What? You Are Adopting Again?

*** I am taking a break from the book today to share an announcement.  

I have always imagined there was an imaginary line (or cliff) that separated “normal families” (with 4 or fewer kids) from “those other families.”  You know the ones where you hold up the Christmas card and straighten your pointer finger to count how many of them there are now and then you wonder things like, “What is their grocery bill like?” 

I placed my toes up to the edge of the normal group with the addition of Maggie and then looked over and wondered what those other families were trying to make up for, if they were superhuman, or if they were just certifiably crazy.  Then God grabbed my heart again and swiftly kicked me in the butt and over the edge I was peering into.   Yes, the Henderson’s have prayed and felt God’s leading to become one of THOSE families.  We are pursuing a child that Jack and I met in China.   She is close to Maggie’s age and will be a wonderful addition to our family.

Y’all, I have had some crazy questions asked of me and none of them offend me but a lot made me laugh out loud.  So here are the FAQs for “What? You are adopting AGAIN?”

1.  Do I need counseling?  Probably but there is no time for that.

2.  Will Jack still be able to go to college? Yes.  I am still trying to convince him that it is a worthwhile endeavor.  

3.  Do you not like American kids?  No.  They get on my nerves.  

4.  Will Maggie be jealous?  Maybe but she is the type of child who likes someone standing right beside her at all times and Ruthie is getting too old to play Barbies.  

5.  What did Sam say?  Sam said that he heard Asians are good at Ping Pong and so he can’t wait to teach her to play Ping Pong.  (absolutely true)

6.  How will you pay for it?  Well China doesn’t accept Bitcoin so we will probably use American dollars.  We will be holding a t-shirt fundraiser at some time.

7.  How can I help you in your quest for insanity?  Buy a t-shirt.  That will be our only fundraiser to help with the big chunks that are due right before we travel.  

8.  Are you concerned that if you ask people to give you $ they may not give to the church?  No.  We aren’t asking for $, we are offering a chance to buy a t-shirt.  The people who go to our church don’t relate to their giving that way and buying a t-shirt is completely optional and not a requirement for ongoing membership (although that is a good idea).  😉

9.  Will you teach her English?  No.  The rest of the family is going to learn to speak Chinese and make that our new language. 

10.  Are you sure you can take on another kid with special needs?  I assure you, it is not my kid’s special needs that make parenting hard. Parenting is hard because of the challenges of raising good people in today’s society.  

11.  Does she speak English?  Jack taught her the word, “sister” so I guess that’s a start.

12.  When will you travel?  Our agency has warned us it could take a year.  I already completed a 3 month homestudy in 10 days.  I am praying and hoping for early summer so we have the summer to bond before school starts. 

13.  Will she go to school?  Yes she will be one year behind Maggie.  I am in second place for the longest running family at our elementary school and I am hoping this moves me to a first-place tie until I can bring home another. 

14.  She’s older.  What if she can’t bond?  Last time I checked, healthy bonding was not a prerequisite to adoption or having the opportunity to be exposed to the Gospel. 

15.  Will you buy one of those big vans?  Only if Trent wins that argument and that is unlikely.

16.  Is Trent going to let you go back to China? Yes, I am hoping to go back annually because this ministry of serving orphans and advocating for them is where I feel like I am most walking in my calling.

17.  What if you meet another child when you go back?  Then Trent will get his 18 passenger van.

If you made it through that list then hopefully you get my humor.  Right now, please pray for a speedy process.  If you have a question to add to the list, go ahead and ask and I am happy to add it for anyone else who is wondering if they should stage an intervention.