Johnson: Party of Seven!

Davina and I have been home from China just over three weeks.  She has been a Johnson for a month. It truly has been a wonderful month.  Here are a few highlights:

• Davina is learning English at autobahn speed.  I'm amazed at her intelligence, resiliency, and effort.  She did this on the fridge (Do you see that she used our initials to form the "f" in family?)

• We are learning more and more about her.  Some about her past and some about her preferences.  She loves Sprite and pork.  She does not like anything pickled.  We haven't found a food yet that she thinks is "spicy" despite what the label says or if everyone's mouth is on fire.
• Davina loves teasing her sisters and sneaking up on them in a fun (not mean) way.  She has a great sense of humor that is already apparent even with the language barrier, and I look forward to continuing to see this very silly side of her.
• We are meeting lots of new people as we try to meet Davina's unique needs.  New doctors, new tutors and new friends.  One friend that we have met is a Chinese Christian lady who has lived in Tallahassee for 16 years.  We are enjoying getting to know her and are so grateful for her friendship.
• Cocooning is different with a teenager.  Really different.  Davina really likes going places although meeting people (because of the language) is clearly uncomfortable for her.  We try to get out of the house daily to places like the grocery store or on a walk on a trail.  She even got in a swimming pool for the first time ever :)
• She really wants friends, so we are slowly introducing her to church friends.  She has even had an outing to the yogurt shop with her older sister and her sister's friend.  Just teens.  
• Davina has attended three dance recitals:  two ballet and one Irish.

• You may remember the frog episode in China...since we have been home, Todd has teased Davina about that.  We have learned that Davina had never tried frog before but she had always been curious about tasting it.  She has confessed that she didn't really like it.  She has tried to convince Todd that it was not frog, but actually "small chicken."  Of course, that makes for more teasing.  The is a yogurt shop that we all like called "Sweet Frog."  Todd calls it "Sweet Small Chicken."
• We came home on a Thursday.  Todd and I debated on how to handle it.  We wanted to give Davina the option to stay home for that first Sunday without giving her the idea that church attendance was optional.  We asked if her if she wanted to go to church that Sunday or wait a week.  She chose to go her first week here!  We had a parallel Bible ready for her and we headed off.  We went only for worship and on one song with simple chorus, Davina even sang along!  She has now attended church on four Sundays and a few days ago she brought her Bible to Todd and asked him to read to her each day!  So grateful for her open heart.
• I am also so grateful for how sweet all of my girls have been to Davina, each other, and Davina.  There have been the usual family squabbles (not involving Davina yet), but generally there has been a genuine effort to help Davina transition into the family.
• We celebrated the three May birthdays with Todd's parents.

This is not to say that there haven't been challenges, too.  Despite our ability to communicate via typing, communication is still difficult and cumbersome especially when trying to help with emotions.  Functional communication (e.g., "are you hungry?") is fine.  And there are times when she is quiet and we don't know if she is sad, tired, overwhelmed, moody...(and probably, we have seen all of these and various combinations of these).  During this time I am keenly aware of my shortcomings as a parent in both my ability to discern the problem and my inadequacies in helping the problem.

But I am learning to take comfort in my insufficiency and trusting in God who is All Sufficient.  My heart often breaks for my girls.  For the pain that they are experiencing.  For the hurts they have that I cannot heal.  For my limitations as their mom.  And I remember this verse:

 

My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart, You, O God, will not despise."

Psalm 51:17

My broken heart is a sacrifice to God and He will accept that.  My brokenness is a way to worship God and He will accept my sacrifice.  He continually refreshes and renews me.  As I pray and trust Him, He works in my girls' lives in ways that I cannot.  And through the brokenness, I learn to trust Him more. I see that He is Sovereign.

So grateful to be the mom to these amazing girls.