Adding a new ingredient to Smithsoup!

yes you read that right!! We are adopting a lovely 9 year old girl from Liberia! Sadly she has been in the USA for several years already, adopted into a situation which is no longer her situation. I love how God works and how He "...sets the solitary into families" and I love how God connected a sweet respite family and us...who were nothing like what the respite family thought they were helping to find for this princess ...but God...the "ideal families" small, east coast, etc, etc....just didn't express that they had what a very damaged but healing little girl needed in a real forever family and the respite family kept coming back to the great big mid western farm family, and eyes, WE were the one family of a number, who seemed to really fit. We began to talk on the phone and to email, asking questions back and forth, sharing info, experience , our passion for children and our shared concern for THIS child."....the peace was palpable between us and when I spoke to my husband about this child his response was a quick, "I have no issues with this, what do we need to do and what do our other kids think?" WELL!!!!! I had not mentioned her to them until I had gathered information to share with him!!! We began to tell the kids about Naomi and her history in Liberia, and compassion moved over them all. Charlie and I are flying over my birthday weekend to visit with Naomi and the respite family...we are all going to stay at a hotel with a nice pool so we can spend time with her in a very neutral setting, and one in which Naomi will have a good time . Sunday we spend a good piece of time on Skype meeting Naomi and introducing her to family members. WHAT FUN THAT WAS!!! She was sweet and spunky, fun, and inquisitive . She loved that we already had a baby from her country, and asked if we had BEEN to her country (the original adoptive family had not )When I told her that I had been there twice but dad had been there with me one time, she was even more excited. She was quite animated as she asked us questions and responded to our Answers. Her closing comments and questions? " Can I come live with you. Will you be my forever mom and dad!? I want to come live with you forever!" OH MY HEART!! Please pray with all of us as we prepare to season our Soup with a very new seasoning? Naomi has been hurt before, physically and emotionally, she has needed a lot of therapy and treatment for the last year when she ceased to be able to carry the load of hurt inflicted upon her. She has done very well and we anticipate continuing some of her treatment but much of it is very nearly completed. We want her to know she is loved and safe and secure and wanted; we need to be readied for a child who has a history similar in many ways to several of our other older-adopted children but in many ways so so so much mor severe. Our hearts while tender for Naomi still ache for Junior a d Diamoh who seem to be God's choice as Children of Our Hearts, but Not of Our Home. We did a lot of talking about how it seemed to feel we were walking away from these two we've waited for and prayed over for 4 years. NO! We are not and when(if) that door should reopen, YES!! We will go in a heartbeat and bring them home! For now we see a closed door on one side of the hallway and a new door standing wide open on the other.We were not expecting this "open door" but after the last adoption opportunity which we didn't pursue we have talked and prayed a lot about REALLY being available and obedient as God całls us to action. Exciting and challenging days lie ahead for Smithsoup in 2012! AND OH, turns out that I AM going to be a Great Gi-Gi this year! How many moms can make the claim that they will be a new mom again, a Gi-Gi and GREAT Gi-Gi in the same year? it doesn't get much more blessed than that!!