Like many churches, our church has Baby Dedication. Our three biological children had all participated in (slept through) their Baby Dedications. Our church has committed to make this service special and meaningful. One thing that I really appreciate about this service is that the dads write a blessing and speak it to their children.
As Yuly did not come to us as an infant, she did not have a Baby Dedication. But, I am so grateful to our church that we are able to dedicate Yuly now. Honestly, I thought about it only recently, but we want all of our children dedicated to the Lord. Yuly shouldn't have had to miss that dedication just because she was not a baby when she became my daughter!
So...on Sunday, March 3, our family stood before the church to acknowledge that Yuly belongs to the Lord and that we are blessed to parent her.
Yuly, because “God was kind and decided that Christ would choose us to be God’s own adopted children” [Eph 1:5], your mother and I pray “that light will flood your heart and that you will understand the hope that was given to you when God chose you. Then you will discover the glorious blessings that will be yours together with all of God’s people.” [Eph. 1:18] As a family, we vow to take God’s Word and “tell them to (our) children over and over again. Talk about them all the time, whether (we’re) at home or walking along the road or going to bed at night, or getting up in the morning.” [Deut. 6:7]. “so that Christ may dwell in your heart through faith. And … that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” [Eph. 3:17-19]
And after church, we had lunch at Grandparents' home to celebrate. Yuly got a new, really cool Bible (it looks like a comic book!) and some Colombian candy.
Looking forward to the opportunity to dedicate Hope before the Lord, too! I don't know if I have mentioned it, but I am really ready to bring her home!!
We did a similiar thing with our boys a year or two after they came home. We were mixed in with the baby dedications, but it was still something we wanted to do. Regardless of when they came into our family, they are our children and we wanted to acknowledge that before everyone. Another one of those "first" kind of things you don't get the traditional way with older children, but still very special.
ReplyDeletePraying that your travel come at just the right time and that all goes smoothly.
Karen