An Incredible Journey to an Incredible Little Boy

For the past year and a half, I have had a sideline seat to one of the craziest, most beautiful stories that has accented my life...the adoption of this sweet boy into one of my most favoritest families on this planet:

Timothy Natnael

When I was given the incredible privilege of moving in with this family in September of 2009, I had no idea what God had in store for my heart. My dad had gone to heaven only a month and a half earlier, so the overwhelming grief of not having him with me on earth was still somewhat consuming. I was also beginning the new unknown of nursing school. I was overwhelmed, to say the least! So many emotions--one of the strongest being excitement! I was giddy to have been given the gift of a place to call home...with some of my favorite people in the world, no less!

That fall, God began to perform surgery on my heart. Through my dad's illness and death, my eyes had been opened to the incredible hurt and suffering of so many on this planet. As I grieved the loss of my dad, I could no longer remain ignorant to the plight of the oppressed in this broken world. In October, God opened up a new page to this journey of mine as the Kirks officially began their adoption process. It is hard to believe that there has hardly been a moment in my time living with this family that they HAVEN'T been in the adoption process!

I'm not sure that words could express how these past 17 months have impacted my life. Wow!
God has blessed me with a sideline seat to this family's journey to their newest treasure. I don't know what He has in store for me, but I know that I have been forever changed by this one little boy!

Checking out brother's tiny toes

There have been mountaintop highs to this journey (like THIS one), and challenging, arduous lows. I have seen, in new ways, God's heart for the orphan. I have also seen, in new ways, Satan's incredible disgust for and opposition to adoption. Through it all, I have also witnessed, firsthand, God's faithfulness through every twist and turn that has brought this little boy together with this family.

all 7 brothers and sisters...together at last!

This past Friday, the journey of bringing Timothy home officially ended...and what a joyous occasion it was! (You can watch a video of their homecoming HERE). We cried, screamed with joy, jumped up and down, hugged, laughed...and most of all, celebrated. We celebrated the homecoming of a little boy to his forever family. We celebrated the completion of what has been an incredibly long journey, full of unexpected twists and turns, to Timothy. We celebrated the beginning of new relationships between Timothy and his brothers and sisters. We celebrated, praising God for remaining steadfast through it all. {and crashed into our beds that night!} In some ways, the journey has only begun with the family being united--COMPLETE--for the very first time.


Friends, adoption is beautiful. It is beautiful because it is God's heart. It is beautiful because we have been adopted into God's family...and, in some ways, the adoption of an orphan is one of the closest metaphors we have to our own adoption as sons and daughters of God. I pray that you, too, will be blessed with a window into adoption...whether it be through your own journey to a beautiful treasure or through the journey of someone you love.



"God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

I did not know when I moved here that I would get to be a part of this adoption journey...but God knew! The scope of His work is unfathomable, beautiful from beginning to end! I feel blessed beyond measure to have witnessed such an incredible start to what I am sure will be a beautiful, beautiful story.

Welcome home, Timothy!

God's grace...In a thousand gifts

Today, I am celebrating Valentine's Day by counting God's love-notes to me. I am reading this book... (if you click on the image, it will take you to the author's blog)...

and the book in itself has been a grace gift from God. I needed the reminder...the reminder that we will never experience the fullness of our salvation until we are living minutes, days, LIVES of gratitude for God's continual grace to us. His grace did not stop at the cross...it is a continual gift, maybe in the form of frosty breath on windows, a hand to hold when life gets rough, gooey chocolate brownies, a slobbery peck on the cheek from a little one...

I'm learning the practice of thanksgiving...of counting God's graces, and in doing so, impregnating my life, my days, with new wonder and awareness of God's goodness. We say it so flippantly--"God is good...all the time"--but do we really believe it with our lives? It is only when I take the time to stop, to pull out a pen and my journal and write out these simple and not so simple goodnesses, that I truly understand down to my toes what those complex and yet painfully easy-to-say words mean. God is good...all the time. All the time.

And so...the counting begins. The challenge is to make out, to take hold and hold onto, a thousand grace-gifts. And yet, somehow I have a feeling that a thousand will turn into two thousand before the days of this year role into the next. Because God IS good all the time...every second and minute and hour and day. And He never grows weary of telling us, lavishing our lives with gifts of the sweetest kind. Today, my list grows, and I am thankful.


204. a new start...every day!
205. blankets piled atop my frozen-no-more toes
206. a chance to learn incredible things about the human body
207. little chocolates in a tiny red mailbox
208. a bird chirping in the creeping warmth
209. A phone call...declaring that a beautiful child of God--once an orphan, now a forever KIRK--will be coming HOME forever! (see details HERE)

my "thankful board"

He loves me...enough to tell me every day in a thousand new ways. What beautiful gifts has He given you today?

Seeing Timothy's Face

I am so incredibly happy to share THIS NEWS with you all...I have had the great privilege of journeying with my "second family" as they have celebrated the highs and clung to Jesus in the deep valleys on this road of adoption. I can honestly say that my life is forever changed. My heart has been softened, my eyes have been opened, and I will never be the same again. Today, I was overjoyed to share in their celebration as we all soaked in the beautiful face we have been praying for and eagerly anticipating for so many long months. There are feelings welling up in my heart that I cannot even begin to put words to! Praise be to God, for His never ending faithfulness and heart of adoption! Little Timothy's face will forever be etched on my heart (and carried in my wallet...hehe)! Please head on over HERE to congratulate the Kirks!