Just Say Yes

I am all torn up inside.  For at least a year I haven't looked at the waiting children photo listings from our state, because I knew we weren't going to adopt now and it would just make me sad.  But this week, I looked, and I was heartbroken to find that Mimi, the girl we almost adopted, and T and J, two sisters that we almost adopted, are all back on the photolisting, still waiting!  What?  I had thought that they were chosen to be in other families, so that's why we weren't able to adopt them, and so I figured they were all adjusting to their new homes by now.  But there they were.  I don't know why they weren't adopted, something must not have worked out.  Besides those three girls, there were at least 10 other girls on the photolisting that were there back when we were waiting to adopt Miss E. 

Some have been waiting over four years for a family.

I can't imagine how it would feel to be a kid waiting for years for someone to adopt you.  You would feel so abandoned and unstable. 

Do you feel like God might be asking you to adopt one of these waiting kids?

If He is, we would encourage you to just say YES!

Adoption isn't easy at all, it's not easier than pregnancy, it's not something to go into on a whim, and it will challenge you and grow your faith in ways you can't imagine.  But it is definitely worth it!

These kids need a home.

In a Sun-scorched Land

I have a great book recommendation for you!  Back in junior high and high school days I sat by a sweet girl in band, playing the clarinet together.  God took her through many adventures after our school days, and she recently wrote a book about her life, called "In a Sun-scorched Land".  It's about her family's journey of missionary life and adopting in the country of Haiti.  The book is very interesting and encouraging.  We all have trials in life, and hearing other's stories of God's working helps me see God how God is working in my own life and helps me trust Him more.  If you would like to read it, you can find it here on Amazon.

In a Sun-scorched Land by Jennifer Ebenhack

Duck, duck, goose- are you it?

~we got 10 little ducks in the mail this week, so cute!~

 

We first met Miss E 8 months ago, and now she feels so completely ours!  Only God could have orchestrated our lives to come together like they did, and just how she fits in with our family so well, it's amazing.  But there are many others just like her that are still waiting...

 

For the last 8 months I have not let myself look at our state waiting child lists, because I was afraid to look.  But last night I looked again, just to see if the girls we had looked at were all adopted now.  But they're not.  Of the girls ages 12 and under that we were looking at, 23 of those that were on the list 8 months ago are still there.  23!  And it gets worse.  There are 4 girls under age 12 that were on the waiting list 3 years ago, when we first started looking.  Is there really nowhere for them to go?  I know they have troubled pasts and they would have their difficult moments, but they are worth it.  Surely there is someone out there who God is calling to be their Mom and Dad- maybe it's you?

 

If you have questions about adopting through foster care I would love to talk with you!  If you would like to view our state's waiting child lists, click here.

She's ours forever!

 This morning Miss E became our little girl forever!

The judge signed the adoption decree, and now she's ours.

So, I thought you might like seeing her pretty smile finally!

These are some favorite pictures from the last four months~

 

 

 

We are so thankful to God for her!

Home

What a sweet word it is!

 

And now our little Miss E is home to stay-

that's right!  Today we drove up and brought

her home for good.  The adoption isn't finalized

yet, but she no longer needs to go back to her

foster home.  We are so glad!!!

 

On October 9 of last year our social worker first

told us about Miss E, and now, almost exactly one

year later, she is home.  I never would have guessed

that it would take so long, and I wish there was something

that could be done so others don't have to wait so long

either, but I'm not sure what that would be.

 

But all that is behind us now and we are ready

to settle in and just live life together!

 

 

Earlier in the week Miss E "helped" me plant 90

daffodils and grape hyacinths in the secret garden.

It's always a lot of work to plant bulbs, and you don't

see the fruits of your labor for a long time, but

it's worth it in the spring!

 

Maybe the longer the wait, the sweeter the reward-

both in daffodils and adopting? (:

What if I'd said, "no!"

(I know this kitty looks a little worried, but it did survive Miss E's loving!)

Back in August of 2012 I wrote this in my journal-

"A while back I saw a photo listing of a 2 year old special needs

girl, named Emily, who needs adopting.  I haven't been able to get

her out of my mind since!  She's in Arizona and people from out

of state can't adopt her yet, but it seems like God is trying to open

our hearts to the possibility of adopting a special needs child.

Honestly, it scares me to death!"

Now, two years later, it scares me to think of what would have

happened if I had said "no" to God's urging us to adopt again.

When I wrote that in my journal Miss E was already growing

inside her birthmother's womb, and God was finding her a home,

even though she hadn't been born yet.  I'm so glad we said yes

when God asked us to adopt through the state.  It definitely

hasn't been easy, and we're not done yet, but Miss E is worth it!

And although she had some physical special needs at the beginning

of her life, she is doing much better now.

If you are feeling like God wants you to do something hard,

don't hesitate to say yes!

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,

and do not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

and he will direct your paths.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Weekend Visit

Miss E is here for the weekend, and we are having so much fun!

Here's some tidbits from the last couple days--

Miss E loves our horses, she is always pointing toward their pen, wanting to go over there when we're outside.

She loves to run up to her brothers and tackle them!

She likes to ride on things, like she had AJ pushing her around and around the yard in a toy car this afternoon.

Other than the horses, kitties would be her second favorite thing to check out outside.  

Miss E said "mama" to me today for the first time!!  ( her foster mom never called herself mama to Miss E, so that I would be her first mom)

Her first hair-do by me was a big failure- it looked like something from Hunger games according to PD...  I think I figured out pigtails now though!

It just seems like she fits just right in our family, and we are feeling so blessed!

In order for her to move here permanently, we are waiting for the state to return some paperwork, then we can sign the adoption placement agreement and bring her home to stay.  It should be anytime now.  Thanks for your prayers for us, we are so thrilled to have Miss E in our family!!

Finally a day at home

Wow, the last week has been busy!  Last Thursday my mom and I, and SJ and AJ all went up to see Miss E, and take her to her doctor appointment.  Poor little girl was scared to death of the doctor and nurses, so she had a rough afternoon.  But she had a good report from the doctor so we are thankful for that.  Then we hurried home for PD's first football game.

 

Then the next morning we left for a weekend vacation to Colorado, to see Andy's parents.  We met at a vacation log house, and it was just so beautiful!  We were able to do lots of fun things, like seeing the Royal Gorge, going on a hike, riding go carts and playing laser tag, and the boys climbed the mountain next to our cabin.  The only thing that would have made it better was if Miss E could have been with us, we were missing her the whole time.

 

After getting home from Colorado late Monday night, SJ and AJ and I loaded up in the suburban again yesterday morning for another visit up to see Miss E.  She is just so sweet and lovable!  (See her toes, below!) This time she came running out of the house to see us, all smiles, so she is getting more and more comfortable with us.  We went to the zoo and had lots of fun, even though it was very hot and muggy.  On Friday we get to go get her and bring her home for the weekend, yay!

 

Now today I'm back to the routine of doing laundry and homeschool.

Miss E

We just spent the most fun weekend getting to know our new daughter!

After meeting her last week, we had to decide on her name,

and after much consideration, we came up with one we could

all agree on!  But on the blog she will be known as Miss E from now on.

On Saturday we were able to bring all the boys up to meet

their new sister.  It took her a little bit to warm up to them,

but then she started having fun- giving them hugs and smiles.

We went swimming, to the park, and played in her foster

family's backyard.  She is just so so precious. (:

We are all smitten with her!

Everywhere she goes her entourage follows her around,

attending to the "princess's" every need!

I'm sure that won't last forever, but we do all

love her so much and think she's just perfect for us. (:

Then on Sunday after church somebody said,

"I wish we could go see Miss E again."

So, on the spur of the moment we all hopped

in the car, drove the 2 1/2 hours to get there,

 and spent some more time with her!

She is getting more relaxed and comfortable with us

all the time, smiling, laughing and talking more and more.

Of course, all our boys had to give her a proper

introduction to our family, so we went to Cabela's. (:

We also went to the park and out to eat.

It was so much fun and it was so hard to leave!

Hopefully she will be home to stay in a few weeks.

And YES, those two years of waiting were worth it!

For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;

his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Psalm 100:5

We met her!

We met our daughter today!!!

She is so beautiful, and mischievously sweet!  I already miss her...

We get to go see her again on Saturday, this time with all the boys.  Hopefully we don't overwhelm her too much!

She is 1 1/2 years old.

Did I mention she's cute???

I'm sorry I can't post her picture till the adoption is final in a few months...

We are so thankful God has given us this blessing!

Preparation

It's the middle of the night, and I can't sleep.

A hundred thoughts are swirling through my mind-

Will she like us?  Will she have a hard time adjusting?

What should we get her for Christmas?  Maybe I should

sew her another dress...  That was sure a cute outfit we

found in town this afternoon...  How will I do her hair?

 

~Preparation~

 

 

Her room is ready, the cute clothes we found this afternoon

have been hung up in the closet or neatly folded into her dresser.

The quilt I sewed for her many years ago is ready on her bed.

The play dishes are in the little cupboard, a doll is in my old

doll cradle, and sweet little hair accessories are in a basket on

the dresser.  I think we're ready!  You know, I started preparing

for having a daughter many many years ago.  I'd find a cute outfit

and buy it, sew a dress, make an afghan, paint her room pink,

all without knowing when she would come, just knowing that she would.

I was preparing a place for her.

 

And as I lay in bed pondering all these things tonight, I realized

that's exactly what Jesus is doing for me right now- he's

getting my room ready!  He's anxiously awaiting my arrival

in heaven, my forever home, just like we are anxiously awaiting

the arrival of our Little A here, to her earthly forever home.

He loves us so much!  Listen to his words-

 

Do not let your hearts be troubled.

Trust in God; trust also in me.

In my Father's house are many rooms;

if it were not so, I would have told you.

I am going there to prepare a place for you.

And if I go and prepare a place for you,

I will come back and take you to be with me

that you also may be where I am.

John 14:1-3

Guess what??

WE WERE CHOSEN TO
BE LITTLE A'S FAMILY!!!

We are still soaking it in- it was so hard to believe at

first.  Late last night we got an email from our social

worker saying we were chosen, so this morning, it all

seemed a little like a dream.  The kids were so excited

but were having a hard time quite believing it this morning

too.  AJ kept saying things like, I know I'm not dreaming

because I don't feel like I'm in a dream, I could taste my

breakfast, so I know I'm not dreaming...  Then after a while

he said, "this isn't a dream, Mom, it's a dream come true!"

We are so excited and happy!!

Next week we will go to their office and read her file,

sign the paperwork saying we really want her,

and set up a visiting schedule.  We just can't wait

to meet her and hold her and get to know her!!

THANK YOU SO MUCH for all your prayers

for us throughout this process!!

As for God, his way is perfect;

the word of the LORD is flawless.

He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.

Psalm 18:30

Tomorrow--

 

Tomorrow morning Little A's future will be decided as the

social workers meet and choose her family.  Besides us, they

are looking at 3 other families, so we are praying that she will

go to the family that will be best for her, and that her transition

will be smooth.  She is 1 1/2 years old and really needs to be

in her forever home!  I am repeating these verses to myself today-

 

Do not be anxious about anything,

but in everything,

by prayer and petition,

with thanksgiving,

present your requests to God.

And the peace of God,

which transcends all understanding,

will guard your hearts and your minds

in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7

 

We have been waiting for this meeting for Little A for 10 months.

Her picture has been on our fridge most of that time.

I feel kind of attached!  So it will be hard if we are not chosen,

but God will be there too, and he knows.  If we are not chosen

to be her family, we don't know what we'll do next.

We would really appreciate your prayers for the meeting

tomorrow and wisdom in the days ahead!  Thanks much.

 

(By the way, we won't know the outcome of the meeting for

a week or two while they get state approval for their decision.)

If you are considering abortion...

 

Did you know that 92% of all the children with Down Syndrome

in the United States are aborted?

(here is a link to the news article)

 

Did you know that in New York City more African American

babies were aborted in 2012 than were born alive?

(here is a link to the report)

 

~This is just so heart-wrenching to me~

 

If you are in that desperate situation, where you don't see any

choice but abortion, maybe you don't see how you can provide

for your baby, or maybe you don't see how you can take care of

a child with special needs, please find a crisis pregnancy center

in your area, they have many resources to help you.  If you truly

find that you are unable to keep your child, please consider adoption!

We love all our children so much, and are so blessed to have

received four of them through the miracle of adoption.  Each

one is so precious, and our love for them is the same as if they had

been born to us.  If you want more information on adoption,

please contact me, there are many wonderful families who

would be honored to adopt your child, including ours!

Trust me, your child is wanted.

Another Date is Set

 

We found out today that the BIS meeting, where they

choose the family for A, has finally been scheduled

for July 30.  We are going to be considered along

with three other families.  If you don't remember,

A is a little girl who is a year and a half old,

and we first submitted our homestudy for her back

in October of last year.  We don't know why it's taken

so long for them to get the paperwork done and get

this meeting scheduled-their first estimate was that

the BIS would be right after Christmas.  But I do know

that God has a purpose and plan for A's little life,

and He knows why it needed to take so long.

We are praying that A will go wherever God wants

her to go, and that she will come to know Him

as her Savior no matter where she grows up.

Of course, we hope that she can come here to our family!

All our boys are hopeful too.

Thanks so much, once again, for all your prayers

for us and for little A.

 

We constantly pray for you, that our God

may count you worthy of his calling,

and that by his power

he may fulfill every good purpose of yours

and every act prompted by your faith.

1 Thessalonians 1:11

Faith

 

I think I've had the wrong idea about faith for awhile now.

I kind of just thought faith was the same as trust.

There's a kids' song that goes,

"Faith is just believing, what God says He will do."

And that is true, but it's just part of faith.

I am learning that faith is more than just believing,

faith is acting on what you believe.

 

As the body without the spirit is dead,

so faith without deeds is dead.

James 2:26

 

In Hebrews 11 it says faith is the "evidence of things not seen".

Faith is showing by our actions that we believe

in what we can't see.  Realizing this truth is helping me

as we are waiting for our next child. 

 

Back two years ago, during the summer I kept feeling

over and over again that God wanted us to adopt a girl

with some sort of special needs.  I came up with all kinds

of excuses but whenever I came up with one God would

remind me of a verse or song that would blow my excuses

out of the water.  So as Andy and I discussed it, we decided

that yes, God wanted us to adopt again, and that we should

try to adopt a waiting child.  I remember when I put the application

to adopt through the state in the mailbox I felt such a sense

of peace that I was obeying God and what He wanted us to do.

 

Now, two years later, we still don't have a child, and the

state is really frustrating to work with, as you've read about

here on my blog.  We started to think this spring that this was

crazy and maybe we should quit trying to adopt through the

state and do something different.  But I am realizing that if we

did quit, we wouldn't be showing much faith, would we?

 

I have faith that God wants us to adopt again.  So, therefore,

if I have faith, we need to show that faith by continuing to

look for girls, inquire about them, and submit our homestudy

for them, even though it's hard and sometimes feels hopeless.

God has not opened up any new paths for us, so we will

continue to have faith that this is what He wants for us!

 

(I feel like I should also mention that when you feel like

God is leading you to step out in faith in some certain situation,

it is very important that you make sure what you feel

God is asking you to do lines up with what the Bible teaches.)

 

After the "faith chapter" of Hebrews 11, where we read about

people who did amazing things for God because they had faith

to do what he asked, we read this:

 

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a

great cloud of witnesses,

let us throw off everything that hinders

and the sin that easily entangles,

and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus,

the author and perfecter of our faith,

who for the joy set before him

endured the cross,

scorning its shame,

and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men,

so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Hebrews 12:1-3

 

 

Old Roses and Trust

About a mile down the road from us is an old homestead.  You wouldn't know anyone had ever lived there, except for the flowers.  This rosebush was just beautiful there this year, and there are lilacs, bread and butter, and a grapevine too!  I always enjoy seeing the old irises and rosebushes that somebody planted 100 years ago, still blooming every year in ditches and pastures, even though no other sign of a home is there.

I wish I could give you an adoption update, but there really isn't anything to tell.  Sigh.  We are still waiting for them to schedule the meeting where they choose the family for A, who I told you about a few weeks ago.

I guess we're on the right path?  When things are so hard it makes me wonder.  But God hasn't lead us anywhere else yet, so we will press on!

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

and lean not on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will direct your paths.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Little Miss A

I don't know if you remember, but back in January I mentioned

a little girl, named A, on the blog.  She is about a year old and the cutest

little girl you ever did see.  We actually first heard about her in October

of last year, and submitted our homestudy for her then.

But when T and J's Best Interest Staffing (BIS) meeting was

scheduled first, we had to decide to say no to A, and yes

to T and J.  It was hard for us to say no to A, but our social

worker thought we had a lot better chance of being selected for

T and J.  Well, as you know we were not chosen for T and J,

so after discovering that last week, I asked our social worker

if it was too late to still be considered for A.

She checked with A's social worker, and no, it wasn't too

late!  So we are now waiting, once again, to hear when

the BIS meeting will be scheduled for her.  From our perspective

our chances are not real good for getting her, they are also

looking at 3 other families.  But it just seems like she

would be perfect for our family...

If God wants her here, she will come!

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for

and certain of what we do not see.

Hebrews 11:1

I would have loved you

All our waiting to hear if we were selected for T and J,

two sisters who we heard about back in January,

finally ended today, but it didn't end how we had hoped.

The social workers selected the other family for the girls.

We are so sad and disappointed, but-

As for God, his way is perfect;

the word of the Lord is flawless.

He is a shield for all who

take refuge in Him.

Psalm 18:30

We would have loved those girls,

but for some reason we don't understand,

God has a different plan for them.

Thank you so much for praying for us and them-

I feel a little bad that we keep asking for prayer

for adoptions that don't work out-

but we really do appreciate you and

all the support you've shown us through this process.

What now?

Prayers, please?

Tomorrow morning at 9:00 the future of two little girls

will be decided.  The social workers will meet and decide

whether they will come here to our family, or go to

another family who is interested in them. 

 

We would appreciate your prayers for the girls,

T and J, that their hearts would be open and ready

to love their new family, that they would learn

to know and love Jesus, and that their transition

would be smooth.

 

We would also appreciate your prayers for us,

that we would keep trusting the Lord and His plan,

no matter the outcome, and that we would have peace.

 

Thank you so much!

We won't know the outcome of the meeting

for another week yet, while we wait for state approval.