1 Thess. 5:14 - "And we exhort your brothers...be patient with everyone."
Rom. 12:12 - "Rejoice in hope, be patient in affliction, be persistent in prayer."
Many of you know Cindy and I have been pursuing adopting a special needs child from China. This is a special calling that God has placed on our hearts. He would not let us look the other way. When we finally accepted His call, we thought we were prepared for what was to come. We talked extensively with several friends with adopted children. We studied all the required materials. We prayed, and then we waited. And waited. Our patience was being tested.
It's funny that we just finished a study on patience in our Sunday Small Group study. God's timing is perfect. One scripture that really stuck out to me was James 1:2-4 "Consider it great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. But endurance must do it's complete work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing."
God must have determined that we've made progress in this area of patience. It gives me great joy to introduce to you, the newest member of Our Jones Clan, Joanna! Praise be to God, the Creator of all things!
Please join us in praising Him for this beautiful little girl, and the privilege and honor of calling her daughter. Continue to pray for the remaining steps of the adoption, and for God's unerring hand to guide us through. Thank you for all your support and prayers over the past year. As you can see, they have not been in vain.
