Clearing the Cobwebs

Shew!
We have had a busy few weeks, but I wanted to do a post to catch everyone up on what's been going on. So, this post will be a bit different... trying to, well, you know, clear the cobwebs in my brain. I have had so much on my mind and things to share, I figured I would just do one post and get it all cleared up!
First, last week Mark arrived safely back home from Israel where he spent ten days touring the Holy Land. The trip was such a sweet gift from our church, Chilhowee Hills. We missed him terribly, but we were thrilled at the opportunity for him to be able to see scripture really come to life. Before heading to the airport to pick Mark up last Thursday the little boys and I needed to make one short, IMPORTANT stop. Adoption Agency. Arm full of paperwork. It felt so good to walk in with so many papers completed. It was a huge step for us and we are going to be able to start our homestudy in just a few short weeks. If you would, we would love to have you join us in praying that our homestudy can start at the end of February. This is the earliest it could get started, but we know the One who makes all things possible!
This week was our "go-get-medical-exams-and blood draws-and-check-ups-for-adoption" week! Aren't you glad you asked? Ahem. Anyway. I had a physical on Monday (I love when everything checks out well!), Brycen and Regan had well visits Wednesday, Corbin and Hudson went yesterday (4 immunizations, 2 flu shots, a blood draw, a finger stick, and 2 hours later we left!), and Mark will round us out today by having his physical. Yes, our insurance company loves us. But, again, it feels good to be getting so much done. We are trying to stay on top of what we can get done because so much of this process is out of our hands. There will be enough waiting without dragging it out ourselves. Or at least that's our philosophy!

During all the snow Brycen and Regan had a fun craft project! In December Regan's first grade class made "passports" and then "traveled" to different rooms through the week. Each room represented a different country. While the students visited the different "countries" they learned about Christmas traditions, foods, and crafts from those places. Regan was all smiles after "visiting" Africa. One of the crafts was a bracelet with different colored beads on it. When she was telling us about the bracelet an idea was born for Brycen and Regan to make leather strapped bracelets with a red, a green, and a yellow bead on them (the colors of Ethiopia). These bracelets could be used as reminders for us to pray for our sweet Ethiopian daughter/sister. So, we took advantage of a snow day and cut leather, tied knots, strung beads, and made bracelets. We have different sizes. If any of you are interested in a prayer bracelet, please inbox me on facebook or send me a private message to carriemckeehan@gmail.com All members (except Hudson) of our family are wearing the bracelets. I know some of you have noticed and mentioned it. We are committed to wearing them until our daughter comes into our forever family!
Lastly, God has opened me up to an entirely new part of my adoption in Christ this week. I would love to share with you a bit about what I am reading and how it confirms for me all the more what great love Christ has for us and how amazed I am that He chose to adopt us into His family. In our adoption reading we are having to read (and read by choice!) many books about raising a transracial family, dealing with language and cultural barriers, and helping a child adjust who likely will have attachment issues. Attachment issues. At first thought I couldn't seem to relate. Then, I started sensing God was wanting me to move past my pride and arrogance. Attachment issues arise because we remove a young child from everything familiar to her. We lavish on her love when she has never known (often times) how to successfully attach to anyone. Quite often she has had to learn to fend for herself and not to others for comfort, meeting needs, or security. This can be challenging as parents try to gain trust, offer safe physical contact, and learn to appropriately/effectively discipline. So often in adoption we, in our ignorance, are prone to thoughts about how grateful and "lucky" these children are who are adopted out of oppression into homes and families of provision, love, and opportunity. The truth is, we are removing her from all that is familiar, all she's known, all that makes sense to her. As I was talking with Brycen and Regan about what it would be like if we could no longer be their family, they were adopted by a family living in Ethiopia, had to learn to speak Amharic, eat injera, and learn to live like Ethiopians. With wide-eyes we talked about how different life here will be for their sister. Better, from our perspective, and perhaps from her perspective once she knows and loves us. But at first we can see how scary, hard, and frustrating it must be. No doubt she will be afforded opportunities here that she wouldn't have otherwise, but then it occurred to me: the familiar is so comfortable to us. Even if it doesn't compare to the opportunities of something new. Then, the Holy Spirit intervened, "Carrie, it's just like when you came to me. It's easy to stay with what's familiar, even though abundant life is waiting." Breath. Take it in. In our lives as we journey with Christ things can seem scary, hard, and frustrating. So much so that often we just want to go back to what is familiar and comfortable. Our lives of sin or living with little regard for Jesus and His sacrifice for us was what we knew. Turning our lives over to the unknown, the unfamiliar can be tough even with the promises of provision, love, and opportunity beyond our wildest imaginations. Our adoptions in Christ are so tangible to me right now. He is the One that is constantly pursuing us, forgiving us, and loving us in an effort to ease our transition from the old "us" to the new "us." He is the One facilitating and making a way for us to overcome our attachment issues. When we want to turn and go back to the familiar He is there whispering His promises of abundant life, protection, and steadfastness over us. As you go through your day, I am praying you will begin to see how we, too, have difficulty trusting sometimes, moving on with our "new life" in Christ, and our tendencies to want to escape to what is familiar, even if it isn't what is best for us. Also praying for you as you learn to trust Him with your attachment issues. I am journeying with you on this one... learning to lean into the One who fought for, pursued, and died to make us part of His family in order to that we can fully attach to Him, dependent on His provision, love, and opportunity.
Thanks for journeying with us. And for letting me clear the cobwebs.