lives be healed {part II}

**this written on September 16, before we went public with our news of family expansion ~ His role in this story is a part that needs to be shared...**

It's been an interesting two weeks as we've tried to still ourselves one last time to make sure that the whisper was from Him.

Just last night we said a final prayer, again felt peace about about our decision, and hit [send] to request our agency to have her file transferred on our behalf.

And there we were.  Too excited to sleep.  So many questions.  So many yet unknowns.

What if, what if, what if...

One of the last things Ian said before we quit talking and pretended to be asleep was, "I wonder if tomorrow's message will bring any confirmation or if God will just leave this quiet in our hearts for now."

Wouldn't you know that in something only He could orchestrate, there was confirmation.

The same song that brought me to weeping over her back in May.  The one that confirmed in my heart that I had to let her go, to advocate for her to find a family.  Quiet, happy tears of thankfulness welled up this morning as I recognized the song with the first few chords from our worship pastor's guitar...

"Chains be broken

lives be healed

eyes be opened

Christ is revealed"

Yes, today that song washed over me in a new light and the tears came from a different place in my soul.

For Natalie, the chains of being an orphan are already in motion to be broken.
In time, some of her physical ailments, but also the broken heart of not having a family of her own will be healed.
We pray that medical intervention from her nationally ranked pediatric glaucoma specialist will help open her eyes for restored vision.
And in the process of realizing that she is indeed our daughter, Christ has been revealed.

Oh how I praise Him for continuing to whisper until we were obedient enough to listen...

**And one other small, but fun confirmation.  I somewhat flippantly said last night that it was a shame that I was going to have to retire yet another necklace from the Vintage Pearl.  First I had my "you are my sunshine" that had room for three kids names.  Last year for Mother's Day Ian thoughtfully replaced it with "my hands are almost as full as my heart" with the inner circle that had room for four names.  Wouldn't you know that today I had an email from the Vintage Pearl (the first one in over a year) complete with a coupon for a new purchase?  It's even the little things that He oversees that overwhelms me sometimes.**