Exciting News

We were notified that we are officially on the waiting list for the orphanage in Taiwan!!!  The director asked us to go ahead and begin our homestudy!!!  We are so excited about this.  This also makes things seem so much more real to us that we are REALLY on this journey of adoption!  We would like to ask you to help us pray that God will provide the resources for the adoption.  While we have chosen a route that is a small fraction of the cost of a typical adoption, it is still a lot for us.  We are looking at some creative fundraising ideas.  (If you have any suggestions, feel free to share those in the comment section!)  Look for information soon about gift baskets and gift items you may want to purchase for Christmas gifts that would have the added benefit of helping us raise funds for adoption.  Most of all, please PRAY that God works out all the details.  We believe that He has chosen a child for our family.  We believe that He will provide the funds needed and the appropriate paperwork will be accomplished.  We serve an awesome God! 

"He gives children to the woman who has none, and makes her a happy mother.  Praise the Lord!"  Psalm 113:9

The Waiting Game

I received confirmation that ALL of our adoption references have been turned in!!!!  We are so excited.  However, this begins a case of "hurry up and wait."  We are now waiting for confirmation from the orphanage that we have been added to their waiting list.  Then, we will be waiting for a referral...then waiting for a court date...then waiting to bring home our child.  I don't know about you, but I'm not very good at waiting.  I don't like long lines, traffic jams, or delays at the airport!  I do think that waiting has a purpose at times, though.  God has used "waiting times" to teach me to rely on him more fully.  In this time of waiting, I'm reminded of the scripture "...but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."  Isaiah 40:31 NIV  So, waiting isn't so bad with the Lord renewing your strength and reaffirming His promises to you.  I think I can...I think I can!

References

Today we learned that 6 of the 7 references we have requested have been sent in!  We are so excited and are anxiously awaiting the news that we have been put on the waiting list at the orphanage in Taiwan!  Our journey began in 2002 when we heard Steven Curtis Chapman on a Focus on the Family broadcast discussing his recent adoption (his first) from China.  I (Heather) was getting ready for work and was moved to tears by the Chapman's story.  In that moment, I felt God tugging at my heart toward adoption.  It has been awhile and we have had some life experience since then (including Hurricane Katrina!), but we still feel God wanting to unite us heart to heart with our child across the ocean.  We took some steps over a year ago to begin this journey.  There were some paperwork mixups and we just heard last week that the orphanage had sent out our reference requests.  Some people would be annoyed by this, but we know that God's timing is perfect.  We have recently moved back to Mississippi and live near my sister and brother-in-law as well as dear friends.  We are part of a vibrant, exciting church family.  God knows what He is doing!  I will continue to blog as we have updates in the adoption process.

"Children are a gift from the Lord; babies are a reward."  Psalm 127:3