Have you ever had that feeling that something big was going to happen today?
It is Fall Break. I am not talking about any normal Fall Break. I am talking about a new stay-at-home, mom Fall Break! I have three kiddos and never have I ever been a stay-at-home mom. I get to literally stay-at-home ALL DAY BY MYSELF with my kids this week. I. AM. FREAKING. OUT.
But for real, I got this, right?! I have been a successful, working mom of three. Surely, I can stay at home with my kids. Are you kidding me?! No! I do not have this. I looked at the clock thinking it was nap time and it was 8:20AM! What?! Oh and it was Tuesday. I am loosing my mind!
Nevertheless, I woke up with that feeling that something big was going to happen today. And, no, I am not talking about my 3-year-old, constipated child for the last week will poop with no struggle type big (which did happen, by the way)! I am talking about SOMETHING – bring me to my knees crying – BIG.
And let me tell you. It was that BIG!
I think it was about an hour or two or three (um for real, who knows, I thought it was lunchtime at 8am) after my looking at the clock thinking it was nap time incident where I finally turned on the tv and had a moment of calm. I looked at my phone and saw a missed call from an un-identified number.
Lately I have been avoiding all unexpected calls, especially ones with a number I do not know. Last month, a couple days before I was leaving the country, I received a text saying my debit card had been compromised. This text and then a follow up call from First Tennessee’s phone number somehow led to $2,000 stolen from our adoption savings account. We had to close all accounts and change all passwords THE DAY BEFORE I LEFT THE COUNTRY. You can see now why I am hesitant to answer any calls. Shout out for National Cyber Security Awareness Month! Be aware, people!
BUT! This unknown/un-identified phone number today led to a much, MUCH better outcome.
Last week, I was feeling really discouraged so I posted a few times on social media asking for prayer specifically around the adoption. We also discovered a leak in the older kids room and we had to pull up the carpet on half of the room discovering water damage on the walls and bunk beds. This is the room our friends and family renovated last summer in hopes our kids would be home for Christmas 2018. It rained again over the weekend and rain poured in, this time getting into the new closet we just finished in August. We will have to disassemble the bunk beds, remove the feature wall, fix the water damaged walls and excavate the land outside to water proof the side of the house. What a mess!
I just kept thinking to myself, the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. Negativity was surrounding our adoption lately and I was fixating on why this was all happening. I started doubting, thinking it would never happen. What that verse had reminded me of was that we have a very real enemy at work who does not want us to be happy and surely does not want this adoption to happen. I turned to our Father’s word and I looked up that verse. The second half reads, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full,” John 10:10. Yes there is an enemy, but God has already won!
You guys, I believe in the power of prayer!
That call I keep mentioning. Do you want to know what it was all about? Did you read my earlier post “Triple Down”? If not, know that we have been on a two and a half year long international adoption process with identified children. WELL!! We have received the best news ever – our court passed in Belize!!! This was the last step we have been waiting on for months. We are bringing home #ThreeMoreTubis in 4 to 6 weeks (God-willing, we know timing belongs to Him)!!
THEY WILL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS 2019!!
Maybe by then I will have figured out this stay-at-home mom thing, their room will be dry and fixed and things will be perfect?! Or not, and that will be just fine because we take it a day at a time over here.
***I would love for you all to pray along with us and pass this post along for more prayers. They have meant so much to us and we can feel them working. Comment on this post, if you feel comfortable, a prayer for our adoption. Specific prayer requests: God will provide a way for us to pay for the damages to their room, we do indeed get to travel in 4 weeks to go get them and their transition home be better than we could possibly image.