Long time no posts...but always VERY present!

SO much has changed since my last post, but not our hearts and desires for that special child(ren) that are out there meant to be in our home.

Finding out we were moving, followed by the call two days later that we had been approved in the foster care system to adopt was heart wrenching.

I think I died a bit that day, or at least a little piece of my heart.  It was hard and I found myself questioning the whole adoption idea. Why did I want to adopt when every door we had tried to open SLAMMED shut in our faces?

A few months down the road, my spiritual epiphany came (I think God was saying it all along but yeah...we didn't listen-imagine that?!?!)

We were trying to adopt our way, in our time, in our comfort, in our peace, which all oddly enough left us with no peace and no child.  We had to do major soul searching a praying.   Judson and I both felt and agreed that we initially felt the draw to international adoption but the 'fears' and worries of money, travel, time made it too daunting.  We had in a sense decided to limit God, put Him in our little box of 'let's do it our way God, your's is too hard' box.  As usually He in His awesome ways did not let us force open doors He did not want for us.

So last year we decided to quit playing the part of Jonah and leave the belly of the whale and do what we should be doing.

With prayer and petition we are back to international and inching slowly toward our desire to adopt. We find ourselves doubting and fretting from time to time from lessons learned and fear of repeating, but Judson and I are excited to announce we are in the throws of adopting from Ethiopia.  We are completely relying on God and having to check our hearts with Him daily.  If there is anything we have learned from the past is that God needs, deserves, and desires to be in control in our lives and we have found that He is WAAAAY better at leading us than we ever could be...He is big, cool, and awesome like that.  I am so glad I serve a God of mercy, grace, and multiple chances, and as odd as it sounds, glad He lets us stew in the belly of a whale sometimes till we remember that He is the one that should be leading/deciding for us.  After all, a God who can create the universe, the Earth, mankind and all the amazing things He has, why not trust Him to bring the money, the fluidity, the peace in our decision?  Seems like such a no brainer, but I am sure, as true to my stubborn self, will forget this moment and try again to lead my own life to find disaster awaiting.  I just hope that there are less of those moments ahead and that I quickly will humble myself and get back on the right track way sooner!

We are working with America World Adoption, one of the first two companies we contacted initially 4 years ago (ironic right?)  I am not sure how we picked Ethiopia, just what we saw in our hearts and felt peace about, I can't really describe that process, it just kind of chose itself.

We are in the early stages of the homestudy meaning, we were accepted in the program and have began the homestudy, we are working on building our packed (dossier) of legal paperwork to submit to Ethiopia and then we will wait for Ethiopia (God actually) to refer a child(ren) to us...we travel for a few days, come home, go back and bring home our precious child(ren).

Things we are  asking/coveting prayer for...

• Continued peace and direction for this adoption
• number of children, ages, boy/girl/both
• That the money/funding would find it's way into our bank accounts!!
• For the future travel
• for safety
• for direction on who goes (do we take Lorelei to visit her new sibling(s)?)
• For our child(ren) that they would be safe and be in a loving environment until they can be in our arms

Thank you all for your prayers, support, and kind words!