that impeccable timing of His

this shouldn't surprise me.  it does though because when i clearly see His hand in my life, it is so incredbly humbling.  a serious Godwink.  when they happen, i am just in awe.

we finally got the call this week with travel dates.  they always revolve around the giving & receiving ceremony -- monday, november 12, 2018 at 3:00 p.m.  it is here that you meet your child for the first time.  sometimes the 'ceremony' (loosely speaking, for sure) is at a government office and sometimes in your hotel lobby.  always exciting and unnerving.  add in little sleep and it's simply an emotional trainwreck that you are completely trying to mask.  it is unbelievably brave for a child to walk toward you knowing their entire world, as they have known it, is all about to radically change.  understatement.

if you read earlier posts, you remember that this adoption came out of left field.  our family was supposedly complete.  blah blah blah.  it was on.... drumroll.... sunday, november 12, 2017 that we went to our friends' church for their special adoption sunday service.  that night was when the "we are probably too old to adopt, aren't we?" question came from the very mouth of the one who had been firm in his resolve that we were done adopting.

with all the variables of adoption -- and if you've adopted you know exactly what i mean when i say that -- the entire process is almost completely out of your hands.  a few things are within your influence, but very, very few.  the timing simply is not yours to decide.  so when the pivotal church service and the giving and receiving ceremony occur on the same date one year apart, it is so cool!  how like Him to show Himself at this stage.  i googled the probability of this happening and the odds are 99.73 that it won't.  but it did!

Lord willing, lydia, sarah, phoebe, and i will leave early friday morning.  i told a friend that the decision to take three came down to this:  1) it is our last adoption hurrah; and 2) taking myself back to my age 25 way of thinking when it came to buying a new car -- i am already spending X amount, what the heck! throw in the sunroof too!"  trusting it to be a memorable girl trip adventure :)

back to timing.  ugh.  i soooo hope this doesn't come back and bite me in the bootie.  i opted to take a risk and book flights to leave on thanksgiving, november 22 at 12:25 a.m.  it was that or (doing as the agency suggested) staying six more days in hanoi!  ack, say it isn't so!  the schedule looks something like this:  leave friday, arrive ho chi minh saturday night, fly to esther an tam's province sunday, receive her on monday, fly to hanoi tuesday.  park in hanoi until her visa, passport, medical, and consulate interview are completed.  my timetable says accomplishing those four things in 6.5 working days is totally doable.  but will the u.s. consultate comply with the desire of my heart?  i would truly covet any prayer you lift for favor in this regard.  we need favor with both God and man.  my hope is that the u.s. workers will sympathize with our wanting to be home for the holiday.  being an extreme homebody, i can barely entertain the thought of being gone longer.  thankfully He gives what you need when you need it.  if i need it.  please don't make me need it LOL!!!!

edited to add a p.s. because my selfish prayer request was just that.  selfish.  the more important prayer need is for esther's heart and transition into her new family.  i really mean that.