Below are two articles I submitted for a grant organization to encourage and help families who are considering, or in, the adoption process. If God is tugging on your heart about adoption or you know others who are adopting, or you are just curious, read on…
A Frenzy of FUN(d)raising-
In January 2011 God made it clear that is was time to pursue adoption. I felt like God said, “Do not go into debt for your adoption; do not take a loan. I will provide.” We don’t make it a habit to go into debt or take loans, but I think God knew we needed this directive because sometimes, when you want something so much, you can be tempted to compromise to make it happen. We contacted our adoption agency to check again on the fees and found out they had gone up significantly. We were quite discouraged, the fees were more than we made in a year. We didn’t know how we were going to swing it, but we knew that God had called us to this. We saved a large portion of our tax refund, applied for grants, had three garage sales (we asked family and friends to donate items for the sales- one family member offered to hold two sales for us, so we only had to do one), we sold t-shirts through Wild Olive Tees, and I recorded my first CD and used the proceeds to help fund our adoption. With all these efforts combined, and a few donations we received from people who heard we were adopting, God provided all the funding we needed. We worked hard, got the word out, prayed and He provided, just like He said He would. We encourage you not to let the cost of adoption discourage or stop you from pursuing adoption. If God has called you to do this, He will make a way. As one of the songs on our CD declares, “Nothing is impossible with God, nothing is too hard for Him. He is able, more than able to do anything”.
The Waiting Wing
“Waiting on someday, living in the moment…trusting in Your promise to uphold me. Until someday, I’ll keep going- not just survive, but seek Your glory”. We are waiting for our child to come home to us. This waiting period has lasting longer than we expected. We thought we would be one of those families that were chosen right away and not be one of the “average wait time” statistics. There have been ups and downs along the way as we wait on God to bring our child to us and us to them. A dear adoptive parent exhorted us not to resent the journey but to embrace it, realizing that this wait, although painful, is a part of our adoption story. God is using this time to teach us a lot and prepare us to be the parents that our child will need. I feel like I am pregnant, but not showing and with an unknown due date. Like a pregnant woman I can be emotional and have nesting urges too. Sometimes I rock in the glider in the empty nursery aching to hold our sweet baby. Some days I want to buy baby stuff and read magazine articles about adoption. Other days I don’t think about it much, and other times I feel sad and down. Don’t be afraid to view this waiting time as your pregnancy, you are emotionally pregnant with a child that one day will move from your heart to your arms. It has been helpful to journal/blog about how we are feeling, to network with other adoptive parents, and to talk about our future child with each other. We encourage you to communicate how you are feeling with one another and with some trusted friends too. The Waiting Wing of adoption has been full of both joy and sorrow; but it has been good, a time of preparation and growth. As you wait, take heart, and trust God to write your adoption story. The wait will make the union with your child even sweeter. Let God hold you and your child until it is just the right time to bring you together.
Psalm 37:7 “Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act.” (NLT)
Psalm 91:4 “He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection.” (NLT)
