5 Million Minus 1

Saga...

Let me tell you a story.  It started late late at night on Saturday, December 4, 2010.  JT and I had been praying to be more involved with orphan care, even more than we already were.  With JT involved on the board of the LYDIA Fund, me keeping up with our blog and both us having Tedi, it would seem on the outside like it was enough.  We were not seeking out a second adoption.  However, as I sat and talked to friend I met in the adoption community, she told me of a little boy who needed a family, as so many do.

She has adopted from Ghana and is now facilitating indepentent Ghanan adoptions through an orphanage in Ghana.  This little boy, whose name is Saga, was born to a Muslim woman and Christian man. The mothers family was not supportive of this child and threatened both her life and Saga's.  She fled with her son, seeking refuge with John, a man who runs an orphanage in Ghana.  So now the mom is seeking to put him up for adoption for both his well being and hers, though mostly his. 

Our friend asked us if we were interested.  JT and I decided to pray about this for one week separately. We then came together a week later to discuss what God had shown us.  Our ultimate decision was to proceed with the adoption....to slowly proceed...while simultaneously asking God to stop us if this was not for us.  So in our hearts, we were ready to accept God's call and though nervous, we moved forward.  We had a name for him in the back of our minds and were ready for all the criticism and questioning we would receive.  

About three days after our decision, I was talk to someone about this.  God placed an unsettled feeling on my heart.  I called JT about an hour later because I could not quite shake this feeling. Not shockingly, he was having a similar feeling.  We talked about his and felt it was God trying to tell us something.  Immediately, the same family's name was uttered by both JT and me. I contacted the wife and discussed this..  They were considering adopting from Ethiopia but nothing had quite moved forward with this.   They decided to pray about this option, to take in Saga....

Well, this past Friday night, we got a call from the couple to say they are going to proceed with adopting this little boy.  What a blessing!  And now JT feel an even greater call than merely adopting but to step aside from a child we so wanted in our home and let another family give him a home...to stand beside this family through their process, walking with them, and providing financial support when possible...  I won't lie and act like it does not ache a little bitty bit to give up this call and hand it to another family...

So now we continue to pray...pray for where God will lead us next, what he will show us, and how he will use us... Now, please continue to pray for Saga, the family adopting him and his birth mother.