I could write an entire book on these past 2 months since my last post, but it is pointless to dwell on the details... plus, I do not even know where to start to put everything into words. What is important to announce is that through God's amazing grace Zach and I were chosen for 2 kids! We cannot give any details at this time except that their names are Natalia (5 years old) and Robert (3 years old). At this point it is not 100% that everything will go through and there are still steps that have to be taken in order to finalize everything. The next step is for Zach and I to meet with CPS sometime next week. Please pray for Natalia and Robert... to be preparing their hearts for this huge transition if it is God's will for us to be a family. We also ask that you pray for guidance, patience and peace for Zach and I as we continue this journey.
Thank you for every single prayer and all of the support thus far; hopefully we will have more news to announce soon!
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
"But those who suffer he delivers in their suffering; he speaks to them in their affliction." Job 36:15
The reason that I haven't posted anything in about a month is because there has been absolutely nothing to post. We literally heard nothing from our adoption agency for over two weeks and when we did finally hear something it was profiles of kids that did not match our 2 kids/0-8 years old range. I am not going to lie, this past month has been truly a test of faith; especially with Mother's Day falling in the right in the middle of it.
I am so grateful to have such an amazing husband and supportive friends that were with me during my times of doubt. More than ever I struggled with knowing if God was closing the door on adoption for us, telling us that we were to go in a different direction or was putting us through a trial of trust.
What truly allowed me to get through this time was a simple statement from a wonderful friend on a rough day... "Sometimes we just need to embrace our sufferings." I realized that I was fighting my struggles and continually letting them win. When she said this statement I realized that sometimes I just have to stop and let God take me through whatever trials he needs in order to be prepared for what he has planned.
My trials have not ended, but God has definitely begun to open doors. We have received more profiles that match us in the past 5 days than we have in the entire past 2 months. We currently have asked for our home study to be submitted for 5 separate sets of siblings. It is now all in God's hands and we only pray that he continues to open/close doors to guide us in the direction he has planned for us.
"...rejoice in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perservance; perserverance, character; and character- hope." Romans 5:3
I am so grateful to have such an amazing husband and supportive friends that were with me during my times of doubt. More than ever I struggled with knowing if God was closing the door on adoption for us, telling us that we were to go in a different direction or was putting us through a trial of trust.
What truly allowed me to get through this time was a simple statement from a wonderful friend on a rough day... "Sometimes we just need to embrace our sufferings." I realized that I was fighting my struggles and continually letting them win. When she said this statement I realized that sometimes I just have to stop and let God take me through whatever trials he needs in order to be prepared for what he has planned.
My trials have not ended, but God has definitely begun to open doors. We have received more profiles that match us in the past 5 days than we have in the entire past 2 months. We currently have asked for our home study to be submitted for 5 separate sets of siblings. It is now all in God's hands and we only pray that he continues to open/close doors to guide us in the direction he has planned for us.
"...rejoice in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perservance; perserverance, character; and character- hope." Romans 5:3
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
A Step in the Right Direction
Well today Zach and I were finally able to get a hold of the adoption director at our agency. She said that she has been out of town a lot and has been playing catch up for awhile... (insert sigh of frustration here). I was able to get a bunch of questions answered and she said from this point on she would make sure to respond to any questions that we have. To sum up the conversation:
- Our home study was submitted about 3 weeks ago for the 2 kids in Houston, but she said that since we haven't heard anything most likely we were not chosen.
- She suggested that we broaden our range for older kids and 3 or more (we get a lot of profiles with these ranges). Zach and I talked tonight and we are staying with our original decision of 2 kids up to 8 years old. With our age and this being our first time as parents we feel that is the best decision.
Prayer Request: For us to continue waiting patiently until God is ready to reveal our kids to us and to remove any doubt that we encounter.
- Our home study was submitted about 3 weeks ago for the 2 kids in Houston, but she said that since we haven't heard anything most likely we were not chosen.
- She suggested that we broaden our range for older kids and 3 or more (we get a lot of profiles with these ranges). Zach and I talked tonight and we are staying with our original decision of 2 kids up to 8 years old. With our age and this being our first time as parents we feel that is the best decision.
Prayer Request: For us to continue waiting patiently until God is ready to reveal our kids to us and to remove any doubt that we encounter.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Nada
Latest: A bunch of you guys have been anxiously asking what is the latest with the adoption... the answer is a whole bunch of nothing! We did receive an email from the adoption director last week apologizing that she has been so unavailable in the past month and that she was going to catch up with all of the families' statuses. That was last Wednesday and we still have not heard anything about the two little boys that we asked our home study to be submitted for. We still do not know if we were even chosen to be sent to the Houston office for the initial evaluation. Sooooo.... as always we are just putting everything is God's hands.
Prayer Request: That we continue to trust in God's perfect timing and not get frustrated when things do not happen when we think they should.
Prayer Request: That we continue to trust in God's perfect timing and not get frustrated when things do not happen when we think they should.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Out of Our Hands
I have come to realize that every step of the adoption process is a whole new venture of its own. Just when you think that you have figured out how to handle the current emotional stressors you move on to the next step and have to start all of over.
Latest: We began receiving profiles on kids legally free for adoption last week. I don't think that anything could have emotionally prepared me for the abundance of kids' heartbreaking stories that were sent to us. I cannot even express the need of so many kids right here in Texas that have been through more in their short lives than any of us combined.
Zach and I did request that our home study be submitted for one of the sibling groups sent to us. With the specific location that this sibling group is at, they only allow each agency to submit 2 families. If we are one of the 2 families then our home study is sent to the adoption agency in charge of the kids' case where they will decide the best match out of all of the home studies sent from all around Texas. The frustrating thing is that there is absolutely no communication with us beyond us asking to be submitted. We are not even told if we were one of the two families chosen. So now we just wait... and know that we are waiting to maybe never hear anything about this sibling group. From what I understand they only contact us if we are chosen as a match for the kids.
Prayer Request: More than ever we are learning to completely put our trust in God. My prayer request is that we continue to completely rely on Him with every passing day that we hear nothing.
Latest: We began receiving profiles on kids legally free for adoption last week. I don't think that anything could have emotionally prepared me for the abundance of kids' heartbreaking stories that were sent to us. I cannot even express the need of so many kids right here in Texas that have been through more in their short lives than any of us combined.
Zach and I did request that our home study be submitted for one of the sibling groups sent to us. With the specific location that this sibling group is at, they only allow each agency to submit 2 families. If we are one of the 2 families then our home study is sent to the adoption agency in charge of the kids' case where they will decide the best match out of all of the home studies sent from all around Texas. The frustrating thing is that there is absolutely no communication with us beyond us asking to be submitted. We are not even told if we were one of the two families chosen. So now we just wait... and know that we are waiting to maybe never hear anything about this sibling group. From what I understand they only contact us if we are chosen as a match for the kids.
Prayer Request: More than ever we are learning to completely put our trust in God. My prayer request is that we continue to completely rely on Him with every passing day that we hear nothing.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Adoption Update
Latest: Zach and I heard from the adoption agency today and we have begun to receive profiles of children available for adoption. Within 15 minutes we received 6 profiles from kids all over Texas. It is exciting, yet overwhelming all at the same time. It is amazing to think that out of all of these profiles that God already knows which children are going to become apart of our family.
Prayer Request: That God would guide us through the application process and give us a peace about the direction we are to take.
Prayer Request: That God would guide us through the application process and give us a peace about the direction we are to take.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Worldly vs. Godly Perspectives of Adoption
The difference between a worldly view of adoption versus God's view of adoption became very apparent to me this weekend. Ever since we began the adoption process a daily annoyance of mine has been the negative remarks and questions we get about adopting older children from abused/neglected homes. For example...
- "You know those children are beyond anyone's help"
- "How sad that you can't have children of your own."
- "My friend adopted... and that child (insert negative comment here)"
and my personal favorite...
- "Don't you know that you can get a baby?"
This weekend I had the privlege of being surrounded by amazing women filled with the holy spirit at a ladies retreat... and when you are meeting a bunch of women that you don't know one of the first questions that always comes up is "Do you have kids?" So I had the opportunity to share the great news about our upcoming adoption with several people. Not one time this weekend did any of these women respond with negativity. Instead these they were filled with joy, prayed with me and shared their own adoption stories. They were honest at how hard adopting from CPS can be, but they were supportive and shared helpful advice with me.
When you look at "less than perfect" situations from a wordly perspective it is amazing at how hopeless people think they are.... but when viewed from God's perspective anything is possible.
Latest News: We signed our licensing papers on Thursday night! We are hoping to start receiving profiles of kids available for adoption this upcoming week.
Prayer Request: For God to be preparing the hearts of the kids for their upcoming transition into our family.
"You are the helper of the fatherless. LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will prepare their heart; You will cause Your ear to hear, To do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, That the man of the earth may oppress no more." Psalms 10:14,17-18
- "You know those children are beyond anyone's help"
- "How sad that you can't have children of your own."
- "My friend adopted... and that child (insert negative comment here)"
and my personal favorite...
- "Don't you know that you can get a baby?"
This weekend I had the privlege of being surrounded by amazing women filled with the holy spirit at a ladies retreat... and when you are meeting a bunch of women that you don't know one of the first questions that always comes up is "Do you have kids?" So I had the opportunity to share the great news about our upcoming adoption with several people. Not one time this weekend did any of these women respond with negativity. Instead these they were filled with joy, prayed with me and shared their own adoption stories. They were honest at how hard adopting from CPS can be, but they were supportive and shared helpful advice with me.
When you look at "less than perfect" situations from a wordly perspective it is amazing at how hopeless people think they are.... but when viewed from God's perspective anything is possible.
Latest News: We signed our licensing papers on Thursday night! We are hoping to start receiving profiles of kids available for adoption this upcoming week.
Prayer Request: For God to be preparing the hearts of the kids for their upcoming transition into our family.
"You are the helper of the fatherless. LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will prepare their heart; You will cause Your ear to hear, To do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, That the man of the earth may oppress no more." Psalms 10:14,17-18
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)