We Stand To Fight

As many of you know by now, today was "ask day" and the answer was no.  We won't share every detail, it is enough to say that she was a brave little girl who had to make a difficult decision.  I pray that the things told to her are in fact the truth, otherwise the outcome is heartbreaking.

For us, really me, the initial response was to get the you know what out of here and get home to our other girls.  Pick up the pieces and try to figure out what God was trying to teach us through this.  For the better part of the past 5 hours it has been constant email and face book, with a massive amount of tears.  Desperately grasping for Gods direction.  How in the world can we come all this way and not see the entire process through?  How in the world can we stay away from our girls back home for an indefinite amount of time?  How can we possibly walk back into the SDA and look at those books one more time?

I have to brag on my girls for a minute.  First Lily, who had to sit by this sweet little girl who she has grown to love and listen to her say no to us.  Then there is Annabelle and Emma who are back home with everything topsy turvy and no real end in sight.

After Lily cried her tears, questioned God and why in the world he would bring us here for nothing she turn back to that child like faith.  She said God is showing us that we can trust him and that His story is not complete yet.  After all the heart ache she is ready to walk into the building that Jamie calls the "GFB"  (it is not vulgar, and I will explain when the process is complete) and try again.  She still thinks that it is a good idea to ride the overnight train.

Annabelle and Emma are holding down the fort at home.  I was largely distraught thinking about them and the impact this extended time will have on them.  We got a bit of FaceTime but all I could do was cry.  So we tried to chat on Facebook, better luck there.  At least they couldn't see my tears that way.  So they voted and both felt like all the time and money spent that we need to stay and try again.  Then I really burst into tears.

Then there is our Sasha, our translator who has been with all week.  She is a lovely 20 year old who I would bring home with me in a second.  She has been amazing.

And all of you at home, praying, emailing, face booking...thank you, thank you, thank you.  Really, you have no idea how much the encouragement has helped to pull us out of the pit.

I am still terrified of going through this process yet again, there is always the chance that we will come home empty handed.  But God is big, bigger than me, bigger than this, and bigger than the corruption in the system.

So, please, please, stand firm with us.  Keep sending the prayers and we will stay and fight.

I feel the love and support and count it my privilege to have each of you in my life.  Every person should have the network of support and encouragement that we have.

Hands still wide open....