Eli's 3rd, first bday, and Billy's last night as a 39 year old!

Yesterday was Eli's 3rd birthday. It was also Billy's last night as a 39 year old as today is his 40th birthday. Two very important milestones that we celebrated in an understated, quiet way.
It seems common to wonder about your adoptive child's birthparents...especially around their birthday. Are the birth parents thinking about them, still greiving their loss, or perhaps regreting their decision? Are the parents still praying for him -- praying that he'll find his way to the life they desire for him.

I have given thought recently to the parts of Eli's story we know nothing of. All the parts that occurred before he entered the orphanage at the age of 9 months old. I believe my thoughts are inspired by the Holy Spirit as one day I will tell this story to Eli. I'm still formulating the whole thing...and I won't tell him it's how it actually happened...I'll simply tell him it's how I imagined that it happened.

I do not imagine the people who gave birth to this wonderful child as terrible, heartless humans. The people of China have the same needs and reasons to put babies up for adoption as we do in America...however with far less support. Their government and culture simply do not make allowance for it. Therefore, creating a strategic plan to leave a child in a place where they are sure to be found becomes their "adoption plan".

I believe Eli's mother is a woman of faith and prayer. I imagine her to be a member of the underground church. I do not believe she just flippantly decided to leave her baby. I believe she was like Moses mother in Exodus chapter 2, "A man from the family of Levi married a Levite woman. The woman became pregnant and had a son. She saw there was something special about him and hid him. She hid him for three months. When she couldn't hide him any longer she got a little basket-boat made of papyrus, waterproofed it with tar and pitch, and placed the child in it. Then she set it afloat in the reeds at the edge of the Nile."

I believe that she loved and cared for Eli for 9 months. I think she understood that their was a calling and a destiny on his life. I think she struggled and greived with why God was not seemingly providing the necessary resources for her to care for him. And at last, with trust and faith in her heart, she made her plan to place her baby in a basket. And leave him in God's hands (literally) to be found.

Satan comes to most of us in childhood with attempts to destroy our lives. Eli's early years seemingly taught him not to trust -- and that the world is not safe. On the contary, Eli is as safe as all the rest of us. God's hand has been on his life since the beginning for a plan and a purpose. We trust that God has placed him on a path since birth to equip him with all that he needs to live out God's will for his life....just like he did for Moses whose Godly mother released him to be raised by another family. We hope to prove to Eli that adult's are trustworthy. We will fail on occasion, but we are absolutely sure that God will prove himself faithful to Eli.

I think Eli just may one day find himself as a missionary to China. It's not to far fetched if you've ever meet my other children. We all like the idea of going into all the world to share the gospel. We hope to do right by the woman who gave him birth and to honor her through out his life. We are so happy to be able to wish Eli a Happy, Happy 3rd Birthday. God didn't have to pick us to be his family. But we are glad he did.