Grace and favor

This was the first photo sent to me, just a little over a year ago. Her name is Wanyao, and her eyes in the photo looked deep into my soul. She needed a family. Could it be us? Her paperwork hadn't even been started, and I already had a full life. I thought of every excuse to try to say "no, it can't be us". Yet as I got to know her by looking at this photo, I couldn't help but see her sadness. Her longing. Her fear. Her potential. The gift of her to my family. I looked and prayed over her sweet little photo for hours and hours and hours. For months. Seeking clarity. And then deciding to take the jump, praying that the net would appear. The net appeared, and tomorrow morning, we leave to bring this little sweetness home. Little Hannah Joy Wanyao, whose name means "grace and favor". An incredibly special name for an incredibly special baby girl who will remind me every day of the gifts of grace and favor, while filling our lives with joy.