"....where you do not wish to go..."

During the Orphan Summit last week (has it really been a whole week ago?) the message that Russell Moore preached Thursday morning really spoke to my heart. He talked about Jesus speaking to Peter shortly after the resurrection. The story was familiar, Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved Christ, and Peter kept saying that, yes, Lord, I love you. We hear that part all the time, and Jesus tells Peter to go out and feed His sheep. We accept that part as Peter being instructed to spread the gospel and minister to the "sheep."

The part of the story that I had never focused on before, was when Jesus tells Peter that now, he can dress himself and go wherever he wants, but there will come a time when others will dress him and take him where he does not wish to go. This is a foretelling of Peter's death by crusfixtion. This was the exact death that Peter had feared the most and this fear was what had prompted him to deny Christ three times previously. Where he did not wish to go. Dr. Moore told us that our calling is sometimes to a place we do not wish to go.

When we began this adoption journey, we had seen lots of beautiful babies and young children dressed in cute outfits, fitting in perfectly with their new American families. It's easy to assume that God could call a family to something like this. But He could also call us to something not so cute. Maybe a child who has a special need. There are so many children out there who need a family, who do not fit so seemlessly and smoothly into the picture. Are they any less deserving of our love?
At this point, after praying about an older child (we are still praying about age) we have also begun praying about a child with special needs. Now, at this point in the process we are limited to conditions we were previously approved for in our home study. I believe it was worded something like "minor, correctable medical conditions." In order to accept a major medical need, we would have to make changes to our home study and re-do some other paper work, and at this point we don't know what that would do to our wait time. We have settled on a condition that we heard, several of the children in our orphanage have, that is club feet.

We have done some research and in many cases, club feet can be corrected either with casting or minor surgery. However, these are still not considered "healthy" children, and up until now, the Ministry has only approved the adoptions of healthy children. This is not to say that it Couldn't happen, just that it Hasn't happened. If this is truly the path that God has led us to, it will happen. If the Ministry tells us no, then, well, I don't know.

Right now we are still waiting on that approval. We may or may not ultimately receive our request for a child with club feet. God knows the child He ordained to be a Vanderpool since before time began. I can't wait to meet him or her myself! We love you little one. We love you exactly the way God made you and we are so anxious to have you home!