And So The Journaling Begins...

When our adoption journey began back in the fall of 2003 Matt and I didn't even know what an online journal was, never really heard of it. "Blogging" what's that? My how time changes and how over that time we have been educated on journals. We began reading Journey to Me in November 2006 when former neighbors of ours where in China bringing their beautiful daughter home. This was an incredible way to witness what God had brought about after months of prayers by many people. In a small way it allowed us to participate with them. This was our introduction to journals that would educate and bless us beyond our comprehension. We then began reading any and all journals of couples who, like us, were in the process of adopting from China.

So as I sit here and officially began this journaling journey I'm reminded why we have chosen to write down such personal thoughts and feelings. Our number one reason is so that we can forever capture as much of this journey to our daughter as we possibly can for our precious Emma. We want her to know how much we deeply love her and how we have laughed and cried along the way. We know she will have holes in her life story that she will never have the answers to but we want to show her there was another part of her story being written on the other side of the world. We want to someday point her to THE ONE who is writing her story.

Another reason we decided to begin journaling is simply for ourselves. I've talked about the fact that the road to Emma has been a journey and boy has it been a journey. A journey that began back in 2003 with a hope to adopt a baby girl from China. We have encountered many road blocks along the way and I have to be honest, at times I felt like some of the obstacles were way too big and thought we must turn back around. Thanks you Lord for carrying us through those obstacles. This journey has taught us so much about who God is and just how big He is. We have also learned more about His character. There have been mountain top praises and there have been many tears shed down in the valley but God has always been faithful and has sustained us. So just like we have studied in Joshua we want to identify and lay down these stones as a remembrance of what God has done for us.

Those twelve stones which they had taken from the Jordan, Joshua set up at Gilgal. He said to the sons of Israel, "When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, 'What are these stones?' then you shall inform your children, saying, 'Israel crossed this Jordan on dry ground.' "For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed, just as the Lord your God had done to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed; that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, so that you may fear the Lord your God forever." ~ Joshua 4:20-24

Our final reason to journal is simply to be a blessing to others. We cannot describe how we have been blessed by reading the journals of Godly couples around the country. God has used their journals to encourage us when we were down and to remind us what a big God our God is. We have also been challenged to go deeper in our prayer life as we pray for Emma. We have been ministered to so much and our prayer is that God would use our journal to minister to others and that He receive all the glory and honor due!!! Thank you God for choosing us to go on this journey.