Love Thursday: Remembering Referral Day

It's Love Thursday!

Today is the third anniversary of the day we received Sparkle's referral. 

We had been waiting for about four months after our profile was sent to South Africa.  The whole time we had been praying urgently for our baby and his/her mother-- that his mom would get enough folic acid, that she would know where to go to find safety or help when she needed them, that she would not be afraid to attach to the baby and that he would feel welcome and loved while waiting to be born, that she would have a safe delivery, and a million other things...

Two days before we had gotten a strange voice mail from our adoption agency.  Our referral was not quite ready to be sent, but we had a tentative court date in South Africa on October 1, so maybe think about buying plane tickets because they are so much cheaper if you buy them at least two weeks before you fly, but maybe wait for your referral... 

We video-taped the machine playing that message.  Oh my gosh, the suspense was killer.

At work two days later, I got a phone call from our adoption agency.

"You have a little boy!  He's five months old!"

Joy!!!

Hooray!  Oh my gosh, I have to see him!  I HAVE TO SEE MY BABY BOY!! Call Beloved!  Hurry home!  Don't you dare open the email before I get there!  Hurry!

We looked at his pictures first, of course.  I have never seen a more beautiful baby in my whole life, truly.  We read the referral out load, and I memorized all five pages of information about him.

We called my mom.  (We videotaped this, too.)  She was crying on the phone before she even saw his picture.  Then both of us were laughing and crying and exclaiming over this beautiful little baby boy.

Both Beloved and I had to go back to work then, but not before I printed out about ten copies of one of his pictures.

After all my sweet co-workers admired him, I tacked one copy of his picture above my desk beside this verse which was my comfort and prayer while we waited for this happy referral:

                 "But these things I plan won't happen right away. 

Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. 

            If it seems slow, be patient!  For it will surely take place. 

                              It will not be late by a single day."

(Habakkuk 2:3 from the New Living Translation)

Comments

[klorentzon]

THANK YOU for that verse!!! That is JUST what we needed!

What a beautiful story. God's timing is SO perfect!

And you have a BEAUTIFUL boy that proves it!

[Angie]

He's absolutely beautiful! Gorgeous! Thank you for the comforting verse as well.

[maryrwise]

What a great story; what a beautiful boy!

[Rae]

He IS beautiful. What an amazing memory.

[Blaine]

It is just too cool that God provided us with those wise words so long before we even needed them. I only wish I had known that verse this time last year. 8^) I'll definitely be including it on my blog. Thanks!

[PastorMac's Ann]

Awwww, look at that guy! Those eyes! Wow. and I love the way that he's holding his hands together.

Sweet love.

[arubagirl]

That's a beautiful prayer and a beautiful boy.

[laurie]

happy anniversary! happy love thursday!

[wendy]

Precious boy! :-)

[DeAnna]

What a wonderful verse and precious story! Our adoptions were both domestic so I can't totally relate to the referral, but I can relate to the waiting. And I definitely can relate to knowing that God's timing is so perfect. Actually Isabella was 1 day old when they called us and they sent us an e-mail with pictures of her on it. I remember waiting for that e-mail and opening it with my husband and my parents. Then showing the pictures off at the next 2 days until we were given the Ok to fly to our baby! It was so precious!