Jacob worked very hard on putting together Elizabeth's special gift. Good friends of ours gave her a Clifford riding toy for the shower. I put it aside until her first birthday. As you can see from the picture, she LOVED it!
Time seems to be flying right by. On January 21st, we celebrated Elizabeth’s 1st birthday. We did not make a big deal of it, though I was tempted. But, I realized after having 4 other kids, that the first birthday (though special) will never be remembered nor does she realize anything that is going on. She is just as special as the others, only this time I felt I didn’t need to start out with a big birthday bash. I think that being 10 years older is making me a little wiser in some areas… and slower in others!
Elizabeth and I started the day off with 2 devotions during half-time at upwards. What a privilege it was to share God’s plan for Elizabeth. May He receive glory and may something good come of our devotion. During it, we shared Jeremiah 29:11 which says: “For I know the plans I have for you”, declares the Lord, “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” It is a verse I long for Elizabeth to write on her heart. We shared that even though, to us, what Elizabeth went through is unthinkable. To be abandoned and left alone. To be in an orphanage for 10 ½ months of her life… it all seems horrible to us. But to God, he had a plan for her life. God knows the plans HE has made for her. They are plans to prosper her and NOT TO HARM her! Plans to give her a hope and a future. His plans are perfect.
We also shared that Elizabeth knew nothing more then her orphanage, maybe a few rooms, a crib, and a walker. She only knew caregivers and other babies. My guess is that she probably never stepped outside the orphanage walls. But, she was happy. She knew nothing else. Her life was as full as she knew possible. She did not know that there was a family on the other side of the world who had been praying for her probably at the same time her mother realized that she was pregnant. We were praying for her development, her health, her spiritual condition before she was even born. We were praying for her parents and the decision that we knew they were going to have to make. We were praying for the day that she would be left alone. We were praying for her caregivers and her provision. All while she was oblivious to her needs.
You see, Elizabeth was happy and not seeking a family. She wasn’t looking for us, she had no idea our hearts were aching knowing all that she was going through. She knew nothing of the tears that were shed for her or the prayers that were petitioned for her. She had no idea what we were going through in order to get permission to adopt her. She had no idea someone loved her. She was as happy as she knew she could be.
As I thought of that and prayed about it, I suddenly realized that that is exactly how we are before we come to accept Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. So many people, myself included before I trusted Christ, think they are happy. They have no idea what God has been orchestrating to bring them to a point of salvation. They have no idea how God has been sending people into their life to share bits and pieces of His son, Jesus Christ, with them. They don’t realize that the things that have been happening to them are things God is using to bring them to the realization of their need for a Savior. I look back in my life and can see (now) the people who God used to pray for my salvation, to plant the seeds, to share with me my need for a Savior. Clear back when I was a very young child. I didn’t come to trust Jesus until I was an adult. I had no idea, during that time, that God had already begun a work in me… Just as we had begun the process to adopt Elizabeth and finally actually did adopt her… God had done the same for me.
So, that was our morning of her precious birthday. We then went to Jacob’s basketball game and then Sam’s basketball game. Afterwards, we went to the Hong Kong Buffet to celebrate Elizabeth’s birthday. Everyone who works there is Chinese. They lit up seeing her and she lit up seeing them. It was so sweet. I got her some special noodles that I thought she might like. You should have seen her!! She began bouncing up and down and hitting the table with every bite! It was adorable. She LOVED them! The highlight of her birthday, though, came at the end of her meal. Our waitress kept coming up to her and rubbing on her. She would smile and stare into Elizabeth’s eyes and just rub her. When she found out it was her birthday, she sang “Happy Birthday” in Chinese. Elizabeth just stared at her the whole time. It was definitely the best gift of all!
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