We learned a long time ago that God rarely does things the easy way in our lives (which is probably true for most people, really). Either that, or we are masochists.
For example, we both (separately) pursued bachelor’s and master’s degrees while we were in a denomination that didn’t require higher education (in our pre-UMC days). When choosing between a Master of Arts program and a Master of Divinity program, I chose the M.Div. partly because it was three years instead of two.
And our journey toward ordination has been no easy route. Part of that journey (which is still in process) included earning Doctor of Ministry degrees. When choosing between four schools, we chose the program that was farthest away and would take the longest to complete. 🙄
We *could* have chosen to send an escort to Korea to pick up our children and deliver them to us in Detroit (a much shorter trip, in case you were wondering). And after having been to Korea the first time, we *really* could have sent an escort the second time around.
But we’ve been told that it’s less traumatic for the child when the parents travel to Korea and begin the bonding process here, because the child is escorted by the adoptive parents rather than passing through a stranger enroute to the parents. (We realize, of course, that travel may not be possible for every couple.)
We also didn’t want our children’s adoptive stories to reflect that we we were willing to travel 7,000 miles to get Ethan but that we chose to take the easy way to get Sarah!
So, we chose to go to Korea a second time, even though that meant being separated from Ethan for a week … and 7,000 miles.