I hope you all had a wonderful thanksgiving with your loved ones. The beginning of my week was paperwork, paperwork, questions for Meredith, and more paperwork. :) Then we spent thanksgiving day with Jake's family and Friday with mine. (I don't think I'm going to want any more turkey until about this time next year.) Then today it was back to work on adoption stuff. I got my passport picture taken at Walgreen's and mailed my home study application among other little things. And all this week I can't stop thinking about what the boys are doing right now. Do they know they have a Mommy and Daddy yet? Probably not. What meals are they eating today? Probably not much. Although their little bellies show that they eat quite well!! I also wonder about the timing. When will they come home? Three of my dearest friends are pregnant right now. All due between March and May. One of them is pregnant with twins, and one of them is pregnant with my nephew. :) Will I be here for their births? What will life be like this summer? And while I am filled with a nervous excitement- I try to continuously remember that God is in control. That as much of a control freak that I can tend to be- this is His thing. And really, I don't WANT it to be my thing.
Our pastor told a story a few months back about a man who goes to our church- he was ill, I guess, and he came to the elders one Sunday for prayer. So they prayed and he went back to his doctor. He admitted to the doctor that he was feeling much better but that the pills hadn't helped a bit. It was the prayers from the church. To which the doctor quickly replied "Jesus always does it better than I do!" :) A great little story that doesn't really compare to my situation except to say that Jesus DOES always do it better. No matter what the situation. If I can just keep my hands out of this and let Him be King...
As for thanksgiving- I was thankful for so many things this year. None of them to be taken lightly. God has blessed us with so much. I pray that He would continue to pour out His blessings as we travel this road of adoption. I pray that I can carry out the "mandate" (to use Rashelle's term) that He gave me in Micah... "BE in pain, and labor to bring forth... like a woman in birth pangs." The more my heart breaks for these boys, the more my heart aches... I'm laboring to bring them forth. Thank you God for this pain.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
Lots of info
So I was going to email a bunch of you with all of this information, but I've opted for posting on the blog instead. That's what its for right?
For those who haven't heard the full scoop yet, we are adopting from Eastern Europe, two little angels that God has engraved on our hearts. This country institutionalizes kids with DS after the age of four... but now that these boys have been "matched" with a Mommy and Daddy, they will wait at the orphanage until we go get them. We came across them through www.reecesrainbow.com which isn't an adoption agency, but an adoption ministry that will help us along and sort of facilitate this process. These boys are not brothers (yet) but have grown up together and it is really special that they will be adopted together. We are still at the very beginning of this so we don't have travel dates yet, but I will be posting all updates on this blog for you all to follow along and journey with us.
Ok so here are all the links to ALL the pages I want you to read. :) Just kidding, here is a lot of information about our whole process if you are interested, as well as blogs of other families who have walked down this road, and just some fun pictures!
1st- Here is the "At Risk" page... all of these kids are the closest to being institutionalized... the boys' bio's are on this page... they are ALL the way at the bottom because they are the most newly "matched" to a family... but read some of the other bio's too. It will break your heart. Also these bio's show their medical information. The "twin tornado's" comment is what made these two first catch my eye! :)
http://www.reecesrainbow.com/atrisk.htm
2nd- Ok, now check out the Family Sponsorship page... this is where they post all the newest "matched" families and kids. Read some of the other family bio's... so sweet. Also, the purpose of this page is for people to "sponsor" our family- donate money specifically for our adoption. Pretty cool. Once I've submitted our application, there will be a bio for our family next to the boys' pictures as well as a donate button for a Paypal link.
http://www.reecesrainbow.com/familysponsorshipnew.htm
3rd- This is my "Family Coordinator" who works for Reeces Rainbow who has already walked this road. She just issued a giveaway that I just entered for a couple days ago! (On my other blog) Anyway she will be the one to help me through all of my paperwork. She has an awesome testimony to Gods mercy on His children that I feel honored to share with you!
http://cornishadoptionjourney.blogspot.com/
4th- This is another family I've told some of you about... they have such an amazing family. Go all the way back to her oldest archive and skim through to see how their family grew... She had twins (who are now 12), then another son, then a daughter with DS, then a baby boy. Just after he was born I guess, she adopted 4 and 6 year old girls through RR from the same country... her girls are GORGEOUS.
http://www.findinghiddentreasures.blogspot.com/
And as if that wasn't enough!, I think you should just look around Reeces Rainbow site too... check out the links, look around. Its really really cool. Also make sure you click on the Angel Tree Project, and view the "Waiting Angels Gallery"... these are many kids who are up for adoption around the world who also have DS. Notice my boys' blocks are yellow because they have a forever family!! :)
www.reecesrainbow.com
I will post more pics of the boys soon. Three days in and I'm already spending most of my time looking at paperwork. :) I love each of you so much, thank you for your sweet support.
For those who haven't heard the full scoop yet, we are adopting from Eastern Europe, two little angels that God has engraved on our hearts. This country institutionalizes kids with DS after the age of four... but now that these boys have been "matched" with a Mommy and Daddy, they will wait at the orphanage until we go get them. We came across them through www.reecesrainbow.com which isn't an adoption agency, but an adoption ministry that will help us along and sort of facilitate this process. These boys are not brothers (yet) but have grown up together and it is really special that they will be adopted together. We are still at the very beginning of this so we don't have travel dates yet, but I will be posting all updates on this blog for you all to follow along and journey with us.
Ok so here are all the links to ALL the pages I want you to read. :) Just kidding, here is a lot of information about our whole process if you are interested, as well as blogs of other families who have walked down this road, and just some fun pictures!
1st- Here is the "At Risk" page... all of these kids are the closest to being institutionalized... the boys' bio's are on this page... they are ALL the way at the bottom because they are the most newly "matched" to a family... but read some of the other bio's too. It will break your heart. Also these bio's show their medical information. The "twin tornado's" comment is what made these two first catch my eye! :)
http://www.reecesrainbow.com/atrisk.htm
2nd- Ok, now check out the Family Sponsorship page... this is where they post all the newest "matched" families and kids. Read some of the other family bio's... so sweet. Also, the purpose of this page is for people to "sponsor" our family- donate money specifically for our adoption. Pretty cool. Once I've submitted our application, there will be a bio for our family next to the boys' pictures as well as a donate button for a Paypal link.
http://www.reecesrainbow.com/familysponsorshipnew.htm
3rd- This is my "Family Coordinator" who works for Reeces Rainbow who has already walked this road. She just issued a giveaway that I just entered for a couple days ago! (On my other blog) Anyway she will be the one to help me through all of my paperwork. She has an awesome testimony to Gods mercy on His children that I feel honored to share with you!
http://cornishadoptionjourney.blogspot.com/
4th- This is another family I've told some of you about... they have such an amazing family. Go all the way back to her oldest archive and skim through to see how their family grew... She had twins (who are now 12), then another son, then a daughter with DS, then a baby boy. Just after he was born I guess, she adopted 4 and 6 year old girls through RR from the same country... her girls are GORGEOUS.
http://www.findinghiddentreasures.blogspot.com/
And as if that wasn't enough!, I think you should just look around Reeces Rainbow site too... check out the links, look around. Its really really cool. Also make sure you click on the Angel Tree Project, and view the "Waiting Angels Gallery"... these are many kids who are up for adoption around the world who also have DS. Notice my boys' blocks are yellow because they have a forever family!! :)
www.reecesrainbow.com
I will post more pics of the boys soon. Three days in and I'm already spending most of my time looking at paperwork. :) I love each of you so much, thank you for your sweet support.
First thing's first
Before I can even begin to procede with this new adoption blog, I must first lay it in the hands of the One who has orchestrated this whole event from the start.
"Father, I stand in awe of You. I ask now that you go before me on this journey and prepare the way. I ask that you would help me to clearly communicate with our loved ones all of the steps in this process that they might lift us up to You and that on the day that these precious little boys come home, that You would be glorified. We recognize that everything... our lives... our children... are Yours. First and foremost. We love you God. Amen."
"Father, I stand in awe of You. I ask now that you go before me on this journey and prepare the way. I ask that you would help me to clearly communicate with our loved ones all of the steps in this process that they might lift us up to You and that on the day that these precious little boys come home, that You would be glorified. We recognize that everything... our lives... our children... are Yours. First and foremost. We love you God. Amen."
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