This Saturday night at church our (amazing) pastor was teaching Luke 8 about the parable of the sower and the seed:
Luk 8:5
"A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he
sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the
air devoured it.
Luk 8:6
Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang
up, it withered away because it lacked moisture.
Luk 8:7
And some fell among thorns, and the thorns
sprang up with it and choked it.
Luk 8:8
But others fell on good ground, sprang up,
and yielded a crop a hundredfold." When He had said these things He cried, "He
who has ears to hear, let him hear!"
So, this got me reflecting on where am I in this? Am I yielding a crop a hundredfold or am I being choked by the cares of the world? I spent a lot of time with God on this one and I am happy with what He has shown me. I live for Him & mainly just need to remember that the message is simple: Jesus Christ crucified.
And, with all this "seed and sow" talk...I must admit, I took this to a whole other level when I did a lot of reflecting while working in my little garden. It was a tangible way to see what happens when we do not fall on good ground...What can I say? I"m a visual learner! Here is a little corner of the patio all fixed up and growing!
We received a call today saying we are approved for an adoption loan and at considerably less interest and smaller payments each month than we said we would pay! What does that mean!? It means we are saving money! Debt-free adoption here we come!
Next, we have finally gathered all the paperwork needed for the home study to begin (without an approved home study you cannot adopt), and we will be turning this in on Monday and in about 8 weeks we will be approved! This paper chasing has been INTENSE to say the least! It has been so much work and it is almost over!
Thank you, God! Things are moving forward and this is actually happening! WHOA!
We're getting so close and working on earning the money needed for the adoption home study, so this offer comes at the
perfect time... SUMMER is upon us! So if you're looking to get in shape or finish up or (finally get around to)
acting on your New Years Resolution we have the solution!
Matt & I are
currently using the Herbalife Products to reach our individual goals
and we love them! I personally love the Raspberry flavored calorie burning
tea! Its my jog in a cup! Seriously, I just came back from an awesome jog and feel great! And Matt loves the French Vanilla Formula 1 Shake Mix which taste even better when he adds fresh fruit!
So, you might be asking what does this have to do with adoption? Well...some friends of ours (Hi Jeff & Marina!) have so wonderfully offered to help. I think they must like us! Marina is offering to donate 35% of all orders that are placed on www.goherbalife.com/jeffandmarina towards the adoption of Baby O'Brien!
Anything you buy helps us out! Consider some "consumer shifting" and
purchase products you already use from here rather than say, Stater
Bros....not to mention you'd avoid those ridiculously long lines at the store! Herbalife has everything from protein bars, digestive health products, meal
replacement shakes(the best!), sports nutrition (voted #1 in America), hair care,
skin care, that great tea I was telling you about and much more! If you need
help figuring out a plan to reach your goals contact Marina for a
Wellness Evaluation and she can get you going (its free!).
Also, if you are not local and would like help trying to figure all of this out (anything from weight loss, to weight management to just trying to be more healthy) Marina is also available by phone and email. All products can be shipped anywhere in the U.S. When you are ready to check the site out and order product, you are more than welcome to start your own account or you can use the ready made account just for our adoption! Log in: ADominique85@yahoo.com and Password: babyobrien
Seriously, I know you may have your doubts, and I must be honest, so did I when we first started...but this is a product that has won over two skeptics and we feel good and are getting back in shape. I'm announcing it here, folks, I'm looking to drop 30 pounds before baby comes and Herbalife will be a huge part of me reaching that goal. And just to prove that we are practicing what I preach, I thought I should post a picture of the products that we have at home. So here it is: Our little stock pile of our faves.
Give this a try! It will help you & it will help us bring our baby home debt-free!!!!
Nine days ago, our adoption profile became available for viewing. This means that if a girl came in looking for a home for her child, she could pick ours. It's been nine days. Nine whole days. Nine long days. Nine days that seem like a lifetime. I dont' wait well & I don't want to. I want it now. I want the ministry to call me today and say "You have been picked and your baby is due!"
But, okay, before you tell me to step back from the cup of joe & take a chill pill, I do realize that I am being incredibly impatient and maybe even a bit difficult! I promise that I realize this & I promise every day I remind myself that God's plans are greater than mine and if we are supposed to wait nine :::gringe:: years, then so be it. But boooy, oh boy. Waiting is hard. Matthew is being so loving and gently reminding me that nine days is a blink of an eye, especially in adoption timing and that we should just be praying and preparing and not worry because our Lord is in control.
So, here I am...letting go of the reigns (yet again), and knowing that one day, someday, sooner or later, we will be bringing our first precious baby home. Until than, I will practice my patience and if need be (like today) vent. Today is my 9-day vent. :)
I have a mumbo-jumbo
of thoughts & I need to get them off of my mind. Unfortunately for
you, that means you have to read about it!
So first off, one
thing I have truly learned is that good friends are priceless. There are times
of joy and times of sorrow and good friends will be with you through both. They
will also be with you through those times with coffee and carbs. I think about
the people that God has placed in my life and feel blessed. Totally blessed!!!
Go
through your phone book, call people and ask them to drive you to the airport.
The ones who will drive you are your true friends. The rest aren't bad people;
they're just acquaintances. -Jay Leno
Next thing I have realized is that I am a control-freak to the max.
Matthew and I are almost done with the paper-chasing part of the adoption. I
have a few paper cuts to show for all of my work but that's it! Well, I have
that, and a new found (deeper) love and respect for coffee. (Thank you coffee
for keeping me up late at night to finish our paperwork). But, since we are
almost done with the paperwork, there is not much left to do, but wait and wait
and wait to finally get a call that says we have been matched with a
birthmother who would like to consider us for adoption. It's not like when a
woman is pregnant and she can take pre-natal vitamins & stay off the
coffee...but me? There is nothing I can do but wait and I don't do that well
because I must be in control! So, what do I do? I prepare & organize &
prepare again. I can't tell you how many times during the waiting period that I
will clean out our closets, purchase a few "necessities" such as baby
creams and wipes and then reorganize some more! I think I need ANOTHER dose of
patience.
Finally, I keep thinking about my older sister, Allison. She's sort of a pain in the behind, but my parents say that I have to love her. Ha! But really, she is a lot of wonderful things but she is also a know it all! I loooove saying that about her because the truth is, I actually think she might, in fact, know it all. I just wanted to tell you, sister (when we were just little ones, she told me to never call her Allison & to only call her sister. If I called her Allison, she promised she would not respond & to this day she has not broken this promise!), so, like I was saying, Sister, I just wanted to tell you I am SO proud of you for being accepted into USC for your Master's Degree. You are going to be the world's best teacher, proof being the countless lives you have already touched on your journey thus far. Your determination and perseverance amaze me! I am so stinkin' proud of you, smarty pants!
Me & my smart sister on her (first) college graduation!
Okay, well, that's all she wrote, folks. Thanks for listening (or, should I say, reading?) & thanks for waiting with us for Baby O'Brien! Every day that passes is a day closer to our precious babe!!!
(Please excuse how bad this post looks...I wrestled with Blogspot for about an hour and the final score: Blogspot-1 Ashley-0.)
I don't normally have enough to say to blog twice in one day...but today I find myself so very convicted. God has gotten us to such a tremendous place in our adoption...or did I? Did I let God move and work or did I think that God would just move and work in what I thought would help fund the adoption without ever letting Him do the leading? Did I lead and just hope that God would jump on board?
And with so many generous people willing to give...how willing have I been to give? Can we sell our bikes? Downgrade from our fanchy-schmanzy meals with the brand name foods to store brand? What can we do? I have really loved fundraising & raffles. I love feeling the love from so many people but God needs to get the glory for our adoption story and not any clever idea we might come up with.
So, if you would still like to donate to us, serve the fatherless and the orphans! Sponsor a child, give to a Boys and Girls club, donate your time in helping us with a garage sell or two and most importantly pray! Pray that we follow God in every step of this and that we are open to His provisions. God is good. He is loving. He blesses even though we don't deserve it. I doubt, but with a God as big as mine, there is no doubt that this adoption will happen.
We love you all so much for donating and participating in all this & we thank you. You are so permanently a part of our baby's story and in our hearts. Please continue to pray for us, for our finances, for paperwork, for the birthmother and of course, for Baby O.
So, without further delay the winner of the movie night giveaway!
So, the big news! We have offically turned in our paperwork to adopt, we have interviewed and now we wait to be matched with a birthmom who wants to make an adoption plan for her babe. What does this mean? This means that we can become parents anytime between now and...well never! We aren't on a waitlist we are in a pool of other couples who have made profiles of their lives. When a girl comes in and decides adoption is the right decision for her she is handed this stack of profiles and chooses one couple to parent her sweet child. Basically, we wait for the call that we have been chosen. I pray that it comes quickly & the wait isn't too long. We are excited and anxious! We have a huge to-do list now, including the homestudy which we have started but some of the items on our to-do list is fun stuff too!
Say hello to Matt's old friend: Mr. Fluffwater and my oldest friend: Roger. Matt and I have known these guys since before we were able to walk or talk. In fact, as a child I had a number of surgeries and Roger was in every operating room with me (with a surgical cap and all). As you can see, time has not been good to them...so they need to see a cleaners so when Baby O arrives, they can be our babies best friends too. They were loyal companions to us & we're sure they'll treat Baby O'Brien with the same love and loyalty.
The outfit on the left is the outfit I came home from the hospital in. I've saved it all these years and now, maybe a little girl can wear the same outfit home. The outfit on the right, is a jumper Matt wore around 9 months. Maybe our little boy can grow into this and wear this proudly like his daddy did. They too will need to visit the cleaners before the arrival of a new family member.
So, on top of this errand there are a million more things to do & we have no idea what type of time frame we have. Will we be picked today by a girl due in two weeks? Or will we be picked in 6 months by a girl due in 5 months? We have no clue! We know that God's timing is perfect. He is never late and never early. Every day I have to wake up again and say to the Lord that I trust in HIM and not in ME. I will let HIM lead and I will follow. I will praise HIM during the wait, no matter how long we wait. God's plans are far better than any of ours. But, anyway, I've gotta get going...so much to do! First thing on my to-do list is to finally make that to-do list!!!
Don't forget to enter in for a chance to win the Movie Night Gift Basket! Really awesome gift basket that will help us afford the next steps of our adoption process. Click here to be redirected to the link where you can donate to win!
Of every post I have put up on the blog, even the ones admitting mistakes or heartache, this post is most definitely the hardest because it's not really my story to tell. This is the story of a thirteen year old girl who became pregnant, chose life & made an adoption plan for her son.
First, let me begin about how this testimony fell into my hands. When Matt and I attended the adoption seminar back in February, we heard from a number of different men and women and their roles in the adoption process. But, by far, the one that had the biggest impact on my heart, was that of a young woman, Becky, who shares what it's like to be on the other side of the adoption process: The side of the girl who places her baby for adoption. The term for this girl is birth mother.
As Becky began to share her story Matthew & I sat there in awe and I, of course, sit there thinking to myself "I need to talk to her! I need her to blog about this!" (I know, I"m such a weirdo). So, the day goes on, other speakers share, & we are eventually dismissed. Matt excuses himself to use the restroom, and I linger in the fellowship hall awkwardly stalking Becky, waiting for my chance to speak with her. After she spoke with a few other people, I made a beeline to her and introduced myself ...One thing leads to another, and two hours later we finally stop talking and say goodbye! Anyway, a few weeks ago, I found her testimony sitting in my inbox with a note from Becky saying to use it as the Lord leads...So that is what is about to happen.
This is Becky's Story (Warning: You may want to grab a few tissues)
In
January of 1998 in the middle of my 7th grade year, I met a cute
high school boy. He secretly became my
boyfriend. I would lie to my parents
about my whereabouts and go sneak off to be with him. Only after two and half weeks of him being my
boyfriend, I blew it, and we had sex.
Eight
weeks later I found myself at the doctor’s office. While my mom was forced to sit out in the
lobby, I was told by the doctor that I was 8 weeks pregnant. The doctor told me not to worry, I
didn’t have to tell my mom and that she could terminate the pregnancy.“After all it was only an embryo,” she told
me. I knew better even at my young age
that “terminating” meant to murder my baby.
I did the only thing I could and told my mom and dad the news. As heartbroken and as devastating as it was
for my precious parents to be faced with the fact that their 13 year old baby
was pregnant, they forgave me and went above and beyond that. They
became my support system, my comfort, and my encouragement.
20 Weeks Pregnant
For the first five months of pregnancy I was
determined to raise the baby, but thankfully my dad forced the church and its
counsel on me. He wanted me to be fully
aware of both my options. Not that my
parents didn’t want the baby or wouldn’t help to raise the baby, but I think my
parents knew God’s will before I did. My
dad found out about this place called House of Ruth which was located at
Calvary Chapel of Downey. Even though I
didn’t agree with my dad forcing this place on me in the beginning, I am so
thankful he did. I met with K and had a few counseling appointments with her before my change of heart. The Lord really used her and her testimony to
encourage me. House of Ruth helped me to
realize that I had two options. K
and House of Ruth were very informative about the effects these choices would
have in my life. They didn’t force
adoption on me as that was the only way to go, but they were very detailed on
open adoption and how that works. The
only thing House of Ruth reinforced was that whatever choice I made should be
what the Lord wants. Option one was to
raise the baby while my mom and dad were still trying to raise me and option
two was to place the baby up for adoption in a loving Christian home.
Jesus
made it clear through many things (books, House of Ruth, and family
members) that I was to place my baby up for adoption. I started the process right away, chose to go with an open adoption and went to
go pick out the parents of my baby.
Again, God spoke on who I was to pick and I listened. There were so many files to look
through and thanks to God, it took less than one hour for me to fall in love
with one couple in particular. That week my parents and I drove to their beautiful neighborhood and home in
Newport Beach, CA. We all met for the
first time, it was so bitter sweet. I
just knew they were God’s chosen parents for my baby as did they. The adoptive mom was there for me throughout
the remainder of my pregnancy. She
listened to my heartache, took me out to lunch and prayed with me over the next
three and half months. She totally
allowed the Lord to use her and help with the peace I had been given by God
about my decision.
On
November 3, 1998, my precious little son, Nathaniel, was born. My mom, my dad, and my son’s adoptive mom
were present during his birth. I had 48
hours in that hospital with my baby and to prepare for the hand over.
Nathaniel
On
November 5, 1998, the adoptive parents arrived at the hospital to take home
their new son. They were so caring and
compassionate. The adoptive mom even
cried with me. It was as though she felt
like she was stealing my baby. She
showed me so much love that day. When it
was time to hand over my little baby boy to his new mommy, I was so
heartbroken, scared, and my tears just wouldn’t stop. My arms were so weak, but in that, Jesus took
over and gave me all the strength I needed.
I placed him in her arms and even in that deep state of heart wrenching
pain, there was such a peace that filled that hospital room.
Nathaniel. Age 13.
My
son is now 13 years old. His parents
have sent me pictures, notes, and thoughtful cards over the years. They have let me see him on occasion and have
always made me feel very welcomed to call them and catch up. To this day, they still tell me just how
grateful they are that I obeyed the Lord and gave them their son. One of the many ways they still continue to
bless me is on days like Mother’s Day, his birthday, or the hand over day, they
always acknowledge the day by sending me a sweet note or card and beautiful
pictures of our son.
Not one day has passed since he was born that I don't think
of him and pray for him. There are some
hard days, but most are joyful. I have
never regretted the decision I made in choosing adoption. From the time I was just a little girl, God
was preparing me for this. This was His
perfect will for the situation I had to face and He has given me true peace
just as He promised.
John 14:27 “Peace I
leave with you, my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to
you. Let not your heart be troubled,
neither let it be afraid.”
Now I’m 27 and the Lord has done (and still is doing)
amazing things in my life. I’ve finally
fallen in love with my Maker, Jesus Christ.
After my son was born, I went on to rebel like I thought was normal
coming from a teen girl. But at 17 I
finally realized that I NEEDED Jesus. I
started attending Church at Calvary Downey along with the young adults group,
where I met my husband. I have been
married for almost 10 years.
The Lord has blessed me with 4 children of my own now, two
daughters, ages 9 and 8 and two sons, ages 7 and 5. I am a very blessed woman and I thank God for
His grace and the gifts He has given me.
Becky with her husband and 4 children
Becky and her 4 sweet babies.
1 Samuel 1:27-28 “For this child I prayed and the Lord has
granted me my petition which I asked of Him.
Therefore I also have lent him to the Lord; as long as he lives he shall
be lent to the Lord. So they worshipped
the Lord there.”
{{Becky, I love you for sharing your story. I respect you for choosing life & I admire you for the Godly woman you are. I am so glad we met, and I am so blessed that you are my friend. -Ashley}}
Matthew and I pray for you all a beautiful Easter reflecting on the amazing love of Jesus! He is alive!
...and who knows, maybe this time next year we'll be celebrating with little Baby O! Oh, and don't forget! Two weeks left to win the gift basket, friends!
We are so excited to do another giveaway! After such a great response from the last giveaway (not to mention how much fun we had putting it on!), we couldn't wait to do another! This time we got a little crazy! This giveaway is going to last 3 weeks and it's much simpler. How to enter? Make a $5 donation towards our adoption & for every $5 donated we will enter you into the raffle (So for $10 we will enter you in twice, $25 will enter you in five times...etc) Easy! Below is the Movie Night Giveaway...the only thing we don't include is the comfy couch to lay on while you enjoy! And don't forget to read all the way to the bottom to find out more ways to enter in!
22" Slim Westinghouse LED/1080P/60Hz/HDTV/Energy Star Qualified
(Comes with Base, Remote, Batteries, Powercord & Owner Manual)
Cool, right? And, don't forget! There is more than just one way to win this entire gift basket! Just share this page on your Facebook, Twitter or blog and invite others to enter in to win! Once you do that, comment below with a link to your post and we will add your name to the giveaway list again! You can also be entered in to win by becoming a follower of this blog! You can do this by clicking on the blue "Join This Site" button on the right hand side. So, if you share the link AND become a follower that is TWO extra entries just because!!!
Okay, so let's recap what's up for grabs
Soul Surfer the DVD
Zoo Keeper the DVD
Two Popcorn Containers
Box of Kettle Corn Popcorn
Two movie sized candies
Grey twin sized plush blanket
22" LED HDTV 1080P TV
This is a win-win situation. Even if you don't actually win the basket, you have helped Matthew & I bring our baby home! Our goal for this raffle is to raise at least $1,400. This will be enough to begin our Homestudy (one of the most important parts of the adoption process!). Please pray that the funds for this will be provided! We also know that so many gave so abundantly in the first giveaway and if you aren't able to donate again, no biggie!!! Please, share the link and pray, pray, pray!!!
