My Calling to Adopt

Ten years ago - to this very day - God called me to adopt!  

As I mentioned in another post, I studied abroad in Thailand and Burma inbetween my junior and senior year of college.  While I was there we visited a village in Burma near the city of Bagan.  While in this village I saw the desperation of a mother who wanted more for her child than what she could give, even if it meant giving away her child to a stranger.

Since we started the journey of adoption I have gone back and looked through my journals and pictures of my travels.  I was in awe when I looked at the time stamp on the picture and the date on my journal entry.  May 27, 2003:  Exactly 10 years ago from today!  In celebration of how God is at work I thought I would share with you a few lines of my journal and a few snapshots from my scrapbook.

These are pictures from that very village.   The one where God began planting the seed in my heart to pursue a little child who looks nothing like me and lives half way around the world.  The village (and the child) that would change my life and one day inspire me to adopt.

Precious faces.

They had given us a piece of the yellow "chalk" to use on our faces so we wouldn't burn.
In return, they wanted a gift.  Specifically, pens to write with.
We didn't have enough so we handed out candy.

A friend took this picture of me sitting on the edge of a pagoda after we
left the village.  I'm sure she had no clue what was going
on in my heart at that moment, but God sure knew!