Faith, Trust, and Hope

It's hard to believe it's been 4 months since I've posted an update. I haven't written because there just isn't a whole lot to say.

The summer and early fall were overall fairly slow with potential adoption news. In the past month, we have had more circulars come through than in probably the previous 3 months combined. That is encouraging, but there are also many families who are waiting to adopt. We haven't been chosen yet.

This has been quite discouraging at times, especially as often times it seems the birth mom already has preferences before even reading about us, such as wanting a couple with infertility, with no kids, or a stay-at-home mom. One from a  few weeks ago stated "absolutely no day care, only family caring for the child" which would have been true for our family until this month when I switched jobs. Nora now goes to day care one day a week at a great in-home, licensed day care of someone we know and trust. That one felt exasperating because you never know what life circumstances may bring and you can't promise something like that.

This is some of the raw hardness about it all. Some may think we're crazy to begin with because we've been able to have biological children. Some may think we should've gone a different route for adoption or met a "bigger" need in foster care. Some may say this, some may think that…. and I start to say this and think that and wonder if we got it all wrong.

But that's when I'm thankful for the decision-making process God took us through and the call to adopt that was clear in holy moments. Every time I begin to sink into hopelessness, distrust, anxiety, or frustration, I feel God gently nudging me and saying, "Do you trust me?" It doesn't mean I always respond well and come out of it joyful and singing, but it helps me have that glimmer of hope. 

So while it's hard to see friends birthing their 3rd children when I've been "pregnant" with mine longer, our girls growing up so quickly and the age gap widening, and repeated times of getting an e-mail that another family has been chosen, I am continually challenged to have faith, trust and hope by the One who called us to this and knows every piece of the story.

A Waiting Update

I've often had people ask lately how the adoption process is coming and if there is any news. The short answer is that no, there is no news. We are waiting. Summer has been busy with both the usual fun activities but also unexpected things that have made it feel….weird.  It's hard to believe it's mid-July. I haven't been dwelling on the waiting because there has just been so much going on.

We did have 2 potential adoptions that we had the opportunity to say "yes" to having the birthparents look at our profile book. Neither of them seemed likely based on what we knew ahead of time to be their preferences, but with both we went in praying that if that was to be the match God had for us, it would happen. We were not chosen for either to them, which honestly wasn't very disappointing I think because it seemed unlikely in the first place. I have a feeling it will be much harder if the time comes where it seems like the "perfect" fit to us and we aren't chosen.

So for now we keep waiting for more circulars (e-mails regarding potential adoptive children). Nora had her 3rd birthday at the end of June and with our girls now 5 and 3, things are getting increasingly easier. It's hard to imagine having a baby at times. It's also hard to trust in God's timing as the age gap continues to increase between Nora and our next child. It's weird to think that we officially started this process 6 months ago…. in a way it's like I'm 6 months pregnant but have no idea if the due date will be another typical 3 months, 3 weeks, or 3 years.

So though it's hard at times, we continue to have faith in God's perfect timing and plan for the child and birth family He will match us with. Please continue to pray for us, for our future child, and for the birth family throughout this process.

Puzzle progress!

We finally had the chance to build more of our puzzle to see where we are at in this fundraiser we are doing! Here is our progress! We have been overwhelmed with blessing by the amount of financial support we have already received. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

We have 202 more pieces to go to build this puzzle and complete this fundraiser. Each piece is $5 and we have been writing the names of our donors on the back so we can hang it in a double-sided frame when we are done.

If you are someone who has considered supporting us but thinks that a small donation of $5 or $10 isn't enough, please don't! Every little bit truly helps us! Please view our fundraising page or click on the link on the right side bar if you'd like to donate. Thank you!

Ladies' Night Out: Clothes Swap TONIGHT!

We hope you ladies will consider joining us tonight, even if it's last minute! AND even if you haven't had a chance to grab your old clothes, come anyways because there will be plenty! Here are the details:

• Where: The Point Church, 2449 76th St. SE, Caledonia, MI 49316
• When: Friday, May 29, 2015. 6:30 pm start arriving, first round of selections at 7:30pm.
• Suggested minimum donation: $10 per person, plus bringing your 10+ items of clothes, accessories, etc. (on hangers if shirts/dresses).
• Bring 10 items of clothing or accessories that you want to get rid of and then you will shop from all the other clothing and accessories that the other women coming bring! 
• The proceeds will be split between our adoption and the adoption that Rachel’s brother Justin and his wife, Shawnna are pursuing!

Here is a picture from the clothes swap we attended in Novemeber 2013 that we LOVED and which sparked the idea of this fundraiser! From left: Me, my sister Jenna, my sister-in-law Shawnna, and my mom Doreen

Breakfast Recap

We had our breakfast fundraiser last Saturday which was a great success! It went well thanks to our awesome family and friends who helped us! Thanks to all of you who came out to support us in this way! We are so blessed by the "village" of people in our lives that are helping us make this dream and call a reality. We had approximately 250 people come and raised a profit of about $4000 from the breakfast and bake sale! Here are just a few pictures of the event.

Breakfast fundraiser tomorrow!

It's tomorrow! Please join us and bring your family and friends! Pancakes, sausage, fruit, coffee, and orange juice will await you. 😊 We also have around 75 baked goods and 30 bags of coffee available for purchase! See you there! ☕

Officially approved!

We received this exciting piece of mail today! We are now officially approved and a waiting family! Thanks to so many of you for your support, encouragement, prayers, and financial donations so far. This is just the beginning of it all and we certainly need your ongoing love and prayers!

Home Study Review

Well we finally met with our caseworker again today to read our 15 page long home study report that he wrote. Wow, it was crazy to read all about ourselves in so much detail! We have been keeping very busy with preparing for the big fundraiser breakfast next week, making our profile book for birth families to look at, and making our online profile for birth families to review. It was so good to read through the home study report today, meet with our awesome case worker, and just take a step back to remember the focus and reason for all this craziness: following God's call and getting ready for the child he brings to our home!

When you think of us, please pray for us! Pray that God will continue to prepare our hearts to welcome this child into our home, and that we will trust and have faith in His perfect timing. It's a bizarre feeling to feel emotionally pregnant without the general idea of an ending in sight, but it's also thrilling! We should be officially approved in the next few weeks and then will be a waiting family!

Growing Puzzle!

I thought it was about time for a puzzle update. So far $730 in donations has built these 146 pieces of our puzzle! Thank you again to all of you who have supported us so far! We cannot begin to express how grateful we are for your support. Please continue to pray for us whenever you think of us; we sure need your prayers! Please also spread the word about our adoption to anyone you wish and encourage them to visit this blog and read about our family. We're excited to continue to watch the puzzle grow. :)

Growing our family.... through adoption!

We are excited to announce that we are in the process of adopting our 3rd child! God has been gradually and persistently revealing to our hearts the need to care for orphans and vulnerable children. Through much wrestling, talking, tears, prayers, resisting, seeking, and finally

submitting and surrendering, we have decided to take a step of faith and obedience to pursue

adoption as the next step in growing our family. It is not a decision we take lightly, but one that

we are excited to pursue because we have total peace and confidence that God has called us to do

this.

As we researched the various options (international, domestic, foster care), it became clear to us

that we were to stay local. While we strongly considered foster care, we weren't at peace with

entering into that at this point in our lives. Yet we kept hearing that we were to do something now, not later, as it is so easy to say. So in early January, we decided to pursue domestic infant adoption through Bethany Christian Services and sent in the initial paperwork. We have gone through our home study process over the past few months (interviews, physicals, fingerprinting, etc.) and are currently awaiting our final home study approval. Our case worker has given us the unofficial “you will be approved” for which we are excited! We should officially be a waiting family sometime in May.

Once we are a waiting family, we will be on a list of families that a birth mother can choose from

to be matched with for potential placement of her child. It could be days or it could be years

after approval until we have a child in our home. Once a birth mother chooses us, we will begin a

relationship with her and take part in the anticipated adoption plan. The birth mother could

change her mind before, during, or after the birth of the child. There is usually an ongoing open

relationship with the birth family in this type of adoption. We are ready to be as hospitable as

possible throughout this process. Once the child is born, we will likely take him or her home from

the hospital with us. The adoption would not be finalized until up to 3 months after birth.

We believe in the sanctity of life and support a birth mother choosing life for her child instead of

abortion, even if she does not think she can raise her child herself. What a powerful act of

courageous, sacrificial love to birth her child and give the gift of life in an inconvenient,

unexpected situation!

Jesus said, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and

follow me" (Matthew 16:24). We’ve realized that for us at this time, this means we are to follow

the call to adopt. Despite the uncertainties ahead, we are ready to be available with open hands

and open hearts to provide a home and a family for this child and to partner with the birth mom

in her decision of choosing life when she didn't have to. 

Please explore our blog to find out answers to some FAQs, learn more about our family, the timeline, and the fundraising that we are doing to help cover the costs of our adoption. We plan to keep this blog updated as we go through the process!