Certifiably Insane?

Today feels like summer in Iowa! It's 87 degrees and really windy. Both hands were required on the steering wheel as I traveled to Des Moines and back to have our physicals and guardianship statement certified. Since I couldn't talk my running buddy into riding along with me, I had three hours of travel time all alone. I tuned in Life 101.9 and sang along at the top of my lungs.....except for when cars pulled up alongside me. Then I dialed it back significantly.:)

"When God Ran" is a song that always touches my heart, and today was no exception. It is sung from the perspective of the Prodigal Son, and the chorus goes like this: But then He ran to me, He took me in His arms, held my head to His chest, and said, "My son's come home again." Lifted my face, wiped the tears from my eyes. With forgiveness in His voice, He said, "Son, do you know I still love you?".... It was the only time I ever saw Him run.

Can you imagine God pursuing us like that? He's always on time, so we know He never needs to run. But when He sees one of His children coming back home to Him, He runs! When He takes us in His arms, He calls us by name...."Heidi, do you know I still love you?" I'm so thankful that happened to me early on in my life. Three of our four kids have professed their faith in Jesus and His finished work on the cross. We long for the day little H and our Rwandan baby turn their hearts toward their Father, and He runs to them.

Worth It All

What wouldn't we do for our little ones? I know that most who are reading this blog entry have done the following things without thinking twice: wiped noses and bottoms, sucked the germs off a piece of dropped bubble gum before depositing it back into his mouth, holding back her hair and stroking her back while she vomits in the middle of the night (to name a few). What would cause us to do such things for someone who has so little to give in return? Isn't it crazy the capacity for love God has given us?! What a picture of His love for us....pursuing and loving us, despite the fact that we have so little to offer Him!

Chad and I are once again having to gather more documents and redo our physicals because Rwandan adoption law has changed. With our dossier being safely delivered to the Ministry of Gender and Promotion of Family in Rwanda, we really had reason to believe we were done with the paper chase. While this is an inconvenience (and will involve trips to Iowa City and Des Moines, two physicals -one not paid for by insurance, and dragging my sister and her husband to a notary), we would do these things a hundred more times to bring home our little one. By the end of this process, the cost will be great. But what cost is too great to give our little Rwandan Treasure a forever family? It will be worth it all, we have no doubt!