Here We Go Again (Part 2)

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me

Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Saviour

I will call upon Your Name
Keep my eyes above the waves
My soul will rest in Your embrace
I am Yours and You are mine

--Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)

Hillsong United

Okay, if you haven't read Part 1, go here. Otherwise, let us continue. So, it's January 2013, 
and I decide to share my thoughts on my book (Knowing God) and my convictions with Simon.
He's kind. He hears me out. He's not flippant nor does he ignore me. But I can kinda hear him 
saying to himself, "That's nice, sweetie. But why don't you just keep your convictions to yourself, 
mm-kay?" I realize I better start praying.

So I pray. And pray. And pray. And I visit many blogs that I like to follow. On one such blog, I 
am made aware of an orphan advocacy site connected to our former agency, Lifeline, called 
Wonderful Waiting Kids. I decide to check it out and request to become a member. Request
granted. I start to scroll down lists of--literally--WONDERFUL kids waiting to be adopted by their
forever families. 

(Do you see where this is going, yet???)

Each day I'm checking out new files of precious children, and praying that Simon will feel the same 

conviction that I do. Nothing doing. At least, not yet.

We come to March 11, 2013. I'm looking at precious kiddos on WWK, and I see her. Literally, 
and I'm not even lying, she takes my breath away. I read her file. I watch her video. And I am taken
aback. Could this be--

OUR NEXT DAUGHTER?!?!?!?!

Okay. So you've figured it out, right? I am desiring to adopt again. The secret is out. :)

However, I still have not been able to budge Simon from where he stands in all of this. Sigh. 
What to do? What to do? Keep praying.

Fast forward to May. Through a strange and coincidental (except I don't believe in coincidences!) 

sequence of events, Simon is made aware of a possible job opening in Boise School District. It
interests him. It intrigues him. It (dare I say) haunts him. The position becomes officially open, and
Simon applies. We have no idea where God is going with this. New job? Re-location? New house?
New school for the girls? No family closer than 500 miles away? Hmmm...not sure I'm liking this, God.
But okay. I'll ride this wave for a bit to see where it's heading. Simon gets asked for an interview. 
Simon knocks said interview out of the park. Simon is offered this job.

Rewind a little. Shortly before Simon applies for this job, I ask, plead, no beg, him to let us put
this little girl's file on hold. Just to talk it over. If her file is on hold, no other family has access
to it, and it will give us time to talk, think, and pray about it. He grudgingly agrees, I think all the
while knowing that placing a file on hold is nowhere NEAR the same thing as agreeing to adopt 
a child, and he can easily let the 2-week hold come and go and just say, "Sorry sweetie, I just
didn't feel it." The night before our 2 weeks is up is a tense one in the Miller household.
Potential new job. Potential new child. AHHHHH!

We decide--me elatedly, Simon scared-ly--to adopt this little girl. Oh. my. word.

The next week (on a Thursday), Simon is offered the new job. DOUBLE. oh. my. word.

He has until Monday to decide. TRIPLE. oh. my. word.

We hem. We haw. We make mental (and literal) lists of pros and cons about taking the job.
WHAT TO DO?!?!?!?

A dear friend offers some sage advice: Maybe God just wants you to be willing to go.

Okay. Maybe. But that gets us...where???

On the Saturday before the Monday he has to accept or decline the job, we're both like, What 
are we going to do? The first words out of my mouth are: "I think we should stay here." Simon 
breaks down into tears and shares with me what's been heavy on his heart for the last 3 days. 
He agrees that we should stay in Kellogg. Whew. Decision made. Burden lifted. Everything clear.

One thing that came out of this decision-making process for the new job was this. Simon explained
to me that in all the hullabaloo in deciding whether or not to take the job, his fears about adopting 
again just faded away. Did you hear me? He told me HE WASN'T SCARED ANY MORE!!!!!

Amen hallelujah!!!

We're back on the adoption roller coaster! We've just received PA (preliminary approval) from
China to adopt the little girl who took my breath away. Now we have to bust our hineys to get 
our homestudy done so we can get immigration approval to adopt this little girl and get it all 
certified and authenticated and to China in 6 months!!

Will you please pray with us that it will get done in a timely fashion? Thank you so much!

And for a sneak peek at the newest Miller...