Lessons from a Chinese swimming pool

--From June 26th--

-Just keep swimming. Today I took my 2 daughters, Sianna and Lia to the pool at our hotel. Sianna was swimming away on her own and I was guiding Lia who was using floaties to keep her upright. One thing Lia has going for her is definitely her persistence, like Dori, in the movie Nemo, she just keeps swimming.

- Keep your mouth shut. First off, it keeps you from swallowing water and second, it keeps you from getting into trouble. Lia found out first hand about both of these truths today in the pool.

- Walls are a pain. While Sianna was doing laps, Lia and I were going around the square pool and we kept bumping into the walls. It was getting annoying, but it helped me to realize that walls are there for a purpose. It reminded me of the walls my family and I faced during Lia's adoption. They may have been a pain, but they didn't stop us from following God on our adventure to get Lia.

- Don't ask why so much. I could elaborate on this, but obviously our new daughter likes to ask 'why?' a lot. I don't blame her, we are new to her and her whole life is in flux. There was a time when I used to ask God 'why?' a lot and all it did was give me a headache, so I stopped.

- I cannot walk on water. However, Jesus can and when He calls you out, you better follow. Strange, but while I was in the pool I began to think about this whole journey to adopt Lia and about how there has been one miracle after the other. Jesus continually called us to follow Him even when the waves crashed around us and we began to wonder if it could ever happen. I am so glad that I serve a God who still does the impossible.

Swavel