Raleigh and I are really excited to be leaving for the beach Saturday morning with my parents. We are looking forward to lazy days in the sun and the peaceful sound of the ocean.
In preparation for our trip, I had a list of errands to run today. The first stop was the library. Raleigh put books on hold for us several weeks ago. This allows the Fulton County Library system to find the books at any of their libraries. On the designated date, all you have to do is go to the library and check out the books you have reserved. Well, at least that is supposed to be how it works.
I went to the library with a smile and politely walked to the desk. I gave the librarian my name and explained that I was checking out books my husband had put on hold for us. She explained in a very rude tone that I would be unable to check out any books using my husband's library card. Furthermore, since the books were on hold under his name, she would not be able to tell me if the books were ready or not. She said it would violate the library's privacy rules. I nicely told her that I could get Raleigh on the phone and he could give permission for me to check out the books. Another librarian overheard what was happening and said it would be ok for me to at least know whether or not the books were ready to be checked out. As it turns out, the books were not ready. At this point, I was still very calm and understood that the books were not on hold for us, even though Raleigh has completed the request several weeks ago.
I asked if they could please print a list of the books we requested, so that we could see if any of them were available. After much conversation, and pulling a third librarian into the discussion, they agreed. However, they said there would be no way for me to know if the books even existed at their local branch (Alpharetta) of the library. The printed list only had titles, but no call numbers. One of the ladies reluctantly wrote down a few of the call numbers for me. I then explained that this was my first time at this branch, and asked if one of them would be willing to help me look for a few of the books. I thought this was a totally reasonable request. I was at a library. There were three librarians that were just having casual conversation before I arrived. The librarians know the layout of the library better than me. However, they refused to help me. All three of them said no...they could not (or would not) help me locate any books. WHAT??? I was so shocked. In the end, I left the library without any books.
My next errand was to get a replacement windshield wiper for my car. I arrived at AutoZone. After the poor customer service I received at the library, I did not have my hopes up. However, I was pleasantly surprised. After stating my request, the man walked me to the isle and helped me locate the correct wiper. He then took it outside to my car to make sure that it was correct. After purchasing the wiper, he even offered to put on the wiper and refill my car's supply of windshield wiper fluid. I thanked him and went on my way .
Moral of the story... I hope your local library is better than mine.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Yippee Jesus!
God is so cool! It is awesome to know that the God who controls the sky and the sea, also dearly loves his people and desires to know them intimately. Let me back up...As you probably assume, there are lots of expenses associated with adoption, just as there are with having a biological child. Although there are fees due throughout the process, there are a few times when large chunks of the expenses are due. One of these times is at the final homestudy visit when the social worker visits your home. Raleigh and I have been waiting on our tax refund check so that we can schedule this visit with our social worker. Some days I waited patiently, other days I was not so patient. Raleigh always reminded me that this whole process will take place according to God's timing. Since we are just at the beginning of the waiting process, I should not start to get impatient now.
Well...yesterday on our 3 year anniversary, our tax refund check finally arrived. How cool is it that God planned for the check to arrive on our anniversary? I do not think this was a coincidence. No. This was definitely part of God's plan. The God who hears the prayers of people from every nation, also knows my heart. I literally jumped for joy when I opened the mail and saw the check! Yippee Jesus!
Well...yesterday on our 3 year anniversary, our tax refund check finally arrived. How cool is it that God planned for the check to arrive on our anniversary? I do not think this was a coincidence. No. This was definitely part of God's plan. The God who hears the prayers of people from every nation, also knows my heart. I literally jumped for joy when I opened the mail and saw the check! Yippee Jesus!
Monday, May 25, 2009
Beauty for Ashes
The Chapman family has been on my heart a lot recently. Please continue to lift up this sweet family in prayer as God makes beauty for ashes. If you do not know the story, last May, Maria Chapman saw her brother coming home and she ran towards the car to ask him to help her get on the monkey bars. Will Franklin was unable to stop the car.
Will Franklin graduated from high school yesterday on the very stage where Maria's funeral was held, exactly one year ago. God is making beauty, where once there were only ashes. The graduates honored Will Franklin and Maria by graduating bare foot, acknowledging that they were on holy ground. Mary Beth puts it much more elequently than I can so I encourage you to read her blog post from May 24.
Mary Beth's Blog
Will Franklin graduated from high school yesterday on the very stage where Maria's funeral was held, exactly one year ago. God is making beauty, where once there were only ashes. The graduates honored Will Franklin and Maria by graduating bare foot, acknowledging that they were on holy ground. Mary Beth puts it much more elequently than I can so I encourage you to read her blog post from May 24.
Mary Beth's Blog
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Please Pray for the Chapman Family
Today, May 21, marks the one year anniversary of the tragic death of Maria Chapman. Please take a moment to pray for the entire Chapman family. (Steven, Mary Beth, Emily, Caleb, and especially Will Franklin)
Mary Beth wrote a beautiful blog today about her journey through this tragedy. I encourage you to read her blog entry from today as you lift up this sweet family.
Mary Beth's Blog Read the post from May 21, 2009 "A Mother's Heart for Two Very Brave Chapman Children"
Mary Beth wrote a beautiful blog today about her journey through this tragedy. I encourage you to read her blog entry from today as you lift up this sweet family.
Mary Beth's Blog Read the post from May 21, 2009 "A Mother's Heart for Two Very Brave Chapman Children"
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
The Facts About Orphans (source www.showhope.org)
The Facts
What is the need?
* Over 143 million children have lost one or both parents.
* Every 18 seconds another child becomes an orphan, without a mother or father.
* At least 16.2 million children worldwide have lost both parents.
* Every 14 seconds a child loses a parent due to AIDS.
* Conflict has orphaned or separated 1 million children from their families in the 1990s.
What about AIDS?
* More than 14 million children under the age of 15 have lost one or both parents to AIDS, the vast majority of them in sub-Saharan Africa.
* By 2010, the number of children orphaned by AIDS globally is expected to exceed 25 million.
* AIDS is more likely than other cause of death to result in children losing both parents.
* As the infection spreads, the number of children who have lost parents to AIDS is beginning to grow in other regions as well, including Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean and Eastern Europe.
Is there hope?
YES!!! There is something you can do right now...PRAY! Pray for all of the sweet boys and girls that need a family. Pray for the social workers, foster families, and the staff at orphanages across the world that care for these children. Each orphan has a name and a story. Pray for these children to know the love and peace that can only come from God.
"I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these." John 14:12
"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power at work in us, to Him be the glory" (Eph 3:20).
What is the need?
* Over 143 million children have lost one or both parents.
* Every 18 seconds another child becomes an orphan, without a mother or father.
* At least 16.2 million children worldwide have lost both parents.
* Every 14 seconds a child loses a parent due to AIDS.
* Conflict has orphaned or separated 1 million children from their families in the 1990s.
What about AIDS?
* More than 14 million children under the age of 15 have lost one or both parents to AIDS, the vast majority of them in sub-Saharan Africa.
* By 2010, the number of children orphaned by AIDS globally is expected to exceed 25 million.
* AIDS is more likely than other cause of death to result in children losing both parents.
* As the infection spreads, the number of children who have lost parents to AIDS is beginning to grow in other regions as well, including Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean and Eastern Europe.
Is there hope?
YES!!! There is something you can do right now...PRAY! Pray for all of the sweet boys and girls that need a family. Pray for the social workers, foster families, and the staff at orphanages across the world that care for these children. Each orphan has a name and a story. Pray for these children to know the love and peace that can only come from God.
"I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these." John 14:12
"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power at work in us, to Him be the glory" (Eph 3:20).
Monday, May 18, 2009
Sweet Sweet Smile!!!
Our adoption agency, Bethany Christian Services, just received referrals of 40 beautiful Chinese children. All of these children are considered "special needs" because of a disability or simply because of their age. I have fallen in love with this cute little boy. His name is Fan and he just turned 6 at the beginning of May. He is the age of the students in my class and it totally breaks my heart to know that he does not have a family to love on him and give him lots of hugs! His only disability is his slightly deformed left foot and his age. Please pray for this little boy and the other children that need a forever family.
Raleigh and I do not qualify for adoptions from China because of the age requirement. The adoptive mom and dad have to both be at least 30 to adopt from China. Raleigh is 28 and I am 26.
I know that the heart of God aches for these children. Please pray for Fan to find a forever family very soon.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Monday, May 4, 2009
Happy Mother's Day to Our Moms!
What is a mom?
By Bridgette
A mom lets you play in the sink and splash water on the kitchen cabinets. A mom makes you homemade playdough and plays with you at the Little Tikes table. A mom spends hours dressing Barbies and fixing their hair for a beauty pageant. A mom is a chauffeur. A mom thinks all then laundry is done…until her daughter cleans her room and brings in a pile of dirty clothes. A mom lets her daughter decorate a dorm room like it is a mansion. A mom does not hear the words “thank you” often enough. A mom helps plan every detail of a perfect wedding day. A mom scratches bird poop off a mailbox with her nails…because it is the mailbox at her daughter and son-in-law’s first house. A mom deserves a loooong vacation. Thanks for being a great mom, mom!
What is a mom?
By Raleigh
A mom is someone who understands. When words won't help, she's there with something even better - comfort. A mom contrasts sharply with the harsher approach of the "real world." She knows better than anyone why things happen, and even more importantly, how they might bother us. She then takes this knowledge and magically "moms" them away. On this earth, we are not capable of understanding a love that is not limited by human weakness, but a mom is one of God's most tangible ways of showing this kind of Love on earth.
By Bridgette
A mom lets you play in the sink and splash water on the kitchen cabinets. A mom makes you homemade playdough and plays with you at the Little Tikes table. A mom spends hours dressing Barbies and fixing their hair for a beauty pageant. A mom is a chauffeur. A mom thinks all then laundry is done…until her daughter cleans her room and brings in a pile of dirty clothes. A mom lets her daughter decorate a dorm room like it is a mansion. A mom does not hear the words “thank you” often enough. A mom helps plan every detail of a perfect wedding day. A mom scratches bird poop off a mailbox with her nails…because it is the mailbox at her daughter and son-in-law’s first house. A mom deserves a loooong vacation. Thanks for being a great mom, mom!
What is a mom?
By Raleigh
A mom is someone who understands. When words won't help, she's there with something even better - comfort. A mom contrasts sharply with the harsher approach of the "real world." She knows better than anyone why things happen, and even more importantly, how they might bother us. She then takes this knowledge and magically "moms" them away. On this earth, we are not capable of understanding a love that is not limited by human weakness, but a mom is one of God's most tangible ways of showing this kind of Love on earth.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Adoption Festival
Raleigh and I went to an adoption festival tonight at a local Korean Church. The church has an English ministry that sponsored the event. I think Raleigh and I were the only couple without a little one with us. The event is an annual gathering of families with children that are adopted from Korea. There was a guest speaker who shared about her life as an adoptee. There was also Korean music, food, and demonstrations. Raleigh and I were definitely glad we went to get a little taste of Korean culture.
Once our child is home, events like this will be even more important so that he or she can stay connected to the Korean culture.
Once our child is home, events like this will be even more important so that he or she can stay connected to the Korean culture.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Katherine's Story
Today marks one year since Katherine's brain injury. I encourage you to take a moment today and pray for her and read her blog update. There is also a link to her updates on the right side of this blog.
If you have read the beginning of our adoption journey you know that Katherine's story was a major factor that began the change in our hearts. As Raleigh and I interceded for Katherine, God began to place the needs of others, especially orphans, on our hearts. Katherine's story transformed our prayer lives.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Why Korea?
Let us hold unservingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.
Hebrews 10:23-24
"Why did you choose Korea?" is a question a lot of friends and family ask when they learn of our adoption plans. I thought I would do my best to explain how Korea chose us. God put adoption on our hearts in April 2008. Before this time we had never considered adoption and we knew nothing about the logistics. As we began to research our options, several countries were not a possibility due to their requirements.
I traveled to Haiti several times in high school and have a special place in my heart for the people of that beautiful country. However, you must be 30 years old to start the process to adopt from Haiti. I am 26 and Raleigh is 28. There are many, many beautiful children waiting for families in China, but again, you must be 30 to start the process.
We also prayerfully considered adopting a little treasure from Columbia. However, both parents need to stay in the country for at least 2 weeks and then at least one parent must stay for an additional 8 weeks. At this point in our lives, this did not seem like a possibility.
As we continued to research adoption, attend an informational meeting at Bethany Christian Services, and most importantly pray about our decision, we felt peace about pursuing adoption from South Korea. We know that this is God's journey and our best plans do not even compare to his. As it says in Hebrews 10, God is faithful. He began this journey and he will fulfill his promises to us.
Hebrews 10:23-24
"Why did you choose Korea?" is a question a lot of friends and family ask when they learn of our adoption plans. I thought I would do my best to explain how Korea chose us. God put adoption on our hearts in April 2008. Before this time we had never considered adoption and we knew nothing about the logistics. As we began to research our options, several countries were not a possibility due to their requirements.
I traveled to Haiti several times in high school and have a special place in my heart for the people of that beautiful country. However, you must be 30 years old to start the process to adopt from Haiti. I am 26 and Raleigh is 28. There are many, many beautiful children waiting for families in China, but again, you must be 30 to start the process.
We also prayerfully considered adopting a little treasure from Columbia. However, both parents need to stay in the country for at least 2 weeks and then at least one parent must stay for an additional 8 weeks. At this point in our lives, this did not seem like a possibility.
As we continued to research adoption, attend an informational meeting at Bethany Christian Services, and most importantly pray about our decision, we felt peace about pursuing adoption from South Korea. We know that this is God's journey and our best plans do not even compare to his. As it says in Hebrews 10, God is faithful. He began this journey and he will fulfill his promises to us.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Happy Easter!
Easter is one of my favorite holidays. As a little girl, all of my cousins would get together the night before Easter at Mamaw's house (my grandmother) and dye Easter eggs. We each got to color at least one dozen eggs. The following day, we would all gather at Mamaw's after church for a big lunch. After lunch, the adults would hide the eggs for the egg hunt. It was always a lot of fun. Another part of the tradition was homemade cocunut cake. My great grandmother, Mother Lucille, would always make a coconut cake from scratch.
This year my mom and I tried to honor Mamaw and Mother Lucille by having a big meal with family and making a homemade cake. Things have definitely changed since Mother Lucille made the cake, because we had to watch a YouTube video about how to crack the coconut. Once the cake was complete, it made us appreciate even more all the hours Mother Lucille spent over the years making cakes for Easter.
Two of the cousins, Brittany and Courtney, were not able to make it this year because Brittany is expecting her second little girl, Madelyn, any day.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Pollen
This is the table on our patio. 5 minutes before taking this picture I thoroughly cleaned the table. It was shiny, clean, and pollen free. I went inside the house to get a coke. When I returned to the patio to make a grocery list, this is what I saw! There is just so much pollen in the air, it is impossible to keep the table clean right now.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Bring on the Paperwork!!
We had our initial meeting yesterday at Bethany. We met with our social worker and she explained the Home Study process. We received a packet of information to complete and a checklist of tasks to accomplish. The first step is for us to each complete a self study. This is basically a long questionnaire about our life from childhood to the present. Our next meeting is April 24th. Raleigh and I will have individual meetings on this day. If you are curious about the home study process, I've listed a few of the items on our to do list below. We are totally excited!
Abbreviated To Do List:
- Receive clearance from Child Protective Services.
- Get fingerprinted.
- Complete a Last Will.
- Complete 10 hours of adoption training.
- Get physicals.
- Get updated passports.
- Get a letter from the insurance company verifying that our child will be covered.
- Pray for God's continued wisdom and provision as we move forward in this process!
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Salt of the Earth
"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty? It's no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled on by men." Matthew 5:13 NIV
"Let me tell you why you are here. You're here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people see godliness? You've lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage." Matthew 5:13 The Message
Today I was reading a devotional by Angela Thomas. I like how she described the salt of the earth. "In Matthew 5:13, Jesus proclaims with authority that the ones who follow Him are called to be the salt of the earth. Salt preserves and purifies but not inside the shaker. It only works after it has been rubbed into the food. In the same way, to be effective you and I must be rubbed into a dying world, interacting, loving, and becoming right along with them...Get yourselves rubbed into the lives of others so they will be able to taste the presence of God."
This made me stop and think about how often I allow God to work through me so that I can be salt. Am I interacting with people in ways that allow them to see God? It is easy to find ourselves in places that need salt, but we don't allow ourselves to get rubbed in. I pray today for God to open my heart and my eyes to areas of my life where I can be salt. I am so thankful for people that God has placed and continues to place in my life that are salt to me. When you are around the salt of the world, you know that Christ lives in them. They are so full of Christ that it overflows.
"Let me tell you why you are here. You're here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people see godliness? You've lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage." Matthew 5:13 The Message
Today I was reading a devotional by Angela Thomas. I like how she described the salt of the earth. "In Matthew 5:13, Jesus proclaims with authority that the ones who follow Him are called to be the salt of the earth. Salt preserves and purifies but not inside the shaker. It only works after it has been rubbed into the food. In the same way, to be effective you and I must be rubbed into a dying world, interacting, loving, and becoming right along with them...Get yourselves rubbed into the lives of others so they will be able to taste the presence of God."
This made me stop and think about how often I allow God to work through me so that I can be salt. Am I interacting with people in ways that allow them to see God? It is easy to find ourselves in places that need salt, but we don't allow ourselves to get rubbed in. I pray today for God to open my heart and my eyes to areas of my life where I can be salt. I am so thankful for people that God has placed and continues to place in my life that are salt to me. When you are around the salt of the world, you know that Christ lives in them. They are so full of Christ that it overflows.
Recent Activity
Our references received their requests for letters of recommendation yesterday. We also know that CPS (Child Protective Services) has been contacted to make sure Raleigh and I clear their background check. It is great to know that things have started!
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Initial Meeting at Bethany Christian Services
Bethany Christian Services (BCS) received our formal application yesterday. One of their social workers contacted us today and we have an initial meeting scheduled for Wednesday, April 1st at 3:30. We are really getting started! Woo Hoo!
Monday, March 23, 2009
Do You Need a Laugh?
Raleigh and I think this shirt is too cute! We might buy it in a 12month and it should fit our little kiddo when he or she comes home.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Saturday, March 21, 2009
We Submitted Our Formal Application!
We submitted our formal application online today and mailed additional documents and a family photo! Raleigh and I are really excited. We both feel God's peace about continuing the adoption process. The next step will be to have an initial meeting at Bethany and then start our home study.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
We Made the 2009 Quota!!
On Monday, February 16th we received the following email:
Hi Raleigh and Bridgette, Congratulations! YOU MADE THE SOUTH KOREA QUOTA!!!! Go ahead and start your formal application, which is on your family portal. I will be in touch soon to get started!
Needless to say, we are beyond excited. We spent this morning filling out most of the formal application online. Now we are busy thinking of creative ways to tell both sets of parents that the adoption journey has officially begun! Praise God for his provision and timing!
Hi Raleigh and Bridgette, Congratulations! YOU MADE THE SOUTH KOREA QUOTA!!!! Go ahead and start your formal application, which is on your family portal. I will be in touch soon to get started!
Needless to say, we are beyond excited. We spent this morning filling out most of the formal application online. Now we are busy thinking of creative ways to tell both sets of parents that the adoption journey has officially begun! Praise God for his provision and timing!
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Lord Christ,
You have no body on earth but ours,
No hands but ours,No feet but ours.
Ours are the eyes
through which your compassion must look out on the world.
Ours are the feet
by which you may still go about doing good.
Ours are the hands
with which You bless people now.
Bless our minds and bodies,
That we may be a blessing to others.
St. Theresa of Avila
You have no body on earth but ours,
No hands but ours,No feet but ours.
Ours are the eyes
through which your compassion must look out on the world.
Ours are the feet
by which you may still go about doing good.
Ours are the hands
with which You bless people now.
Bless our minds and bodies,
That we may be a blessing to others.
St. Theresa of Avila
Saturday, October 11, 2008
As of October 7, 2008 we are on the Bethany waiting list to begin adoption. Each year, between April and August, Bethany will recieve their quota of families that are able to begin the adoption process. (ex. complete all of the paperwork and homestudy and begin the wait for a referral) This number is usually 5 or 6 families. We are 15th or 16th on the waiting list. However, some of the people on the waiting list no longer qualify for Korean adoption and thus will not begin the process.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Preliminary Application Complete
Raleigh and I attended an International Adoption Information meeting at the Bethany office in Atlanta June 26th, 2008.
Raleigh and I completed and submitted our preliminary online application to Bethany Christian Services Saturday, October 4th, 2008. We have only been married 2 years and 5 months and the marriage requirement to adopt from South Korea is 3 years. However, we submitted our application in hopes that we can get our names on the Bethany waiting list prior to starting the official process at 3 years of marriage.
Raleigh and I completed and submitted our preliminary online application to Bethany Christian Services Saturday, October 4th, 2008. We have only been married 2 years and 5 months and the marriage requirement to adopt from South Korea is 3 years. However, we submitted our application in hopes that we can get our names on the Bethany waiting list prior to starting the official process at 3 years of marriage.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
The Journey of My Heart April-June 2008
Raleigh and I knew we wanted to eventually have a child, but we never discussed adoption as the means to expand our family. This changed in the Spring of 2008.
In April, Katherine Arnold Wolf (http://www.katherinewolf.info/) suffered a devastating stroke. She was 26 at the time- a young mother and wife. Raleigh and I both attended Samford with Katherine and her husband Jay. We did not know them very well, but did know of them. Katherine was Miss Samford one year and has a personality that lights up a room. Her love for the Lord truly shines through her. Once I learned of her stroke, I began to feel God lead me to pray for her full recovery more than I've ever prayed for anyone. I felt the call to intercede on her behalf without ceasing. Her experience began growing my prayer life exponentially. Raleigh and I had many conversations about what it means to pray without ceasing. Raleigh and I both desire to live our lives in constant dialogue with God as one way to 'pray without ceasing.' We also agreed that there are times when God calls us to be prayer warriors for others and spend time on our knees in uninterrupted prayer for others. This is what God was calling me to do for Katherine. I felt God teaching me how to love others well during this time, but I did not know that this journey of my heart would continue.
In May, the Chapman family's youngest daughter, Maria, died during a tragic accident. The journey of my heart continued as I wept for this family and again felt the call to intercede on their behalf. It was undeniable that God was transforming the way I love and care for others. God continued to stretch my prayer life in ways I had never experienced before as I prayed for this family. During this time, I was reminded that the Chapman family had adopted three daughters. I did not feel called to adopt at this point, but I did desire to learn more about the process.
Raleigh and I went to the beach in June, and I purchased the book The Lost Daughters of China by Karin Evans. As I read this book, I learned about the Chinese population policy that began in the 1980s, which restricted families to one child. This policy was established because China’s leaders believed that the countrywas overpopulated. The result was that thousands of babies, almost all of them girls, were abandoned by their parents and had to be placed in orphanages. My heart wept as I thought about the thousands (maybe millions) of children in Chinese orphanages. I know that God desires to place children in families. My heart felt the call to adopt. Raleigh and I knew we wanted children one day and when we discussed adoption we thought of countless reasons why we should adopt. We kept asking each other Why Not? instead of Why? We have the desire to raise a child, the love to give a child, and the resources to support a child, so WHY NOT adopt a child?
Over the next month God continued to open our eyes and hearts to the needs of orphans all over the world. There are millions of orphans around the globe that need a family. We began researching international adoption and attended an International Adoption informational meeting at Bethany. In big and small ways, God continues to confirm our call to adopt.
Raleigh and I agreed that we need to be in a home before we begin adoption. We close on a house July 3oth. We continue to pray for God to give us wisdom and discernment during this process. It was not what we planned. Adoption takes much longer than the typical 9 months of pregnancy. Adoption does not fit my "life schedule" of when I anticipated I would be a mother. Yet despite all this, I feel a peace about this decision so much that I feel that we might be living in disobediance of God's will if we do not at least continue to prayfully explore adoption.
Our journey continues...
In April, Katherine Arnold Wolf (http://www.katherinewolf.info/) suffered a devastating stroke. She was 26 at the time- a young mother and wife. Raleigh and I both attended Samford with Katherine and her husband Jay. We did not know them very well, but did know of them. Katherine was Miss Samford one year and has a personality that lights up a room. Her love for the Lord truly shines through her. Once I learned of her stroke, I began to feel God lead me to pray for her full recovery more than I've ever prayed for anyone. I felt the call to intercede on her behalf without ceasing. Her experience began growing my prayer life exponentially. Raleigh and I had many conversations about what it means to pray without ceasing. Raleigh and I both desire to live our lives in constant dialogue with God as one way to 'pray without ceasing.' We also agreed that there are times when God calls us to be prayer warriors for others and spend time on our knees in uninterrupted prayer for others. This is what God was calling me to do for Katherine. I felt God teaching me how to love others well during this time, but I did not know that this journey of my heart would continue.
In May, the Chapman family's youngest daughter, Maria, died during a tragic accident. The journey of my heart continued as I wept for this family and again felt the call to intercede on their behalf. It was undeniable that God was transforming the way I love and care for others. God continued to stretch my prayer life in ways I had never experienced before as I prayed for this family. During this time, I was reminded that the Chapman family had adopted three daughters. I did not feel called to adopt at this point, but I did desire to learn more about the process.
Raleigh and I went to the beach in June, and I purchased the book The Lost Daughters of China by Karin Evans. As I read this book, I learned about the Chinese population policy that began in the 1980s, which restricted families to one child. This policy was established because China’s leaders believed that the countrywas overpopulated. The result was that thousands of babies, almost all of them girls, were abandoned by their parents and had to be placed in orphanages. My heart wept as I thought about the thousands (maybe millions) of children in Chinese orphanages. I know that God desires to place children in families. My heart felt the call to adopt. Raleigh and I knew we wanted children one day and when we discussed adoption we thought of countless reasons why we should adopt. We kept asking each other Why Not? instead of Why? We have the desire to raise a child, the love to give a child, and the resources to support a child, so WHY NOT adopt a child?
Over the next month God continued to open our eyes and hearts to the needs of orphans all over the world. There are millions of orphans around the globe that need a family. We began researching international adoption and attended an International Adoption informational meeting at Bethany. In big and small ways, God continues to confirm our call to adopt.
Raleigh and I agreed that we need to be in a home before we begin adoption. We close on a house July 3oth. We continue to pray for God to give us wisdom and discernment during this process. It was not what we planned. Adoption takes much longer than the typical 9 months of pregnancy. Adoption does not fit my "life schedule" of when I anticipated I would be a mother. Yet despite all this, I feel a peace about this decision so much that I feel that we might be living in disobediance of God's will if we do not at least continue to prayfully explore adoption.
Our journey continues...