First Friday

No, I did not go to First Friday last week and we will be missing the next several, but I did take a little bit of First Friday with me.


PICS OF MY WEEKEND ARE NOW UP AT WWW.AMYCHRISTOPHER.BLOGSPOT.COM
Last weekend was spent with almost 200 women at an awesome retreat entitled 'The Facts of Life" with our speaker being Lisa Whelchel or "Blaire" from that show.

I will have a bit of a review and pics at the other blog but it is certainly a small world.

We carpooled up there and I rode with 3 ladies I had never met. We talked a lot. I was quiet for a bit but shared out adoption story. Julie just has a serious heart for international adoption and told me about one of her experiences. You see there is a little girl named Salem at her church in Central Florida who was adopted from Ethiopia and has a skull deformity. At first, she could not remember her name but I said " tell me, its not the family from http://www.outofethiopia.com/? She said, well yet it is. IF anyone has read my blog over the past year, you may remember me talking about this wonderful couple as I was Salems nurse for 3 days last year? How cool is that? I told her about some of my friends who have adopted from Ethiopia and others who are adopting from Ethiopia and China.

I told my story once but its amazing how soon several people learned. Through the weekend I had people come up to me telling my they were praying for Michael and I and LynnMarie. Seriously people, there is just something sooo beautiful about strangers praying for you. I cried this weekend. A LOT
During dinner, I started talking to a new friend who was doing the audio and sound for our worship. We chatted a lot and she asked me if I had kids. I told her no, but we are adopting from China. She said, "Are you sad you are missing First Friday"'? Apparently she does the sound each month for First Fridays. She had been considering adoption before she found out she was pregnant a few months go.

Now, I am not into signs or anything like that. I do like the ladybug thing because well, I think they are cute. On the way up to the retreat I shared more of my story and the ladybug stories involved in China adoption.

Would you believe that when I sat down for our first session not one, but 5 ladybugs found me? My carpool friends got a kick out of this as no one else had them on them and we never saw them again.
During our last session, things started clicking but that's a whole other post. One of the women's ministry leaders whom I have really never talked to, just started tearing up and talked about our adoption from God. She said directly to me. "When you receive LynnMarie, and she is placed in your arms or even when you see her picture for the first time, I know that an amazing amount of love is just going to pour out of you. She said its a miracle the love we are going to feel. She forget the biological vs the adoptive parent thing. That doesn't matter. This is your child. This is your heart. Let no one try to discourage you. I am not sure why this was brought up, except for the grace of God. Our discussion was no where near this, yet she spoke directly to my heart. She continued by praying for me and just being there. Boy, was God speaking this weekend!!!! I hate to miss First Friday, but friends, there is no way I would have wanted to miss this.

There was a lot of just me and God this weekend. HE spoke and I listened. I was actually able to just sit still and listen. I learned about that.

Oh boy. This adoption is sooo much bigger than just adding to our family. Its so much more that a referral and paperchasing. This really has been a beautiful process that has changed me in soooo many ways. Everyone of you has been a part of that. Family and friends, blogging friends who read my posts and pray with me, First Friday friends and so much more. You are all a part of our journey.
As much as I want a child right now, I don't want to miss any part of this wait. I am not the best person to put my thoughts down on a blog or paper, but I am just blown away with how much love, encouragement and support is out there. I have tried to push it away at times, but God is sooo much bigger than anything I can comprehend and has given me just what I needed.

Sooo much more to say, but it could go on for a long time so it will have to wait.