GOD HAS ANSWERED...

Someone asked me the other day if we had always wanted to adopt. I laughed and said, "NO!" I had seen close friends of mine adopting and thought that it was such a nice idea (and so "nice" of them to do) and that maybe (BIG maaybe) Dan and I would do it some day. Dan would once said something like, " Some days I have a hard enough time loving my own kids. How could I love someone else's?" II love kids in general, but I totally understood what he was saying. We were obviously not feeling called to adopt at that time in our lives. ;)  So anyway, as I was answering this friend, I said that I never really thought about us adopting.

 A few years ago I began learning about modern day slavery and sex trafficking and my heart began to break for all of these things that break God's heart. I was reading my Bible with fresh eyes and saw how much God loved those that we might consider "worthless." He wants us to be their advocates on this earth. I was asking God to just show me how he could use Dan and me. To be honest, I was sad that I couldn't just hop on a plane and go help all of these people that I was reading about in Cambodia, India, Africa, etc. I wanted so badly for God to use me, but I felt like "being a Mom" was holding me back. And then the Holy Spirit nudged me and basically said, "Your family is your mission right now. I will use you right where you are." That thought led Dan and I to the thought of adoption. "Family" is our mission right now and there are countless kids that need a family. We didn't think that we "SHOULD" adopt.....God gave us a strong desire to adopt and a peace that I can't even explain. It was literally the easiest (and biggest) decision we had ever made. So with all that said, GOD HAS ANSWERED our prayer of "how can you use us?" with ADOPTION.

As we waited for the past year and a half, I couldn't help but think about our daughter's birthmother. At the time, I knew nothing about her. I still don't know too much. But I was confident that because she chose LIFE for this little girl, she loved her. I also couldn't help but think that at some point she prayed for this little girl. And possibly asked God to take care of her and to give her a family that would love her unconditionally. And GOD HAS ANSWERED that mother's prayer with ADOPTION.

He has been weaving this story together so beautifully and I feel so blessed to be used by him and to be able to love on our sweet Eliana Nardos Videon. :)

Eliana \e-lia-na\ pronounced el-ee-AH-nah. It is of Hebrew origin, and the meaning of Eliana is "God has answered".

We love you, Eliana. You are an answer to the prayer of two mamas that love you.