It's Almost Here!

Our home study is in two days and we anxious and excited at the same time. We don't really know what to expect but know that the Lord sees all things. We continue to hear amazing adoption stories all around us! My cousins, Luke and Laura Brosius just accepted a referral of a little two year old girl from Ethiopia. She is absolutely gorgeous! Seeing a picture of her gave me a glimse into the excitement and awe Chad and I will feel when we accept a referral and finally see our little baby. I'm anxious to get our grant applications sent out. We can't send those out until our home study is completed and approved. Hmm.....seems as if we are at a standstill. I don't like this part...

He Continues to Answer Prayers

Chad made the phone call to our home study agency and told them about our current living situation (with two bedrooms) and our desire to not be gender specific. They told us that if we were hoping on adopting an < 1 year old, that it shouldn't be a problem which sex we adopted. Praise the Lord!

Trusting You

It's becoming more and more real every day! Chad set up our first home study meeting on Feb. 27th. Lots of paper work to complete prior to that time! Have to go to KC to get finger printed and boy do they make a racking off of that! It couldn't be that complicated, surely! Oh, well...what needs to be done, needs to be done. Chad is working hard to make extra money for our initial payment. I am considering taking on another flexible job to make a little extra cash. It's amazing to see how the Lord is already providing the means to our financial responsibilities for the adoption. I was extremely encouraged last night when I found out that Sara Harris is now a mommy to a beautiful, adopted little girl! What a blessing she is going to be to Sara and I can't wait to feel what Sara must have felt last night again. Becoming a mother for the first time (or second in my case with our adoption), is the greatest honor and such a humbling experience. Those of you following my blog, please be praying for our home study to run smoothly. We are currently in a two bedroom apartment and have decided that we don't want to be gender specific with our adoption. This might pose a problem though because most adoption agencies & home studies want the adopted child to have their own space; their own room (understandably so). Our lease is a 1 year lease and it's up in October. We have the possibility of being able to pick up our child in July when we are in Kenya for our mission trip if all the dossier and paper work is finalized and we have accepted a referral before that time. In other words, we would only have a couple of months that we would HAVE to stay in our apartment complex before we could move to a 3 bedroom or home. We don't know if our home study agency is going to make us be gender specific (choosing a girl) so that Haven and her sibling can "bunk" together. I trust that it's all in God's hands and that He sees the bigger picture, but it's still a lot to take in and lay at his feet. Please continue to pray that the Lord provide us with the financial means to adopt and that we are able to get all of our grant applications in on time. Pray that we continue to strive for our goal of becoming debt free by January of next year. We hate to loose track of that goal and desire to honor the Lord with our money. Thanks everyone!

She Asks Me to Pray for Baby

Praying that the Lord bless us with another baby has become common place for Chad and I. It's something we ask him to bless us with every time we come together in prayer. Haven asked me to pray with her last night before bed and I did as usual. It's a beautiful thing to pray over your children and even more beautiful when they ASK you to pray for them. After I was done praying she said, "pray for baby, mommy." I almost came to tears as I got a glimse of the power of prayer and the influence it can have on our children. She showed me for the first time that she understood prayer and how to ask for the desires of your heart. She understood to "pray for baby." She asks me if baby is inside my tummy and I tell her no. I tell her that her baby brother or sister will be coming to us in a very special way; that our baby might be a little older because God is getting our baby ready to have her as a big sister. She is ready to be a big sister and we continue to pray that the Lord provides the finances to bring her little brother or sister home.

The Promise of His Return

We got all of our contracts signed today and our application filled out. Mailed adoption application, contracts, and grant application. It was a relief to take that first step; to commit to our agency and trust that the Lord is going to move through this. It's overwhelming to think about all the grant applications that have to be submitted so quickly. To know that our home study will be right around the corner and trust that God is going to provide that money. I was questioning His power and then I sat down to do my bible study. I was blown away by the truths I found in His Word and through my reading. A quote stood out to me and made me step back and see that if I keep my eyes on eternity and off of the temporary things of this world, I will have inexpressible joy! "When the present-day church decides to give the same emphasis that the New Testament gives to the Lord's return, Christians shall again experience the life-giving power and inexpressible joy in ALL circumstances that the early Apostolic church experienced as they lived thinking of His sure return." I thank my Father for sending his Holy Spirit to teach me and remind me of everything that is truth. I rest knowing that He is in control and sees the bigger picture.

I trust in You alone

My heart is heavy. All the decisions to be made are overwhelming. I know that He is in control. My worries and problems are small in comparison to others and I feel guilty for being anxious and questioning His plans. I continue to go back to the same passage every day from the Word. "I am worn out from groaning; all night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears. My eyes grow weak with sorrow; they fall because of all my foes. Away from me, all you who do evil, for the Lord has heard my weeping. The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer." Psalm 6:6-9. I know that my God is in control and is calling us to adopt but the process is scary. It's going into the unknown and stepping out in faith that He calls us to. I say that I trust in Him and I want my life to reflect this. Is my life reflecting that I trust in Him alone?