Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Day 9 - Don't Settle For Ordinary

Maria's View: 

Today was another beautiful day!  The nanny sent him out without a coat for both visits and without a hat for the 2nd visit.  He was a happy little boy!  He doesn't like being bundled up at all.  We did our usual thing around the playground and play shed and got lots of tickles in.  He is such a sweet little boy and full of curiosity!  We walk with him in our arms outside around the orphanage and he is constantly reaching for the leaves on the bushes and trees and of course we will let him grab a handful and pull with all his might!

He is a very smiley boy but I believe it's because he is so ticklish!  Just the lightest touch causes him to smile so I feel like most of the smiles he gives us are because of that.  However, today, he gave me 2 smiles and I'm positive they weren't from tickles!  That really made my day!  One happened while he was in the swing and I was crouched down in front of him... I said something silly and he smiled.  Then the other one was after he bonked noggins with me and I said, "ouch" in an over dramatic voice and he smiled. 

Another emotion that we saw today happened when we were headed up the stairs to his groupa to return him to his nanny.  On the landing of the stairs, Chris got my attention and he looked like he could explode with tears but nothing came out.  He made a moan but that was it.  This is the closest he has ever come to crying with us.  I'm not exactly sure what happened but I'm guessing that he knew that our time was up.  Or at least I hope that's what he was thinking because that's a very good sign of bonding!

I am just amazed at where we are today.  God issued a call and we obeyed.  It was a very scary call, the kind of call that turns your world upside down.  God has taken care of every aspect of this journey so far, most importantly our children and funding.  God has given us everything we wanted in our adopted son.  It's almost like He put the exact desires in our heart for this specific child.  He can do that, you know.  He's pretty awesome like that!

Why settle for the ordinary life?  How many times have I been so scared that I have ignored the voice of God?  Yeah, I'm guilty of that, so many times.  But I THANK GOD for this child.  I THANK HIM for slamming me so heavily with the desire to adopt that there was no denying it.  I THANK HIM for breaking me to the point of laying flat on my face, praying, and crying out to Him to lead me to the one who is meant for us.  And He did. 

Please, don't settle for ordinary.  Listen.  Obey.  Go.



Chris's View:

I need to apologize in advance as there are no pictures of the events I will be speaking about below, but trust me, they would be utterly disappointing!

So as I alluded to yesterday, we were told there was a bazaar across the main street from the Karavan.  When I say main street, I don't mean like yours & our main street in our town.  This is what we Americans would see as a 4 lane street 2 going, 2 coming... that somehow the local driving population turns in to a 10 lane super highway!  The road is littered with huge potholes, not a single lane line to be found, and thousands of cars driving at break-neck pace, even though our driver tells us that the speed limit is 60 kilometers per hour.  (Admittedly he says the cops will not ticket you unless you go 81 km/h)  There is a major intersection right beside the Karavan, and it is the closest place to cross the street with the international green walking man... well, it really isn't a green walking man here, but just a green light for pedestrians.  We have to make a "U", since you cannot directly cross from the Karavan to the area that was denoted as the bazaar to us.  I hope that is clear.  So we have to cross a major road, the MAIN road, then another major road to get to the bazaar area... hope that is understandable, since I know no other way to explain it.

We arrive at the first light.  There are about 5 people waiting.  The light turns green, we hold our breath and cross.  Mind you, we cannot run due to my joints, so if it turns on us in a hurry, I'm taking the hit!  Safely across the first major road, we turn and face the MAIN road.  Surprisingly, we navigate it pretty well.  We walk along the path on the other side, and over the fence made of tin sheets, I can see a pedestrian crossing sign.  Unfortunately, when we came to the end of the path, there is no light, no painted crosswalk, just a pedestrian sign suspended above the street.  Great!  This is where we are going to eat it, huh?  Nope... again, it was pretty mellow crossing, other than Maria getting a huge mouthful of car exhaust.

So we are now at the bazaar.  We walk into the tented area to find..............hardware.  I look at Maria and mumble "hardware section."  We continue walking... hardware, hardware, electrical supply, fishing rods & tackle, hardware, hardware... UGH!  We are in the outdoor version of the Home Depot!  Great!  We are deep in this place by now, so I head for the nearest bright light at the end of the tent, turn and begin walking like I think we can get out of the place... NOPE!  It was a lane that led to storage sheds, like semi trailer boxes where the individual shops kept their back stock.  So, we walk all the way back out of the place, dodging guys carrying rolls of plastic tubing, past light fixtures and fishing shops.  FAIL!  We risked our lives crossing that crazy street to walk through a hardware store... but hey, at least I know where to go if I need to fix a leaky toilet!

On the walk back, yes, we had to cross the MAIN street again, we took the route that paralleled the MAIN road.  Maria pointed across the street and quietly said, "That looks like the place."  Sure enough, another area, similar to the hardware bazaar, but it just might be the spot we were looking for.  At least she didn't rub it in my face!  I love her!  Looks like we will have to cross the MAIN street again another day!

See ya'll tomorrow!

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