WE HAVE A CONSULATE APPOINTMENT!

I can not believe the time has finally come for me to make this post! What a journey this has been.  Some of you close to me know that numbers seem to align in my life.  It started with my now adult daughter's birth - Her Dad and I married on a Friday the 13th and then she was born on a Friday the 13th! What are the chances of that one?  When Billy and I married we had the three older children so a family of five.  This resulted in birthdays in Sept. Oct. Nov. and Dec.  Even more of a coincidence - birthdays on 10/19, 11/19, and 12/19.  Forward to Mary Bailey - her birthday is exactly one week after our wedding anniversary - 6/2 and 6/9.  When we received Anneli's referral and saw her birthday once again numbers lined up - Her birthday is 11/5, my Mom's 11/12, and Billy's 11/19. Why am I telling you all of this?  I am getting to that now!

When we first started this adoption process we were planning to adopt a child from 4-6 years old.  This was due to our ages and a child of that age would be more in line with the other girls. Out of the blue came the referral for our Maya Grace! In the subject line of the email was her Chinese name and her birthdate.  Her birthday is exactly the day after mine 4/28 and 4/29! I knew before even opening her file that day and learning of her needs that this was my child.  Still getting to my point of all of the above so bare with me.  When we were trying to decide on names for her Billy kept rejecting all of my names saying they were "too Southern" or they sounded like "someone on Little House on the Prairie".  While driving to our last social worker visit I told him that the child must have a name.  Out of the blue he says I like Maya or Mia.  There is a child adopted from China local to us whose name is Mia.  I told him that and he said "Ok, well then Maya".  At that point I just wanted her to have a name and was not choosy.  I then asked what her middle name would be and from the back seat Mary Bailey said, "Grace".  So there is the origins of her name!

The next day I googled the name Maya.  I learned that it was Buddha's mother's name.  Neither of us knew that beforehand.   We are Christian but it was kind of cool learning that fact as Maya's birth parents are likely Buddhist or at least have Buddhist beliefs.  As I continued my search I came across a "Saint Maya"!  She was a saint in the Georgian Orthodox church.  Her feast day is recognized on 12/24.  We are Catholic and Saints are very important to us. I knew in my heart when I saw that months ago that 12/24 would be our Maya Day!   IT WAS CONFIRMED THIS MORNING THAT OUR MAYA DAY WILL INDEED BE 12/24!!!  (We have a consulate appointment for 1/2/13.) It has been amazing watching God's hand at work through all of our journey! He is so good! Even on the most difficult days when I felt like giving up and letting the opposition win we kept plowing on through.  We are now almost  fully at the finish line! We are rejoicing! I will end with the verse that started it all for us "I will not leave you orphan.  I will come for you." John 14:18. Maya Grace we are coming!