser.
When I'm desperate for any good news at all.....a referral for a family in our group.
When I am praying and just wanting to hear from God.....I randomly open my Bible and the very first verses I see are Psalm 27:13-14.

Coincidences?  Some might call them that.  But I know God is sovereign and working even in the little things.  Here's my latest "hug from God" that happened earlier this week....

I had a meeting at church one evening and it went pretty late.  It was after 10 PM by the time I pulled back in the driveway and realized I hadn't checked the mail that day.  I grabbed it, glanced at it (ugh, bills and junk) and put it on the kitchen counter to look at the next day.  I got myself ready for bed and decided to check my email in an attempt to wind down.....mistake.  I found out we had been bumped backwards yet again on the unofficial wait list.  (Can happen when someone ahead of us changes their age request.  No, they aren't big meanies for doing this.  People often expand their age request as the children already in their home get older...it's just a bummer for us).  Anyway, not good news to sleep on.

I woke up the next morning, got myself and the kids ready to head out the door to Bible Study (currently doing Living Beyond Yourself by Beth Moore....sooooo good!), and remembered that stack of mail on the counter. I quickly went through all the bills and junk, and saw a letter I had somehow missed the night before in my post-meeting daze.  I recognized the handwriting right away - it was a letter from dear friends, so of course I opened it immediately.  First I saw two sweet pictures their kids had drawn of our family - including our future kids, drawn so beautifully in preK style, even with brown marker.  The drawings alone were enough to bring a smile to my face and some tears to my eyes.   But when I read the letter from their sweet mama, and out fell a check.....a large check......the only larger donation we've received was from our church on Orphan Sunday.

Wow.

So then the bawl fest began, of course!  (I had always thought pregnancy hormones were rough - they are nothing compared to adoption emotions!)  I was so humbled and grateful that this family (who are not millionaires, by the way) would sacrifice so much to help us.  Then I was again humbled and grateful for the providence of God - who had this little incident planned long ago.  Had I opened the letter the night before, yes it still would have been incredible, but because I didn't see it I had something to "lift me out of the pit" that morning.  Pretty cool.  Thanks, God.  And thanks, friends, for allowing God to use you in that way!!


And now the random totally, totally off topic.....did ya notice....2 posts in 2 days?!  That's pretty much a record as of late.  And it's all due to.....our new computer!  Yee ha!  Although we had dreamed of and seriously contemplated getting a Mac, it became all about the benjamins, and we just couldn't justify spending all of ours on a computer - beautiful and extraordinary as they may be.  Plus, I'm in the middle of reading Radical and almost ready to read 7, and if those aren't convicting, I don't know what is!  So I know all you Mac users are laughing at me now, because once you go Mac you never go back and all, but we ended up getting this computer.  So far it's been great, and for the amount we will use it, we think it will continue to be!