One of the hardest things for me to come to grips with when our Lovely Matsy Grace went to meet Jesus was the fact that she passed away without ever experiencing the love of a family. It was very hard for me initially to come to terms that she was never given a traditional "Hindi" name. So, when we saw her face, she was Matsy Grace to us. It was the name we had picked out over 5 years ago to give our first daughter. Matsy is Frank's precious grandmother's name. She is so special to us and we were so excited about having a child with her name. She's compassionate and has a love for her family like no other! If she's not calling and checking in on her family, she's in the kitchen whipping up some tasty meal for someone else! She's such a giver! When our girl passed away, it meant so much to me that she was given such a special name by us. Matsy Grace didn't pass from this earth without love or without a family. Even though we never were blessed with the opportunity to physically love on her, the moment we saw her big, beautiful brown eyes, she was ours. The name will always hold a special place in our hearts when we think about our sweet angel.
Fast forward to a little less than three weeks ago. We got "the call" again. Because of a hiccup in paperwork due to us still being "matched" with Matsy Grace in the system, we are just now able to share!
The details? We got the call on a Monday afternoon. We had to wait an hour or so to get her information with pictures and videos. (Yes, I pushed my notifications through and still checked every 30 seconds.) She's absolutely precious. She's 14 months old and so beautiful! And she has a traditional "Hindi" name! I was definitely a LOT more cautious with this match. If I'm being honest, I'm still trying to let myself fully attach to her. There's something about grieving that has made me a little fearful. With that being said, I'm significantly more motivated to do everything in my ability to get this girl home!! It's going to take A LOT of prayers for all of us!
While I don't think it's my place to share our girl's story on the internet for everyone to read, I will say that she's already overcome so much in her short little life! There's also another special person to us that is an overcomer. My grandmother has experienced loss after loss in her life. If you know her or if you met her, you wouldn't have a clue. She can run laps around me. At 80 years old, she still has the energy to keep our two boys, cut her own grass and drive a driving camper like a champ! Not to mention, she's always got a smile on her face. (And our boys would add- she always gives us gummies!!..and cookies.. and ice cream.. and toys...and...) We call her Mamaw, but her name is Jannie. So... we'd like to introduce you to our newest love... JANNIE ROSE. (We will also keep her given name!)
A name makes someone a person. It gives them an identity and connects them to their family. We are so blessed by these special names!
So, now, we are waiting to receive her original documents. I will try to post soon about the steps we have to go through before traveling! It will still be several months until then, so please pray that we use this time wisely to prepare for our growing family! Blessings!
-the Powells
