Taking Our First Baby Step

Matthew & I have decided to begin pursuing adoption! As excited as we are & as early as we are in the process of adoption we decided it's time to share for a few reasons. The first reason that I personally really wanted to share is because the story that led us to this decision, in my opinon, is amazing. It is proof that we serve an awesome God. And secondly, we decided to share this decision in such early stages because we know what a journey this will be and we can use all the prayers & support possible! Not to mention, we are just plain ol' excited!




As a lot of people know, or maybe some don't know...I found out at as a teenager that I would not be able to have a child. Or, if I could have a child I wouldn't be able to carry it myself, it would require a surrogate. I never really got over the pain & heartache of that news. Then, I met Matthew & he knew early on in our relationship of that diagnosis. He decided he wanted me to be the mother of his children no matter how the family came to be & asked me to marry him (Whatta great guy he is!). We've really been enjoying our first year of marriage & as we began to discuss the idea of having a family we decided to pursue the idea of pregnancy. A few appointments with an infertility specialist & an ultrasound later, the news didn't seem good. In fact, it was disheartening. I wasn't sad that the prospect of having children the natural way didn't seem like a possibility for me...it was something more that I couldn't find words to describe. So I grieved & prayed that God would give me peace that would surpass all understanding...and He did! When that peace came & overwhelmed my heart, I knew & was ready to share with Matthew that we were meant to adopt our children. When I told him that God gave me peace & a fire under my heart for a baby who needed a mommy and daddy the most wonderful and sincere smile lit up Matt's face & I knew it was right the decision and the reason I was disheartened from the doctors was because it wasn't the path we were meant to take.

A few days later I had been praying & waiting to hear from God & I felt God place a stronger desire in my heart to begin the process of adoption. I again went to Matthew & told him of what God was speaking to me thru so many different avenues & he asked me to show him the logistics of us affording this child-to-be. That day, I sat at the computer & crunched numbers until my eyes hurt...& I realized we may need some more money! Children are apparently quite expensive!!! I sit down a little frustrated, I pick up my Bible & turn to the book of Luke where I left off the day before. I begin to read Luke 12:24 -30

Luke 12:24
"Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds?

Luk 12:25
"And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

Luk 12:26
"If you then are not able to do [the] least, why are you anxious for the rest?

Luk 12:27
"Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

Luk 12:28
"If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more [will He clothe] you, O [you] of little faith?

Luk 12:29
"And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind.

Luk 12:30
"For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things.

...needless to say, I felt better, and stunned just as I am every time God chooses to show Himself so obviously to me! Then Matthew comes home from work, I share again all of this...and he says "The bonus I am getting? It's larger than I thought!" and then he says "The raise we didn't expect to happen?...It happened!" My jaw dropped and I could think of nothing to say but "God is good!"

So, yesterday, we mailed out our pre-application (a request for an invite) to the adoption ministry at Calvary Chapel Downey. If they accept our pre-application, we go to an all day seminar then begin the real application & hopefully then begin the process of the actual adoption! Eeeeep! We are praying that we will be pre-accepted & further more be accepted offically into the program. Then, we have a home study with a social worker to make sure we are suitable parents, fill out paper work, meet with attorneys, attend classes, and be matched with a birth mother who wishes to place her baby up for adoption. Then...we come home with our special little miracle. So, as you can see, this process is going to be a long one! But, the return on our investment will be eternal. Please pray that as we begin to plan our family all goes smoothly & that very soon we will be expanding our home by two (little) feet!