A Sacred Moment

Yesterday was a ridiculously exciting day for our family.  We found out more information on Martin's background and we were able to tell Martin over the phone that we were his mommy and daddy for the first time. It was an incredible moment! The adoption just became very real and Martin feels like he is more apart of our family than ever!

Cheryl Sargent has been in Uganda for a little over a week...you need to know about Cheryl because she is a big part of our adoption. Her and her husband began the Suubi Project in Uganda about a year and a half ago and they have adopted 3 kids from there. They are walking out our adoption process with us and have been a HUGE blessing to us! One of Cheryl's goals while in Uganda was to go visit Martin's father again and have a very detailed conversation to make sure that he was in full support of the adoption, not only for legal reasons, but because even though Martin has been in an orphanage for over a year, we would not want to take him farther from a loving parent. After one unsuccessful attempt to meet Martin's father, they were able to meet up and talk through everything. Cheryl said that Martin's dad was very excited about his son's opportunity to go to America and have a loving family. He said he believed it was "God's will" for him. WOW!!! Cheryl even offered that we could support Martin to stay in Uganda if that is what is father wanted for him but his father was adamant that he could not take care of him and wanted him to be adopted.  His father told Cheryl that Martin was the 5th born of 10 children, which makes sense because he seems like such a middle child.

After meeting with Martin's father in the city, Cheryl went back to the Suubi Project ready to give Martin our gift and tell him that we wanted to adopt him! We sent a backpack for him (Spiderman of course...our boys helped with that) and a picture that Silas colored for him of Texas where he would come and live with us. We also sent a photo album with pictures of our home and our kids and our family, explaining who his brothers and sisters were and, of course Brad and I. We also sent him an ESV Bible with his name engraved...

So nothing says it like the email Cheryl sent me about her time telling Martin the exciting news so here it is so you can read it from Cheryl's point of view:

"I don't think I can accurately describe the awesomeness of the moment we told these children [Cheryl told 2 other children they were being adopted] they were going to be adopted into families... it was surreal.

Martin was so precious as he went through the picture album.  He spent time looking at each picture intently as I explained each one to him.  Even after I was finished he went back through it.  He particularly liked the ones of his brothers, Noah and Silas.  He also keep looking at the one of Brad and the boys being silly.  He just giggled and giggled!  Arnold read him his letter and made sure he understood it by asking him questions.  Arnold would ask him what his brothers and sister's names were and he would repeat their names each time.  He just smiled the whole time Arnold read to him.

He was so excited about his backpack and the fact that it had wheels was too cool!  He was so sweet about his bible.  When I showed him his name on the front... oh my.  He very carefully opened it and started turning the pages very carefully and thoughtfully.  He treated it as the treasure it is.  Joseph said something to him and he stood up and started 'preaching'.  So precious!

Once we spent a long time just letting him, along with the other 2 children being adopted, soak it all up; we asked if they had any questions.  Martin expressed his desire to see his brothers more than once :)  and he also asked what the name of his school would be.  haha!

It was such an amazing moment for Mindy, Joseph, Arnold and me... realizing that these children woke up in the morning as orphans, but went to bed belonging to families...  I have no words really.  God is so faithful! So incredible...

Right before they headed back to their house, Joseph asked Martin to pray.  We all stood and although I have no idea what Martin said in his prayer... it was a precious moment of thanksgiving to God.  He's one sweet boy, my Friend."

After Cheryl talked to Martin she called me so that I could talk to him. Of course Brad wanted to be there with us so he RUSHED home to be a part of it! It seriously felt like we were having a baby and Brad was rushing to the hospital!

She put him on the phone and I heard him say "Hi mommy!" I could hardly speak...it was so good to hear him call me that! Brad and I took turns telling him how much we loved him and couldn't wait to see him and bring him home to us. He is still learning English so Cheryl helped him understand. He kept asking about when he could see his brothers which melted my heart. At the end of the conversation we said "We love you Martin!" In his broken English we heard him say "I love you mommy and daddy. Thank you very, very much." 

I about drove to the airport to fly over there at this point. Brad and I just stared at the phone after we hung up. We knew our lives were changed forever. Who knows why God had us come on staff at Grace Community and meet the Sargents who started The Suubi Project and go to Uganda...to this random, tiny little village, and fall in love with this little 8 year old boy. It is God's perfect design and it is a better story than we could have ever written for ourselves.