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Saturday, February 19, 2011

The Happiest Place on Earth Has Very Little To Do With a Mouse!


When I was in 6th grade my family took a trip to Disney World. I’ll never forget how wonderful it all was! I anticipated the trip for months! The rides, the characters and the magic of Disney made it a trip I’ll never forget. So, with 3 kids in our house, we were excited to start planning our family trip to “The Happiest Place on Earth.” Shortly after Hailey was born we opened a bank account to start saving for the big trip. Even the boys got into the spirit and would contribute to the fund here and there. We were totally on track to go this coming summer. In fact, in January we set our dates and made all the final plans for our much anticipated trip.

We told the boys and, as you can imagine, they were very excited. We were going during Star Wars days, so Disney AND Star Wars – it was every little boys dream!! Then Travis asked, “Will we already have Mei Mei (Chinese for Little Sister) when we go to Disney World?” I explained to both boys that we wouldn’t. We were going to Disney World during the summer and we would be getting Mei Mei in December or January. This trip would just be the 5 of us. This news didn’t go over well AT ALL. Both boys said they didn’t want to go without their Mei Mei. What? Were they really telling me that they didn’t want to go until they had their new sister? Yes, they were and quite adamantly I might add. I explained that we would have to wait at least a year, possibly longer, to go if they wanted to wait and take their Mei Mei. It didn’t matter to them. Without wavering, they insisted that we postpone our trip. Chris and I were surprised. We know they are excited about this adoption, but it amazed us that they didn’t feel right about making this trip without their sister. A little girl half way around the world, who we have never laid eyes on, had already been woven into their hearts as a sister. Let me just say, only God can do that.

Then Travis said something that left us both speechless… He said, “We don’t want to go to Disney World without our Mei Mei and we want you to use our Disney fund to help pay for the adoption. I know we will get to go to Disney World someday, and it will be so much better if we all can go. Besides, I’d rather you use the Disney money to bring home Mei Mei. It’s so much more important. She’s an orphan. She doesn’t have a mom or a dad and she needs us. She needs us to come and get her as soon as we can.” I looked at Chris and we both had tears running down our checks. I couldn’t speak because of the lump in my throat.

My 7 year old son gets God’s heart for the abandoned more than most adults. I’m so thankful for that boy! With surety, he knows he has a sister that we need to bring home and he would sacrifice all he has to get her to our family. He has been to Guatemala twice, so he has seen what poverty looks like. He has played with kids in an orphanage so he knows what an orphan looks like. Is it easier for him to sacrifice because he has seen great need firsthand? Is it because he is young and less entangled by the unfilling trappings of our world? I don’t know why, but I know I can learn a lot from him. I confess, it is really hard for me to let go of the earthly things that so easily entangle me. It’s hard for me to let go of my “Disney World.” I pray that God will help me to be more like Travis. I want to be able to walk away from the thrills of this world without hesitation when God calls me to something more. I’m such a work in progress.

So, the Disney fund is now part of the adoption fund and the summer 2011 Disney trip is officially cancelled. Travis is right; we will eventually make the trip. Maybe it will be in the summer of 2012, but maybe much later. All I know is that one day we will be at the Magic Kingdom and the most magical thing of all will be how God loves me enough that he has adopted me into his heavenly Kingdom. The Happiest Place on Earth will have very little to do with a mouse and so much more to do with being with my wonderful husband and my FOUR beautiful children (wearing mouse ears).

When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionably. -Walt Disney

4 comments:

  1. amen, my friend! i am reading a great little book now called God's Missionary. have you read it? it's extremely short. the first bit is about disentanglement. so challenging! but i want that too! amy carmichael wrote the book. she also wrote a poem that speaks to that too. she says,
    O to be holy!
    Thou wilt not say me nay
    Who movest me to pray.
    Enable to endure:
    Spiritual cleansing Fire,
    Fulfill my heart’s desire.
    Make pure.

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  2. I'm pretty sure you and Chris will be wearing a set of ears too!

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  3. What a moving story - thank you for sharing

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  4. Hi Amy! I hopped over from the RQ site. Your nickname caught my eye. :) We just brought home our 4th child from China also...first adoption. I am so very impressed with the heart of your Travis! That is a precious spirit that is being instilled in him. My daughter has a very similar heart, and I can't wait to see what God's going to do with it!

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