What a great weekend!

The day has finally arrived! We received a call from our agency CCAI last night. I happened to be out of the room when I heard my phone ring. I called jokingly to Sean "don't pick it up unless it's our agency!" The next thing I hear is Sean saying, "Yes, this is Sean..." My heart started racing a mile a minute. Could it be? I rushed into our bedroom and Sean is anxiously trying to put the phone on speaker. It says CCAI! They have called to tell us that they have a file of a little girl who just turned 2, would we be interested in looking at it? Uh, yes!!! The next 15 minutes were pure agony as we waited for her file to arrive in our inbox. We prayed that this would be our daughter, and we waited.

When we are finally able to get the information pulled up on the computer, we are ecstatic at how healthy she looks. She is a tiny peanut, and clearly needs to gain some weight, but she is otherwise 100% healthy. After consulting some friends in the medical field, and praying lots, we are confident that this is the little girl God has picked for our family.

Sharing her picture with the kids, I so wish I had thought to video tape their reactions. There was much jumping and squealing

March 14, 2012

We arrive at the church, dressed in Sunday best for the first time at our casual church. As we enter the auditorium we see the faces of friends and family. We are embraced in loving arms, words of encouragement are spoken over us as we make our way to the front. We are here to say our final goodbyes to our youngest daughter, Sophie. Tears pour freely down our faces as pictures of her short life flash across the screens. We hear, for the first time, gut wrenching sobs from our stoic oldest son. Words of truth are spoken from the pulpit about the value of life. Every life. Our child that lived 95 minutes was celebrated as a testimony to God's grace.

Across the ocean, an infant is found on the side of the road. The police rush to the scene and try to locate her parents, but they are gone. She is quickly placed into an orphanage and given immediate attention. She is tiny, but a fighter. She grows strong over the next few months, but is now one of many children fighting for the love and attention of the nannies. Her world is turned upside down...

Stepping back, I can see that God has woven our stories together perfectly. Our little one was abandoned the same day that we said our final goodbye to Sophie. The same day that our world was torn apart, our newest daughter was also experiencing the loss of family. Left in hopes that another family could take care of the little one they were unable to care for. I have no doubt that her family loved her. She was over a month old when she was abandoned, her mother loved her and cared for her as long as she was able. It is likely that her family just didn't have the resources to ensure her health. Two families, deep in grief, worlds apart. I can't relate to the grief of a birth mother, but I imagine that our hearts were equally broken that day.

So without further ado... Here is the newest Lyttle one:



Chloe Faith