On August 24th, 2012 I was scheduled to speak, alongside one of my best friends, at our church's women's fellowship night. We were asked to share about how we met, how she shared the gospel with me, and how God used our friendship for his glory and how I came to be a born-again believer in Jesus Christ alone for my salvation.
As I was in my van, about 5 minutes away from church, I got a call from Jon. He told me he had some bad news he had to tell me & asked if I was ready to hear it.
"What is it?! Is Josephine dead???"
"No."
"Then what is it?!?! Wait, don't tell me. I'm almost at church. I will call you back."
So 15 minutes before I was about to share my testimony with a room full of 100 ladies, I called him back and heard the news,
"Josephine is missing now too. She is gone. She's not at the orphanage. Either she's missing or we adopted a little girl who never existed."
It was a Friday night. Jon was packed & ready to fly to DRC to get our daughter on Sunday. How could this really be happening?? I sobbed with my friend, Danielle for a few minutes, not understanding how God could really let this be happening to our sweet little girl. Danielle prayed for me. Then I took a deep breath, regained my composure and took the stage with her.
I remember someone said they would totally understand if I didn't want to speak that night, but I knew that was exactly what Satan wanted and there was no way I was going to let him win this battle.
By God's grace, and with the help of the indwelling Spirit, Danielle and I were able to tell our stories, how God used a room in a sorority house to show me the good news of the gospel & that I could never be good enough on my own to please Him or "earn" my way to Heaven. He called me out of darkness and into His marvelous light. And now, by grace I am saved through faith in Jesus Christ! I am so thankful that the Lord gave me that Philippians 4 peace that surpasses understanding so that I could share my story for the glory of God & so the gospel may go forth and save others who are lost in their sin just like I was.
Soli deo gloria. {To God alone be the glory.}
You don't probably know us, but I follow your blog because we have mutual friends (hubby is a Southern student too) and we adopted two children from ET through CCI. We're adopting now through Lifeline from Congo.
ReplyDeleteThis news is so hard to hear, even months after the fact. Praise the Lord that in His good timing, you were scheduled to delight in His kindness toward you in Christ right after hearing such devastating news. There just aren't words sufficient for the sorrow, but please know I'll be praying for your family and trusting in God's faithfulness and purposes along with you.
Thank you Jen! I know we have several mutual friends! We are so thankful for your prayers! I'd love to meet you sometime! Let's arrange it through our mutual friends!
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