I've been waiting for this Christmas for years.
December 24th, 2011, Daniel gave me two gifts:
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One was a 147 Million Orphans shirt. (Notice the daisies on there?! GODWINK!)
The other gift was a folder.
Inside the folder was adoption paperwork that Daniel had already started filling out.
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Daniel said, "I just want you to know, I feel like God is saying now is the time."
I was so shocked.
I put my face on the ground, cried, and thanked God.
Daniel didn't know, but I had prayed every single day for over six months for God to work in his heart regarding adoption. I knew God had a child waiting for us, but I wanted it to come from God and not me.
That Christmas, I told Daniel before going to bed, "You realize that our child is probably alive already? They are somewhere in this world. I hope they had a Merry Christmas..."
I cried myself to sleep that night.
And across the globe, our little Shisi was turning 5 months old in a Chinese orphanage.
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December 24th, 2011, Daniel gave me two gifts:
One was a 147 Million Orphans shirt. (Notice the daisies on there?! GODWINK!)
The other gift was a folder.
Inside the folder was adoption paperwork that Daniel had already started filling out.
Daniel said, "I just want you to know, I feel like God is saying now is the time."
I was so shocked.
I put my face on the ground, cried, and thanked God.
Daniel didn't know, but I had prayed every single day for over six months for God to work in his heart regarding adoption. I knew God had a child waiting for us, but I wanted it to come from God and not me.
That Christmas, I told Daniel before going to bed, "You realize that our child is probably alive already? They are somewhere in this world. I hope they had a Merry Christmas..."
I cried myself to sleep that night.
And across the globe, our little Shisi was turning 5 months old in a Chinese orphanage.
The next Christmas, we were literally aching to travel to bring her home.
She was living with a foster family in a rural part of China, which made it difficult to get information about our sweet girl.
That December 24th, God nestled a little ladybug amidst the gifts under the tree.
The hope and promise that our Shisi would be with us next Christmas.
I cried myself to sleep again that year.
Well, this Christmas I cried too.
Tears of complete and total happiness.
Tears of complete and total happiness.
Merry Christmas from all FOUR of the Riherds!
Daniel made this wonderful slideshow to a song that fits our past three Christmases perfectly...
Merry Christmas, by Third Day
There's a little girl trembling on a cold December morn
Crying for momma's arms
At an orphanage just outside a little China town
Where the forgotten are
But half a world away I hang the stockings by the fire
And dream about the day when I can finally call you mine
It's Christmas time again but you're not home
Your family is here and yet you're somewhere else alone
And so tonight I pray that God will come and hold you in his arms
And tell you from my heart I wish you Merry Christmas
As I hang the tinsel on the tree and watch the twinkling lights
I'm warmed by the fire's glow
Outside the children tumble in a wonderland of white,
Make angels in the snow
But half a world away you try your best to fight the tears
And hope that heaven's angels come to carry you here
It's Christmas time again but you're not home
Your family is here and yet you're somewhere else alone
And so tonight I pray that God will come and hold you in his arms
And tell you from my heart I wish you Merry Christmas
Christmas is a time to celebrate the holy child
And we celebrate his perfect gift of love
He came to earth to give his life
And prepare a place for us
So we could have a home with him above
It's Christmas time again and now you're home
Your family is here so you will never be alone
So tonight before you go to sleep, I'll hold you in my arms
And I'll tell you from my heart, and I'll you from my heart
I wish you Merry Christmas
Crying for momma's arms
At an orphanage just outside a little China town
Where the forgotten are
But half a world away I hang the stockings by the fire
And dream about the day when I can finally call you mine
It's Christmas time again but you're not home
Your family is here and yet you're somewhere else alone
And so tonight I pray that God will come and hold you in his arms
And tell you from my heart I wish you Merry Christmas
As I hang the tinsel on the tree and watch the twinkling lights
I'm warmed by the fire's glow
Outside the children tumble in a wonderland of white,
Make angels in the snow
But half a world away you try your best to fight the tears
And hope that heaven's angels come to carry you here
It's Christmas time again but you're not home
Your family is here and yet you're somewhere else alone
And so tonight I pray that God will come and hold you in his arms
And tell you from my heart I wish you Merry Christmas
Christmas is a time to celebrate the holy child
And we celebrate his perfect gift of love
He came to earth to give his life
And prepare a place for us
So we could have a home with him above
It's Christmas time again and now you're home
Your family is here so you will never be alone
So tonight before you go to sleep, I'll hold you in my arms
And I'll tell you from my heart, and I'll you from my heart
I wish you Merry Christmas