My Prayer When This Mama Can't Be There ...

I spoke with our adoption agency this week.  We just submitted all of our dossier paperwork and the paper chase is finally over!  I called our case worker to get a sense of what our "next steps" will be and she gave me some exciting, albeit sobering news.  Our agency has recently accepted a partnership with the first government run orphanage in the Fujian Province of China, which means that the children that are in this particular orphanage (approximately 350 of them), all of which have special needs, are being advocated for by the agency in order that they may find families for these kiddos.  Only 100 of the children are considered "adoptable" because in China, a child who is orphaned is not necessarily available for adoption (which means that 200 of these children will likely live in this government institution until they age out of the system at 14 and are sent out on the street - a fact I just can't wrap my heart around).

For us, this new development means that it is very likely that our son is already living at the Xiamen Orphanage in Fujian, China and we just don't know him yet...  This new development is changing the way I pray for Jack (Yep, Jackson Thomas is his name for now... unless he already has been given an American name.  If that were the case, we would most likely keep that.)

So how does this new idea that Jack may be sleeping in a crib with one or two crib mates on a hard plywood board change my prayer?  We don't know who Jack is yet but knowing that he is even possibly born already changes things.  The adoption agency said that they are waiting on chinese medical reports to be translated before they can match any of these children with families here in the states so it will be several months before we know more.

I may not know his circumstances right now but I do know his Maker and the lover of his soul and I am honored to be praying for him in this time in between:

Lord, You hear Jack's every cry tonight.  You see his every gurgle and breathe.  You adore him and have fearfully and wonderfully made him.  I claim his life for you tonight and in the days and months to come...  May that claim on his little life be so evident in the heavenlies that the enemy cannot touch him, because he is surrounded by Your hedge of protection.

May the hands that touch him be gentle and kind so he may know security.

May the lips that speak to him bring life and peace to his heart.

May the eyes that gaze on him show adoration and affection, that he may know the adoration of a caregiver.

May he hear music that allows his spirit to soar and his heart to find safety.

May he find an item of comfort in the orphanage that gives him a sense of belonging.

May his eyes be shown the spiritual protection around him so that he draws comfort in knowing that Jesus is his comforter.

May his body find supernatural rest when he is physically hurting.

May the days be few until we get the call that we have been matched with one of the children... our Jack.