First off, please pray for Andrew - he hasn't had much appetite today and is feeling a bit nauseous this evening.
We have enjoyed a relaxing day exploring the city. The rain continued well into the afternoon but thankfully our hotel had umbrellas to borrow. As we walked through the park this morning - in the pouring rain - we felt the peace and refreshing of The Lord. The park is about a 10 minute walk from our hotel and it is a beautiful oasis in the middle of the bustling city. Although I don't mind the big city, the thought of being surrounded by concrete with no green spaces for 2 weeks sounds quite miserable. So for this gorgeous park to be just minutes away is a real blessing. We are looking forward to taking Levi there later this week.
In exactly 12.5 hours we will meet our guide in the lobby and drive about 20 minutes to the Civil Affairs Office to receive Levi. His caregiver and perhaps another person will have brought him there from the orphanage. We have no expectations for this first meeting. We certainly hope and pray there will be smiles and hugs but in reality we know this will most likely be a confusing and sad morning for Levi. We have all been praying that The Lord would prepare his little heart for this day and we're going to choose to trust Him in that. Pray that the the language barrier between us would be overcome even in the first interactions. Honestly, it's kind of odd to think about meeting our son tomorrow and not really being sure what to first say to him. My heart wants to tell him we love him and that we're going to take care of him (and I have a little book I can attempt to read those statements from in Chinese ;) Pray for wisdom and discernment for us in those moments. Following that we will go to Walmart to purchase anything we may need. This will be Levi's first time in a store of any kind - much less a mega-store like Walmart. Pray that the sights and sounds and smells would not be overwhelming. But instead the shopping trip would communicate our love to him as we provide for his needs and wants. After that we will come back to the hotel for the afternoon. Pray that Levi will feel comfortable in this room - we have been praying today for a special anointing by the Holy Spirit - and that truly it would be the presence of The Lord which brings peace and comfort and safety to Levi. We have some concerns of communicating that this hotel room is not our home and that in a few days we'll go to another hotel and then finally to our home - not sure how and when to communicate that concept. There are so many other thoughts and ways to pray but these are the main few that come to mind. We trust the Holy Spirit to guide you as you pray.
Saying thank you doesn't even begin to express how grateful we are for you all. I cannot imagine how any person could or would walk this journey without a faith family.
We look forward to sharing pictures of our son with you tomorrow!
Love,
Robin & Andrew
Saw Chloe this morning. She was so happy. I am praying for you both constantly - I even prayed for these specific things before I read your update. The Lord is so good. Hoping Andrew's stomach.
ReplyDelete