Adoption Update

After six looooooong months of searching and praying, we finally bit the bullet without a child chosen and signed up for Lifeline's Bulgaria program!  It was such a sigh of relief when we got the word that we were accepted, and we could finally start doing SOMETHING!  For me, I kept searching and searching for our child, but The Lord is obviously not ready to reveal her to us yet.  I am one who typically likes to be in control, which is hilarious to think about in an adoption situation.  I truly think that is the hardest part.  You have no control whatsoever.  We are learning to trust in our Maker now more than ever.  Our family's entire future is resting in His wonderful hands, and we know He knows what is best for us.

One thing I truly want to try my best to do throughout this process is be completely transparent.  Adoption is a wonderful and beautiful thing, and I would never want my words to sway someone away from it, but it truly has to be a calling on your life.  I have personally gotten very quickly attached to three different girls' pictures, only to find they weren't the one for us.  And that doesn't count the countless number of files we have asked for and reviewed.  If we didn't feel like The Lord was telling us to do this, we would have stopped a long time ago and got pregnant.  :)  Thankfully, the big man upstairs keeps us going when we feel like we can't go on.  And y'all, we are just in the beginning.  What a process!

Our boys, especially sweet Jacob talk about our little Faith all the time.  Jacob refers to our spare bedroom as "Faith's room," and he is always asking me questions about her.

 

We had some friends over last weekend who have a newborn baby, and Jacob and I had a blast loving on him all night!  There is really nothing like snuggling up to a sweet newborn, especially knowing that you won't lose sleep at night because of him!  ;)  Jacob asked tons of questions!  He kept asking if we were going to get a baby like that.  I told him that mommy and daddy were through having little babies, and we wouldn't have anymore.  Bless his little heart.  His face drooped, and he cried, "But what about FAITH!!!??"  It touched my heart so much.  I assured him his sweet sister will be with us one day, but she wouldn't be that little.

 

He also tells us quite frequently that we need to hurry up and go get Faith and bring her home with us.  Oh, how I wish it were that easy!  Mommy and Daddy would hop on a plane tomorrow!

 

 

At the dinner table the other night, Jacob told us he had a dream about Faith.  This was one of my favorite memories that I wanted to make sure I could remember forever.  He said that he was holding my hand and we were walking through Bulgaria to get Faith.  We would get closer and closer and closer.  And we almost got to her, but he woke up.  And then he said, "Mama, I didn't get to see her face."  Talk about a moment!  Then he immediately started asking me if people were being mean to her.  That boy has a heart the size of Texas.  I am so thankful for him.

 

 

Now that the process has officially started,  we are doing fundraising like crazy!  We had a yard sale last Friday and Saturday, and we are doing the same this weekend.  At one point last week, it really slowed down.  Wayne came up to me, and said, "Make me a sign that says Help Me Bring My Daughter Home.  I'm going to go to the side of the road like they do for Little Caesars."  And that he did!

 

 

 

And we also designed some t shirts.  We have had lots of sweet friends and family get these, and I can't wait for the first order to come in this week.  They are green (not as bright as this) with chocolate brown writing.  If you are interested in a t shirt, shoot me an email at peoplesfamily5@gmail.com and I will get it to you!

 

 

 

My hope is that through keeping a record of what all we are doing through this process, is that our sweet Faith will know she is so very loved.  I may not have a baby book from her end, but she will be able to see that her family was fighting to get her.  And that includes extended family!  Wayne's parents and sister have worked their booties off helping us!  There is NO WAY we could have done all of this work without them.  We will always be thankful for that.  And my sweet parents can't stand that they don't live closer to where they can help more.

 

 

And let me end by telling you how awesome our God is.  If you've ever thought of adopting, but didn't think it was possible because of the money, please don't let that stop you.  The Lord will provide!  The night we put our application in we found out our first payment was due in two weeks.  We were not prepared for that one!!  We quickly got the yard sale and t shirts together, and we still have one more day and over a week and we are only $400 shy.  To God be all of the glory for the great things he has done and will continue to do!!