Interestingly, this is the first time I have used the word "rescue" in Katie's story. It is an accurate description. Katie was born in Guatemala in May 2001 and was placed in the system for International Adoption.
I was going about my life as a newly married woman with a new husband and stepdaughter and enjoying life. We had never discussed adopting a child or a special needs child in particular. We had no idea our precious Katie was born.
At the time, we had a friend who was in the process of an international adoption. She shared a lot of information about international adoption with me. It was so amazing that there were precious little lives around the globe that needed safe, loving families to care for them. I was fascinated with looking at the photo directory on the internet of babies available for adoption. I was just having fun, looking at all the adorable babies, thinking I would give birth to a baby one day.
While I was clueless, God was not. He had an entire plan already in place, and he was already working his miracles. While curiously looking through all the precious babies, there was one baby that seemed to keep drawing me back. This picture didn't look like the most healthy, adorable baby on the list, when she was two weeks old, the doctor determined that she had Down Syndrome. That is why she had been placed on the list. But... something kept bringing me back to her.
Over and over for days, maybe weeks, I would browse through babies on the photo listing, but every time, I ended up looking at the same baby. It was Baby Katherine, in Guatemala. Still clueless about God's big plans, I decided since I seemed to be drawn to her listing that God must want me to pray for her. So, I began to pray for her. I asked God to find her a good home, and give her parents that would love her and take care of her. Clueless. I was clueless, but not for long. God's plan soon began to unfold, and the miracle of Katie's adoption began. As we started the adoption, we learned it was a complex process to adopt internationally. There was so much paperwork to do, and it was a LONG process.
Unfortunately, Katie didn't have a long time to wait for us. As weeks passed and I followed her information from checkups, I began to notice she wasn't gaining weight. I was doing quite a bit of research on babies and individuals with Down Syndrome so that we would be prepared to care for her, I learned that about 50% of babies with Down Syndrome are born with congenital heart defects. One of the tell-tale signs was the lack of weight gain. I pushed the adoption agency to have her evaluated by a cardiologist. The news wasn't good. I was told that she did need cardiac surgery. She was diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure. When I asked when she would need surgery, the answer was "She needed it yesterday."
And so, the "rescue mission" began. Through the help of amazing people, and the office of US House Representative Adam Putnam, we were about to bring her to the US much sooner than expected so that she could have the life-saving care she needed. Just three weeks after we brought her home to the US, she had surgery to correct the defects in her heart. From that time in October 2001, at just 5 months old, until the age of 16, I thought our life-saving mission was complete.
You would think I would have caught on by this time that God allows lots of surprises in life. Often, disguised as difficulty, and in situations that can bring heartache. But he never leaves us there...He never leaves us alone in a pit of despair. WE may choose to stay there for a
while and wallow in our self-pity, forgetting that God has gone before us, and always has our best in HIS plans. Jeremiah 29:11 has been one of my favorite verses for most of my life. In Jeremiah 29, Jeremiah was writing a letter to all the people who had been exiled to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar. Chapter 29, verses 10 and 11 say, "This is what the Lord says:'You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again.'" Verse 11 continues, "For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."He continues in verses 12 and 13, "In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look to me wholeheartedly, you will find me." Proverbs 19:21 says, "Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails". In Proverbs 16:3, he tells us, "Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established. We are encouraged to commit our work and our plans to God, and He will give us His BEST plans. There are so many more examples in scripture, but you get the idea. We see only a tiny part of the whole picture. God sees the entire BIG picture, and if we allow him, he will work everything for our Good in the end. It may, (most likely WILL) take time, but God NEVER fails.
God's plan was unfolding for us and Katie during those months in 2001. His plan continues even today. Earlier in this post, I stated that I thought our rescue mission was complete, but we learned many years later, we would have more work to do. I will share more about that in a future post.
I pray that you enjoy reading our blog and that the scriptures that I share will touch hearts and bring some peace in our chaotic world. I would love for you to subscribe to our website. You will get updates on new blog posts and updates on our Journey with Katie's medical issues. There will even be some surprises along the way. A free thankfulness journal will be available soon!
Blessings!
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