and we were never the same

His name is Myles because we traveled far to love him. Not just with our feet, but in our hearts. When we stepped foot in Uganda, it wasn’t to adopt. It wasn’t to visit. It was to live. For four years, inhaling the thick dusty air that would breathe life into our family. Authentic life. Not the comfortable one we grew accustomed to. Not the clean one we spent hours maintaining. Not the one full of American dreams, and self-fulfilling expectations. No, this life was dirty. Messy with poverty. Broken with countless needs, the real kind, the kind where people die if they’re not met. This life was lonely at times. Because we didn’t belong anywhere —  not where we came from, not where we were. Because we were often misunderstood. This life was challenging. Because it seemed to oppose and question everything I knew to be responsible and faithful…

You can find the rest of this post over here today

I know Mandie Joy from the unique way social media connects people. There’s a fabulous adoption community who seeks to encourage through our genuine interest in each other’s stories and the sharing of resources, knowledge and truth. Mandie is doing a blog series called You are Not Alone, hoping to connect people with similar stories of finding hope and grace in brokenness.