Prayers Needed

I am sure when you are a parent there are many things you hope never happen to your child. I imagine you pray for their safety and health everyday. I can't imagine what this family is going through right now. Burnie Little is a physician assistant who has been on many medical mission trips to Honduras and I have had the privilege to share some of those trips with him and most recently this year, his wife Tina went with us. Lucas also has a younger brother Spencer.
They are facing one of those unimaginable crises right now with their oldest son Lucas, 21 yrs old, involved in a serious car accident last Thursday. Here is a link to their blog

Please lift up this family in prayer.

Totally off the subject

This blog post has nothing to do with our adoption journey, but with fabulous blog finds I have stumbled across upon. While looking for decorating ideas, ways to re-purpose items, and just general fun, I have run across some amazing blogs.

Here are a few....

My Dear Trash

My Re-purposed Life

Thrifty Decor Chic This one led me to the other blogs, love her Goodwill makeovers!

There are so many more great decorating idea blogs out there...I'll keep looking and gathering inspiration from them!

I look forward to decorating our new home, I know it will take time after all of the unpacking. But, I look forward to fun new projects to make it our space.

We're moving!

Yes, we are moving! finally! We feel like this is a start to a new beginning in our lives, a renewed hope in our adoption journey. We will have a back yard for our dog to run free in, and when the time comes, for a little one to play in.

We are excited and nervous at the same time. Lots of packing to do, but we've had many offers of help...so if you are one of them, we'll be calling on you! What I really need help with is furniture arranging and decorating...or at least trying to find a decorating style. I've been checking out some blogs that are focused on home improvement/decorating. I really like
this website. She has some really cool ideas, especially with yard sale and Goodwill finds!...check it out.

We'll keep you updated on the move and the adoption...stay tuned!

Steven Curtis Chapman - I will trust You

Roller Coaster Ride

To borrow from a fellow blogger, this week (or last few weeks) have been a roller coaster ride of emotions and circumstances for us. We sold our condo and bought a house (at least the preliminary process of all of that), I went to a conference, visited some long-time friends and received a call in the car on the way back that would change our lives (at least for the next few days..) We have been active with our attorney for only about a month and a half. They don't even have all of our paperwork from our SW yet...but they called us this week with a potential situation and wanted to know if we wanted our profile shown to this birthmother.

The first thought is YES! Then more details follow, jail, drug use, multiple children already placed elsewhere, etc, etc.... Then I just think about the baby, the innocent baby, the one who needs a good home, a stable home, a home with parents that can love her or him unconditionally. We felt led to say yes to this situation for a variety of reasons but mostly because we did talk and pray about it. We prayed for the birthmom who has had a difficult life and has made some bad decisions, we prayed for her pregnancy (and still do) that no matter what the outcome with us, that this baby will be healthy and safe and find a safe, loving home. We prayed for the baby, that the drugs have not done any damage or very little. We prayed for the rest of her family. In the end this situation did not work out. It has been a tumultuous three days resulting in an outcome that although was not wanted by us, is probably best for our family in the long run. In Steven Curtis Chapman's song, "I Will Trust You" He sings:

God, I trust You

I will trust You
I know Your heart is good
I know Your love is strong
And I know Your plans for me
Are much better than my own

This song was written in response to the tragic death of one of his adopted daughters. I admire his strength, his will to go on in the face of such a tragedy. It is because of his faith that he is able to do this. And because we serve such a loving God who is ALWAYS there for us, even when we turn away, I can trust that His plan is much better than my own.

Prayers Answered....

Yes, we sold our condo! It's been a whirlwind of a few weeks, having multiple showings, looking for houses ourselves, going back and forth with offers, and finally signing contracts! It's official! We now get to go through termite inspections, regular inspections, etc, etc... Hopefully all of this will go smoothly and we will be moving into a house with nothing attached to it on either side (no more shared walls!) A house with a fenced in back yard, a garage, a formal dining room, all things we haven't ever had on our own. We're grateful for this time in our life, and thank God for answered prayers and our many blessings. We continue to pray for the baby He is preparing for us and that will move into our new house! We're excited, nervous, happy, scared, all these emotions rolled into each other. We know the next few months will be a busy time in our lives. I'm looking forward to it!

Laura

Mark Schultz - Everything To Me - story behind the song

I first found this on another adoption blog and felt that I needed to repost it here. What Mark says about a birthmother having only 3 choices is so true. Keep the child, abortion, or make an adoption plan. I think any birthmother who chooses an adoption plan over abortion is a truly remarkable, courageous person. To endure the pregnancy for 9 months, to intimately know that baby and then be brave enough to place that baby for adoption, is beyond my comprehension. But for us, it is what we pray for. We pray for the birthmother out there that is contemplating that decision or has already made that decision. We know we're not perfect, but we love each other and would love to give a safe and loving home to a child one day (soon we hope...)

Mark Schultz - Everything To Me (Video)