Japan Adoption | First Moments
I come to you all with a ripe and full heart. As most of you know, we have been home with our little guy Benji now for 2.5 months. For SO long my heart was barefoot and pregnant, and to be clear, not the pretty kind of pregnant. Im talking, mood swings, tears, and can't find your ankles in the heat of July kind of pregnant. On Sept 29th, my heart gave birth, however, our labor pains began on August 24th when we got the email of our beloved boy.
Here is a rewind to how it all unfolded.
My sister Jana and I were out to an early lunch on Aug 24th, when I got THE EMAIL, complete with 28 lovely photos of our beaming bundle of joy. I cried at the table...poor poor waiter thought I was manic. Trying to explain this to a semi teenage boy wasn't good either, so I chose to remain "the manic lady".
Long story short, we blazed out of town booking an Air B&B and 5 last minute flights to Tokyo out of Dallas because...HURRICANE HARVEY. We literally made it out by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin. Literally, I have a couple of hairs on my chin, so that cute little wretched saying is indeed more real than I'd like it to be - Thanks mom.
Me, my husband, 5 year old daughter, and my parents were on the adventure of my lifetime and it was completely and utterly thrilling. We flew out 6AM Texas time and landed in Tokyo at 7PM. We were so incredibly fatigued and hauling what felt like 97 suitcases. It was muggy and hot, and finally arrived at our flat. Open the door anticipating relief. NO. The A/C wasn't on and, get this, the remotes were all in Japanese. We resorted to pushing all the buttons with furrowed brows at the celsius degree. 2 hours later... cold air. WHEW!
We crashed hard.
We woke up - HANGRY.
We went to a vending machine around the corner for snacks and a coffee.
Then BAM - we get a baby.
At 10:15, our agency's representative (whom we love dearly) calls and says she is right around the corner! Excitement mounts and I'm in all the feels, all the while, not knowing how to feel. So many years of emotions and feelings all at the same time...maybe I am truly that manic lady at the restaurant..?
10:17AM Benji arrives with our coordinator, a caregiver and a bunch of supplies in tow.
The videos below are our most intimate first moments with our littlest member of the family. I am so excited to share this sweet time, because it is God and the body of Christ (all of you) that have come together to make this within reach for our family. Every T-shirt, garage sale item, prayer, sweet token, and overflowing kindness that have helped this all come to pass. We had to come up with $50,000 + in a short 10 months. We did not come up with that money, Jesus did. He took our loaf (as he did with the 5,000) and made it enough! It took : Hard core saving, Dave Ramsey Financial Principles, creativity, grit, grants, garage sale, T-shirts, and provision that ONLY comes from above. This is a tangible real life testament that Jesus moves mountains STILL! He desires to be active with you in your faith.
So many time I felt like I was about to walk of of a financial cliff asking myself, what have we done? And Jesus would remind me that it is my job to be obedient, and His to provide for what He has called me to. I wavered in my faith doubting more than Id like to share, however, He met me sweetly just where I was at.
Your tall mountain probably doesn't look like mine. It may be sickness, financial distress, divorce or a crumbling relationship, etc... whatever it may be, Jesus desires to breathe new life into you and move mountains for no glory other than His own!
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"Abide in me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing."
John 15:4-5
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