Amazing Love, How can it be?

Well, I woke up at 5:30 and there is no more sleep to be had.... as much as I want to sleep to pass some more time. But I also woke up literally singing a small portion of the hymn "and can it be?" over and over in my head...

"My chains fell off,

my heart was free,

I rose, went forth and followed thee

Amazing love

How can it be?

That Thou my God shouldst die for me.

I think of how my body lay imprisoned in sin and Jesus burst in with all His light to breath new life into me. I pray that now for mei sims... that today would be the beginning of her journey... chains would begin to fall off by His grace... that she could rise, and go forth in the new life He has given her. I have this mental image of the changes in her physical life that we are about to witness being a foreshadow of the transformation of hr soul. I pray that this song would be in her heart this morning as they ready her for the long drive here and that it would stay in her heart for the even longer journey of knowing and understanding the love of a mommy & daddy.

Amazing love

How can it be?

That Thou my God shouldst die for me!

The other thought in my head that is swirling around as I lay i bed this morning is a story we studied in CBS this year. It is the story in John of the man who has been blind since birth... Jesus approaches him and people want to know... is he blind because of something he did or because of a sin of his parents'? They want a way to reason and make sense of why he is as he is... but Jesus replies "It was neither that this man was a sinner, nor His parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him." I think of Mei Sims' status as an orphan (which will end today) and of her dislocated hip.... and it can't help but make me smile and think that this was God's fingerprint on her life... that He gave her something that the world would would see as sad or hopeless BUT he has actually given her and all of us an amazing gift.... I believe He created her as she was (a girl in a society that doesn't value girls and with a need that makes her even more undesirable to the people here) just like he did the blind man... in order that "the works of God might be displayed in her." Later in the passage the blind man says simply "One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see." I pray that Mei Sims would know and taste this amazing love and it would be a testimony to others.

I just finished reading "Kisses from Katie" and loved the whole book but one paragraph stuck out to me which says "Adoption is wonderful and beautiful... difficult and painful. Adoption is a beautiful picture of redemption. It is the Gospel in my living room." I love that "Gospel in my living room" and pray that as we see a life renewed and transformed that our lives would be renewed and transformed as well.... that the fragrant aroma of Christ in our family would be just as strong as the strange smells that permeate this city we are in.

One very off the subject comment but the city we are in has a dense layer of fog or smog at a all times... we did see the moon for a few minutes last night. The buildings are all lit up with various colors of lights and we realized last night that it looks like we are living in Gotham City... so there is your mental picture if you want to know what it looks like in Guangzhou!

Ok, next time i post we will have her! This will may be the messier part of her journey so please pray that even through the tears and screams that she will feel safe and that we will be feel peace as well.... that God who has gone before us, will be ever present with us today. There are 9 lifeline families all getting our babies in the same room as well as families from other agencies so it should be a pretty chaotic but beautiful scene!