An Amazing Gift - We Won!!

If you would have asked me four years ago where I most wanted to go in the world, I would have said, "Switzerland."

If you would have asked me anytime in the last couple of years where I most wanted to go in the world, I would have without hesitating answered, "South Korea."

We wanted to travel both times that we adopted, and both times it just did not work out, and both times I was so sad. I have longed to see where my babies were born, to walk the streets and eat the food and meet the people who cared for them for many months.

We told ourselves that somewhere down the road we would take a trip to Korea with the boys, but part of me always wondered, "How? When? Will we ever be able to afford that?"

But something amazing has happened. An only-God-could-do-this kind of thing.

Over Christmas break, a friend of mine posted on facebook that she was entering a contest at Frommers.com (Frommers has a very well-known travel guidebook series) to win a trip for two to South Korea. All of us adoptive mommies who saw that started entering - including me! You could enter once a day for a few weeks, so I went on as often as I remembered.

I thought about it a few times since the end of the contest but figured they'd drawn the winner and that was that.

Until today.

Brad gets home from work and checks his personal email. He calls me into the kitchen saying, "Is this a joke? Do you know what this is?" As he started reading I was really confused...

"Congratulations! You have been chosen...your prize is a seven night trip for two to South Korea..."

My eyes grew wide and then I scared the children as I started SCREAMING at the top of my lungs!!!!! We won!!! We seriously won a trip to South Korea! I could not believe it!

Neither could Brad. He was pretty skeptical at first, wondering if it was a hoax. We started researching Frommers and the company that sent the email (the publisher of the Frommers guidebooks). We were astonished as we realized it was legit. I can hardly believe it even now.

We are not sure when we will be going, but at some point in 2012 we will be heading to South Korea for our week-long trip! We have already decided that just Brad and I will go (food allergies being one factor, taking two toddlers on a trip all over South Korea and having to pay for two more plane tickets being other factors). It will be hard to leave the boys but honestly I am beyond thrilled for the opportunity to see their home country.

It is a dream come true. We will go on a tour around the country, seeing different parts of Korea and I believe even stopping in one of the boys' birth cities! The emotions that come with that statement are pretty powerful. What an adventure this will be!

We were chosen out of over 300,000 entries! I don't believe in "luck" or "chance". I do, however, believe in a God who gives good gifts "Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow." (James 1:17) I don't know why we have been blessed like this, but this is indeed a good gift, and we are so amazed to know that we can experience the culture and land where our sons were born. It is an unbelievable thing and I cannot wait!