I had a huge surprise awaiting me when I returned from East Africa . Next to my bathroom sink, I was greeted by the following:

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Wow!

To say that this was totally unexpected would be a severe understatement indeed.

Our flight from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to Frankfurt, Germany was a baby train. Many adoptive parents were departing Ethiopia with the new children they had just welcomed into their families. As many of you know, Lisa and I were narrowing the field of agencies to initiate our own Ethiopian adoption. As I saw all the children in the Addis airport, I knew that I was ready for another.

God has changed our target country and timing on a second adoption quite frequently. But we have certainly loved his interruptions.

FIRST SURPRISE

As the necessary waiting period was coming to an end after adopting Faith into our family, we began to fill out the application to begin the adoption of a second abandoned baby girl from China.

Then God changed the plan…

Caleb was conceived as the China paperwork sat on our dining room table.

SECOND SURPRISE

When Caleb was two years old, we researched the field of agencies and requested the application materials to adopt an orphan from Thailand. We took careful steps to not get pregnant.

Then God changed the plan…

Even though we were taking precautions to prevent a pregnancy, God decided that He was above such things. He’s funny that way. We know how these things happen. We just don’t know how it happened.

Hannah was conceived while all the adoption agency forms were again sitting on the dining room table.

At this point, a good friend in Dallas offered up some sound advice for us: "Next time you plan on adopting…just abstain!"

We now look at our darling Hannah and say to ourselves, "We were actually trying to not have this child? What were we thinking?"

THIRD SURPRISE

And now we come to the present.

We had limited the choices to three agencies that facilitate adoption from Ethiopia. We were about to pull the trigger on making a decision and beginning the process.

Then God changed the plan…

We knew this was a possibility but, for the most part, we were again trying to prevent a pregnancy in order for our next child to be an adopted one.

I guess we didn’t learn our lesson, but now eagerly await the next precious child that God has decided to bless our family with.

In these cases, we love how His plans are decidedly different than our own. We chuckle and laugh and then proclaim, "Thank you God for your plans and purposes!"

And…yes…you guessed it, the adoption agency paperwork is all sitting right here by the table.

Your prayers are greatly appreciated.

Lisaandtheganginmaui

(Image: Lisa and the gang in Maui, Hawaii, a few weeks ago)

If you wish to leave a comment or prayer for Lisa, please do so here at the blog as she rarely checks her e-mail account. Thanks so much for loving us and interceding for us.