Preparing a Table for Us

Today's message in our devotional book says, "God wants us to be more than conquerors (Romans 8:37), turning storm clouds into chariots of victory." I'm so excited to hear about your ideas for our Celebration of Praise and Worship! This will be a fabulous time to give our thanks to God, separate from any other welcome home festivities. I had written that our victory day has not yet arrived, but in fact we see constant days of victory. Before the trip, God spoke to Nadeem and me and told us that we would know Him as Jehovah Nissi, God our victory! We've already seen this victory at court, in getting Kalina, and in having our I600A and Nadeem's fingerprints approved. Those are the big signs of victories. We also have smaller yet equally important victories. When we continue to stand in faith no matter what happens and God continues to give us strength to endure another day, that is a victory. Today's devotion goes on to say "what your enemy had planned to use for your defeat you can confiscate for your own use." Satan clearly means to defeat us-physically, emotionally, and spiritually. We've suffered in every area. However, what Satan means for evil, God means for good! Already I know that we're coming home with a beautiful daughter, stronger faith, and an amazing testimony to share. Instead of worrying and falling into despair at home in the US, you are all praying for us and getting excited about praising God with us in person when we return.
There have been so many obstacles and mishaps on this adoption journey that it's nearly unbelievable. Mistakes have been made both in the US and in Bangladesh. We've faced opposition both here and at home. The 23rd Psalm has always been one of Nadeem's favorites. One verse has become particularly meaningful to us: "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies." Jesus' message is totally contrary to that of the world. Jesus taught that we're to "love our enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you." (Matthew 5:44) Cruella de Magistrate's behavior provoked anger both here and at home. Yet Jesus tells us to pray for this man and love him! In September as we sat in his office on the morning before our victory in court, I prayed that I could see him as God does. For just a moment I felt this overwhelming compassion for him. I could see how lost he is, and it grieved me. It was just for a moment. Now I don't harbor anger towards him, but I have no heart to love him or pray for him. That comes through the power of God.
Nadeem and Hasan's mom endured a grueling day yesterday, facing much opposition and even some rudeness. At the end of the day, they emerged with the needed court document from Cruella de Magistrate which the Home Ministry accepted. Praise God! They also persuaded the police department to start the paperwork and to come to the apartment yesterday to observe Kalina. They've returned to the police station this morning in hopes of getting the completed paperwork and taking it to the Home Ministry to get the "no objection" certificate the US Embassy needs. We're making progress-some fast progress! This is clearly a huge praise; however, Nadeem came home upset, stressed, and worn out from dealing with the enemy all day.
On a smaller scale, I saw some ugliness yesterday, too. I stayed here to take care of Kalina. Doing laundry here without the luxury of washing machines and dryers is quite difficult. We have servants who do this, but the soap on Kalina's clothes was irritating her skin. Now Nadeem and I hand wash her clothes in some baby friendly detergent from home. It's actually kind of enjoyable. We both miss working. After we wash them, we or the servants hang them to dry, either on a clothesline in the apartment or on the roof. Many times the clothes on the roof fall off the lines onto the dirty ground. We've noticed that there are no clothespins, so Nadeem decided to purchase some at the grocery store. We then learned that the families all have clothespins, but everytime the servants use them, other servants steal them and sell them on the streets for extra money. That's frustrating! You need clothespins! Believe me, you don't want to re-wash clothes that have fallen onto the dirty ground. We've had that experience.
Yesterday I had this creative idea of stringing clothespins onto a separate clothesline. I tied the ends of the line to more clothespins so that the servants could attach the line of pins to a clothesline on the roof and then hang the clothes. If someone wanted to steal the pins, they would have to either cut the line with scissors or untie it and unstring the pins. Both would take effort and time, meaning the thief might be caught in the act. I was delighted with the plan and thought that others could use the idea as well!
Not even a couple of hours later, our servant reported the appalling news. Another servant had untied the entired clothesline with freshly washed clothes pinned to it and thrown it onto the dirty ground, clothes and all. Then the servant had hung her linens on the line. A servant knows how much work it takes to wash a load of laundry here and dry it. I couldn't believe that someone would do that to our clothes!
There is so much evil and ugliness everywhere, in every country, all over the world. The reality is that all of us have this ugliness in us. Thanks be to God that He enables His children to be a light in the world through Jesus! He continues to take care of Nadeem, Kalina, and me here in Bangladesh, preparing a table for us each day. We're eager to have you all at the table with us at home! Thanks for praying for us! We hope to see you all soon! Keep the faith!