While the ball is in the air...

Let me start with a little story, a true story that means something to me, but might not mean much to those of you who do not play sports. When I was a freshman in high school we were playing a game against Desoto. We were playing without one of our best players who was playing with the JV. We were behind by two points with less than 30 seconds left. I took a three point shot, which missed the mark, but one of my teammates got the rebound. He threw it back outside to me at the three pont line, and I hoisted up another shot. I still remember that ball hanging in the air. I had done everything I could possibly do to win the game. Now, all I could do was watch and wait as the ball floated to its final destination point. During that moment, which lasted maybe a second, my mind must have raced through a hundred different things.

I know. I know. Get to the point. The point is that the ball is hanging in the air right now. We have completed every single piece of paperwork we could possibly complete. We have submitted forms and money, and forms and money, and, did I mention, forms and money. We have done everything we could possibly do to insure the outcome of the adoption process. Now all we can do is watch and wait.

Though, that is not entirely accurate. While the ball has been in the air, we have painted the nursery, received the bedding for the nursery, written a poem to go on the wall, taped out the exact location for the furniture, and saved money to purchase said furniture. Still, I find this is the hardest time for me because there is nothing I can do to speed up the process. It is a helpless feeling when all we can do is wait, but that, I suppose, is the point. God is teaching us patience and continuing to grow our faith exponentially.

You know, I guess I never finished that story about the Desoto game. Believe it or not, that ball did come down. It went right through the net. We won the game. The hard work had paid off, and we celebrated. I know some day soon we won't be waiting on this ball anymore. And even more exciting, I know the outcome because I know who God is: the sovereign Lord of the Universe. Then, we will truly celebrate, not just for our child, but for God's faithfulness to deliver our child.

Bryan

July Numbers

Well, we are a little late getting this out. Sorry. I just haven't had a chance to update the blog lately. So better late than never. We are now officially 26 on the boy wait list and 47 on the girl waitlist. I do think though that there has been a boy and 3 girls matched since then so that might put us at 25 and 44. By the way. If you're reading this and would like for us to be able financially get a little closer to bringing our baby home....please check out our coffee store (link to the right). $5 of every bag bought goes to support our adoption. Please tell your friends about it! Thanks for all of your prayers and support as we wait.

June Numbers

You've got it!! We have moved to number 29 on the boy waiting list and number 50 on the girl waiting list.

Psalm 29 says in vs 10 and 11, The Lord sits enthroned over the flood, the Lord is enthroned as King forever. He gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace.

A fitting Psalm. God has definitely blessed us with peace and given us strength as we wait. He sits on his throne forever so praise Him!!

God ordains

The rest of the story....
On the Friday before Mother's day I was asked to speak at a banquet about adoption. Now, we had hoped to be on the waiting list for a child a few weeks ago but forms had to be revised and we had to wait to get our homestudy back. It seemed like it was never going to happen. Bryan and I were starting to get a little frustrated as each day went by and we were still waiting to have those last couple documents sent in to complete our Dossier and get on the waiting list.
Psalm 139:16 says that all of our days were ordained and written in God's book before one of those days ever came to be. It could not be more clear that God ordained the day, and time, that we would be put on a waiting list.
I was asked to speak at a banquet on adoption the Friday before Mother's Day. As I was pulling into the driveway of the church, to speak about adoption, for Mother's Day, I get a call from our adoption coordinator. She called to tell me we were officially on the waiting list and tell me what number we were. Talk about timing. Doesn't God always get it perfect? He waited until Mother's Day weekend as I was pulling into the church to talk about adoption to give me the news that we were "paper pregnant"(as a friend calls it). What a special gift for me on Mother's Day to find out that I actually get to be a mother. Surely even an unbeliever could see that God's hand was on this news, as it has been on the entire adoption so far. I thank God for the sweet God sightings that reaffirm us and encourage us. I thank God that I am paper pregnant!! Now....is it going to be a boy or a girl?

55 and 38

I've never had a favorite number before, but today, I do. 38 is now my favorite number in the whole wide world. 38 is our place on the waiting list for our child. On Friday afternoon our Dossier was officially approved and we were placed on the waiting lists. Because we are open to adopting either a boy or girl,(whatever God wants us to have) we are on both the boy and girl waiting list. We are 38 on the boy waiting list and 55 on the girl waiting list. We are just sooo excited that we are FINALLY on the waiting list for a referral. That's all I have to say for now. I'll explain more about the process in a future post.

-amory

Our Homestudy is complete and approved!!

YEAH! Now it feels like we are getting somewhere. This isn't going to be a long blog. I just wanted to let everyone know that our homestudy is FINALLY complete and approved. Now we finish up the last couple things on our Dossier checklist and start our I-604A (immigration stuff).
On another, but related note. God has shown us time and time again that we are following His will for us. I know some people might have a problem with that statement, but I'm secure in saying. He has provided in a MIGHTY way both financially and spiritually. Here are some examples. I went to work after a day where people had said terrible things about us adopting and tried to convince us not to do it, to find that someone had brought a crib for us. On that same day we received an encouraging note with a check that was postmarked days before. After being told by the FBI that it would be six more weeks until we received our FBI background checks we asked all of our friends and family to pray for God to intervene and speed up the process. We received the background checks one week later. These are just a few of the many ways that God has encouraged us and reassured us. Why? Well there is a reason. I think that it is because God wants Christians to adopt. Adoption is at the center of Christianity. After all, all of us who believe do so because " In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves." Eph 1:5-6. Adoption is incredibly important to God. I think John Piper says it well in this clip.



-Amory

Please read the link below

Some of you know that we have faced some opposition to our adoption (I think most adopters do in some form or fashion). It's hard sometimes for me to wrap my thoughts around it and be able to talk or write about what's on my heart as to the importance of why we're adopting and how the world should view it instead of how they do. The following post is from a fellow Ethiopion adopting family and she's done a good job of voicing some of the things that are on my heart too. The opposition she is facing is not the same argument we get, but stems from the same place. Please take some time to read it.


It's Almost Naptime!!: I don't want my children to be happy

-amory