Introducing our son!

Boaz Gaon Schurter

Born January 21st, 2016

Forever in our arms September 13, 2017

At 10 am this morning,

Wednesday,  September 13th

 (Korean time) we took the Seoul subway to Holt International and received custody of our 19 mo. son! 

Here we are heading back to our hotel with this sweet boy... he fell asleep in my arms during the 1/2 hr drive (hard to do, when another adoptee is wailing in the back seat of the van!)

We love to give all of our children names with deep spiritual meaning: 

Isaac means "child of promise"; 
Judah is the tribe from which Jesus Christ descended; Liberty of course means freedom - specifically the freedom we have in Christ! 
Eden is the perfect Garden God created and will one day restore by His Grace.  

Boaz also has rich spiritual significance.  The Book of Ruth in the Bible is the story of a Moabite woman married into an Israelite family. As recorded in Genesis 19, the Moabites descended from Moab: who was the son born to Lot by his eldest daughter. You read that right. It was not a pretty picture.  

The Moabite people were also forbidden from entering the Tabernacle of the Lord, because they refused to greet and care for the Israelites when they escaped from Egypt and wandered in the desert.  

Moabite women were known for seducing Israelite men into their pagan worship. These are not a well - loved group. There was a huge stigma hanging over the Moabite. They were the social rejects; the outcasts. 

Yet in the account of Ruth, we see that Boaz not only loved her, but redeemed her and restored her name in a beautiful story of grace! 

Even more amazing is the lineage of Boaz. Did you know that his mother is Rahab from Joshua 2? She was the prostitute who hid the Israeli spies and was later given protection during the siege of Jericho because of her faith in God.

Rahab went on to marry Salmon, an Israelite, and together they raised a godly son; Boaz. This family is in the direct line of our Savior Jesus Christ!

God chooses the outcast, the lowly and humble and elevates them to do great things for Him!! He restores honor and dignity to them by his overwhelming love and redemption. 

Likewise, our son's story began with great sadness and brokenness. Unwed mothers are outcasts in Korean society, which is why so many of them give their children up for adoption. 

We know that God has a great redemption story planned for our son! We are thrilled to be a part of it! Boaz means "in him is strength" and this is a strong & brave little one! 

Koreans also place a large emphasis on names; believing that their name can dictate who or what they grow up to become. Bo's birth mom gave him the Korean name, "Ga-on" 가온 which means,  to be the center of the world.

 Thank you for continuing to pray for good attachment with Boaz! He is grieving the loss of his precious foster family... lots of giggles of joy and tears of sorrow this afternoon.  We look forward to sharing more about his incredible foster family later!

Our Vista interview is tomorrow (Thursday, our time) at the US Embassy ... just a block from our hotel! Goodnight from Seoul!