Ethiopia Have I Loved: The End...and A Beginning

I was wrong in saying "China would be the easy choice."

I guess what I should have said was something like, "If you aren't in the middle of this, and you've not been waiting 3 1/2 years for your baby girl, or you heard, in passing, that doors may be closing in Ethiopia, and opening in China, you might be inclined to say : "What are you waiting for? Its an easy choice!"

That's what I should have said. 

Because as it turns out, this has been the hardest decision I've ever had to make.

The last few weeks have been full of prayer, seeking God's will, a little arguing, some intense discussion and lots of research. It seemed like a choice would never be made.

 And then all of a sudden, it was.
By Saturday evening we both realized the answer, and not to sound dramatic, but really- it felt like a tremendous weight had been lifted.

So... we are transferring to the China Waiting Child Program this week.

We are excited about what lies ahead-there is actually a light at the end of the tunnel now. Its exciting to think about how Zoey's story is weaving in and out and around and creating this amazing picture of God's plan. But there are moments where the joy feels a little like grieving. I feel like the Lord's been separating my heart from Ethiopia in the last month, even before this all happened. And in asking Him to give me one and take the other away, I honestly didn't expect China to be it.

Its going to take some getting used to, but I am confident that our God is sovereign. Ethiopia was not a waste and Ethiopia was not wrong. All along, Ethiopia was part of God's plan. For whatever reason, Ethiopia is important for getting us to Zoey. Maybe someday we will see the why's but even if we don't, I'm ok with that. Because God is good and that's what I know.