random-ness...perhaps

So tonight.

Given there's only one week left before ma petite famille flies to the Midwest and visit family, it dawned on us that we really need to visit the TECO in Seattle asap to pick up Declan's Taiwan passport and take one more step in the process of nationalizing Declan for good and permanent residence-ing Daniel.

This means that I need to translate a birth and marriage certificate before then. The birth certificate was a piece of cake. The marriage one is giving me a headache, and possibly carpal tunnel. Not so much because the terms were complicated--I've encountered much harder assignments--but the chart/layout was gobbling up my time. I called upon the power of the Internet to help me possibly cull up some templates. No luck, as this translation gig is a money-making opportunity for certain businesses. I did, however, stumble upon several families' adoption blogs. (They all adopted from Taiwan, through one particular agency.) Beautiful stories, and with my interest piqued, I looked up the agency's name/mission/etc.

And was completely blown away.

His Hands Taiwan started in 2007. 2007?? That was right when I completed my Masters program and started a new job! If I had known about this organization at that time, I would have so applied/volunteered/made a complete nuisance of myself to get involved in its mission, especially as it's operating right in my hometown! Well, probably not. I'll explain later.

All the reasons why I returned to Taiwan to work before graduate school, all the things I care about regarding my country, all the criteria for why I searched for the job I did at that time -- concern for especially the working class, most socially vulnerable people in Taiwan, investing long-term in truly strengthening my country, hopes of sharing the gospel in a genuine, lives-entwined way --

It's all here.

After learning as much as I could, all translation work put on hold, I am now so excited I don't think I can fall asleep if I go to bed. I've been staying up too late this week, and I've been paying for it in the morning with my lack of energy to run. I really should force myself to go to bed.

But I'm so excited. By the magnitude of what God's doing. By His incredible sense of humor should I ever have the opportunity to partner with this group. Me, who never thought I'd get married. Never wanted children of my own. Always ambivalent, even now, of being a caretaker of children, although I can honestly say this work may be just as important as being the president of the United States. And so if I had known about this group in 2007, I would have still been excited about it....enough to contribute some money from my real job that I would have considered to be more prestigious. I am so different now, one difficult pregnancy, APD/PPD, and 1.5-year-old toddler later. You see, it wasn't until I went through what I did during 2010 and 2011, did I adopt an additional criterium: to care for any and all pregnant or new mothers I come upon in the future. After meeting my doula, Katie, and how wonderful and vital she was in that period of my life, I had wanted to do the same for other women. All this had been very recent development.

Good grief, if what I hope do end up happening, I will have experienced--and inhabit in--one of the best jokes / humorous stories I have ever seen God tell.

Calm down, and go to sleep. Oyasuminasai!