Jubilee has been home for nearly 2 months. Her arrival brought a lot of changes to our home. Rainan eager in excitement for her new friends arrival needed to work through their roles with Mom and Dad. While they complain when they are apart they often try to re-establish with one another who is the "boss." Each of them hold such incredible strength and exuberance and we are working on cooperation and affirming their little hearts.
Advent was a perfect time to wind things down with the outside world and bring Jesus into focus. We used this time to play with baby Jesus in our homemade manger under the tree each night and sing songs to him. Jesus was ever so patient as they took turns caring for him with the occasional dropping and tug of war. I chuckled inside thinking of how brothers and sisters in Christ often fight over Jesus, determined they are right and forgetting all is nothing without love.
This year we made a homemade wall hanging tree with ornaments numbered 1-25. Each day we prayed for a country and family (or two). As we took this time together, I could feel a growing connection and warming of our love towards the nations, the lost, the brokenhearted, the orphan, and our brothers and sisters in Christ who so beautifully display His love. These are the kinds of traditions I want to hold to, not just at Advent but all year long. Lord will you establish this in mine and my children 24/7?
We pray that Jubilee would know what a gift she is. She is precious. She is funny. She is tender. She is beautiful. But most importantly she is LOVED.
Please do keep her in your prayers as the Lord would lead you. We will be taking her to the Spina Bifida Clinic at St. Louis Children's Hospital in late January for a couple of days to do a thorough look over. She also needs some pretty heavy dental work done under anesthesia at the hospital. We are praying for her that this will not be as extensive as they currently believe.
Thank you to each of you who had a part in her adoption. So many people and many strangers from all over the country sent prayers and blessings to usher her into our home. This is such an act of love of God and his heart. We are definitely feeling adjustments as a family and this is okay and to be expected growing to six, three with special needs and one a toddler. There is grace abounding for this!
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