Translating and a BIG God!

Shortly after receiving Bella’s referral we started processing all the things that would be needed for her when she got home. My dear friend Jennifer, who adopted her 6 year old son (at the time) from Guatemala informed me that we would greatly benefit from having a translator the first few days we arrive back home in order to help us all get adjusted. I am so thankful for that piece of advice from another adoptive mom in a very similar situation. I'm not sure I would have thought of that.

Because of the location of our daughter and a special language she spoke we knew it would be difficult to find someone to help us. Jennifer and I began a journey of prayer and searching out the person that might possibly be able to translate for us. We began talking with every Indian friend, neighbor and family at local schools to see if anyone spoke this particular language. Jennifer even put flyers together for us to post on the International students board at UAB hoping that out of all those international students….someone might possibly know about Bella’s language. But…..nothing.

Confident that God would provide exactly what we needed….we just continued to pray. In the mean time, I began to research this particular language and area in India. To my discovery, I found that only a small number of people with this same language were actually living in the United States and they were pretty much all living in one particular state. And no….it was not our state. Our chances of a translator seemed small. But we knew that certainly would not hinder our BIG God!

One evening about a month ago while in an "adoption" meeting that we were having at our church, a friend of mine was asking me some questions about Bella. Then she asked me, “which part of India is she from? She went on to say….”because I have a friend that just married a guy from an area in India that I have never heard of and speaks a language that starts with a…….” In my mind I'm thinking, “Yeah right….there is no possible way in ALL of India that your friend married a guy that is from the same place my daughter is from OR speaks the language she speaks.” Hesitant, Jeff pokes me and says….. “tell her!”

So I share with her the name of the place and language that Bella speaks and guess what? Y E P!!! (I told you-- He's BIG!!) Stunned I could barely find the words to say and try to communicate to my friend that this is a near impossible thing and that through her at that very moment….she had the answer to a prayer we had been asking the LORD for quite some time. Can you just take this in with me? That is just amazing, friends!!!

So, I begin to learn more about this friend of hers. She used to live in Birmingham and had been members of our church for a long time, but recently married this guy from India and they currently lived in……yep……the state that I mentioned above. (I am having to keep all this specific info private for the safety of our daughter…so please just bare with me here) How would I have found that kind of a connection other wise?

Now I’ve got a number to call and someone to talk to about possibly translating for us when our daughter gets home. So, anxiously I connect with this girl on the phone and talk to her about her husband and the language and if they’d be willing to help us. They were thrilled to help! It actually turns out that they are also interested in adopting from the same place as well and were so happy to be able have a part in our adoption. oh, BUT….the story grows!!

I found out in that conversation that not only is her husband from the same state that Bella is currently living…..that some of his immediate family still lives there!! Guess what??….not just the same state, but the exact same town and that they also work in some of the local orphanages. ARE YOU CATCHING THIS!?? There is NO way this is a coincidence. This is a BIG BIG God and one that has shown us a glimpse of how beautifully and carefully He has woven in all the personal little details of this adoption.

Now, though I can not say at the moment…..I believe there are much bigger reasons of the significance of the family living in the very same little town….and I will hopefully share those later….but for now…. what it means for us is that in all of these wonders shown us by God….my new friend and her husband are also traveling back to his home to see his family (for the first time as a married couple) in July through the beginning of August. Again...just more awe! Our hope and prayer is that we will be there at the same time with them to introduce Bella to the guy who will be helping her to get adjusted when she gets home and to possibly help us some while there. At the very least they can take her some gifts and things from us on their trip when they travel. We will see what all the LORD has in store.

As far as translation goes with them living in a different state….we’ve actually been told by Bella’s international medical team that this is a good thing so that she doesn’t form an parental type attachment to someone so similar to her. We’ll just plan on phones calls and Skype to get us through our language barriers! And WHO knows what all will happen down the road with this amazing connection. But for now…we just rejoice and marvel in a God who just never ceases to amaze us. Time and time again He shows Himself in this process, affirming our path to Bella. Let’s give Him some PRAISE!!!