Quotable Prayers

A dear friend of mine asked another friend (who has an adopted child) for suggestions of ways to pray for me and Kyle concerning our adoption. I love what she said, and I quote:

1. The health and welfare of their future child while they are still apart

2. Success and smooth processing while they do all the paperwork

3. That God nurtures the invisible cord that connects them to their child even before they have met and lets that connection grow in all three hearts so that they bond when they meet

4. Calm during times of anxious waiting

5. Strength and perseverance to work through the process and complete all the steps

6. Wisdom for them to be good parents

7, That God guides the process so that they get the right child for them

8. That their extended families embrace the adoption and fully open their hearts to their new grandchild, cousin, etc...

9. That they get the finances that they need

10. That they feel the assurance and trust that God is holding them and their future child in his hands and that he will guard their futures and bring them together

Dream Child

Last night, I dreamed that I hiked through a huge mountain range to an orphanage to get my adopted child. The lady at the gate greeted me excitedly and said, "Oh! You need a baby!," and led me to a little 2 or 3 year-old girl with dark hair and freckles. I cried and cried and held her in my arms. Oh, let that child come home soon

Not Plan B

Just in case you were wondering, this adoption is not our "Plan B" for having children.

We want both adopted children and biological children!

If a pregnancy happens during the adoption process, we will proceed, and have two children! How exciting would that be?!

Please pray for us as we work toward bringing this child home, that God would make the process go smoothly and prepare everyone's heart for this child's arrival into our family.

Please help us bring our child home!

"Jesus sought me when a stranger, wandering from the fold of God. He to rescue me from danger, interposed His precious blood..."

Dear Friends,

I often think of this line from the hymn, Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, when thinking about adoption. Every child of God is an adopted child. He wanted us and sacrificed for us before we knew anything about Him.

This is what has compelled Kyle and me to start the adoption process. Of course, I have been compelled to adopt ever since I was a regular babysitter for a little girl adopted from China. I remember staring at that sweet two-year-old in wonder, knowing that she had no idea how blessed she was to have been rescued from the dark alley where she was found before being taken to the orphanage, just as we believers may have no idea how amazing it is that Jesus rescued us from the darkness. I remember thanking God for rescuing her and bringing her into my life.

As the years passed, I had more interactions with adopted children, children from other cultures, and parents seeking adoption. So my desire to adopt has grown ever stronger. We are so thankful to have landed in a community that celebrates adoption. God works out every little detail to see His will done, doesn't He?

Kyle knew this about me before we got married, and I am delighted and thankful that he shares my desire to bring a child home, a child who is now a stranger, but who will soon be our own. I don't know who that child is. I don't know if the child is a he or a she. I don't know what he or she looks like or where he or she will come from. We think our child will be about three years old when she or he comes home.

Because we have a relationship with some children in our church who have been adopted from India, we are strongly considering adopting from India ourselves, but who knows? Our child may be somewhere else. All we know is, our child is out there somewhere, and we need to go get him or her.

Our home study begins next week, and we are hoping that the social worker will help us find a specific direction to follow.

Adoption is expensive, and we can't pay for it with our Army and Christian school teacher salaries, so we are depending on God to supply the funds through His people...and He will! We have seen Him do so for other families. There are grants we will apply for, and we will also be raising support. If you are interested in supporting us in any way, please let us know. We are planning to make a book for our child, documenting all the people who helped us bring him or her come home, whether through financial support, emotional support, prayer, or all of the above. One way we are raising money is by selling crocheted quilt squares, which will be combined to make a blanket for our child! Some friends from church are helping us in that way.

Please ask questions. Send us your stories. We are so happy to share this joy with you. We are so thankful to have such wonderful friends.