One of My Favorite Things

Ravi has been part of our family for almost a year.  His “Gotcha Day” is November 30th. That means 365 days of praying together, a full belly, hugs and love. It means a year of being called son, brother, grandson, nephew, cousin. Family. It’s hard to remember life without Ravi in it. He fits so beautifully as if he’s always been here. He is so happy, full of life, cuddly and loving. And he is one of us – a Griffiths. I am still trying to process everything we have experienced during this past year. One day maybe I’ll be able to put into words all that the Lord has done. In the meantime, I’ll share one of my favorite parts.

Every night before bed we gather in the kids’ bedroom as a family and pray. For three years we have watched our children grow in their ability to communicate with Jesus. Their prayers are beautiful. Throughout our adoption process we heard prayers asking God to keep Ravi safe and healthy, to provide food and water so that his belly would be full, for him to receive hugs and love during the day, for judges in India to sign documents, for other children in Ravi’s orphanage to be adopted too, and that Ravi would come home to his family as soon as possible.  Our children prayed boldly and asked God to move mountains for their little brother. This allowed for conversations about why God doesn’t always answer our prayers the way we want. But more importantly, it has shown our children the faithfulness of our Lord. He was with us and Ravi every step of the way. We prayed for two years that Ravi could come home. Now, as we gather together to pray each evening, Ravi climbs up on the bed to pray with us. He smiles as we nod that it is his turn, and he prays sweet prayers repeating the phrases he hears his big brother and sisters pray. Hearing his sweet voice and feeling his little body next to mine while he prays is a gift I will always cherish. 

November is National Adoption awareness month. If you are considering adoption or have questions about our story, we would love to talk to you!