Friday

Eight Months Old

Happy eight month birthday, baby girl! We miss you and love you!!


The idea of giving Isabella back to the foster moms at her orphanage was never far from my thoughts. On "give back" day as I call it, thoughts of Hannah in the Bible (1 Samuel) and her desire for a child came to my mind.

10 In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the LORD. 11 And she made a vow, saying, "O LORD Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant's misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life."

God did answer her prayer, and when little Samuel was weaned Hannah literally gave him back to the Lord by having the priest raise him in the temple.

On my "give back" day on Wednesday, I kept thinking about how Hannah must have felt the day she gave her baby to Eli the priest to raise. I imagine that she kept a brave face as she fed him and bathed him. Then I bet she dressed little Samuel up in his best clothes, probably a special outfit that she made for him. I imagine that he looked so adorable to her. She must have choked back tears as she looked at her precious baby- the one she prayed for for so many years.

When Hannah presented Samuel to Eli she said,

27 I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him. 28 So now I give him to the LORD. For his whole life he will be given over to the LORD." And he worshiped the LORD there.

I kept thinking about this story over and over again as I was getting Isabella ready to give her back. I fed her and bathed her and dressed her up in her best clothes and a new pair of tiny shoes. She looked like a princess to me! When I handed her over, a thought jumped into my mind that Isabella's name literally means "consecrated or dedicated to the Lord". In that moment my heart handed her over to the Lord. God is the one who is taking care of her and giving her what she needs when we can’t be there. That is one thing we have been praying consistently for her~ that she, in her small spirit, would be cared for by God.



10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh Stacy! Watching those tiny little pink feet wiggle around in the video is so precious...what a treasured time you get with her all alone in Guatemala...she is such a cutie!!

Love, Dayna

demp5 said...

Amen.
Meghan

Anonymous said...

That is beautiful. Wow, that story...very special. I'm off to watch your video now... :)

Susie said...

And she is dear friend, sweet little Bella is totally wrapped in the Blood of Jesus protecting her from all sickness, disease, evil and danger. I hear your heart, I admire your strength and I appreciate you sharing your spirit with all of us. Beautiful Post, praying for you always. Your friend, Susie

The gFamily said...

I love the scripture you shared! It is such an act of obedience to truly give our children over to the Lord! It won't end either, when we bring our girls home! We have to constantly remember that these children, as well as our bio children, belong to the Lord! I am so glad that he allows us the privilege and honor of raising these precious children! He loves them and will watch over them!

I thought of you and Bella so many times in the last few days as I knew you would be doing the "hand back". I have been praying for you! I am praying you are one of those super fast outs we have been hearing about!

Big hugs!!
Gretchen

The gFamily said...

Happy 8 Months sweet and adorable Bella! You are so loved and prayed for!

Suzanne said...

Happy Birthday sweet angel. I am so glad you enjoyed your trip. I have enjoyed all the pictures and video. Someday soon you will never have to give her back. Stay strong and happy.

Amanda said...

Stacy,
Happy 8 months to your sweet Bella! She IS being taken care of. He is meeting all of her needs-- she is healthy, happy and beautiful. He is providing for her. When she comes home with you, He is simply shifting the responsibility from the nannies to you and Kirk. He's chosen you to be Bella's mother, but He isn't forgetting about her in the meantime.

I'm praying for your case every day.
Amanda

Chanan, Rachael and Hope said...

Stacy again your writing and relationship with the Lord is such a blessing to me!! I am praying so hard for you to get out of PGN.... God's timing id perfect always and we trust him over Bella.

Rachael..Hope's Mommy
http://adoptingbabyhope.blogspot.com/

Jaimee said...

Stacy, Isabella is soooo beautiful. I love coming to your blog and seeing all your pictures of her. She is just a doll baby. I'm glad to see you back in the game. I hope it's a short one, Isabella needs to come home! Praying for you!

-Jaimee