Garage Sale #1...done!

Thank you so much to everyone who came out and supported our adoption journey this past Saturday!  It was such a big success, and a great first step in our fundraising efforts.

We got to share our story with so many people while sharing many treasures!  We are planning more fundraisers in the future so stayed tuned on how you can help. :-)

I've also added a "Chip In" widget on the right side bar that you (and your friends!) can use to help us raise  money for our first fee to the agency and get us on our way to hopefully starting a home study soon.

I also wanted to say thank you for the outpouring of love and support that we have received since announcing we were pregnant with our second child and that we were starting the adoption process at the same time! 

We are blessed to have such supportive family and friends!

Jamie :-)

Ephesians 3:20

Ephesians 3:20:

God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us. (The Message)

Glory belongs to God, whose power is at work in us. By this power he can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine. (God's Word Translation)

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us. (NIV)


How fitting is the verse in Ephesians for the season of life my husband and I are in.  At the beginning of the month we were ready to start the adoption journey.  We were ready to take it step-by-step and at the same time take a huge step of faith.  Little did we know that just a few days later, after we had sent our initial application in to the agency, that we would get some more exciting news to our family.


Not only are we seeking to bring a child home from the Congo in the time frame that God sees fit, but He has also added another bundle of joy that will be arriving sometime in March of 2013!  


To be honest, I laughed when I found out we were expecting.  I had not had some major medical problem going on to where I couldn't conceive, it just had not been the right timing.  Allan and I have had to step into the role of being a huge support to my parents as my mother continues to battle cancer.  To make a long story short, the last few years have been focused on helping them, figuring out our own family and priorities, and giving our attention to our 4 year old Caeden.

God's timing is perfect when we let Him take the reigns and give those dreams and desires to Him.  He has changed my heart towards adoption and what that could look like in our family.  This is the way we are choosing to grow our family while being obedient to what scripture says.  When we are obedient, He adds in those extra blessings along the way. :-)


I am excited to be finally sharing this news with all of our family and friends.  I invite you to be a part of our journey however you see fit!  Prayer will be the biggest need of course!  We also will be having fundraisers to help us pay for the cost of the adoption.  Hopefully I will be diligent enough to keep updates on those via our blog, and Facebook. 


God can do anything more than we can imagine or guess that He can do! We take that for granted when we give up on those prayers that seem meaningless or mundane.  By His power, He will help us through this journey if we continue to let Him guide our steps!

Blessings,
Jamie




 

 

Big Step...

^"Anyone who sets himself up as "religious" by talking a good game is self-deceived. This kind of religion is hot air and only hot air. Real religion, the kind that passes muster before God the Father, is this: Reach out to the homeless and loveless in their plight, and guard against corruption from the godless world."

James 1:27 (The Message)

After much researching and praying, my husband and I decided to go with MLJ Adoptions, Inc. for our agency to help see us through the adoption journey. We also have chosen the Democratic Republic of Congo program to find our child.

Why THAT program you ask? Simple answer: I have NO idea! I looked through a lot of different programs, some qualifications or length of travel cut us out immediately, so that was easy. The possibilities of programs were endless to me. How do I choose? How do I know that's where God is leading us? So I set it all down (meaning I shut down my computer...and my brain) and I just prayed. I prayed continuously about this whole journey. God didn't shout from the heavens "CONGO!" but in my heart and mind I could not stop thinking about it. I have no connection to it, none...at least not yet.

As I reviewed our application a million times to make sure everything was filled out, signed and then sealed in the envelope...the anxious/excited feelings started to set in.  Probably more than anything FEAR. Fear of the unknown as we dive into something that is "not us".  We will look a little weird, and that's okay.  For the first time in a long time I feel joy.  I'm looking outside of my selfish desires and letting God take the reigns.

To be honest, I was hesitant of the questions that we would face from family and friends.

Questions like:

Why adopt?

Why adopt internationally?

How much is this going to cost? How are you going to pay for it?

How long is this going to take?

Can't you have kids biologically anymore?

And the questions go on...and on...and on.  Allan just looked at me and said, "Who cares?  We will do what is best for us and if it looks weird then so what."  I love how settle he is. :)

It's hard for me to put into words exactly why I want to adopt. I asked God to do something radical, rather He make ME do something radical in my life over a year ago. I was feeling "dry" in my faith, I was going through the motions but I knew I was missing something. I wasn't DOING what I was supposed to be and knew I should. I wasn't serving Him like I should. I wasn't following Him like He told me too.

I lived in my comfort zone, giving money here and there...even in the church...just doing the "American church" thing. I prayed for brokenness. I asked for forgiveness for omitting this part of my faith...the doing part. Through scripture, and books...I realized where I've been, where I was, and where I want to be.

That's why I want to adopt. I want to be obedient to the plans God has for me. I want to be obedient to his Word. He tells us to care for the orphan...I want to do that. He tells us to care for the poor...I want to do that. He tells us to LOVE others...I want to do that.

I know God will give me the answers when we are ready. I know that this journey will change our lives forever. I can hardly wait to make a difference in the life of a child.

Jamie

Overwhelmed!

I am now in the total OVERWHELMED staged!  All last week I was googling, researching, emailing, and reading several different adoption agencies.  There is so much information to grasp and comprehend that it can be so overwhelming. It's overwhelming in the fact that I still feel like I have no idea where to start, which agency to choose, and what country we want to adopt from.  It's also overwhelming to see all of the waiting children and to know that at this point, you have not completed all the necessary paperwork to bring them home. :)

I finally remembered (since I was doing this all in SELF mode!) that I have got to be in prayer about which direction God is leading us.  He knows what's in store for us and will help us each step of the way!  He promises to be our Guide...

"For this God is our God for ever and ever; He will be our guide even to the end." (Psalm 48:14).

At this point, I am waiting to hear back from a few agencies and then we hope to have one picked by the end of April.  That way we can move on and get our Home Study started and completed, among so much other paperwork! 

Today we had Chinese food for lunch, and this was my fortune:

I truly think this is a sign! :)

Jamie

Prayer

We obviously are prayerfully seeking which agency to go through along with the sound advice from friends who have gone on this journey before us. There are so many to choose from that at times I feel so overwhelmed at where to start.

I also spent the evening talking to my friend Amy, who has a passion for the orphan and has adopted a precious girl from Taiwan.  Her passion for adoption is contagious and has crept into our lives.  I'm thankful for her allowing me to come over this evening and talk everything adoption. I know we will have many more conversations about this and I'm blessed that she is there to answer any questions we have.

The more I pray, research, and think about this process...the more excited I get. I know there will be waiting involved, but I know God has a plan. He sees it before we do, and in that alone I can put it in His hands and let Him work.

Jamie :)

The Journey Begins...

Today was the first step towards making a child (or children!) a part of our "Forever Family".  I have had this stirring in my heart for about a year concerning adoption and what our role in it was.  I would read books about families (author/blogger, Jen Hatmaker) adopting, families in our church were adopting, and a whole month at church was spent teaching the biblical command of taking care of the orphans.

So, here I am over a year since my first "stirring" wondering am I ready to get involved with this, and how?  Was I to continue sponsoring children with my monthly giving? Was I to just support families who were adopting? Were WE supposed to start our adoption journey? 

I dropped the bomb, as my husband calls it, a few weekends ago. We were eating lunch on a belated anniversary trip, when I bluntly asked, "How do you want to grow our family?" He stopped eating and gave me that "what did you just say?" look. He sat there for a minute (or two) and then said, "Where is this coming from?"  For the next few minutes I opened my heart to him and trying to put into words what my heart has been feeling and wrestling with over the last few months.

Thankfully, my husband did not tell me I was crazy (though he probably thought it) and was willing to at least talk about it and even chat with friends.  I am so blessed to have friends that were ready and willing to sit down and talk with us about what to expect, where to start, and most importantly...offering their support and encouragement.   We met with them this past week and has led to more conversations about adoption between Allan and I.

He asked me today if I had even started looking at anything to which I replied, "Well, I was waiting for you."  I took that as permission to dive in and at least start requesting information from different agencies.  So I spent time during my son's nap time to Google, text my friend, and push the submit button on several different preliminary applications.

As I searched, read, searched, read...I got teary, anxious and excited about the potential of God giving us a child to take care of and love forever.
I came across a quote from Mother Teresa that I fell in love with. She says,  

"Do you want to do something beautiful for God? 

There is a person who needs you. 

This is your chance."

I love that quote. That's what we want to do. Someone needs US. We want to obey God's command to "take care of the least" and give children a chance in this world.


And so it begins...our adoption journey.


With love,
Jamie