Adoption: What's Next

This was the coolest moment with my son thus far. We wake up Saturday morning, Ababayeh was out early grading papers, and Tegegne comes into my room...


Mommy: Tegegne we sent in our adoption application yesterday and now we've got to pray. Do you know how much money we need for our first payment?
Tegegne: No, how much?
Mommy: $4,050!
Tegegne: Oh, mom!!! I know how we can get it. I've got my bank. Go get Rufus! (his "doggie" bank) I can give the money in my bank. 
Mommy: Wow Tegegne, that is really nice of you. It is a good thing to give all that you have, because God will bless that.


This gesture, son, means more than you know. We counted all of the money in your bank, minus one euro and stuck it in a envelope. I will make sure this $19.27 goes straight to our fund. Actually, my prayer is this:


Dear God, 
Will you please multiply Tegegne's doggie bank funds two-hundred and ten times for our first payment? This is a humbling and tummy-grumbling process. It is so hard to be taking this step of faith. Like are we stepping into deep water without endurance to swim? I want the endurance though. So does Michael, and Tegegne, and Hensley (she smiled the other day when I mentioned a baby sister.) This process just goes so against what most people, or even what I would naturally do. You have definitely called us to something more risky and eye-opening in this life though. Michael and I are looking up the "poverty guidelines" with 6 in a household...to make sure we have more than that to qualify. We do, by the hair of our chinny, chin, chin. There is nothing "comfortable" about this, but we see it as good. Good, because when we loose our life we find it, and it's better to give than to receive, and when you give to the least of these, you're giving to Me. All of these lessons that you, God, remind me of throughout the day. Lessons that I thought I once knew, and still don't completely.  


God, we are ready to sign the first papers toward bringing two children without family into a family, our family. But we must first have the humble $19.27 turned into $4,050.


Amen.


P.S. I mentioned praying about this again to Tegegne (as it's been on my mind all day) and he says, but Mommy...remember the money I found at the gym yesterday (he found a penny!)? We've got to add it to the envelope!


That penny is Tegegne's mustard seed.