By Grace

"For by GRACE you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."
Ephesians 2:8-9

GRACE=receiving something that you do not deserve




It is hard for me to share, because my heart is overflowing! As the day passes by it is filled with moments that I desire to hide away in my heart forever! Only God fully knows the scope of what has been unfolding over the last 24 hours, but a great blessing of healing has been poured out on my mama heart. Deep places of loss and rejection within my heart are being restored through the healing balm of His grace.

Maggie slept sweetly. She snuggled into bed sandwiched between Haddie and I, as if we had been doing so for years. When she woke this morning she greeted me with a precious smile.

We spent a bit of time on Skype. She enjoys seeing Brad, Joel, Jack, and Libi. It always makes her smile. How my heart aches for the day we are all together!

We pulled out our clothes for the day, and I had matching shirts for the girls and I that say, ..."by Grace". It is true, that all of this is only because of God's great grace. (You can imagine Jacob was disappointed not to have one!)

As we headed out into the majestic lobby of this hotel, I looked down at Maggie and she was simply beaming! She held her high. I told Jacob, she feels like a princess being paraded before her royal subjects.

Food has been a difficult barrier. She is eating, but seems to be opinionated about what she likes. Jacob and I are striving to unlock this mystery.

After breakfast we headed to do our finalization of her adoption papers. Jacob chose to stay behind at the hotel. Maggie was so nervous. In the car, she had a hold of my hand and Haddie's the whole way to the Civil Affairs office. Her whole demeanor changed. She walked with purpose, keeping a visual lock on her sister, who was walking with the guide in front of us. Her hand was sweaty as it held on to mine, and she held on with a desperation that was screaming, "please, don't let go!"



Our guide told me before we arrived that one of the officers we might encounter can sometimes drink too much and say inappropriate things. He told me to ignore him if that happened. That was a bit disconcerting, but onward we went.

At one point I was briefly interviewed by an officer, being asked if I was satisfied with Maggie and did I wish to complete the adoption. I thought, "Are you serious?" I told the officer I was MORE than satisfied and absolutely wanted to continue the adoption process of her!

Walking out of the room I thought of Psalm 81:10-16. The Lord tells the Israelites that He is the One who satisfies them, all they need to do is: listen, submit, follow, open WIDE their mouths and He would FILL them!!! I am feeling very full here in China!



Maggie had to answer some of her own questions during the interviews. Her voice is soft and sweet. Haddie and I both turned to each other and said, "Awe!" when she spoke. We are both pretty smitten with her!




Upon our return to the hotel we decided to go swimming. Maggie was excited and the giggles flooded the bathroom as the girls got changed into their suits. We navigated our way to the pool, and you seriously would have thought I was escorting the child into the Magic Kingdom as we entered the pool. Maggie was laughing out loud!

The pool proved to be quite a good decision. Maggie and Haddie had a blast! Maggie did not want me far from her, and held my hand most of the time. If she lost hold of me, she quickly reached out, calling "Mama, Mama!" After about an hour of swimming it started to drizzle rain. I gathered our things and the girls under a table with an umbrella. Thinking the rain would quickly pass over I pulled out a snack. In just a few short minutes we found ourselves in the midst of a downpour, that not even our umbrella could offer us protection from! We made our plan of escape, with one of us unable to speak the same language, mind you, and we screamed and giggled our girlie selves out of the pool area. We were truly singing in the rain!!!!