A post from Arnie:
4 plus years of waiting and warring , and his name is Isaac.
He has a face, a smile, and he is loved. Ive wrestled with not just the
unfairness of adoption , of
waiting and prayer, of children suffering , but the whole idea of taking in a
stranger. God has chiseled off my edges and I've come out a little more defined
and refined. More importantly though, I've learned over the last 5 years of my
life who God is, what he's passionate about, and what my part in his kingdom
looks like. God fights for each of us to become his heirs, and we inherit thru
adoption that which we neither deserved , nor were capable of inheriting on our
own. We are loved , fought for and his love which is undeserved is given
freely. I've evaluated my part in the adoption and now see God's hand over my
wife and marriage. I've had the privilege of fighting not just for Isaac, but
for all of the oppressed, especially children. God has chosen the weak and
oppressed, the marginalized and mistreated to be his favored ones. It’s a
blessing to know that Isaac is favored, he was defended and fought for by the
one who created him long before he was ever given to us ! I pray the day will
come when we can hold him and show him in a tangible way how loved he really is. But I know in my heart that the
real battle has been, and will continue to be fought on or knees. I told Bek
that the outcome doesn’t lie in being parents or in Isaac , but a passion for
defending the fatherless and weak. This whole journey will be a selfish failure
if our hearts aren’t changed , and lives don’t reflect it. If fighting for
orphans is on our hearts , it must become a lifestyle, not just great ideology.
I remember talking to a youth in our church at a retreat . His family has
adopted 3 beautiful children . Our discussion was on the subject of what he
wanted to do or become in this life; something tangible and realistic. And the
first thing out of his mouth was that he was passionate about adoption. He
talked about how much he loves his new family members and can t wait to go down that road. I hope Isaac sees the
value in adoption one day, and praise God if that passion comes at a young age.
That family has clearly done something right! But for now we continue to battle for little Isaac. The
preparations seem to be endless and we love it. Our nephews pray for him
daily, and recognize his picture already. Isaac has brought much joy to our
family and friends. Now we patiently and passionately pray for his presence
with us .
Phil 1 ; 3
Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of
thanks to God. Each exclamation is a trigger to prayer. I find myself praying
for you with a glad heart
