FINALLY! I am FINALLY allowed to
write what I have been bursting to share since January. It’s been a long,
grueling, frustrating, yet incredibly exciting eight months. We have had many
long days, late nights, tense moments, and even a few tears. We’ve had our
faith stretched, and we’ve seen God answer our prayers in some amazing,
unexpected ways.
It’s been an interesting year.
We’ve had ups and downs and in-between times, and one of the hardest parts of
it all was not being able to share this news with everybody. I have so looked
forward to the day when I could just blurt it all out to the world.
It started in January. It got exciting
in February. It got crazy in May. It got frustrating in June. It got even
crazier in July. Each month brought a new milestone, but also a new challenge.
And each month I had to work extremely hard to keep myself from getting on here
and spilling the beans to my millions of followers. Or at least, to the two of
you who read this blog – one of whom already knows our secret... (Hi, Mom!).
*Cough* Anyway… The time leading up
to this moment of revelation seemed to be unending… Kind of like this
introduction…
Okay, okay. I just thought that
since I had to wait so long to announce it, y’all should have to feel some of
my pain by reading a bunch of long-winded nonsense. Now, FINALLY, our big,
exciting news:
WE ARE
ADOPTING!!!!
That’s right! We are in the process
of adopting a young child from Ethiopia. We have been accepted by an agency,
our home study is complete, and we are now seeking immigration approval. In a
few more months our dossier will be ready to send to Ethiopia and then we will
be put on the waiting list to be matched with a child!
Joshua and I are incredibly excited
about expanding our family through adoption. We feel so blessed that God has
given us the opportunity to begin this journey sooner than we originally
thought possible. Adoption has always been close to our hearts and the desire
to adopt is one of the first things that attracted us to each other. We began
looking into it two years ago, compiling a notebook full of research. The
timing was not right to begin the process, but we did a lot of praying about it
and looking into what it would involve. When we moved up here to Michigan, God
opened doors and we suddenly found ourselves in a position to begin the
journey. In January, after lots of prayer, we took a step of faith and
submitted our application. On February 3, we were accepted.
We wanted to wait until our home
study was finished before announcing our plans. There were some delays,
miscommunication, and a major change of course (which I will hopefully blog
about in the future) so it took a little longer to complete the home study than
we expected. But, now it’s done! We are approved to adopt!
God has taught us some big lessons
these past few months about dedication, trust, and doing what is right now matter
what. He has provided the necessary funds for each step of the way. He has put
people in our lives as sources of encouragement and strength. He has opened so
many doors that I thought were brick walls. We truly serve an amazing God.
So far, God has enabled us to pay
for all the expenses we have faced out of pocket. Now we are coming to a point
where we need to do some fundraising in order to proceed with the next steps.
We currently owe our agency $2,666 in order to move on to the next stage. Also,
the immigration approval and fingerprinting will cost close to $900. These are
our immediate needs. If you would like to contribute to our effort to bring our
child home, please visitwww.youcaring.com/awalkhome or contact me at servingfromhome@gmail.com.
We would greatly appreciate your financial support!
More than that, we covet your
prayers. This is a long, hard process. It is emotionally draining, with many
highs and lows. If you have been there or are currently in the process, we
would love to hear your story and advice! We know that we do not know
everything that we will need to know for every part of this journey, but we do
know that God provides just what we need for each step of the way. Please pray
for us as we seek His will and glory above all else.
Ephesians 3:20-21,
“Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or
think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church
and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
