Giving GOD the Glory

Good morning all.
Remember when I posted about knowing the kind of
God that would send you exactly what you need?
Well today I'm here with the details.
So, grab a cup of coffee, some tissues
and get ready for goosebumps.

It all started several weeks ago when
I visited my sweet friend Lauren.
While we played with Tessa,
we chatted.
She mentioned I should join the yahoo group for
Emily Margaret's orphanage.
That was Friday afternoon
and by that night I was all signed up.

Over the weekend I received numerous emails
from other moms who shared pictures and stories.
It was wonderful to have more pieces to Emily Margaret's puzzle.

The following Wednesday was baby girl's birthday.
I kept my body busy while my heart prayed.
By Thursday I was empty.
I continued moving forward,
but only because I was afraid of
what would happen if I didn't.
No time for hysterical sobbing at this house. :)

Thursday afternoon as I vacuumed,
I received an email.
It was from a lady who said our daughters
were in the orphanage at the same time.
She was certain she had pictures of my Emily Margaret.
I immediately emailed her back
with a quick "I'd love to have them.
They'd be such a blessing."

After hitting send on my blackberry
I began to think about the name listed.
Since joining the yahoo group I'd
been in contact with several women.
I'd replied to all of them...
or so I thought.
I realized this particular mom
had emailed me before.
Although I'd composed a reply,
instead of sending it, I saved it as a draft.

I promptly sent her my original reply
with an explanation of my blunder and a link to our blog.
A little later she sent back saying that she did in fact
of pictures/video of our Emily Margaret.
They were on her camera and she'd get them to me
once her hubby could retrieve them.
She said she'd email me later in the day.
I felt God patting me on the shoulder
saying "We're gonna be ok mama."

The evening was long and I was weary.
Andy made it home early
and came to my rescue.
Knowing I didn't want the boys to sense my broken heart
he took them to play football and eat dinner.

I grabbed a bath,
put on my favorite jammy tales
and pulled out Emily Margaret's life book.
As I googled "how to create a life book for an adopted child"
I saw an email come through.

It was my sweet friend from earlier in the day.
She said she was composing a email
and would send it out in the next few minutes.
I remember thinking,
WOW, what a thoughtful person.
She was so kind I just knew she had to be southern.
I was touched and went back to my life book work.

Shortly thereafter, the boys came home
and we settled into our evening routine.

I was in the bedroom when I heard
the email chime on my blackberry.
I picked it up and opened the email.
I read the first two paragraphs about
our daughters being in the orphanage together,
and smiled.
Then as I began the third paragraph,
my jaws dropped...
the lady emailing me wasn't just any mother,
she was THE mother.
She and her husband were the "European Couple"
who'd traveled to adopt Emily Margaret.
She said she originally wasn't sure whether or not
to reveal her true identity,
until I emailed her the link to my blog and
she saw the post that mentioned them.

I distinctly remember feeling a rush of emotions
only comparable to receiving our Pre-Approval
during James' birthday party.
So I did what I do.
I began reading this email at the top of my lungs,
while running to the front of the house.

Once I convinced everyone I was ok,
I explained my enthusiasm.
They all sat staring at me, mouths open.
I read the email, cried, praised God
and then retreated to the bedroom for a well thought out response.

I spent the remainder of the weekend
emailing back and forth with my new "European" friend.
Hours of emails later,
I had more pictures than I ever dreamed possible,
pieces to Emily Margaret's story,
and the ultimate confirmation that
she was designed to be our daughter.

I learned that Emily Margaret wasn't just loved
by her birth mother and her forever mother.
She had in fact been shown the love of a third mother
by a God sent angel.

You see, this "European" mother
thought she was traveling to China to
adopt our Emily Margaret.
But in reality, she was traveling because
she was the answer to my prayer.
The daily prayer we pray for Emily Margaret...
"Lord please keep her belly full,
her bottom dry,
and bless her with arms to care for and love her
until you bring her home to ours."

The flip side of the coin?
The mama who thought she'd be matched
with a daughter who had a cleft lip/palate
was matched with Emily Margaret.
By the ultimate Match Maker, no less.
And that beautiful little girl with a cleft??
She became the daughter to my "European" friend.

As my friend grieved the loss of the daughter she'd
loved for months and held for 12 days,
she also prayed a prayer.
She prayed that the little girl she left behind
would be adopted and not just by any family,
but by the perfect family for her.
That's how I became the answer to
my friend's prayers.

It was amazing at all God did
to leave His fingerprints on this story.
 Like learning that my Emily Margaret's
middle name would have been Marie.
Which is amazing, because my middle name is Marie.

Some other fun facts?
Emily Margaret loves to take baths.
She has really thick beautiful hair.
She enjoyed her first taste of ice cream.
She was a delightful child
who bonded easily.
She has touched the lives of three different countries.
But more than all of this,
I learned that she's in the palm of her Father's hand.

God has His protective hands around my Emily Margaret.
And when her mamas' hearts break?
He'll be there to answer their prayers too.

See,
I told you God gave me exactly what I needed,
even though I never knew how to ask for it!
I'm giving all the Glory to God
for Emily Margaret's adoption story,
and mine. :)

God's blessings loved ones, Sarah :)
One blessed mama