Rejoicing Alongside a Friend

Today my friend MacKenzie got the wonderful news that she and her husband will be headed to Ethiopia this weekend to pick up their ADORABLE twin baby boys. To say I'm excited is an understatement! If you've walked beside someone in the adoption process, I think you can relate when you say that you are just as excited for these friends as you are for yourself when you imagine it all playing out. (MacKenzie and I "met" online back in May 2010, when we were both working on our dossiers. We were both newlyweds adopting our first children, and we have pretty similar senses of humor :) We got on the waitlist 2 weeks apart from each other, and she has been a huge support for me in our adoption. I can't imagine this process without this friend!)

I remember when Heather, Julie, Leigh (and now MacKenzie) all got their referrals, court dates, final travel plans, etc. Having friends who have made the full-circle of adoption is just truly amazing and I can't help but tear up at the beautiful gospel picture of adoption.

These parents have paid the ransom for these children, gone to extreme lengths to make them orphans no longer. They have made emotional and financial sacrifices (all worth it!) to bring a child who had no hope (outside of adoption- statistics in Ethiopia show that un-adopted orphans have very slim chances of life or well-being) into a family. Even greater than adoptive parents' sacrifices, God gave his only son Jesus to pay OUR ransom. We are sinners who deserve to live life apart from a holy God. Yet, while we were sinners, Christ died for us and those who simply believe in Jesus can have eternal life with Christ. We who had no hope now have hope because God paid our ransom and brought us into his family.

What a blessing and privilege to be able to see this true story played out again and again through adoption on this earth. I'm so thankful for the obedience and perseverance of my friends who have let me see into their adoption stories.