Encouragers

We've been finding encouragement everywhere we go these days. And God knows we need it. We get sucked under by such strong feelings of despair and discouragement, these feelings come out of nowhere and hit quickly. But the Lord has been faithful in providing such sweet encouragers when we need them (which is almost constantly). Words from a precious friend, prayers of a 4 year old expectant big brother, songs, sermons, deer in the backyard (more on that in a moment), testimonies of friends who've 'been there', and many, many more.

I'll recount a couple;

Fridays are the WORST. We have heard that Fridays are often when our agency makes 'the call'. So every Friday that rolls by we are on pins and needles, clutching our phones and every time the phone makes a noise our heart rates skyrocket and then the disappointment comes. A couple of Fridays ago, while watching the clock like a crazy person, the time came (around 4:00) when I realized they weren't calling that day (Holt closes at 4:30 everyday). I had high expectations, and I was left feeling empty and discouraged once again. I hide my tears for private; I don't want the boys to get upset or see me getting upset. So I left the boys playing in their room while I went into mine for a moment to grieve in private. I know this may sound silly or dumb if you've never been there, but boy is that grief real and overwhelming. I was having a mini break down, letting the tears fall and wondering if we ever will bring home a child from Ethiopia. As I look out the window (we have huge windows in our bedroom that look over part of our yard) through my tears I notice something out there. I look closer and realize it's two deer.

Why is this significant to me? Because we were told that these deer frequented our home every day, twice a day. But since moving in they have been absent. I just assumed we were too loud for them, and permanently scared them away. But there they were. The things that I thought I would never see again, they were there. It gave me a ounce of hope, we just might see our baby. God is so sweet in how He communicates, I desperately needed some sort of reassurance in that moment. And in His love he sent these deer, insignificant to any one else, but to me they meant everything. They showed me that what I think is not reality. God is SO much bigger than that, bigger than my doubts, fears and despair.

Another instance is this song:
It rocked me so much that I put it up on our chalkboard door as a constant reminder.





If you are right there with us in this wait, endure. We both know it will be worth it. And if you are reading this because you are one of our many encouragers, please keep it up. We are insanely thankful for you and for keeping us out of the looney bin. You are SUCH a blessing to us.