The Last Thanksgiving

As I prepared for Thanksgiving at my parents house, I was feeling a little less exited than I usually am. I was not feeling down or sad, just not the same exuberance as I usually do around this time of year. We had tons of fun and ate lots of wonderful food. We spend many hours making beautiful memories with family and friends. And we acknowledged how incredibly blessed we are to be saved by Jesus Christ. It was a beautiful day and we were encouraged and emotionally strengthened by it.

Something was missing. Two little pieces of our family were missing. No wonder I felt a little off! We are connected to our children in Ethiopia and not having them here to celebrate God's awesome provision just did not feel right. In our hearts we are a family of five....but there were only three of us at Thanksgiving dinner.

O how I prayed for those kids throughout the day. I always pray for there safety and salvation. I pray that their hearts are being prepared for all that God has in store for them. I pray that they will know that we are their mommy and daddy. I had a very specific prayer request on Thanksgiving day. I simply prayed that their little bellies are full.

I know the circumstances that bring children to the orphanages. I know that my kids will live some of their lives hungry and it breaks my heart. I have peace that today that their father in heaven is feeding them. He loves them so much and he will take care of them.

Praise God that this is our last Thanksgiving as a family of three. This is the last year that we will only have one baby to feed mashed potatoes and turkey too. Next year we will be telling three children to play nice with their cousins and trying to get three kids to go down for naps. Next year we will have our kids that we have been praying and longing for. We will know that they are warm, fed, and safe in our arms. They will be loved and adored....like every child should be. We will have two more things to be thankful for and we can't wait!

On a lighter note, here are some pictures from our Thanksgiving celebration!