Plan A

God writes each family's story differently and His plan is always Plan A. For those who believe, He is sovereign over every aspect of our lives.

Families are lead to adoption in many different ways and each story is different and special.

As more people learn about our adoption process, I am often met with sympathies that Raleigh and I cannot have biological children.

I'm not sure why people assume that we have tried to have biological children, but we have not. Adoption is our Plan A. Will we one day decide to have biological children? I really have no idea. Will we adopt again? Again, I do not know. I do know that over the past 24 months God has burdened our heart for the orphan. Now that we know of the need, we cannot turn back.

Please know that apart from God, Raleigh and I would have never opened our hearts to adoption. He is writing this journey...from beginning to end. To Him be all the glory. Each day He renews our faith and we continue to rest in Him knowing that He will provide....the wisdom to be parents, the patience to wait on His timing, the finances to see this adoption to completion, the words to speak when our child asks about his or her birth family, etc.

We are no different than any other young couple. We knew that we wanted to one day be parents. When the time was right, we had planned to have children. However in a matter of two months (April and May 2008) the Lord transformed our desires.

Do you have to adopt to care for the orphan? Absolutely not. There are so many ways to share God's heart...pray for the millions of children's without homes, pray for the children in the US foster care system, find ways to mentor children in your local town, sponsor a child through Compassion, go on a trip with your local church to be the hands and feet of Christ to a child that has no home..... The Lord equips his beleivers with different gifts and consequently asks us each to share in His mission differently.

God's heart is for the orphan. Raleigh and I know that God clearly asked us to adopt a child and through the journey, He is revealing Himself to us daily. Could we do this on our own? No way, but luckily we are not alone. God is with us as well as countless friends and family members that pray for us daily and support us along the way.

For our family, for now, adoption is our Plan A.

South Korea Crocs

Crocs has come out with a line of Crockband Nation shoes to support the countries competing in the 2010 World Cup. Raleigh and I think these South Korea crocs are so cute. Even though our child will not be able to wear them for a little while, we may order a pair since they will probably only be available for a limited time!

It has been 2 years....since Katherine lived!!

If you are new to my blog, you may or may not know the story of Katherine Arnold Wolf. It all started April 21, 2008...and on April 22, 2008 she lived and her road to recovery began. The miracle of Katherine is one event that the Lord used in BIG ways to begin leading me and Raleigh to adoption.

Katherine is beautiful. She attended Samford University where Raleigh and I also attended. I'm not sure if I every really had a conversation with her during college, but I definitely knew who she was. She has one of those personalities that lights up a room. She shines for the Lord.

In April 2008, she and her husband were living in Malibu with their 6 month old son. Katherine was pursuing a modeling career and her husband Jay was finishing Law School.

On April 21st she suffered an AVM (arterial veinous malformation) and was rushed to UCLA Hospital. According to her neurosurgeon, Katherine’s AVM was the largest he had ever seen, in the worst possible location, and with the worst possible blood drainage. All of those factors, coupled with the massive pressure which was literally squeezing her brain down into her spine, placed the surgeon in quite a predicament.

Once of the first miracles is that the surgeon decided to procede with surgery. Katherine survived the 16 hour surgery. 24 hours later she was able to follow a nurse's command to wiggle her toes and lift her fingers.

When Raleigh and I first heard of Katherine's situation 2 years ago, we were moved to prayer in a way we had not been before. God called us to intercede on her behalf. We were encouraged to memorize more scripture. We were challenged to discuss what it means to truly pray without ceasing.

The Lord taught us a lot about what it means to pray for others in radical ways.

The Lord taught us even more in May 2008....more on that coming later.

For today, praise God for the life of Katherine and the miraculous recovery she continues to make.

First Birthday/Dol

Koreans celebrate a child's first birthday, or Dol, by throwing a big party! One part of the party is called the Doljabi. During this special Korean tradition, the baby is propped up at a table of various foods and an assortment of objects and urged to pick up one of the items. It is believed the item the baby picks up symbolically foretells his or her own future or would influence his or her fate. There are also beautiful dol towers that can be made of rice, candy, cookies, etc. Raleigh and I are prayerful that our child will be home by his or her first birthday so that we can celebrate with our friends and family and honor our child's Korean heritage.

I came across this blog through an adoption forum I belong to and I just had to share the pictures of the Dol party. The food and decorations are simply beautiful.

http://www.mrsjennyl.blogspot.com/ (go to the post from April 13th and scroll down to see the pictures)

Thanks!

This is just a quick thank you to everyone for making my birthday so special!! I had a great day at school and received lots of sweet gifts! My mom and dad came to Atlanta to celebrate and we enjoyed a delicious meal at Benihana. Raleigh, thanks for making everyday special. I know that my 27th year is going to be the best yet! Who knows....I might even become a mom this year! :)

Sweet, Sweet Friends!

I am so humbled by the outpouring of love by my sweet, sweet friends at school. They have been so generous to purchase 147 Million Orphan t-shirts and necklaces to help us with our adoption expenses. Raleigh and I just cannot say thank you enough for loving us, praying with us, and walking beside us during this process.

Well, today my sweet friends took their support to the next level. They surprised me by all wearing their shirts and necklaces to school today. I smiled. I cried. I laughed. Most importantly, I thanked God for blessing me abundantly in ways that I could never have even dreamed!!

Friends, thank you for being the hands and feet of Christ and expressing His love in tangible ways!! Our sweet little treasure in South Korea is already loved so much by so many.