We Are MATCHED!!!!!!!

I burst into tears when I typed those 3 words to title this blog. I can't even wrap my head or heart around it. We. are. MATCHED!!! It feels like a dream! After 4 years, 2 months, and 2 weeks of waiting for Kate, we are finally MATCHED with a beautiful little girl in Thailand!!! PRAISE THE LORD!!!!!!!

"The Lord is wonderfully good to those who wait for Him... "

~ Lamentations 3:25

Kate Jackson

Birthdate: January 19, 2013

Age: 3 years and 3 months

Height: 39 inches

Weight: 30.8 lbs

Place of Birth: Thailand

On Monday morning we saw our daughter for the very first time. I cannot put into words what that moment meant to us. To finally see the beautiful face of the little one we have been dreaming of for 50 months was absolutely surreal! I have cried an ocean full of happy tears, and Rusty and I have gone to bed each night this week with faces that hurt from smiling too much. We are overjoyed!!!

"The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with JOY!"

~ Psalm 126:3

As anxious as we were to see our Kate when we got the email - I am so glad that we took a few moments to wait and set up our camera. Thanks to our GoPro, we were able to capture the moment when we saw her for the first time, and I cry again every time I watch it. I am so glad that someday we'll be able to tell our little girl that we wanted her before she was even born, and show her that we loved her from the first second we saw her!

I wish more than anything that I could post her photo for all of you to see here and now - but we cannot share her photo* online due to regulations from Thailand. I will tell you though, that she is absolutely gorgeous! I could have never imagined that we would be lucky enough to be Mama and Daddy to such a darling child! She has the prettiest pouty lips you've ever seen, the loveliest almond shaped eyes, and sweet brown sugar skin. She is wearing pigtails, a red and white polka-dotted dress, and standing with her knee cocked "just so" in a dainty little pose! With one look - she has completely stolen our hearts!

We cannot stop staring at her photo, and have even printed and framed a copy already (that we may or may not be carrying from room to room in our house!) She is the background for both of our phones, and we are guilty of gazing again and again with a dreamy look in our eyes. I caught Rusty looking at her Monday night in utter adoration. When I asked him what he thought he sighed and said, "This is love at first sight." Friends... we. are. SMITTEN!

We've been amazed at how obvious it is that God hand-picked this little girl just for us! We have three pages of information on our daughter, and it reads as if she was our biological child. In the words of the orphanage staff, she is "chatty" and "self-willed". (Sound like anyone you know? ;) She is cheerful and smiles a lot... playful and friendly. She can play alone - but prefers to play in a group (our little extrovert!) She shares generously. She loves to listen to music and dance to the beat, and she loves accessories! (Apparently she examines all the jewelry visitors wear - especially necklaces.) She has a lovely Thai name (we will be keeping part of it as a middle name, though we haven't decided which part). One part of her name means "flower", and her Thai nickname means "rainwater". Kate is smart and a fast learner. She's also healthy - and the few minor health issues she has dealt with in the past are all, strangely enough, things that run in my family! (What are the odds?!)

About a year ago, as I was sharing some anxious thoughts with a friend about our adoption, I was given some very good advice. She told me simply, "You can't miss your child." She knew that no matter how the timing went for our home study, or matching - God had chosen a specific child for us, and us for her, and He would see to it that we were together someday. My friend was SO right. There are many other details I cannot share at this time that show His hand was in this match. We are incredibly grateful to witness the evidence of His work. This is definitely our little girl, and we already love her so much!

We know that we have had hundreds of people praying for our adoption for the past 4 years - and we can't thank you all enough for praying us through to this moment. We could not have made it this far without the love and support of our family and friends - and we need you now more than ever! Please help us pray our little girl HOME! The typical timeline for travel is 6-12 months (with some cases taking even longer). But the Lord has been speaking to my heart for a few weeks now, and I've been telling Rusty that I think we're traveling in August. (Even before we were matched, I just knew it was going to be August!) It's CRAZY I know - but something in my spirit just won't let this go. So we are believing God for a MIRACLE - that we will be going to get our baby girl sometime in August (just 3 months from now!) Will you pray in faith with us? We have already missed the first 3 years and 3 months of her little life, and we do not want to miss another moment!

"With man this is impossible, 

but with God all things are possible."

~ Matthew 19:26

"You are the God who performs miracles; 

you display your power among the peoples." 

~ Psalm 77:14

"If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."

~ Matthew 21:22

"Now faith is confidence in what we hope for 

and assurance about what we do not see."

~ Hebrews 11:1

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*If you see me or Rusty out and about, or any of our immediate family members - feel free to ask to see Kate's picture! We'll be glad to show her off and tell you more about our darling little girl! 

The Bunny Goes To Toomer's

*I'm writing this as a back-dated blog. I didn't get a chance to write it in April, but it's something I don't want to forget, so I'm sharing it now. :)

Last weekend, we went to Auburn for a very special event. It was the final rolling of Toomer's Trees - the beloved oaks that sit at Toomer's Corner. Our beautiful trees had been poisoned by an ignorant, hateful Alabama fan more than a year before, and now they were dying. The University did everything they could to save them and now they were beyond hope. You can see in the pictures how terrible they looked. It was time to cut them down. But first - we were going to celebrate all our memories there with one final roll.

I knew it was going to be an emotional day. I'm sure there are people reading right now who think this is silly.... and to them, I would say, "you just don't understand". Our Toomer's Oaks were more than just "something we roll" to celebrate football games. They were the beautiful trees arching over the official entrance of the University - the corner where our campus meets the city. They were the trees we celebrated football wins under, yes, but we also celebrated graduations and wedding days and elections beneath their branches. There are men who kissed their wife for the first time under those trees... and others who decided that spot would be the perfect place to get engaged. Their branches hold so many precious memories for the Auburn Family.

Rusty and I each threw one final roll...

Those trees were there when my Dad went to Auburn... and when I went to Auburn... and when my little brothers went to Auburn... and I had hoped that they would be there when my children attended someday.

And that is what made this day even more emotional.

I was already sad about losing our trees and all the memories we'd made beneath them. But then to realize my children, and specifically our little girl Kate, would never get to see them absolutely broke my heart.

So we decided to take her with us - the only way we knew how. We took her little bunny.... the one we bought in Thailand (for our child "someday") and the one that now sits out to remind me of her everyday. We thought that at the very least, we could take a few pictures of her bunny at Toomer's Corner to show her that we were thinking of her and missing her on this special day. And so, we did.

There were a couple of people who asked what the bunny was about (as I'm sure we looked strange!) and they were super supportive and kind when we explained it to them. But after a couple of questions, I could tell my emotions were on edge. I began to feel the sadness set in, and the lump in my throat form. I began to feel even more angry that some hateful Alabama fan had stolen this tradition from me and my little girl. I began to feel angry that adoption takes so long and she wasn't already home. And as I looked around at all the parents with their little girls in their little Auburn cheerleader outfits - sharing this tradition for the first and last time - I felt the tears sting my eyes.

When that happened, we decided it was time to take a break (because really, I wasn't prepared for a full-out cryfest in the middle of the crowd beneath the trees) so the bunny went back into my purse and we walked around campus for a while. When I felt like I had a better hold on my emotions, we decided to walk back to Toomer's Corner. But first, we stopped to snap some pictures at Samford Hall.

While standing there, I looked down and saw two of the most beautiful little Asian girls. "Don't they look Thai??" I asked Rusty, who agreed but shrugged it off. I couldn't help but watch them play while Rusty took more pictures - they were adorable! But I figured I was just assuming they were Thai because I was missing Kate. And besides, I couldn't run up to them or their mom and awkwardly ask, "So... what ethnicity are you?" That's just too weird! So we turned to leave. But then - someone ran up to us and asked if we would take a picture of their group of friends. And that group just happened to have those 2 beautiful little girls and their beautiful momma in it!

After we snapped some photos for them we chatted a bit, and before long we found out - not only were those gorgeous little girls half Thai, but their Thai Mom (Uma) was also an Auburn grad! I was absolutely beside myself with excitement! We have lots of Thai friends in Thailand, but none in America. The next thing I knew it was a blur of us speaking Thai, meeting her little girls, taking pictures, and sharing information. They were excited to hear about our adoption, and even offered to help in any way they could (it turns out that Uma's sister works for the US Embassy in Thailand!) I was blown away!

Right about then some of our friends walked up (Malerie and Kevin Huguley, who adopted a precious little girl from Korea) and within a few minutes we were all chatting and the girls were playing together. Then, as I was explaining everything that had happened to Malerie and telling her how much I'd been missing our Thai baby girl that day, something completely unexpected happened. Suddenly, the two Thai little girls stopped playing, ran over to me, and threw their arms around me! I have no idea how they knew I needed a hug from a Thai little girl that day, but they did. It was all I could do not to break down in tears.

I don't know what the odds are of us running into a Thai family in Auburn that day, but I do know they are slim. Thais make up only around .05% of the US population, so it hasn't been easy for us to meet Thai friends in the US. The fact that we would meet this precious family on a day when I was so heartsick for my little girl was so, so special. I'm grateful they took time out of their day to talk to us (and hug us!) when we really needed it. To me, it was a special blessing. I felt like God was reminding me that He hasn't forgotten about us (or our little girl!)

We spent the rest of the day and night with the Huguleys, which fully distracted me from my earlier emotional state. I mean, how could you not be happy chasing around a little Korean cutie like this?

We love the Huguleys and I was really glad that their adorable little girl was home in time for them to share the Toomer's tradition with. We laughed and joked about what must be going on in her little head. I'm sure seeing all that toilet paper everywhere was really a strange sight to her!

And so, even with all the emotions it brought, we ended up having a great day. And it turned out that the "final roll" brought us just as many precious memories as all the special rolls in the past.

Thanks Toomer's Oaks, for bringing together the Auburn Family like you always have.

Happy Birthday Nelson Mandela!

Today is Nelson Mandela's 93rd birthday! Because he is such a remarkable man, I felt it was important to write a blog today dedicated to him.

 

You may have learned a little bit about Nelson Mandela's life if you watched the beautiful movie "INVICTUS" released in 2009.  Mandela became South Africa's first black president in 1994 after spending 27 years in prison for his fight against racist apartheid rule, and was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts. When he took over leadership of South Africa, it was his humility, love, and constant striving for peace and equality that helped unify and heal his country.

He is full of wisdom and has shared so much inspiring advice over the years. I am anxious to buy a copy of the new book "Nelson Mandela by Himself" - which was released by his foundation today.

Lately, I've been reflecting on this quote from Mandela:

"If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart."

I can think of nothing more true. This is why we work so hard when we are overseas to learn the local language. Whether it is Afrikaans, Xosa, or Telugu - I do my best to at least learn how to greet someone and to say Thank You. I will never forget the day I met an Indian man in Thailand, and mis-spoke to him in Thai. When he told me he was from India (not Thailand) I asked him what area. When he said Andhra Pradesh and I responded with "Thank You" in his native tongue, I thought he would pass out from shock! His eyes lit up, and he grabbed his chest as the biggest smile spread across his face. A few moments later we were sharing stories and laughing like old friends, and he was offering to buy myself and my husband drinks!

Of course, in the countries we work in regularly, we are trying to learn as much of the language as possible. We've learned enough Thai to get around town, and enough siSwati to have simple conversations, and I'm hoping I can learn more Hindi when we return to India this fall. It's a lot of work, but it is so worth it when we see the joy (and surprise!) in the faces of the locals we meet. There are so few westerners who have cared enough to even try to learn their language... so when we do, it is a sign of love and respect.

I heard an interview with a white typist who worked in the President's office when Mandela won the position in 1994. She talked about the day she met Mandela in the hall, and he began to speak to her in Afrikaans, which is considered the "white people's language" (and was the language of Mandela's prison guards). She shared that when he spoke her language to her, she was so surprised and overwhelmed that she began to cry. What a beautiful story of what humility, love, and hard work can do!

I hope today, you will celebrate the birthday of this incredible man by choosing to love and serve those around you, as he has for so many years. I'll leave you with a few more of his beautiful quotes. Happy Birthday Mr. Mandela!

"It is in your hands to make our world a better one for all, especially the poor, vulnerable and marginalized" - Nelson Mandela

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” - Nelson Mandela

“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” - Nelson Mandela

“For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” - Nelson Mandela

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” - Nelson Mandela

“The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” - Nelson Mandela

“I am fundamentally an optimist. Whether that comes from nature or nurture, I cannot say. Part of being optimistic is keeping one’s head pointed toward the sun, one’s feet moving forward. There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lays defeat and death.” - Nelson Mandela

“It always seems impossible until it’s done.” - Nelson Mandela


"There is no passion to be found playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living." - Nelson Mandela

"As I have said, the first thing is to be honest with yourself. You can never have an impact on society if you have not changed yourself... Great peacemakers are all people of integrity, of honesty, but humility."  - Nelson Mandela