Since we have started this adoption, my eyes have been opened to all types of adoption. My heart has been moved not only for international adoption, but for domestic, foster care and any child in need of a home regardless of ethnicity or location.
In March, Trey and I began on the path to become foster parents. To date, we have completed all of our paperwork, fingerprints, background checks, fire & dhec inspections, and 14 hours of class training. All that said and done, we're pretty close to being licensed. One final step before we can receive a placement is having a home study done through DSS. We have our appointment this Friday to have that completed and I'm thinking we'll have our first foster placement at some point this summer. :)
We have always heard there is a great need for good foster parents, but never thought we'd be one of them. It's amazing how God has worked in our lives since we stepped out in faith to adopt. We know fostering will be trying, but I know the blessings from it will be great. If we can offer a small slice of what a true family looks like to a child less fortunate, that is enough for me. No matter how long they are with us, we will do everything we can to help them adjust and be as loved and comforted as possible. It will be a perfect opportunity to plant seeds of hope into the lives of our youth. Our aspiration is to eventually adopt from DSS, but for now we are content waiting for our African princess to come home and helping children in need of a stable home along the way.
I know there aren't too many resources out there for perspective foster parents, so if you've ever thought of fostering before, I'd be happy to answer any questions I can. If I don't have the answer, I'll try to point you to someone who can. :) I am praying that more ordinary people like myself will respond to the call to become a foster or adoptive parent. All it takes is just a phone call to get the wheels rolling.
Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes me... -Mark 9:37
May 15, 2012
May 07, 2012
We Said Yes
I have not blogged in a while because, well, the last three months have been hard. I have been doubting our adoption plan and pretty much pouting my way through it. (And I mean huge puckered lip about to break down to a tantrum like a five year old quite frequently type of pouting) Of course my dear husband and my best friend have really been the only ones to see this side of me…bless their souls. Adoption is hard. In the times of waiting with no movement in any direction it’s easy to doubt that this is what the Lord has called us to. I’m embarrassed to share this with you, but I know all too well some others going through the process need to know they’re not alone and their feelings are completely validated.
But alas, my pouting and doubting has come to an end. This past Friday as I was enjoying some pool time with a sweet new friend and our kids, I had a missed call from our agency, Lifeline. I looked at Jenni with I’m sure what seemed to be a stunned face and told her I had a missed call from the agency. I had no idea what they wanted but for some reason I was a little excited. We packed up from the pool and on my drive home I called our worker.
When I got ahold of her, she said I know you and Trey were hoping to adopt two children, but would you be interested in hearing about just one at this time? WHAT?! I couldn’t exactly wrap my mind around it. “So, is this a referral call?!” She said yes, it could be. :) WOW, I couldn’t believe it. I told her I’d try to get in touch with Trey and see if he’d be open to hearing about a potential referral. (Keep in mind, of all the weekends we are to get a referral it happened on the one where Trey was away at a men’s retreat with our church…in the middle of nowhere…with little to no cell service. Getting him on the phone would be a miracle.) I quickly dialed his number and prayed while it was ringing…please pick up, please pick up, Lord if this is meant to be make him pick up. Three rings in he said hello!! I was ecstatic. I was trying to remain calm as I told him we have a referral to listen to and wanted to know if he wanted to hear it or not. His reply was “Of course I want to hear it. You didn’t even have to ask me that.”
So I instructed him to stay by the phone and we’d conference him. On our conference call we were told about a 3 year old little girl. Oh my, Oh my, a little girl. As soon as I heard her age and gender it was all I could do not to sob tears of joy. The day was finally here when we were hearing about our potential child, our potential daughter. We listened in to all the details that they had for us and asked lots of questions. Shortly after our phone conversation we received the email with her picture. She is perfect. From the picture, she looks tall and very skinny. Possibly older than three, but that would be ok because our age range was up to five. She has big brown eyes, short curly hair and little pink dress that pops next to her beautiful African skin.
I told our case worker we’d take the weekend to pray about the situation and let them know our final answer on Monday. This past weekend has been a whirlwind of prayer, discussions and divine wisdom and peace from above. There have been several ways in which the Lord led us to the decision we made. I’ll share a few..
When I opened up the email of her information I saw her name started with a K, which goes perfectly with Kipton. I thought that may be a good sign. Shortly after, I spoke with a friend about our referral and she was so sweet and said she was praying for God to show us the answer through an obvious sign, maybe even her name would be a sign and speak to us. I just about died! I said actually her name is significant to us! Then on Saturday that same friend (who is also adopting through Lifeline) was having a fundraising yard sale and one of her customers had the same name we intend to call K. How wild is that?
Another way the Lord led us to our decision was by the timing of our referral. I mentioned we were doubting our path, but I didn’t mention how much so. We were having such big doubts in ourselves that we had even talked about putting Congo on hold. I even told our worker this a few weeks ago and she had emailed for an update last week. My reply was that we were still holding on to the last bit of hope we had for Congo. I could have easily closed the door then, but something was prompting me…just hold on a little longer. Three days later a batch of referrals came into our agency. Isn’t God’s timing funny?
And finally the ultimate decision maker was Gods word. I prayed and prayed for the Lord to speak to me through his word. When I opened my Bible, the first word I saw was daughter.
After much prayer and study, I believe God has given me his wisdom in this situation. His wisdom is pure and holy. His wisdom is considerate, submissive and impartial. His wisdom is full of mercy. It is with his wisdom that WE SAID YES to a little girl in Africa.
But alas, my pouting and doubting has come to an end. This past Friday as I was enjoying some pool time with a sweet new friend and our kids, I had a missed call from our agency, Lifeline. I looked at Jenni with I’m sure what seemed to be a stunned face and told her I had a missed call from the agency. I had no idea what they wanted but for some reason I was a little excited. We packed up from the pool and on my drive home I called our worker.
When I got ahold of her, she said I know you and Trey were hoping to adopt two children, but would you be interested in hearing about just one at this time? WHAT?! I couldn’t exactly wrap my mind around it. “So, is this a referral call?!” She said yes, it could be. :) WOW, I couldn’t believe it. I told her I’d try to get in touch with Trey and see if he’d be open to hearing about a potential referral. (Keep in mind, of all the weekends we are to get a referral it happened on the one where Trey was away at a men’s retreat with our church…in the middle of nowhere…with little to no cell service. Getting him on the phone would be a miracle.) I quickly dialed his number and prayed while it was ringing…please pick up, please pick up, Lord if this is meant to be make him pick up. Three rings in he said hello!! I was ecstatic. I was trying to remain calm as I told him we have a referral to listen to and wanted to know if he wanted to hear it or not. His reply was “Of course I want to hear it. You didn’t even have to ask me that.”
So I instructed him to stay by the phone and we’d conference him. On our conference call we were told about a 3 year old little girl. Oh my, Oh my, a little girl. As soon as I heard her age and gender it was all I could do not to sob tears of joy. The day was finally here when we were hearing about our potential child, our potential daughter. We listened in to all the details that they had for us and asked lots of questions. Shortly after our phone conversation we received the email with her picture. She is perfect. From the picture, she looks tall and very skinny. Possibly older than three, but that would be ok because our age range was up to five. She has big brown eyes, short curly hair and little pink dress that pops next to her beautiful African skin.
I told our case worker we’d take the weekend to pray about the situation and let them know our final answer on Monday. This past weekend has been a whirlwind of prayer, discussions and divine wisdom and peace from above. There have been several ways in which the Lord led us to the decision we made. I’ll share a few..
When I opened up the email of her information I saw her name started with a K, which goes perfectly with Kipton. I thought that may be a good sign. Shortly after, I spoke with a friend about our referral and she was so sweet and said she was praying for God to show us the answer through an obvious sign, maybe even her name would be a sign and speak to us. I just about died! I said actually her name is significant to us! Then on Saturday that same friend (who is also adopting through Lifeline) was having a fundraising yard sale and one of her customers had the same name we intend to call K. How wild is that?
Another way the Lord led us to our decision was by the timing of our referral. I mentioned we were doubting our path, but I didn’t mention how much so. We were having such big doubts in ourselves that we had even talked about putting Congo on hold. I even told our worker this a few weeks ago and she had emailed for an update last week. My reply was that we were still holding on to the last bit of hope we had for Congo. I could have easily closed the door then, but something was prompting me…just hold on a little longer. Three days later a batch of referrals came into our agency. Isn’t God’s timing funny?
And finally the ultimate decision maker was Gods word. I prayed and prayed for the Lord to speak to me through his word. When I opened my Bible, the first word I saw was daughter.
After much prayer and study, I believe God has given me his wisdom in this situation. His wisdom is pure and holy. His wisdom is considerate, submissive and impartial. His wisdom is full of mercy. It is with his wisdom that WE SAID YES to a little girl in Africa.
February 08, 2012
Take A Look...
...AT OUR THERMOMETER!!!!!
Yep, that's right, we have $9500 toward upcoming adoption expenses. Woot woot! This girl is pretty darn happy.
We are so close to being fully funded. So far we've raised just over $20,000 total!! In just 4.5 months...AMAZING! I'm hoping we'll be awarded some grants to help get us to our ultimate goal for bringing the kiddos home. Will you please pray for the grants that we've already applied to? :)
Thanks for sharing in my excitement. My God is the best provider ever!
Yep, that's right, we have $9500 toward upcoming adoption expenses. Woot woot! This girl is pretty darn happy.
We are so close to being fully funded. So far we've raised just over $20,000 total!! In just 4.5 months...AMAZING! I'm hoping we'll be awarded some grants to help get us to our ultimate goal for bringing the kiddos home. Will you please pray for the grants that we've already applied to? :)
Thanks for sharing in my excitement. My God is the best provider ever!
January 31, 2012
You're Amazing God
Lately, I have been trying to be more intentional when I pray. I don't want unprayed prayers to be the reason for a hold up in our adoption. I want to to live completely by this verse... "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done" -Philippians 4:6. As a woman, my brain is wired to be constantly thinking. I always have something on my mind and often times have a hard time falling asleep at night because my mind just wont quiet down. (Ladies, you know what I'm talking about!) I've resolved to turn my thoughts into a constant streaming prayer. It's been a work in progress but I think it has helped me to be less worrisome.
Today my 3 prayers for my personal benefit were this..
1. Lord, please let us receive an update from our agency
2. Lord, let there be something good in our mailbox
3. Lord, send someone to buy our truck
I prayed these over and over again beginning the moment I woke up and let me just tell you God heard my little prayers. :) Our biometric fingerprint appointment came in the mail today from immigration! This is the only thing between us and our immigration approval. (YAY). Then not 10 minutes after I checked the mail my phone rang...it was Lifeline! Our coordinator was calling to give me an update...yay God! She told me that our $3400 payment was processed and we are officially on the Congo wait list!!!! (BIG YAY) I am so over joyed to finally be at this stage in the process. We are so close to seeing the precious faces of the children God has planned for us. Oh my word, I can not even express my sheer excitement right now. :)
So what does this mean now? Our coordinator told me there are 8 other families on the list waiting to be matched, so technically we are #9. That does not mean that we will have to wait for all 8 families to be matched before we get our referral. We are basically all in a big pot and once our Congo facilitator has children that fall within each families specifications they are matched. Some people on the list are wanting infants and some are hoping to adopt older kids. Some want boys and some girls, some families one child others are waiting for 2 or more. There are differences within each family. We are hoping that we will have our referral within 2-3 months, but we all know that could change drastically. I'm just so excited to finally be on the list!
And no, the 3rd prayer has not been answered yet. That doesn't mean it wont happen though, right?! I mean it's only 3:30pm. ;) Either way today has been wonderful. Thank you Lord for answering my prayers, even though they may seem so insignificant to others, you care for the slightest concerns of my heart. You are amazing and unchanging!
Today my 3 prayers for my personal benefit were this..
1. Lord, please let us receive an update from our agency
2. Lord, let there be something good in our mailbox
3. Lord, send someone to buy our truck
I prayed these over and over again beginning the moment I woke up and let me just tell you God heard my little prayers. :) Our biometric fingerprint appointment came in the mail today from immigration! This is the only thing between us and our immigration approval. (YAY). Then not 10 minutes after I checked the mail my phone rang...it was Lifeline! Our coordinator was calling to give me an update...yay God! She told me that our $3400 payment was processed and we are officially on the Congo wait list!!!! (BIG YAY) I am so over joyed to finally be at this stage in the process. We are so close to seeing the precious faces of the children God has planned for us. Oh my word, I can not even express my sheer excitement right now. :)
So what does this mean now? Our coordinator told me there are 8 other families on the list waiting to be matched, so technically we are #9. That does not mean that we will have to wait for all 8 families to be matched before we get our referral. We are basically all in a big pot and once our Congo facilitator has children that fall within each families specifications they are matched. Some people on the list are wanting infants and some are hoping to adopt older kids. Some want boys and some girls, some families one child others are waiting for 2 or more. There are differences within each family. We are hoping that we will have our referral within 2-3 months, but we all know that could change drastically. I'm just so excited to finally be on the list!
And no, the 3rd prayer has not been answered yet. That doesn't mean it wont happen though, right?! I mean it's only 3:30pm. ;) Either way today has been wonderful. Thank you Lord for answering my prayers, even though they may seem so insignificant to others, you care for the slightest concerns of my heart. You are amazing and unchanging!
January 19, 2012
Sacrifice
Sacrifice (noun) : To give up something you love for something you love more.
This adoption has brought with it lots of sacrifices. We have been stretched and refined on what things are important to us in life and we’ve come to the raw conclusion that we have to make major sacrifices in order to complete this journey God has laid upon our hearts.
Ways which we have sacrificed:
1. I no longer get my nails done & go quite a few months in between hair cuts. This may not seem like a huge sacrifice, but for anyone who knows me knows I’ve had my nails done and hair highlighted on a regular basis since I was 12! Now I’ve opted for no nails and no coloring of my hair, just a trim here and there. (Sorry if I look a bit atrocious)
2. Trey cuts his own hair! :) And still manages to look overly handsome.
3. We eat out (a lot) less. And if we do eat out it is super cheap and normally with a gift card or coupon.
4. We drive less to save money on gas.
5. Our closets are not filled with the latest trends. Honestly the majority of our clothes are way past their prime.
6. The furbabies of the family are eating cheaper food (sorry guys) and their grooming appointments have been pretty much nonexistent. We no longer have poodles, but just mounds of fluff. ;)
7. Our home is normally quite cool, due to us trying to save our electric bill.
8. Christmas was very slim and we haven’t bought gifts for each others birthdays or anniversaries. (Don’t freak…yes, Kipton will get a few gifts for his birthday)
9. We have sold every valuable and invaluable possession we owned.
10. We are currently selling our 2nd vehicle.
This adoption has brought with it lots of sacrifices. We have been stretched and refined on what things are important to us in life and we’ve come to the raw conclusion that we have to make major sacrifices in order to complete this journey God has laid upon our hearts.
Ways which we have sacrificed:
1. I no longer get my nails done & go quite a few months in between hair cuts. This may not seem like a huge sacrifice, but for anyone who knows me knows I’ve had my nails done and hair highlighted on a regular basis since I was 12! Now I’ve opted for no nails and no coloring of my hair, just a trim here and there. (Sorry if I look a bit atrocious)
2. Trey cuts his own hair! :) And still manages to look overly handsome.
3. We eat out (a lot) less. And if we do eat out it is super cheap and normally with a gift card or coupon.
4. We drive less to save money on gas.
5. Our closets are not filled with the latest trends. Honestly the majority of our clothes are way past their prime.
6. The furbabies of the family are eating cheaper food (sorry guys) and their grooming appointments have been pretty much nonexistent. We no longer have poodles, but just mounds of fluff. ;)
7. Our home is normally quite cool, due to us trying to save our electric bill.
8. Christmas was very slim and we haven’t bought gifts for each others birthdays or anniversaries. (Don’t freak…yes, Kipton will get a few gifts for his birthday)
9. We have sold every valuable and invaluable possession we owned.
10. We are currently selling our 2nd vehicle.
When we talk about sacrifice with other Americans, they are baffled as to why we would give up some of our luxuries just to help that one (or two) orphan(s) in Africa. They just can't fathom.
This is my response to that....
We are sacrificing our dining out and grocery budget, but we are not sacrificing food for an entire day just so our children can have one hot meal.
We will sacrifice our health and beauty routines, but there are families losing their children and children loosing parents because they don't have access adequate health care.
We are sacrificing our home temperature a few degrees and our 2nd car, but we are not sacrificing the hours it takes to walk to the nearest village with safe drinking water.
We are sacrificing our trendy clothing when there are people in Congo who are living daily without any clothes at all.
Our sacrifices may seem extreme to some Americans, but to us we would gladly sacrifice it all for the children of Congo.
If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it.
Matthew 10:39
January 06, 2012
Ready to be Waiting
I am not very good at waiting. I've realized this and prepared myself that waiting for our referrals would be hard and then once we get our referrals waiting to unite our family was going to be harder. I was prepared to be waiting.
Waiting was the exact spot I thought we were in. We have our completed home study, I've renewed my passport, we're diligently completing our education, 2 agency fees have been paid and we filed for approval with immigration. Everything on my list was checked off. I was just waiting to hear that our paperwork was sent to DRC over the Christmas holiday. Finally we'd be done with the initial process and waiting to see pictures of our babe with big brown eyes and smooth mocha skin.
I was ready to wait.
Unfortunately, it seems as though the waiting won't happen as quick as I'd assumed. There seems to be a little (or not so little) fee I overlooked when I planned out our fundraising tactics. We now are required to pay a fee for our lawyer in Congo before we can officially make the waitlist. The fee covers his time and expertise in finding children who would be a good fit in our family. Once we are matched this fee enables him to start the paperwork process and request court dates, medical exams, etc. The fee($3400) is definitely necessary, just a little unplanned for.
While celebrating on New Years, I was sure this would be the year our family would grow. Kade being home in 2012 was looking like a definite possibility. Now with this little speed bump I'm not so sure. Would you please consider donating to our adoption so that we will officially be waiting for Kade?? The quicker we get the fee paid the better chance we have of making 2012 our adoption year!
Ways to help raise $3400 quickly...
1) Donate (even if it's just $5)
2) Share our blog on your FB, twitter, email and other social networking sites
3) Pray, pray, pray!
I still dream of us traveling to Congo before the year is up. Help us make it a reality!
Waiting was the exact spot I thought we were in. We have our completed home study, I've renewed my passport, we're diligently completing our education, 2 agency fees have been paid and we filed for approval with immigration. Everything on my list was checked off. I was just waiting to hear that our paperwork was sent to DRC over the Christmas holiday. Finally we'd be done with the initial process and waiting to see pictures of our babe with big brown eyes and smooth mocha skin.
I was ready to wait.
Unfortunately, it seems as though the waiting won't happen as quick as I'd assumed. There seems to be a little (or not so little) fee I overlooked when I planned out our fundraising tactics. We now are required to pay a fee for our lawyer in Congo before we can officially make the waitlist. The fee covers his time and expertise in finding children who would be a good fit in our family. Once we are matched this fee enables him to start the paperwork process and request court dates, medical exams, etc. The fee($3400) is definitely necessary, just a little unplanned for.
While celebrating on New Years, I was sure this would be the year our family would grow. Kade being home in 2012 was looking like a definite possibility. Now with this little speed bump I'm not so sure. Would you please consider donating to our adoption so that we will officially be waiting for Kade?? The quicker we get the fee paid the better chance we have of making 2012 our adoption year!
Ways to help raise $3400 quickly...
1) Donate (even if it's just $5)
2) Share our blog on your FB, twitter, email and other social networking sites
3) Pray, pray, pray!
I still dream of us traveling to Congo before the year is up. Help us make it a reality!
December 31, 2011
Our Year in Pictures
A glimpse of our year through snapshots...
Kipton's Baby Shower
Family Trip to Disney World
(while 8 1/2 months pregnant!)
Maternity Pictures
Waiting for Kipton
Best Moment Ever
Proud Mama
Our 1st Family Pictures
Perfection
So little he could fit in the sink
Easter 2011
Pure Sugar
Mothers Day 2011
&
Kipton's Dedication
3 Months
On the way to a Kenny Chesney concert!
Trey surprised me and we had our first night out of town.
Summer Weekends At The Lake
Hanging Out With Dad At The New Business
Trying New Things
6 Months
It's Official
Watch Out Ladies
Halloween 2011
Family Night Out
My Step-Sister Got Hitched
Weekly Girl Time With My BFF
Celebrating My 23rd Birthday
Christmas Tree Farm
Merry Christmas 2011
My Little Elf On The Beach
We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called “Opportunity” and its first chapter is New Year’s Day. -Edith L. Pierce
Happy 2012 Everyone!!
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