We had our phone interview with our case worker this afternoon! It was basically a chance for her to get to know us and thoroughly review the process with us. Whew! It is a lot to grasp but I am more excited than ever! I got to ask her all about her trip to "our country" this past March. She told us about the orphanages, the people who would be taking care of our adoption in-country, the culture and the beautiful kiddos. I have seen the pictures and videos but hearing someone actually describe it to you is a whole new ball game! After hearing her stories, I was ready to get on a plane! I know that we have a very loooooong wait ahead of us but my arms are already aching to hold our sweet kiddo.
I am overwhelmed with a passion to bring home our son or daughter. We learned a little more about why most of these children are released for adoption and came across another difficult-to-swallow statistic: "[This country] has long had more abortions than births and was previously estimated to lose as much as 40 percent of its population." Statistics say that 40% of women here have had an abortion. 40%! I am SO grateful that some of these mothers are choosing LIFE for their babies! Please pray for the hearts of these women facing such difficult decisions. Pray that God would clearly reveal His will that they choose LIFE for themselves and their children and that He would present them with opportunities to parent or to find other mommies and daddies who want to love these precious little ones.
This makes me reflect on our child. It is possible that our child hasn't even been born yet! Please be in prayer for this woman who is carrying such a special gift. Pray for her heart as she is making (or already made) a decision that will alter her future forever. While bringing home a child is a thrilling event for our family, it is breaking apart another. I liken it to a heart transplant. One family gets to celebrate new life, while another has only memories and the hope that they made the right choice. A mother is giving away her heart for me to love. It is a very humbling and difficult concept to grasp, but we are thrilled to open our arms to the child God has picked for our family.
So what's next? We will begin our home study as soon as our social worker can get us scheduled! Thanks for checking in on us. There are many decisions ahead of us. More updates coming soon!
I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. ~ John 14:18
Friday, April 26, 2013
Friday, April 19, 2013
First Stack of Paperwork
We have a quick update!
This week we mailed off our first stack of paperwork and payment to our agency. Our next step is an in-depth phone conversation that will happen with our adoption representative (the woman who is our specific social worker in charge of our case). We will schedule that as soon as our paperwork and fee are processed.
We also mailed off our packet to our home study social worker. She will be getting us into her system and then setting up appointments for us to have several at-home interviews. She will interview us as a couple and individually, ask about our childhoods, and our parenting methods, as well as make sure our home is considered safe and meets their qualifications.
Thank you for your continued prayers and support. :) For those who asked about how you can help financially by purchasing a necklace, ordering coffee or contributing a donation, we have set up links on the side of the page. --> Or, you can always leave a message on the blog, facebook, or get in touch with one of us. :) Your support means more to us than you know!
This week we mailed off our first stack of paperwork and payment to our agency. Our next step is an in-depth phone conversation that will happen with our adoption representative (the woman who is our specific social worker in charge of our case). We will schedule that as soon as our paperwork and fee are processed.
We also mailed off our packet to our home study social worker. She will be getting us into her system and then setting up appointments for us to have several at-home interviews. She will interview us as a couple and individually, ask about our childhoods, and our parenting methods, as well as make sure our home is considered safe and meets their qualifications.
Thank you for your continued prayers and support. :) For those who asked about how you can help financially by purchasing a necklace, ordering coffee or contributing a donation, we have set up links on the side of the page. --> Or, you can always leave a message on the blog, facebook, or get in touch with one of us. :) Your support means more to us than you know!
Thursday, April 11, 2013
How you can help!
We have been asked "What can we do to help?" So here are some things you can do to become a part of our adoption and help bring our little one home!
1. PRAY
I wholeheartedly believe that prayer is the biggest thing anyone can do. Prayer directly touches the heart of the Father. Here are some things you can specifically pray for: Pray for the hubby and I to have faith, perseverance, and to clearly hear the Lord as He guides our decisions. Pray for Baby Girl- that her heart would be ready to accept a new sibling when the time comes. Pray for our new little one- that he or she is healthy, protected and LOVED while he or she is waiting to become a part of a new family. Pray that the process will flow smoothly and in a timely manner. Pray that God would provide the funds to complete the adoption.
2. ENCOURAGE
While we are still in the beginning phases, it is my understanding that this process is very much an emotional roller coaster. As the days and years pass, encourage us not to lose faith.
3. SUPPORT
There are several ways you can support us. Emotionally, spiritually and in some cases, financially. We will be hosting several fundraisers in the coming months. All of the financial gifts received for those will go directly to the adoption costs.
~ Currently, we are involved in an ongoing fundraiser called Just Love Coffee. It is an online website that sells delicious coffee and a portion of the proceeds will be mailed directly to us to be deposited into our adoption account! So friends and family get to taste some amazing coffee and support an orphan in the process! Win/win!
Here is a video that explains this incredible company:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAcf_V7U3ys Seriously. Watch this!
And here is where you can go to start drinking some of this delicious coffee! https://justlovecoffee.com/about/beneficiary/tobelongandbeloved/
~ We will also be selling handmade necklaces as a reminder to wear around your neck to pray for our child and also a reminder that He has adopted us into His family forever. "In love He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves." Ephesians 1:4b-6
The necklaces are handmade tile pendants on a 24" antique bronze style chain with a lobster claw clasp.
More designs are in the works as well as some with silver chains!
Thank you for praying about how you can be a part of our adoption! We can't wait to have more updates to share!
1. PRAY
I wholeheartedly believe that prayer is the biggest thing anyone can do. Prayer directly touches the heart of the Father. Here are some things you can specifically pray for: Pray for the hubby and I to have faith, perseverance, and to clearly hear the Lord as He guides our decisions. Pray for Baby Girl- that her heart would be ready to accept a new sibling when the time comes. Pray for our new little one- that he or she is healthy, protected and LOVED while he or she is waiting to become a part of a new family. Pray that the process will flow smoothly and in a timely manner. Pray that God would provide the funds to complete the adoption.
2. ENCOURAGE
While we are still in the beginning phases, it is my understanding that this process is very much an emotional roller coaster. As the days and years pass, encourage us not to lose faith.
3. SUPPORT
There are several ways you can support us. Emotionally, spiritually and in some cases, financially. We will be hosting several fundraisers in the coming months. All of the financial gifts received for those will go directly to the adoption costs.
~ Currently, we are involved in an ongoing fundraiser called Just Love Coffee. It is an online website that sells delicious coffee and a portion of the proceeds will be mailed directly to us to be deposited into our adoption account! So friends and family get to taste some amazing coffee and support an orphan in the process! Win/win!
Here is a video that explains this incredible company:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAcf_V7U3ys Seriously. Watch this!
And here is where you can go to start drinking some of this delicious coffee! https://justlovecoffee.com/about/beneficiary/tobelongandbeloved/
~ We will also be selling handmade necklaces as a reminder to wear around your neck to pray for our child and also a reminder that He has adopted us into His family forever. "In love He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves." Ephesians 1:4b-6
The necklaces are handmade tile pendants on a 24" antique bronze style chain with a lobster claw clasp.
More designs are in the works as well as some with silver chains!
Thank you for praying about how you can be a part of our adoption! We can't wait to have more updates to share!
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." - James 1:27
Monday, April 8, 2013
The Details
We would just like to say thank you for all the kind words we have received since we announced our adoption yesterday! Your love and support is so very heartwarming! We have been asked a lot of questions about how the adoption will work, so I thought I would fill you in on the details.
~ We are adopting from Eastern Europe. Why there? Due to my young age we were limited in the countries we could choose from. Each country has its own set of rules about who can adopt. "Our country" was one of the 3 countries that we qualified for out of our 2 top agencies. We would have been thrilled with a child from any country, but we felt God calling us here.
~ Our agency states that for healthy child adoption, the process will average between 3-5 years. This time frame could vary greatly depending on the health status of the child, age and gender that we specify in our paperwork. We are still in prayer about what God would choose for our family in all three of these categories.
~ How old will our kiddo be? We would like to bring home a child younger than our sweet girl in order to maintain birth order. Because "our country" releases children for adoption in their country before releasing them for international adoption, the youngest the child would likely be is 2 years old by the time he or she comes home.
~ Why international adoption? We chose international adoption because God told us to pursue this particular country. We think that both domestic and international adoption are wonderful and blessed by the Father, but His call for us was to look here.
~ Where are we in the process? We submitted our application about 2 weeks ago and received word that we had been officially accepted into the program a few days later. This week, we will submit our first stack of paperwork and our first agency fee. After that is processed, we will begin our home study, which is a series of in-depth interviews in our home with a social worker.
~ Why is international adoption so expensive? I have asked this same question! There are many fees involved in the adoption process. These are required to pay for the employees at the agency here in the US, translation costs for the paperwork, employees in country, travel expenses, court costs in the US and there, and supporting the orphanage where our child will live until we arrive to bring him or her home. We do not support or condone the buying or selling of children in any way.
~ How will you pay for this adoption? We only know that God told us to step out in faith and that He has promised that He already has a plan. We do not know where the funds will come from, but trust that our Father, who paid our ransom with the life of His Son, can certainly provide the funds to bring home the child He has selected for our family. We do plan to have several fundraisers, doing odd jobs, working on my in-laws' farm, and saving every penny we can in order to help cover the costs. We know God will provide and strengthen our faith and those following our story. I am anxiously awaiting sharing on the blog the miracles He will perform!
~ Will you travel there? Yes. We will make two trips. When we receive a match to our child, we will travel for a week to meet him or her and begin the bonding process. We will then return home and wait for our child's paperwork to go through the court system. This will likely take several months (I am already dreading having to say goodbye and leave our precious little one on the other side of the world and simply wait!). After our child is cleared, we will travel back and bring him or her home forever!
If you have any other questions, I would love to answer them! Just like a pregnant mama, I love talking about the child we are expecting. We so appreciate your support and prayers as we navigate this process and all of the emotions it brings.
~ We are adopting from Eastern Europe. Why there? Due to my young age we were limited in the countries we could choose from. Each country has its own set of rules about who can adopt. "Our country" was one of the 3 countries that we qualified for out of our 2 top agencies. We would have been thrilled with a child from any country, but we felt God calling us here.
~ Our agency states that for healthy child adoption, the process will average between 3-5 years. This time frame could vary greatly depending on the health status of the child, age and gender that we specify in our paperwork. We are still in prayer about what God would choose for our family in all three of these categories.
~ How old will our kiddo be? We would like to bring home a child younger than our sweet girl in order to maintain birth order. Because "our country" releases children for adoption in their country before releasing them for international adoption, the youngest the child would likely be is 2 years old by the time he or she comes home.
~ Why international adoption? We chose international adoption because God told us to pursue this particular country. We think that both domestic and international adoption are wonderful and blessed by the Father, but His call for us was to look here.
~ Where are we in the process? We submitted our application about 2 weeks ago and received word that we had been officially accepted into the program a few days later. This week, we will submit our first stack of paperwork and our first agency fee. After that is processed, we will begin our home study, which is a series of in-depth interviews in our home with a social worker.
~ Why is international adoption so expensive? I have asked this same question! There are many fees involved in the adoption process. These are required to pay for the employees at the agency here in the US, translation costs for the paperwork, employees in country, travel expenses, court costs in the US and there, and supporting the orphanage where our child will live until we arrive to bring him or her home. We do not support or condone the buying or selling of children in any way.
~ How will you pay for this adoption? We only know that God told us to step out in faith and that He has promised that He already has a plan. We do not know where the funds will come from, but trust that our Father, who paid our ransom with the life of His Son, can certainly provide the funds to bring home the child He has selected for our family. We do plan to have several fundraisers, doing odd jobs, working on my in-laws' farm, and saving every penny we can in order to help cover the costs. We know God will provide and strengthen our faith and those following our story. I am anxiously awaiting sharing on the blog the miracles He will perform!
~ Will you travel there? Yes. We will make two trips. When we receive a match to our child, we will travel for a week to meet him or her and begin the bonding process. We will then return home and wait for our child's paperwork to go through the court system. This will likely take several months (I am already dreading having to say goodbye and leave our precious little one on the other side of the world and simply wait!). After our child is cleared, we will travel back and bring him or her home forever!
If you have any other questions, I would love to answer them! Just like a pregnant mama, I love talking about the child we are expecting. We so appreciate your support and prayers as we navigate this process and all of the emotions it brings.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
To Belong and Be Loved
"Every child has a dream to belong and be loved." ~ Audio Adrenaline
We have very exciting news! We are expecting!
That's right, we are a family of FOUR!
So far, our journey of becoming a family of four is a little different than most. You see, I'm not pregnant. Our precious child is currently in Eastern Europe. We have begun the international adoption process and are thrilled to open our arms to the child God has determined will be the perfect fit in our family. To fill you in on the details, I will simply type out a journal entry that I wrote several months ago.
~ ~ ~
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the Lord, "and I will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations..." ~ Jeremiah 29: 11-14a
Adoption. It feels new on my tongue and at the same time has the sweet taste of familiarity. I have known since I was a young girl that God was calling me to love the fatherless and care for the needs of the orphan. Missions and orphans have always been my heart. I even spent my childhood playing "orphanage" with my dolls; I wanted them to know they were all loved equally. About 6 months ago, I felt God's gentle nudging. As the weeks passed, He became more persistent. We went to an Adoption Options meeting at the Children's Home in November. I remember not signing up for the door prizes because I didn't want to take away resources from someone who was wanting to adopt immediately. God pursued me relentlessly. Every song I heard, every sermon, every TV show, every radio DJ became about adoption to me, even if it was not the intended topic. God had my full attention, but how would I convince my husband that our time frame we had planned wasn't what God was calling us to? Faithfully, God reached him where he was. He felt the same calling and we decided to step out in faith together. In some ways, it is difficult to release the plans I have for our lives, in others, it is the most incredible sensation of freedom. I know that His ways are not mine; I also know that His ways are better than I could ever imagine.
We have researched countries and agencies. After looking all over the globe for "our" country and discovering that our favorite agency does find us eligible (age-wise) for a country after all, we find ourselves staring squarely at a map of Eastern Europe.
Jeremiah 29:11 keeps coming to mind. For the first time, though, I don't hear it in the context of my future. Our God has a plan for these children. Plans to grow and prosper them, not a plan for evil. Plans to give them a HOPE and a FUTURE. My God is strong and my God is mighty to save. I don't know how it will all work. I have laid before Him my fears about paying for an international adoption. His response was quick, but gentle and powerful, "Beloved, I have made a way." A holy and intimate moment that gives me the courage to persevere through the unknown. He doesn't owe me an explanation, but He paid my ransom, and for that I owe Him my faith and devotion.
We have very exciting news! We are expecting!
That's right, we are a family of FOUR!
So far, our journey of becoming a family of four is a little different than most. You see, I'm not pregnant. Our precious child is currently in Eastern Europe. We have begun the international adoption process and are thrilled to open our arms to the child God has determined will be the perfect fit in our family. To fill you in on the details, I will simply type out a journal entry that I wrote several months ago.
~ ~ ~
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the Lord, "and I will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations..." ~ Jeremiah 29: 11-14a
Adoption. It feels new on my tongue and at the same time has the sweet taste of familiarity. I have known since I was a young girl that God was calling me to love the fatherless and care for the needs of the orphan. Missions and orphans have always been my heart. I even spent my childhood playing "orphanage" with my dolls; I wanted them to know they were all loved equally. About 6 months ago, I felt God's gentle nudging. As the weeks passed, He became more persistent. We went to an Adoption Options meeting at the Children's Home in November. I remember not signing up for the door prizes because I didn't want to take away resources from someone who was wanting to adopt immediately. God pursued me relentlessly. Every song I heard, every sermon, every TV show, every radio DJ became about adoption to me, even if it was not the intended topic. God had my full attention, but how would I convince my husband that our time frame we had planned wasn't what God was calling us to? Faithfully, God reached him where he was. He felt the same calling and we decided to step out in faith together. In some ways, it is difficult to release the plans I have for our lives, in others, it is the most incredible sensation of freedom. I know that His ways are not mine; I also know that His ways are better than I could ever imagine.
We have researched countries and agencies. After looking all over the globe for "our" country and discovering that our favorite agency does find us eligible (age-wise) for a country after all, we find ourselves staring squarely at a map of Eastern Europe.
Jeremiah 29:11 keeps coming to mind. For the first time, though, I don't hear it in the context of my future. Our God has a plan for these children. Plans to grow and prosper them, not a plan for evil. Plans to give them a HOPE and a FUTURE. My God is strong and my God is mighty to save. I don't know how it will all work. I have laid before Him my fears about paying for an international adoption. His response was quick, but gentle and powerful, "Beloved, I have made a way." A holy and intimate moment that gives me the courage to persevere through the unknown. He doesn't owe me an explanation, but He paid my ransom, and for that I owe Him my faith and devotion.
God knows what the rest of my life looks like. He knows all of our children intimately, after all, He is the One who knits them together. He knows how and when they will become a part of our family, whether adopted or biological. Our job is to be faithful in following His calling for our lives.
This process has easily been the biggest spiritual growth I have ever known. I understand now what it means to be emptied of yourself to bring someone into your family. To choose to unconditionally love someone who does not yet love you. To understand in some small way, that this is the heart of the Father.
~ ~ ~
I wanted to write out this blog so that those who are already a part of our life and those who will hear about our story will be able to follow along on this journey with us. In coming posts, I will explain more about the route we are taking and exactly how God is moving. We appreciate all of your support and prayers.
To close, I will share the link to the song that started us on this journey. For those of you who know us, you know how dear Haiti is to our hearts. The gentle nudging God used when I heard this song on the radio became a loud call when I watched the video and saw it was filmed with precious orphans in Haiti.
God used this song to begin leading me down this path. A few weeks later, He called the hubby with the same song.
The line that took my breath away? "These could be our daughters and our sons."
For the hubs? "Every child has a dream to belong and be loved."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U64bongHqYU
This process has easily been the biggest spiritual growth I have ever known. I understand now what it means to be emptied of yourself to bring someone into your family. To choose to unconditionally love someone who does not yet love you. To understand in some small way, that this is the heart of the Father.
~ ~ ~
I wanted to write out this blog so that those who are already a part of our life and those who will hear about our story will be able to follow along on this journey with us. In coming posts, I will explain more about the route we are taking and exactly how God is moving. We appreciate all of your support and prayers.
To close, I will share the link to the song that started us on this journey. For those of you who know us, you know how dear Haiti is to our hearts. The gentle nudging God used when I heard this song on the radio became a loud call when I watched the video and saw it was filmed with precious orphans in Haiti.
God used this song to begin leading me down this path. A few weeks later, He called the hubby with the same song.
The line that took my breath away? "These could be our daughters and our sons."
For the hubs? "Every child has a dream to belong and be loved."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U64bongHqYU
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