Waiting with Anticipation

 

Just a little update before Christmas.  We received some incredible news this week in the form of an email informing us of an adoption grant we have received.  We are overwhelmed with this provision that God has provided.  We were reminded through a sermon two weeks ago of the importance of waiting with anticipation of the things that the Lord is doing in our lives.  Sometimes it is so incredibly easy to focus on how hard the wait is and that we don’t want to wait anymore.  The thing is, while we are ‘waiting’ God is not silent … He is continually working.  What a difference it makes when you can remind yourselves and live in that way of thinking.  When we wait with anticipation it helps us to remember that He is working, He hasn’t left us and He has much to do that may not fit into “our” timeframe.  This new financial provision is not only another reminder of an incredibly Gracious God, but also another confirmation that this is where we are supposed to be.  To say we haven’t wondered “How long Lord?” or even “Is this really going to happen Lord?” …. would be a lie, but gentle reminders and confirmations along the way help us to know that this is where we are supposed to be. 

 

We hope you have a wonderfully blessed Christmas!  We are excited to spend another year celebrating our Savior.  We are honored that we have opportunities to serve Him, and will wait for as long as He has us in this process.  We are now focusing on waiting with anticipation on the things the Lord is going to do!  We hope that if you are waiting for something that you will also be able to remind yourself to wait with anticipation … We serve an amazing God and he has not left you!  Merry Christmas!

A Long Over Due Update

 

This update is long overdue!  We are now actively waiting in domestic adoption with an agency in Georgia.  We really don’t know how long it will take, this is something to release to the Lord and know that He knows the plan and we are ready for what He brings our way.  Kylie just celebrated her seventh birthday and she is really excited to bring home a little sister.

We have had one other major change to share.  We moved, again.  We decided this summer that we needed to try and move back to Farmington and put our house on the market to see if it would sell.  This was a hard decision as having acreage was a long-time dream of ours.  We just knew that it was probably best to move again so we wanted to see what would happen and would remain in that home if it didn’t sell.  It took about a month, but we did end up selling and all of our hard work and sweat equity paid off in our ability to move back close to our old neighborhood without a financial hit.  We were back in Farmington for the start of the school year thanks to the help of Anita and Joel and their providing us a place to live.  We had two weeks of 14 people under one roof … and I must say it actually went fairly well. 

It was a long year of physical labor, one we never want to experience again.  However, we continue to remind ourselves that we are blessed beyond measure and are grateful for a roof over our heads and a comfortable place to call home.  We have been in our new home a month and have worked hard to get settled.  Our renovation project in our other home had reached a point where we were finally able to put our feet up, so we didn’t want to move into another “fixer upper.”  We are looking forward to more time to spend with family this next year and are hopeful that this next adoption will happen sooner rather than later.  Thanks for still reading our updates … we are thankful for the support we receive from you all and do appreciate your interest in our adoption journey.             

Another Direction

Not sure who is even reading or following this journey any more.  I think writing things down is probably therapeutic for me so I continue to do it even if no one is reading it!  :)  We have waited three more months … three months of nothing.  No news, no updates, no court date in sight.  Inquiries to the other side of the world have been responded with, “nothing yet.”   It has now been 20 months since our paperwork got to Ghana.  20 months of absolutely no progress.

Chris and I have had some hard decisions to make.  We have had to evaluate, and re-evaluate our entrance into this process and looking to the things that we knew we had clarity on when starting to adopt again.  Entering this process this time around was much different than when we adopted Kylie.  We have felt equipped to bring home a little bit older child and have known that our deepest desire is to bring another child into our family with the same ethnic background as Kylie. We really had our first time of not knowing what to do last August.  I think God was starting to work on us to think about a different path, but at that time we just didn’t know for sure if changing was the right thing.  I talked about it in my blog post, The Curve Ball -   http://www.followinghimonthejourney.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-curve-ball.html.  Now, as another season of baseball is upon us, and we are still no further along than we were last August ... we have made the decision to change to domestic adoption.  This means updating our home study, redoing the paperwork with a new agency and talking through the changes of this with our kids.  Another test in the unknown ... more moments of are we too old?  Will anyone even pick us?   Can we go back to the baby stage?  This process may be more familiar to us since we have done it before, but that doesn’t mean it is less treacherous.  All types of adoption have their challenges and all are a reminder that there are kids that need homes and that is the number one thing God has been asking of us all along:  To be a family for a child.  So we are doing paperwork again, more forms, copies and more copies, notarizing ‘stuff’ and having another new worker enter our home and lives.  When we had our home visit recently we were asked by the worker if we have had any major circumstances that have impacted us since our last home study.  The biggest thing we can say is … deeper relationship with Christ and a trust in knowing that He is in complete control.  Thanks for following us on this crazy journey!!              

Fear

 

Fear … how it can be stifling and crippling, or a source to encourage you to go to the remover of fear, the One that wants to take ahold of our fears.  Waiting is hard, it really stinks.  The unknown is hard, it really stinks.  Creating scenarios in your head that you then fear is hard, it really stinks.  Why do we do that?  I feel like many days I hope for the best, but prepare mentally for the worst.  What will we do if we don’t get her home?  What will we do if we become legally her parents but can’t get her out of Ghana?  What happens if she comes home and the reality of her trauma is far worse than we hoped for?  What if Chris is shot tomorrow?  What if one of my kids is critically injured?  What if …

I was reminded this weekend through the blessing of an honest, Truth speaking pastor, that God is here, He promises to never leave us and He provides the mercies needed for the battle of each day.  A reminder to keep the perspective that it isn’t about my abilities to conquer, that my situation is not unique and we should not underestimate the ability of God.  When I am weighed down by the fear of the wait, or the fear of sending my husband to work each day I cannot be lost in the “what if’s” … I would encourage you to remember this today as well.  Use today’s mercies to fight today’s troubles … He will provide the mercies needed to battle what comes tomorrow, or in the future.

Lamentations 3:22-23~ ²² Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.  ²³ They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Matthew 6:34 ~ ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.