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.

Korean Outing

Saturday we had a fun afternoon on a "Korean outing" with our social worker and her husband, and 3 other Atlanta couples adopting from South Korea.

We started with lunch at Jang Won Jung. Raleigh had a beef dish, although I do not remember the actual name. I played it safe with Bibimbop. Raleigh and I have made this dish at home, but I must say that the authentic version was much tastier.

After lunch we went to World of Life bookstore. I was able to buy a few books that are written in both Korean and English. I bought a Korean/English baby alphabet book, a very simple children's Bible (more of a short story book), and Ten Commandments board book.






Next we went to a Korean baby store called Happy Land. There were lots of adorable clothes, shoes, and baby accessories.

Finally, we went to H-Mart and bought a few Korean groceries. Raleigh and I have been to H-Mart before, but it was nice to go with our social worker. She was born in Korea and moved to the US at age 8. She and her husband recommended a few snack foods and some vegetable dumplings.




It was a great day learning more about the Korean culture and getting to know other families in the process.

Our social worker did mention that referrals are currently taking closer to 14 months instead of 12 months. Our home study was approved July 30, 2009 so 14 months would be the end of September. We know that the timeline can change at any point and many factors impact how long it takes for each couple to recieve a referral. We will continue to trust God's timing. We know that He already knows the name and birthdate of our child. He will bring that child into our family in His perfect timing.

Bulgogi

Bulgogi is one of the most popular dishes in Korea, along with kimchi. Bulgogi is made by marinating thin slices of beef. The marinade is made with a combination of soy sauce, sesame seeds, sesame oil, garlic, pepper, sugar, and scallions.

The meat is typically grilled and is often served with rice and lettuce. The lettuce is used to make a wrap. Korean hot pepper paste if often used as a condiment on this dish.

Raleigh and I made our first attempt at bulgogi a few nights ago. For our first try, we think it turned out pretty good. The presentation of the dish leaves a lot to be desired, but you get the idea!

3lbs sirloin of sliced ribeye
10 TBS soy sauce
5 TBS brown sugar
10 TBS pear or onion juice
7 TBS rice wine (for cooking)
1/2 tsp ginger juice or 1/4 tsp puree
5 TBS chopped green onion
3 TBS crushed garlic
2 TBS toasted sesame seeds
2 TBS sesame oil
1/2 tsp black pepper

Mix all ingredients except meat, and set aside.
Add very thinly sliced meat, marinate 2 hours to overnight in refrigerator.
Pan fry, grill or throw in crock pot (with all marinade for crock pot or pan fry).
Last minute add enoki or mushrooms and bok choy
Serve with sticky rice.
Or Use red leaf lettuce to make mini wraps with rice, bulgogi, raw thin garlic sliced and top with gochujang-Korean red pepper paste.

Wedding Shower

Over the weekend I had the honor of hosting (along with my sister and cousins) a bridal shower for my cousin Courtney. It was a fun time to celebrate her upcoming marriage! Congratulations Courtney!



(left to right: my niece Cayci, me, my cousin Kaitlin, my cousin Courtney, my cousin Brittany, my cousin Erica, my sister Angie)

Happy Birthday Raleigh!

In honor of Raleigh's 29th birthday, I'd like to list 29 reasons why I am thankful that we are married! Happy Birthday Raleigh!!!!




1. I love you more today than the day we got married.
2. You still give me butterflies!
3. You make great coffee!
4. You make me laugh in the mornings as I am rushing around like a tornado getting ready for school.
5. I love the way you are so techy and can help me troubleshoot computer issues.
6. You are so kind to watch girly things on tv with me, like figure skating and dance shows.
7. You make a mean bee bim bop and bulgogi!
8. You treat me like a princess everyday from the time I wake up until the moment I go to sleep.
9. Thanks for letting me always have a bite of your cereal or ice cream, because I never want a whole bowl, just a "bite" of yours.
10. You have never once complained about pumping my gas. Thanks!
11. I love that you get along with my family so well and I get along for yours. It was a match made in heaven, really!
12. I love how we grill almost every night in the summer...and by we I mean you grill.
13. It is so much fun to look forward to the future with you, while still enjoying the moment.
14. I love to hear you pray.
15. I love how we do things differently. For instance, you put the pots and pans in the dishwasher and wash them by hand. If we did everything alike life would be boring.
16. Thanks for listening to countless stories about school.
17. I love the way your face lights up when you hear adventure music or anything related to Disney World.
18. I am so glad you like the beach, because I totally love the beach.
19. It is great how we are both just as happy eating Taco Bell as we are eating at the fanciest restaurants.
20. You are the best travel buddy ever and I am so glad we get to travel to Korea together!
21. You are a loyal friend.
22. Thanks for opening the door for me everytime we get in the car. I mean seriously...Thanks! You make me feel so special.
23. I love the way you are always thinking and you always have a new idea brewing around in your mind.
24. Thanks for never caring when I fall asleep early. I really do try to stay up late sometimes, but during the school year it is just not happening.
25. I like how you love books and could stay in Barnes and Noble the entire day.
26. You are going to be a great dad one day.
27. I think it is awesome that we go on dates to Costco just to look around.
28. I love how you LOVE Christmas.
29. I love you, just because you are YOU!

A Memory From Haiti

Today I was reflecting on my trips to Haiti. Haiti is a country full of beauty. Beautiful men, women and children. Beautiful land. Beautiful mountains. Beautiful water and shorelines. Although there is great poverty and injustice, there is also much beauty in the spirit of the Haitian people.

During my trips to Haiti, I always stayed in St. Marc at the YWAM base. Each morning, our team would load up a van or truck and travel to a more remote village to set up a medical clinic. Those of us that were not medical professionals would love on the children, pray with the adults, and serve as needed.

I remember the smell of Haiti like I was there this morning. I remember the first night of my first trip. I had never seen such beautiful stars. The sky seemed endless and with speckled with stars everywhere! This is a view that is hard to find in America, because there is always so much light at night- store signs, street lights, headlights on cars, etc. There is so much beauty to be found in God's creation- especially the stars in Haiti.

I will never forget one sweet old lady. Unfortunately I did not ask her name. We had just arrived at the village where we would spend the day. As I was getting out of the van I felt car sick. The lack of paved roads made for an adventurous drive each morning. So...I decided to sit on a large rock for a few moments until the nausea passed.

As I was sitting on the rock, an old lady came up and told me very emphatically to get up. I speak limited French, but it was clear that she wanted to me stand up. I stood and did my best to apologize for whatever I had done that might have offended her. Then, she walked quickly into her house, and by house I mean tiny space with thatched walls and roof. When she came back out, she was carrying a beautiful scarf. It was one of her few possessions. She put the scarf on the rock and then motioned for me to sit back down.

She had covered the rock with a prized possession so that I would not get my dress dirty. What a beautiful and humbling act of service. I had bought most of my clothes for my trip to Haiti at K-Mart and Target and planned to leave them all there when I left. However, the old lady had so much love inside her she was willing to use her scarf to cover the rock.

Such beauty in her spirit.

I hope that I respond with that much love to those around me. I know that most times I do not. Prayerfully, God will give me the grace to respond with love and service more often than not.

Happy Lunar New Year, also known as Seol-na in South Korea

In Korea, Lunar New Year is a time of celebration, renewal, and a time to gather as family to honor elders and ancestors.

2010 is the Year of the Tiger, which begins today and ends on February 2, 2011. The tiger is a symbol for bravery.

Koreans focus on family as they celebrate the beginning of the New Year. Children put on new traditional clothes called hanboks. Gifts are sometimes exchanged, as well as good wishes. Rice cake soup is often served to celebrate the new year. The soup is made by diagonally slicing rice cakes into thin, round slices. The rice cake slices are soaked in water, then boiled in beef broth. The soup is garnished with chives, seaweed, and egg. Visit Maangchi's recipe site for the recipe and pictures of rice cake soup.

Happy Lunar New Year!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Raleigh and I had a funny start to the day! I told him to stay in bed and I was going to make breakfast. He said...no you stay in bed and I will make breakfast.

It turns out that I had bought things to make strawberry crepes and he had bought things to make French toast.

So...we both went to the kitchen and made breakfast together....strawberry crepes and French toast!

I guess we both thought a fun breakfast on Valentine's Day was a great idea!

Snow Day in Atlanta!

Bee-bim Bop!

In honor of 6 months of waiting for our referral, Raleigh and I decided to cook a traditional Korean meal, bee-bim bop. Bop is the Korean word for rice, and bee-bim means mixed-up. So...bee-bim bop means mixed up rice.

Basically you start by cooking rice, vegetables, meat and eggs. You put the rice in your bowl first, then the vegetables and meat. Then you top off your bowl with egg. Finally, you "bee-bim" or mix everything together!! It was fun to make and delicious to eat!

6 Months Waiting!

Today Raleigh and I are celebrating 6 months of offically waiting for our referral. If you are not familiar with the adoption process, our "official wait" started when our homestudy (paperwork) was approved.

Adoption timelines are unpredictable, but our agency has given us their "best guess" which is a 12 month wait from homestudy to referral. If this holds true, we are half way through the wait to referral. WooHoo!

We know that the timeline is totally in God's hands and we are just excited to follow Him on the journey!!!

Another thing that only God knows is how old our child will be at the time of referral. However, if all of the "best guesses" are exactly true, we would get a referral of a 5 month old baby at the end of July. If this happened to be true, our child will be born at the end of February. Wow!! That is so neat that our child's birth mother could be approximately 8 months pregnant right now.

I cannot imagine the emotions she must be experiencing as she makes such a hard decision about the future of her child. Raleigh and I will continue to pray for our child's birthmother and for our child.

Thanks to everyone who is sooo supportive of this journey!!! We are so thankful for your prayers!!

Continue to pray for Haiti

During high school, I traveled to Haiti 4 times. Each time I worked with YWAM in St. Marc. You can read the latest update from the director below. Please pray especially for the orphanages and for the children that have lost parents in the earthquake. Pray for wisdom for the Haitian government and the US government.

01/19/2010 06:33 AM Update from Terry Snow

Yesterday our YWAM’ers in PAP came upon people seeking help and a four month old child was discovered pinned under a building. Our rescue team from YWAM sprang into action. After some time the child was removed from the rubble and rushed to a make shift hospital with a large cut on her head. Once there everyone tried to find a responsible person. After asking where the baby’s mother was, the people with them said she is still under the building. The YWAMers rushed back to hear people saying that she was under the building, dead. Our YWAMers began to dig to find her. To everyone’s surprise they found her ALIVE! She was extremely dehydrated and will need hospital care but it seems she will recover!



YWAM St. Marc Gym has become a make shift recovery ward for the overflowing hospital. Yesterday a Doctor asked one of our YWAMers “What are they going to do with all these orphans.” He claimed that none of the children at our center had known living parents and the orphanage caretaker is not in the country. “Would YWAM take these children?” he asked. One of our volunteers spoke with one young boy that was actually thought to be dead! He had already been placed in the morgue in a closed room with the dead. After placed there and the door closed, morgue workers heard a knocking on the closed door and was shocked to see that this young boy was still alive!



Strategies are forming on how to best cope and minister during this situation. It is very intense and difficult, but let us all pray for the children of Haiti.



I want to thank everyone for your giving and your prayers. They have been a source of strength and encouragement along with the presence of God with us.



Taking the High Places!



Terry W. Snow

National Director

YWAM Haiti



The greatest need at the moment is money. If you would like to help you could send a contribution payable to YWAM Haiti “Relief: and mail to;



YWAM Haiti

PO Box 236

Akron, PA 17501



If you would like to send fund through the internet you may give through this link; https://www.ywam.org/secure/donations/donate.asp?project=10



For more information of what God has done in Haiti I would like to invite you to read my book, “Taking the High Places” http://www.ywampublishing.com/p-1054-international-adventures-seriesbrtaking-the-high-places.aspx

I-600A Approval Came Today!!!

Raleigh and I have been checking the mail with anticipation for weeks...hoping to see a letter from the Department of Homeland Security. Today, it finally arrived! Yippee! Our I-600A approval is also called I-171H and we are so happy to check this milestone off the list. Now every piece of paperwork is completed and approved in order for us to receive our referral. (There will be a new round of paperwork once we are matched with a child.)

The first sentence of the letter reads, "It has been determined that you are able to furnish proper care to an orphan..."

We are so blessed that God is allowing us to go on this journey!!

In your prayers for Haiti, please remember all of the orphanages and adoptive families that are affected.

2009 has been great and 2010 will be even better!

Happy New Year's Eve! Raleigh and I have enjoyed the holiday season and are looking forward to 2010. Today we have been watching movies and reflecting on 2009.

God has been so faithful in 2009 and has taught me so much this year.

One thing I have learned this year is that if you pray for God to break your heart for the things that break his, he will. Not only will he work in your spirit so that your priorities are aligned with his, he will also move you to action.

Also, God continues to show us that when he calls us to action, he will provide. Raleigh and I were on our adoption agency's waiting list in October 2008. However, we knew that we were about 15th on the list and our agency would only be allowed to submit about 7 home studies to Korea in 2009. We did not expect to "make" the 2009 quota, but in February 2009 we were informed that we did make the quota and would be able to begin the paperwork for our adoption. Raleigh and I were overjoyed. God provided the finances for the first step of our adoption through the first time homebuyer tax credit and our home study was approved July 30, 2009.

God has always been faithful, but it is so easy for me to quickly forget that God is in control. There are days when I try to work out all of the details in my mind and that is never a good place to be, because we are not in control. With our adoption, as with most adoptions, the timeline is not predictable. Our agency is currently predicting a 12-14 month wait from home study approval to referral. If this holds true, we could expect a referral between July and October of 2010. However, we are staying very flexible because we know that the timing could change at any time. Raleigh and I pray everyday for God to give us peace and wisdom as we plan for the upcoming year(s) and all that he has in store for us. We are so blessed to be following God through life, and especially on this journey to our first child.

God has also been teaching me that traditions are not holy, God is holy. I grew up in the south where traditions run deep. I was born in Tennessee and grew up in Brentwood, a suburb of Nashville. I went to college in Birmingham, AL and now live in a suburb of Atlanta, GA. If you have known me for any length of time, you know that traditions are really important to me. There is something comforting about traditions and some of my favorite family memories revolve around traditions. But, I have also learned that it is ok for traditions to change. Just as life circumstances change, so do traditions. If I am totally honest, I used to be fearful of change. (One time when I was in college my mom changed the type of laundry detergent she used and I thought that life was completely changing…yes, I know that was quite neurotic of me, but I'm just being honest.) God has brought me a long way from there. I am now much less fearful of change. I do still love traditions, but I am no longer bound by them. I hope Raleigh and I are able to teach our child that family traditions are really special, but you should never be a slave to them. When fulfilling a tradition becomes a chore, maybe it is time to think about a change.

God continues to teach me that marriage is about sacrificial love. Watching my parents love and serve each other in all seasons of life has taught me so much about how to love Raleigh unconditionally.

I could go on and on about all that God is teaching me, but I will save some for another time.

A Few Pictures from Christmas in Nashville

We had a fun time in Nashville celebrating with my family. We opened gifts and ate yummy food! Then my parents surprised us with a limo ride to Opryland to look at the lights. After Opryland we rode around town looking at lights! Thanks mom and dad for a perfect Christmas! Thanks for the pics Angie!

Merry Christmas!

Raleigh and I are really enjoying the holiday season! We had fun picking out our Christmas tree at Berry Patch Farms! Raleigh and my dad were in charge of the lights! The smell of gingerbread in the oven makes it feel like Christmas is just around the corner!

Twas the morning after Thanksgiving...

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving and feel really blessed that we were able to share our home with family. We have so much to be thankful for in 2009.

Here are just a few of our countless blessings...
-Raleigh and I both have jobs.
-Raleigh and I are healthy.
-We love each other very much!
-Both sets of our parents love us so much and have taught us how to love others well.
-In February, we met the 2009 quota for our adoption agency and are in the process of adopting a treasure, our child, from South Korea.
-Our home was filled with laughter today.

Enjoy a few snapshots from the day...