Shifted and Shepherded

Right off the bat, let me hit you with the disappointing news: we did not get matched today. I am not joyful. But I am still hopeful. And am working on being satisfied. The orphanage approved our dossier today. This is great news. It means they see no problems with our potential adoption of siblings. But that is all they had time to do in regards to our case. We are not the only family applying for kids at this particular orphanage. Our dossier is upwards of 50 pages long, maybe more. And, of course, in the best interest of the orphans in their care, they review every item on every page. So it is understandable that approving the dossier took up all the designated Brogan time on the agenda. Matching requires more than just giving a thumbs up or signing on a dotted line. This is not a rejection. It is an imagined delay. I say imagined because today was not guaranteed in any way. We had hoped to be matched, to talk with Lolo and Lala via the internet, and to share their sweet faces ...

I have been waiting to write this post and share this news with you for a couple of weeks. Read on and see that the Lord is GOOD, and we are blessed to take refuge in Him and call Him father. On June 14, I asked our Facebook adoption group to pray that God would gift us a vehicle. That's right, you heard me. I didn't ask for ours to be repaired or for us to find a good deal. [I asked that later when my faith faltered.] I asked for a vehicle to be all but plopped in our lap. Before you get the idea that Chad and I sit back these days and swim in dolla bills Scrooge McDuck style as donations and art sales roll in, I want to explain why I asked for such a prayer and why I prayed it myself.  First, I believe the Holy Spirit led me to pray for a vehicle, not from a place of greed or even comfort. I think He led me to that prayer (request) because God wanted to work His good pleasure for His glory. I believe He had a tremendous blessing waiting for us; we simply needed to ask...