Thursday, January 24, 2013

Travel questions, and a lesson from Mr. W

A gift from my dear friend Kathy while we wait for K -- so thoughtful of her! 
She said she was thinking of sailors' families who would have a candle burning
in the window while they waited for their husband and father to come safely home.

Anya wrapped up two of her little teddy bears to give to K when she arrives.

Although our travel to meet K is pretty far off, it's been very much on our minds this week.  Ever since we received her referral, we've been trying to find out if we will need to travel twice.  Some families whose children are in the same city have traveled once, while another family we know via their blog traveled recently to appear in court, and will travel again in about 6 weeks (we hope!) to bring their child home.  So our travel status is a little bit ambiguous at the moment.  We are hoping that the CARA conference in February will provide some answers -- and we're grateful that our wonderful case worker from Dillon is able to attend.

If you have a chance, you should check out the Carings web site.  They include statistics about how many children have been placed with families in the past several years -- and what is heartening is the dramatic increase in children who have been adopted!  While it's felt very slow from the "outside" due to that 18-month halt on families outside India adopting (while they revamped the process), the number of children adopted in-country has nearly tripled during that time!  That is good news, for sure.

Of course, our hearts are still aching for progress with K's case . . . and we are still waiting for NOC, court dates, and then a passport.  I am pretty certain that, short of a miracle, we will miss her 2nd birthday this summer, and I've been struggling with that.  Because we know a tiny bit about a few medical issues she is living with, it's so hard to watch another month slip by without hearing anything.

* * * * * * * * * * *

The prayer request I have right now isn't about that, though -- at least, not directly.  Would you all please join me in praying for Mr. W, a man from our chuch who is in the hospital right now?  His condition is grave, and his wife and sisters will have to make some difficult decisions about his care over the next few days.

Mr. W has become an integral part of our adoption story.  Every single weekend, for nearly 4 years, he has asked us about the adoption.  He always sits at the same table in the church lobby with his mug of coffee or soda.  Unfailingly, he asks, "Any news about that baby girl?"  He did the same thing when we were waiting for Anya.

Truthfully, there were times when I felt exasperated when he asked -- when the wheels of the process turned painfully slowly, or were at a complete halt, it was an effort for me to be gracious.  It was so frustrating to be reminded that, yet again, my answer was "no, we haven't heard anything."

But somewhere during those difficult months, my perspective changed:  Mr. W's consistency was transformed from an irritant into a comfort.  Because, clearly, he believed that IT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN.  And he believed it enough to ask me every single week, even though the answer was "no" literally for YEARS.  By doing this one, very specific, small thing, he has taught me so much about constancy and faith. 

So many people in the Bible had to wait -- Rachel, Joseph, Hannah, and more -- and I've always hoped I would be a good "waiter."  Turns out I kind of stink at waiting, especially when there's no definite end in sight.  But I am so grateful for Mr. W's lesson of remaining consistently faithful, and for the reminders that we were on his mind and in his prayers this whole time.  (It will be 4 years in March.)  That is a rare gift indeed in a culture that has an increasingly short attention span.

So please join me in praying for him -- that is one gift I can give back to him.

9 comments:

Sarah said...

Oh, I will pray for him. What a precious man.

And I keep praying that things will speed up in India. Wouldn't it be wonderful if K were home before her 2nd birthday? We can certainly ask God for that miracle!

Kristen said...

I agree with you that the waiting is absolutely horrible and I will DEFINITELY pray that you only have to travel once. I have to travel twice and the first trip was heartbreaking. I wouldn't wish that upon anyone :( Also will be praying for Mr. W. I love his tenacity in keeping up with your adoption journey!

The Fraley Family said...

I was just thinking the same thing about myself this week -- I am a terrible "waiter". Also, I have felt guilty when people consistently ask about our adoption process. I feel like there must be something that I should be doing to make things happen. Thank you for sharing this wonderful challenging lesson from Mr. W. I will be praying for him and his family.

You know that I will be absolutely be praying right along with you for things to speed up in India and that we only have to travel once. I am also praying that the CARA conference brings lots of helpful information to our agencies.

SarahinOK said...

Praying with you!

Miche said...

Oh so many prayers for him to be better so he can be there to ask when you have your travel info :)

No Greater Love said...

Oh Nancy, you have so been on my heart lately. Waiting is the pits...but God is so faithful to teach us beautiful lessons in the meantime. I am never sure what my theology is on waiting....if it's God's will...if it's just the state of the world...but I know this, that He is SO SO SO good that brings good out of really stinky situations. I love the lesson you learned with Mr. W, and I will be praying for Him. Maybe soon He will be beside Jesus, asking Him, "How is it going with Nancy and Peter's adoption?" He will be your intercessor even there.....

Mummy J said...

Oh Nancy, what a wonderful inspiration Mr. W has been to you. It's amazing how the Lord strategically places people in our lives for various reasons... be it for faith, trust, patience to wait. I'm so glad that he's been there, and that you were reminded about the certainty that baby girl will be here soon. I'll be praying for him.

Julie & Patrick said...

First of all, I am so glad you posted. I was going to email you today and I guess take the place of Mr. W in his inquiry about your adoption information. Certainly, he will be in my prayers today. I sometimes forget that these decisions that we make for our own families touch so many other lives as well. I will also pray for some clarity as there seems to be many kinds of "wait". Waiting with knowledge of WHEN seems to be far more productive then waiting with no boundaries. Four years seems long enough...lets get this show on the road!!

Julie

Brad and Renae said...

Nancy-
I know it's been so very hard during the wait. I had no idea you were waiting for 4 years... did I understand that right? Wow, that is hard. God is good and certain - so I love that Mr. W. is waiting too with anticipation. I can't wait for you to be able to give him some news :) Praying for all of you.
Renae.