Category: adoption

adoption, special needs

Baby Steps

Hannah

The first of our adoption documents have started trickling in. I am giddy with excitement! The growing packet of papers is a tangible reminder that bit by bit, we are getting there.

We have been watching the list of waiting children that our adoption agency posts, and are awestruck as we gaze at each hopeful expression that longs for a family. It’s both exciting as well as intimidating that one day, we will welcome one of those tiny faces into our home. It also makes me feel small and helpless to see how many there are, just waiting… longing…wondering if someone will make them their own. It’s my prayer that one by one these precious lives with by united with families that will fill their lonely hearts with love and acceptance. It begins with one…

We have been reading through the descriptions of the special needs that many of these boys are burdened with. We talk about what kinds of needs we feel we are capable of handling. While we are blessed with the motivation and resources to provide for even the most serious disabilities, we also believe it’s important to always consider how each challenge or health risk would affect our other four. We want to put the safety and comfort of all our children at the forefront of our decisions.

Another exciting development is God’s provision of a bigger vehicle for us. We were able to trade in my sardine can of a car for a spacious Honda minivan, which in spite of being, well, a minivan (which I swore I could never be persuaded to drive) is so roomy and comfortable, the kids are convinced we bought them a limo! It’s a relief to have them all able to sit without touching each other, as well as have a safe place for a new baby, in addition to still being able to save room for more. God is so good to us. He provides in ways we never imagined.

Please leave me a comment; it lets me know you’re listening!
adoption

Seeking…

Hannah


Praying, seeking, asking, discussing. Searching for answers that seem so big, and yet may be so simple. This is someone’s life we’re talking about. Uprooting a little child from all they’ve ever known to start them over a world away in what we believe will be a life that will offer them much love and hope. That’s a pretty big deal. It’s a position we want to know God wants us in, and know we are going about it in the way He has for us. We see Him daily in the little things; that’s how we know His hand is in the big things too.

Mark and I talk. We plan, we dream, we wonder, we read. We see so many choices and pathways out there in regards to adoption, and we know we must wade through it all and come out the other side with a reasonable plan. God has been whispering to our hearts…   

 We want to adopt an older child, past the infant stage, and are going to submit a package for special needs, which could range from anything such as skin discolorations, or major heart or limb defects. God has enabled us to provide, and we are choosing to trust Him to show us what needs we can best meet.

Life is a mysterious and thrilling adventure for us that has brought us to many challenges we are humbled to say we have made it through. Each new step brings us closer together as we revel in the excitement of what we have been ordained for.

adoption, pregnancy

Seeing Double!

Hannah


So there seems to be a little confusion about the tiny people we are adding to our family… it is true, in addition to the little child growing in our hearts as we pursue adoption, my belly is also growing as we are pregnant as well! God never ceases to amaze us by changing our plans when we think we have everything under control:) Mark and I are ever so grateful for the extra space we are blessed with in our new home. We are praying for good health and protection as we expand in size and in love.

Although our newest addition will push our adoption timeline a bit, we will continue to work on our paper trail and have some time to relax and enjoy the new arrival while we wait on a referral.

God is so good and we feel so blessed to be the parents he chose for our little ones.

adoption

Our Journey Of Love

Hannah


After getting married and agreeing on having TWO children, we suddenly have a houseful. We wouldn’t go back . Each of our little blessings have brought us more joy than we could have imagined. So is this where we stop? Well, not exactly. We were happily minding our own business, comfortable with the way things were going, when we were shocked out of our comfort zone. A small tug, a gentle whisper, and a pair of shoes. A tiny pair of shoes that belonged to a little girl no older than eight, on the other side of the world.  What was so gripping about the sight of those shoes was that the young girl they belonged to was constrained to give herself as a prostitute to survive. That is when our hearts broke. To imagine a tiny daughter, no bigger than our own, having to sacrifice her childhood as a prisoner to the sickening child trafficking that is common overseas… this was more than we could bear to think about. We decided we had to do something. This is where our journey begins; we are busy researching, praying, fundraising, and putting together our dossier…all in hopes of providing a loving environment and a hopeful future for one of these precious little children.

This is a new adventure for sure, a leap of faith, and a chance to rely on the Grace of God to guide our footsteps. We covet your prayers, your support, and your creative ideas as we come up with ways to raise the funding for this mission.

A small space in our hearts sits empty….waiting to welcome them home.

” And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me”.

Matthew 18:5

adoption, faith, family, pregnancy

Starting Fresh

Hannah

So after years of finding “newsletters” a bit pretentious and overbearing, here I am essentially doing the same thing in the form of a blog. Well they say change is good, right? My goal is to filter and “pen” an account of the days and moments that are changing and molding me as I seem to have entered a new and dynamic period in my life… a peek inside the workings of a few servants that God has so clearly made plans for and laid hands on. The main characters include my loving and devoted husband of 9 years, my son and two young daughters, the little miracle on the way, and the adopted one that God has so clearly nudged us to welcome into our lives. Please walk alongside us, laugh and cry with us, pray with us, and see in us the miracles our Heavenly Father has and will perform.