The Call:
You picture this moment over and over in your head for months. You go through all of the scenarios that you see on other peoples blogs and see how it would have played out in your life…then you get YOUR call.
August 25, 2009
Jonathan was playing in the adopt(ed) golf tournament that day hosted by our church. That evening we met up for the banquet/silent auction following the tournament. We were going to be a part of the evening in something called cardboard testimonies. On a piece of cardboard you were supposed to write what brought you to adopt/care for orphans and on the reverse side where you are now. The group of us that was participating congregated in the back hallway discussing how we were going out and coming off stage. I decided to go back with my friend Rachael (who just adopted their amazing son) into the banquet area to check my phone that was in my purse (not expecting any special calls because it was after 5pm). Less that 20 seconds after I picked up my phone it started ringing "Unknown". In my head I am thinking, "okay it is after 5pm, we are at an adoption banquet, Jonathan and I are actually in the same place, it must be a wrong number there is no way that this is our call." I answer the phone and hear exactly what I have heard that I will hear:
Sarah: “Hello”
Mary: “Sarah”
Sarah: “Mary”
Mary: “I have some good news for you”
Trying to decide what I should do next I start hitting the table a couple of my girlfriends are sitting at with silverware rattling saying, “IT’S THE CALL, IT’S THE CALL”. I then run into the back hallway where Jonathan was, yelling something about either it’s the call or it’s Mary. We can’t really remember. All I know is someone thought there was a fire, someone else thought something was happening inside where the banquet was taking place. I asked Jonathan what his first thoughts were when I came busting through the door, he said he thought, "okay, I have to be the one to remain calm", so apparently I wasn’t. Poor Mary..., I kept telling her “you don’t know where I am! You don’t know where I am!” Of course she didn’t know where I was. But at that moment, being at an adoption banquet where the whole room is so excited for you, I had no idea what to say.
I had always pictured myself at home in the afternoon ,after work, and Jonathan still downtown at work. Having to wait to hear about our child and see pictures until getting a ride home.
So, back to Jonathan being the calm one…my boss was in the back hallway with us and said we could use his computer. We dart through the hallways of the church and land at his computer then have to wait for what seemed like the longest boot up process known to man. While waiting on it to boot up we had Mary call back on my boss’ number so we could have her on speaker phone instead of both listening on my phone. She proceeds to tell us that we have a son! He was a full 8 months old. Then the pictures came,along with the tears (happy ones of course). I am not one that really cries much, but if I am going to cry at least it is over something like this, he is totally worth crying over. He is perfect in every way, minus the fact he isn’t with us right now.
We feel so blessed and honored that God chose him to be our son. He is so handsome and always smiling. In our first report that we received it said that you can just stare at him and he breaks out into fits of laughter.
Once we got off of the phone with Mary we didn’t know what part of the banquet they were on so we didn’t know if we had missed our part or not. Right when we walked out was when we were all fixing to go on stage. One problem, the back side of our cardboard testimony was incorrect. Quick fix, grab a magic marker and a spare piece of cardboard found backstage. Jonathan held up the sign that said, “Spring 2007 God laid Adoption on our hearts as Plan A for OUR family…” on the back when he flipped it over it said, “Counting the days until we receive our referral…4th on the waiting list” of course that was according to the FBI list that is unofficial, but it is obviously close. When he flipped the sign over to show the second side he knelt down and crossed out 4th on the waiting list as I held up a sign “parents for 5 minutes!” It was the most amazing feeling to know that God was in all of this and he made his fame known that evening! The cheers and emotions were amazing, the only problem was none of our family was there and things were already being posted on facebook and we were already receiving text messages from people who weren’t at the banquet…exciting, but a problem.
When the banquet was over we left out a back door to hurry home. My parents were coming over with 2 of my brothers and a sister-in-law to see the AMAZING crib and dresser that our wonderful friends had given us the Saturday before. They came in separate cars otherwise we were going to have his picture up on the computer in the crib, but telling them was just as exciting! Once we showed them pictures and told them all out their grandson and nephew we rushed off to Jonathan’s parents. Jonathan had text his dad to see if he could borrow a trailer hitch because he said that he couldn’t disguise the excitement in his voice. His dad read right through him as it was 10 at night. He knew that he didn’t need one that late even though his mom was trying to be cautious and not get her hopes up just yet. We told them soon after we came in and oooed and awed over him.
When we left there and decided to stop by as many family members homes that we could because we didn’t want anyone finding out 3rd hand because of technology. We found one of his brothers and sister-in-laws lights on and one set of his grandparents. It was so exciting to share in the joy with them all. His Memaw said that she stayed up until 3am in her rocker just thinking about him. I talked to her the next day (on her 60 anniversary) and she said that she had already called all of Texas and was getting ready to start in Louisiana; with relatives that is.
We can’t wait to hold our precious little boy. In the meantime, please pray for him to continue to grow strong (he was malnourished), for his birth family, and that we receive a quick court date with all necessary parties showing up on time with all proper documentation.
Thank you all so much for all of your prayers and support through this incredible journey!
S
You picture this moment over and over in your head for months. You go through all of the scenarios that you see on other peoples blogs and see how it would have played out in your life…then you get YOUR call.
August 25, 2009
Jonathan was playing in the adopt(ed) golf tournament that day hosted by our church. That evening we met up for the banquet/silent auction following the tournament. We were going to be a part of the evening in something called cardboard testimonies. On a piece of cardboard you were supposed to write what brought you to adopt/care for orphans and on the reverse side where you are now. The group of us that was participating congregated in the back hallway discussing how we were going out and coming off stage. I decided to go back with my friend Rachael (who just adopted their amazing son) into the banquet area to check my phone that was in my purse (not expecting any special calls because it was after 5pm). Less that 20 seconds after I picked up my phone it started ringing "Unknown". In my head I am thinking, "okay it is after 5pm, we are at an adoption banquet, Jonathan and I are actually in the same place, it must be a wrong number there is no way that this is our call." I answer the phone and hear exactly what I have heard that I will hear:
Sarah: “Hello”
Mary: “Sarah”
Sarah: “Mary”
Mary: “I have some good news for you”
Trying to decide what I should do next I start hitting the table a couple of my girlfriends are sitting at with silverware rattling saying, “IT’S THE CALL, IT’S THE CALL”. I then run into the back hallway where Jonathan was, yelling something about either it’s the call or it’s Mary. We can’t really remember. All I know is someone thought there was a fire, someone else thought something was happening inside where the banquet was taking place. I asked Jonathan what his first thoughts were when I came busting through the door, he said he thought, "okay, I have to be the one to remain calm", so apparently I wasn’t. Poor Mary..., I kept telling her “you don’t know where I am! You don’t know where I am!” Of course she didn’t know where I was. But at that moment, being at an adoption banquet where the whole room is so excited for you, I had no idea what to say.
I had always pictured myself at home in the afternoon ,after work, and Jonathan still downtown at work. Having to wait to hear about our child and see pictures until getting a ride home.
So, back to Jonathan being the calm one…my boss was in the back hallway with us and said we could use his computer. We dart through the hallways of the church and land at his computer then have to wait for what seemed like the longest boot up process known to man. While waiting on it to boot up we had Mary call back on my boss’ number so we could have her on speaker phone instead of both listening on my phone. She proceeds to tell us that we have a son! He was a full 8 months old. Then the pictures came,along with the tears (happy ones of course). I am not one that really cries much, but if I am going to cry at least it is over something like this, he is totally worth crying over. He is perfect in every way, minus the fact he isn’t with us right now.
We feel so blessed and honored that God chose him to be our son. He is so handsome and always smiling. In our first report that we received it said that you can just stare at him and he breaks out into fits of laughter.
Once we got off of the phone with Mary we didn’t know what part of the banquet they were on so we didn’t know if we had missed our part or not. Right when we walked out was when we were all fixing to go on stage. One problem, the back side of our cardboard testimony was incorrect. Quick fix, grab a magic marker and a spare piece of cardboard found backstage. Jonathan held up the sign that said, “Spring 2007 God laid Adoption on our hearts as Plan A for OUR family…” on the back when he flipped it over it said, “Counting the days until we receive our referral…4th on the waiting list” of course that was according to the FBI list that is unofficial, but it is obviously close. When he flipped the sign over to show the second side he knelt down and crossed out 4th on the waiting list as I held up a sign “parents for 5 minutes!” It was the most amazing feeling to know that God was in all of this and he made his fame known that evening! The cheers and emotions were amazing, the only problem was none of our family was there and things were already being posted on facebook and we were already receiving text messages from people who weren’t at the banquet…exciting, but a problem.
When the banquet was over we left out a back door to hurry home. My parents were coming over with 2 of my brothers and a sister-in-law to see the AMAZING crib and dresser that our wonderful friends had given us the Saturday before. They came in separate cars otherwise we were going to have his picture up on the computer in the crib, but telling them was just as exciting! Once we showed them pictures and told them all out their grandson and nephew we rushed off to Jonathan’s parents. Jonathan had text his dad to see if he could borrow a trailer hitch because he said that he couldn’t disguise the excitement in his voice. His dad read right through him as it was 10 at night. He knew that he didn’t need one that late even though his mom was trying to be cautious and not get her hopes up just yet. We told them soon after we came in and oooed and awed over him.
When we left there and decided to stop by as many family members homes that we could because we didn’t want anyone finding out 3rd hand because of technology. We found one of his brothers and sister-in-laws lights on and one set of his grandparents. It was so exciting to share in the joy with them all. His Memaw said that she stayed up until 3am in her rocker just thinking about him. I talked to her the next day (on her 60 anniversary) and she said that she had already called all of Texas and was getting ready to start in Louisiana; with relatives that is.
We can’t wait to hold our precious little boy. In the meantime, please pray for him to continue to grow strong (he was malnourished), for his birth family, and that we receive a quick court date with all necessary parties showing up on time with all proper documentation.
Thank you all so much for all of your prayers and support through this incredible journey!
S
