Our minister at MPCC used an illustration yesterday that really struck a chord in me.  Mark shared some facts about the African impala. 

The impala has the amazing ability to jump great heights and distances (up to 10 feet high and 30 feet distance from a standing position).  With this ability of vertical and horizontal jumping, the impala survives and thrives in the carnivore-infested savannas of Africa.  But, if you were to see an African impala in a zoo, it would be confined by a simple three-foot tall fence.  You see, the impala will not jump unless it can see where it is going to land. 

I am often like the African impala, feet firmly planted on the ground, not seeing the need to jump into the unknown.  But, when I met the girls in April of 2009, I knew it was time.  We began the adoption process after I arrived home from Ethiopia.  We jumped, hopeful of where we would land but not really knowing.  There were no promises that we could be matched with the girls.  We did our best guess as to their ages and reqested along those lines.  On July 9th of 2009, we recieved the referral for Fikirte and Konjit.  I felt like we landed from a jump that day.  So, we did it again, and again, and most days I feel like we are still mid-air.  The process has been full of the unknown.  When will the paperwork be complete?  How long can a background check take for a cop and a teacher?  When will our homestudy be approved?  How are we going to pay for this?  Will we have to travel twice?  Will I stay in Ethiopia for a time?  

Well, our paperwork was completed with an approved background check, and our home study has been approved.  We will complete our USCIS fingerprints tomorrow.  The payment is still up in the air, as is travel, but we continue to move forward in faith.  We will not let the fear of an unknown landing dissuade us. 

Hebrews 11:1  “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”

When was the last time you jumped into the unknown?  I’d love to hear about it!