Today we had our first fund raising effort. It has been an immensely humbling experience. While cooking and cleaning in preparation for the fundraiser, I was praying - "Lord, the outcomes of all our preparations are in Your hands. We are pursuing this course of adoption because of the tugging you have placed on our hearts, but we can't do this by our own might."
We had a good turnout and sold a decent amount. We sold things that we had not expected to sell. We had enough food for everyone and the party went well.
The coup de grâce, however, were the gifts of the people who didn't buy the things from the fundraiser but who took the party as an excuse to donate directly to the adoption fund. I understand the story of the widow's mite more clearly. Several dear people gave us far more than they could afford. There is a part of me that wants to refuse to take their money - but that would be epitome of thoughtlessness. They are putting their trust in us. They are saying "we believe that you should do this. We support you." It is utterly humbling to have all these people helping us. We carry their dreams and their hopes and their labors with us. It is staggering that God answered my prayers of this morning far over what I had dared to hope.
And in that line of thought - we have gotten emails from people who have been to the orphanage and seen the babies we are hoping to adopt. One thing that is consistent in these emails is that they had prayed that these children would find a home. It is disconcerting to think that we may be being prepared to be the answer to these prayers offered up thousands of miles away. For a brief second we catch a glimpse of the workings of the machine, but it is too big to understand, and we are very little after all.
--Ezra
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