Esty is a wife to Andrew, mama to their 5 growing kids including 3 biological boys, a daughter from Uganda and their youngest daughter, who is not yet home from Haiti. This, their second adoption, has reached the 21-month mark in progress, and they earnestly hope to have their daughter home in 2015. It’s a very long process but they are surrounded by community and find that adoption has led them to deeply hidden treasures like nothing else. A former pediatric nurse, Esty now fill the days chasing her kids while her husband practices medicine in a southern Florida beach town. Their passion to build community among adoptive families birthed OASIS, a retreat offering intimacy and ongoing fellowship to adoptive mamas. This life is held together and flourishing only in Jesus, rooted in His good grace. You can follow their Journey at These Little Lives.
Hope
The Incredible Story of Mr. Miles
When I was waiting all through 2010 to begin our adoption there was one friend in particular who always had time to mentor me.
Her name is Debbie. She is a Mama, too. She has 4 kids. 3 were born in China. And, Debbie always said the one thing that prospective adoptive parents all want to hear: my day would come.
Debbie would send me emails long before we knew Rissa existed that ended with: “Just think! You are one day closer to Rissa!”
Debbie is exceedingly special to me. Debbie made me believe in my own dream.
When Debbie and I would talk, I would be listening for hope and she would hand it over generously.
Once during a marathon-length-talk, Debbie said: “Esty, don’t despise the timing being ‘off.’ There’s a reason you are meant to go whenever you go.”
Now, I knew why Debbie had said this. When she brought home their #4 from China, they were denied travel and had to wait another 6 weeks to travel with an entirely different group of adoptive families to China. It had been over Christmas that year, and she had been sorely disappointed. But, during that trip to China in January, they met another adoptive family…and in time, Debbie was instrumental in a miracle for this family.
I knew Debbie was right. But, really, I believed that she was right about her situation. Maybe not so much about mine.
When things fell outside of my perfect timeline, I was frustrated and blinded by consuming desperation.
MY TIMELINE MUST WORK. Or so I behaved.
When all was said and done The. Timeline. worked beautifully,