She is here! She is HERE!
For those of you who may not have heard our little Lydia Jayne is here! I was woken up at about 3 am Wednesday morning with a text from our birth mother that she was in the hospital and they were waiting to see if they were going to keep her. I went and told Travis and he immediately said good and went back to sleep. I on the other hand, showered, got dressed, packed, prayed, planned, etc. I thought we would hear quickly if she was in labor. Well I thought wrong, the next message I got was 4 hours later telling us they were giving her medicine to speed up contractions. I explained to Travis that meant go time! In the mean time we had taken Anna to school (yes Travis woke up) and began reloading the car. Remember that we just took this trip on Monday. When Papaw arrived to get Isaac we were headed out. The whole time in the back of our minds we were hoping we don't have to turn around again!
It took several hours to get in contact with our lawyer and no text messages were sent from our birth mother. We were in limbo but in route. Our lawyer called us back and he had no idea she was in labor. She had only texted us and said he was going to check on her progress and would call us or text us back. At a little after 10 am after just crossing into Missouri we got a message from our lawyer that she had just delivered our Baby Girl. He must have arrived in the hospital just as or right after it happened. After several minutes he sent us a picture, there she was 7 lb., 11 oz, 20 inches of 100% miracle! We soon heard from our birth mother, she replied to our other messages with sorry I didn't respond I was in a lot of pain. Her and I laughed about that message later. So she was here, but we were not there, we were still a good 6 hours away! We drove slow and safe the whole rest of the way...well... we did go on one road worth telling you about. I thought we were going to die there! It was 30+ miles of the most windy, hilly roads you have ever been on with no cell phone service, no GPS and very few inhabitants. We will never travel that road again! The trip went well aside from that and we arrived about 9 hours from when we started.
All the way there I anticipated how I would feel in that moment when I first saw our daughter. Upon arrival I was more anxious that emotional. Anxious about finally meeting our Lydia's birth mom, anxious about all the changes and worries that go along with having a newborn. It was mixed emotions as we walked into that room, our birth mom was holding Lydia and immediately gave her to me when we walked in the door. She willingly gave her over and celebrated with us as we sat and visited with her and the father for several hours. I will never be able to explain those moments to you, and I will never be able to explain the bond between two mothers with a crazy love for one little girl!
I will be honest, the bond wasn't immediate with Lydia like it was Isaac, I think it had all happened too fast for my mind to comprehend. They gave Travis and I a room in the hospital and we were able to take Lydia with us to the room for the night. It was during that night of feedings and diaper changes that the bond started to form. She was our little girl! I cherished those moments in the wee hours of the morning when you are so sleepy you can hardly keep your eyes open and she looks up at me with those eyes (peepers is what we call them) and I tell her how much she is loved!
We discharged from the hospital the next day around 12 pm after spending more time with the birth parents and allowing them to say their short term goodbyes (we will be getting together with them again before we leave). Since then we have been hanging out in the hotel, Travis has been the errand boy, making trips to the car, to Wal-Mart, to restaurants etc. And Lydia and I are just hanging out, getting to know and love each other. Sharing night time stories and pillow talk when I know I need to be asleep.
Anna, Isaac, Mamaw and Poppy Ronnie are on their way here now. I cannot wait to have all 3 of my children together for the first time. I will cherish all of these moments, it is amazing how God has gotten us here! We are truly blessed beyond comprehension. Thanks for the continued prayers. I have no doubt that because of those prayers we will be able to head home much earlier than anticipated. We have a court date set for Tuesday morning! See you all very soon!
Saturday, March 14, 2015
Monday, March 9, 2015
Plans
We had great plans...but well it didn't quite work out so well. We ventured off this morning, planning to go to Arkansas for the birth of our baby girl scheduled to be induced tomorrow. Not too long after crossing the Mighty Mississippi we received a text that our plans had changed. The doctor decided that he wanted to wait a while longer before inducing and scheduled a follow up appointment on Thursday to check progress. We drove a while longer and decided to stop to contemplate our options. We were about half way there in our estimations so going back was no small task. We decided a few more nights at home with our kiddos trumped sitting in a hotel in Arkansas waiting for something to happen. So we came back home.
Now we just wait, no plans, just wait, she could go into labor at any moment, or not. We will wait this time until we know for sure...we learned our lesson that in adoption as in life sometimes things don't go as planned! Thank you for the prayers today and the thoughtful text and Facebook comments. It was a good practice run, let's do it again in a few days!
Speaking of plans, Jeremiah 29:11 tells us about God's plans for us:
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
I trust His plans!
Now we just wait, no plans, just wait, she could go into labor at any moment, or not. We will wait this time until we know for sure...we learned our lesson that in adoption as in life sometimes things don't go as planned! Thank you for the prayers today and the thoughtful text and Facebook comments. It was a good practice run, let's do it again in a few days!
Speaking of plans, Jeremiah 29:11 tells us about God's plans for us:
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
I trust His plans!
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Time for one more snow day
I texted our birth mother this morning and told her we had almost 2 ft. of snow and ask that she not go into labor at least until tomorrow. She said that she will do her best! We are getting down to just days now before D-day. At this time we are set to leave on Monday morning and for our birth mother to be induced on Tuesday at some point. We have our hotel rooms booked and plans made the best we can. God has blessed us with a little bit of extra family time this week with the snow and I am still trying to enjoy our last few days as a family of 4. The kids are so excited but at this time I think it's more about the trip than the baby. I have packed them surprise bags for the trip full of snacks, games, and a new movie. Anna has even made the comment that if the birth mother changes her mind do we still get our travel bags? They never stop making me laugh!
Emotionally in the last few days I have had my ups and downs. Moments of pure panic that I can't imagine trying to pack everything and plan everything as well as moments when I feel like I have this somewhat under control. Fear is somewhat of a distant memory, though it creeps in from time to time. I realized that the fear could be absolutely crippling and had to get to the point where I just trust God for whats best for our lives. I have been honest with Anna about the emotions that I am experiencing. Helping her to understand that sometimes following God's plan for our lives is not easy. I want her to know about the possibility of the birth mother deciding to keep the baby, and I want her to know that it scares Mommy and Daddy too. One day Travis and I were talking about when we wanted the baby to come, Travis was insistent that the baby come after disciple now weekend was over and I on the other hand was ready to go in that instant. Anna chimed in and said, "I want the baby to come when God wants her to come, we have to trust God." From the mouth of babes! God has been working so much around us during this time, challenging our faith and trust in Him, only to show up big right when we need him. I really do need to learn to trust him and sometimes I feel like getting out of our comfort zone and taking a risk is the best way to learn that lesson.
So on Monday we set out for a 9+ hour drive. I am going to play DJ on the way to keep my nerves from getting the best of me (pray for Travis). Hopefully sometime on Tuesday or Wednesday we will be holding our baby girl. Continue to pray for us in the next few weeks. Pray that we remember how to be parents of a newborn and 2 other children. Pray for the adjustment, especially for Isaac as we all know he is quite the Mommy's boy. Pray for our finances that the hotel stay and other cost won't be much more than we have planned for. Pray for our relationship with the birth family and follow up communication. Thank you all so much for all that you have already done, we will update the blog with pictures and short messages of how things are going all along the way. Until then keep shoveling...Travis says he's already shoveled 3 1/2 tons!
Emotionally in the last few days I have had my ups and downs. Moments of pure panic that I can't imagine trying to pack everything and plan everything as well as moments when I feel like I have this somewhat under control. Fear is somewhat of a distant memory, though it creeps in from time to time. I realized that the fear could be absolutely crippling and had to get to the point where I just trust God for whats best for our lives. I have been honest with Anna about the emotions that I am experiencing. Helping her to understand that sometimes following God's plan for our lives is not easy. I want her to know about the possibility of the birth mother deciding to keep the baby, and I want her to know that it scares Mommy and Daddy too. One day Travis and I were talking about when we wanted the baby to come, Travis was insistent that the baby come after disciple now weekend was over and I on the other hand was ready to go in that instant. Anna chimed in and said, "I want the baby to come when God wants her to come, we have to trust God." From the mouth of babes! God has been working so much around us during this time, challenging our faith and trust in Him, only to show up big right when we need him. I really do need to learn to trust him and sometimes I feel like getting out of our comfort zone and taking a risk is the best way to learn that lesson.
So on Monday we set out for a 9+ hour drive. I am going to play DJ on the way to keep my nerves from getting the best of me (pray for Travis). Hopefully sometime on Tuesday or Wednesday we will be holding our baby girl. Continue to pray for us in the next few weeks. Pray that we remember how to be parents of a newborn and 2 other children. Pray for the adjustment, especially for Isaac as we all know he is quite the Mommy's boy. Pray for our finances that the hotel stay and other cost won't be much more than we have planned for. Pray for our relationship with the birth family and follow up communication. Thank you all so much for all that you have already done, we will update the blog with pictures and short messages of how things are going all along the way. Until then keep shoveling...Travis says he's already shoveled 3 1/2 tons!
Saturday, February 14, 2015
Happy Valentine's Day
Happy V-day everyone! It's a cold day perfect for snuggling up on the couch, playing board games and updating blogs. We are less than a month away from our due date and things are packed and ready. As the calendar turned to February I will admit that anxiousness about got the best of me. I found myself having a hard time sleeping, sitting still and thinking about anything else. I realized that I couldn't keep that up for the whole month or I would go mad! People close to me saw the stress levels rising and began to pray for me and I began to focus on God and not so much the what if's.
So on this February day, I am enjoying my family. Playing Lego Duplo with Isaac, eating at Cracker Barrel with Anna and enjoying quiet talks with my Valentine Travis. I realized that in a few weeks things will be much different around this house, attention will be much more divided and talks and play time will be greatly shortened. Instead of worrying about all the details I am trying to enjoy the moment! It's so easy to live from event to event in our lives as time flies by, but it's in the smallest moments that life is truly lived. Right now, in the living room, Isaac and Anna are fighting about blankets and space on the couch and I wouldn't have it any other way.
We have talked a lot about our new addition in all those moments, how things will be different and the same when she is here. About the possibilities that this adoption may not work out how we have planned but that we trust God to do what's best for us. Travis and I have talked a lot about that possibility too and have decided that our plans will never be better than God's so we trust Him for whatever He has in store. Easier said than done, but we are works in progress! We have talked to Anna especially about our fears and concerns, we want her to understand that following God is not always easy.
I have had many text message conversations with our birth mother over the last few weeks. I try to be there for her, to reassure her but to also acknowledge that what she is going through is very difficult. I pray for her often as she has mentioned that she has been more emotional in the last few weeks. In all those conversations I realize how huge this whole process it. How much bigger it is than all of us. How amazed I am to even be a part of this. It is so much more than an adoption, it's a chance to share God's love with another person, another family, another people group. It's a chance for my eyes to be opened to the hugeness of God and my inability in my own little box to grasp His plans for my life. God has so much to teach us!
One of our biggest concerns for our baby and the birth mother is the fact that she hadn't been to the doctor since November. That prayer was answered this week as she was able to get in to see one. All is well and on track! She will continue to go to the doctor weekly until delivery. We were also able to finalize details about towns, hospital's and hotel stays. All of those things were big in reducing my anxiety levels.
So now, we wait, we are getting so good at waiting (is anyone ever good at waiting?)! And in the mean time we pray and we try to enjoy every moment together, with the phone near by just in case the call comes early!
Thanks for all of the prayers, keep them coming!
Bethany
So on this February day, I am enjoying my family. Playing Lego Duplo with Isaac, eating at Cracker Barrel with Anna and enjoying quiet talks with my Valentine Travis. I realized that in a few weeks things will be much different around this house, attention will be much more divided and talks and play time will be greatly shortened. Instead of worrying about all the details I am trying to enjoy the moment! It's so easy to live from event to event in our lives as time flies by, but it's in the smallest moments that life is truly lived. Right now, in the living room, Isaac and Anna are fighting about blankets and space on the couch and I wouldn't have it any other way.
We have talked a lot about our new addition in all those moments, how things will be different and the same when she is here. About the possibilities that this adoption may not work out how we have planned but that we trust God to do what's best for us. Travis and I have talked a lot about that possibility too and have decided that our plans will never be better than God's so we trust Him for whatever He has in store. Easier said than done, but we are works in progress! We have talked to Anna especially about our fears and concerns, we want her to understand that following God is not always easy.
I have had many text message conversations with our birth mother over the last few weeks. I try to be there for her, to reassure her but to also acknowledge that what she is going through is very difficult. I pray for her often as she has mentioned that she has been more emotional in the last few weeks. In all those conversations I realize how huge this whole process it. How much bigger it is than all of us. How amazed I am to even be a part of this. It is so much more than an adoption, it's a chance to share God's love with another person, another family, another people group. It's a chance for my eyes to be opened to the hugeness of God and my inability in my own little box to grasp His plans for my life. God has so much to teach us!
One of our biggest concerns for our baby and the birth mother is the fact that she hadn't been to the doctor since November. That prayer was answered this week as she was able to get in to see one. All is well and on track! She will continue to go to the doctor weekly until delivery. We were also able to finalize details about towns, hospital's and hotel stays. All of those things were big in reducing my anxiety levels.
So now, we wait, we are getting so good at waiting (is anyone ever good at waiting?)! And in the mean time we pray and we try to enjoy every moment together, with the phone near by just in case the call comes early!
Thanks for all of the prayers, keep them coming!
Bethany
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Getting Closer Now
The shock of all has finally ended and the excitement has started, as well as all the planning. We are less than 2 months away from the due date for our baby girl. I have a corner in my bedroom dedicated to all things baby, from a suitcase packed full of newborn clothes to a baby bathtub and everything in between. I pick up baby items each time I go to the store now, diapers, some wipes, pacifiers, bottles just enough to be prepared but knowing that is just the start of the things I will need when she is finally here. We have been in contact with our lawyer answering most of our previous questions. The expected length of stay in Arkansas is 3-4 weeks after the baby is born. The baby cannot leave the state during that time. There is a chance that everything happens much faster than that (our prayer) but also a chance that it takes up to 6 weeks. When the time comes we will receive a phone call from our lawyer that our baby is on the way. We will pack our things and Travis and I will make the 9+ hour trek to the hospital. The kids will stay home for a while to make sure everything goes smoothly with the birth and the transition. Our baby girl will leave with us from the hospital to a nearby extended stay hotel (our home away from home). There we will await what we think will be 2 court dates, 1 to give up rights and 1 for the actual adoption. Sometime in those first few days someone whom we love very dearly will bring our kids to us and meet our new baby girl (that person is to be determined)! They will stay some time with us, that is also to be determined, and maybe come home or maybe stay for longer!
It is in all the above facts that I feel the stress level rising! New baby, 9 hours away, hotel, 2 other kids, formula, diapers, food, packing, planning, pacifiers, sheets blankets, newborn, no sleep, hotel cost, no work, money, diapers, formula...you get the picture. I have tried to plan the best I can but in reality there is only so much I can do right now. I do not have paid maternity leave or any vacation at work but I will be off for as long as I need. Right now God has allowed me to work more hours in preparation for the time off, probably helps me not to freak out too! When I start to worry, I picture that that little girl in my arms and the joy that she will bring to our whole family and realize that it will all work out. We only live once, may as well make it an adventure!
One of the many blessings that has come with this adoption is the ability to communicate with the birth mother. We are able to text back and forth often and show our support for one another. She is in the process of trying to find another MD, so please be in prayer for that as she hasn't been to the Dr. for quite some time. We have received several ultrasound images, which makes it all so real and also confirms the due date to March 11. Pray for our stay in Arkansas, that everything goes smoothly there and we can come home quickly. Pray for the health of our birth mother and baby girl.
Thank you for the prayers that you have already lifted up for us, for asking how things are going and being generally interested in the process. Many have asked us about things we need. The only large things we really still need are a swing and a travel system. Other than that we have plenty of clothes, blankets, burp clothes, all handed down from Anna and others, but we have very few of the daily necessities for taking care of baby. We know that God will supply everything we need, He always does, we just have to trust Him and enjoy the ride. Till next time...
It is in all the above facts that I feel the stress level rising! New baby, 9 hours away, hotel, 2 other kids, formula, diapers, food, packing, planning, pacifiers, sheets blankets, newborn, no sleep, hotel cost, no work, money, diapers, formula...you get the picture. I have tried to plan the best I can but in reality there is only so much I can do right now. I do not have paid maternity leave or any vacation at work but I will be off for as long as I need. Right now God has allowed me to work more hours in preparation for the time off, probably helps me not to freak out too! When I start to worry, I picture that that little girl in my arms and the joy that she will bring to our whole family and realize that it will all work out. We only live once, may as well make it an adventure!
One of the many blessings that has come with this adoption is the ability to communicate with the birth mother. We are able to text back and forth often and show our support for one another. She is in the process of trying to find another MD, so please be in prayer for that as she hasn't been to the Dr. for quite some time. We have received several ultrasound images, which makes it all so real and also confirms the due date to March 11. Pray for our stay in Arkansas, that everything goes smoothly there and we can come home quickly. Pray for the health of our birth mother and baby girl.
Thank you for the prayers that you have already lifted up for us, for asking how things are going and being generally interested in the process. Many have asked us about things we need. The only large things we really still need are a swing and a travel system. Other than that we have plenty of clothes, blankets, burp clothes, all handed down from Anna and others, but we have very few of the daily necessities for taking care of baby. We know that God will supply everything we need, He always does, we just have to trust Him and enjoy the ride. Till next time...
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
New Year, New Baby
I have taken my time to update this blog. Sometimes it takes a awhile after something huge happens for me to be able to sit down at write about it. Such a huge thing happened to our family the week before Christmas.
Our loan finally went through, all the papers were signed and we gave our lawyer in Arkansas the go ahead to find a match. A day or so later we got an email from him stating that we could hear from a possible match "soon". So soon is a relative term, especially in adoption. Soon could be hours, days, or months as far as we were concerned. But that same weekend, on the way to sing Christmas carols, we got a phone call from our lawyer letting us know we had a possible match and needed to set up a Skype call for the next day. So in shock, we went on our way spreading Holiday Cheer, all the while our heads were full of questions.
This adoption is much different from our first. With Isaac we knew nothing of his birth mother other than age and some family history. He was 11 months old when we were matched and our only contact was with his wonderful foster mother when we picked him up in Korea. I think often of his birth mother and pray that she knows what a precious gift she gave us, but will probably never have a face or name to go with those thoughts. When we went into our second adoption we both realized that God had been working on our hearts about domestic adoption. Our fears before about open adoption and the possibility of the birth mother changing her mind were paralyzing. But God has a way to test and grow our faith and sometimes change our hearts.
As we went about our day awaiting our Skype call, I tried to come up with things to ask the birth mother as well as questions that she might ask us. I had played it out in my head 100 times before we sat down in front of the computer that evening.
Our call started with our translator, luckily for us our birth mother speaks English which made the conversation much easier. We began with our names and over the course of an hour shared much about each other. My eyes filled with tears as she talked about the decision she was making for her baby girl. I had thought about that choice with Isaac's birth mother but never saw the pain and courage that went along with it. I felt a connection right away, like our hearts were mended together and the questions I had before didn't matter so much anymore. The money it didn't matter, the worries of what may happen didn't really matter much either. In that moment Travis and I realized that this was so much bigger than us, than our adoption. It was about sharing God's love with all of these people. It is about praying for our lawyer who is trying to do whats best for the Marshallese people he loves with little to no help. It's about understanding God's love for our lives in a way greater than we ever knew before.
For many of you, none of this makes sense, the risk are too great. I agree the risk are huge for us and many nights I lie awake thinking of those risk. What if she changes her mind before the birth or worse after, what if she comes back later and decides she wants her baby girl back. What if we don't have the money we need to take care of this child, what if we have to stay in Arkansas for over 2 weeks with our baby girl before we can get a court date, what if it's more like 6 weeks like others have had to wait. What if she is not healthy, what if there are more medical complications with have to pay for, but what if we go to get our baby girl and she is beautiful and healthy. What if we bring her home in a short amount of time and see that she is a perfect fit for our family, what if our relationship grows with her birth mother and she grows to understand God's love in a greater way. What if God's in control of every single detail of this whole thing, and He has called us to follow him completely. If that's the case, and we believe that it is, none of the "what ifs " really matter. We just have to trust him.
So that night as we talked for over an hour with the mother of our baby girl and we committed ourselves to each other. The next day we signed a contract and sent a check to make sure that her needs and the needs of our child will be taken care of. And somewhere around March 11 our precious baby girl will be born!
Right now we are preparing our hearts and home for the addition. I have been going through baby clothes and baby items to find out what we still need. I will post about some needs that we may have at a later date. I have sent a list of questions to our lawyer about everything under the sun and we are waiting for a reply. And as the calender gets ready to flip to another year we anticipate what God is going to do in our lives. It may not work out just perfect but I know He is in control and we are good with that. Please pray that when the doubts creep in and the questions linger in our minds that we put our trust in God alone. Thank you for the support you have already shown us, in prayer and financially. This time the wait is much shorter March is right around the corner!
Our loan finally went through, all the papers were signed and we gave our lawyer in Arkansas the go ahead to find a match. A day or so later we got an email from him stating that we could hear from a possible match "soon". So soon is a relative term, especially in adoption. Soon could be hours, days, or months as far as we were concerned. But that same weekend, on the way to sing Christmas carols, we got a phone call from our lawyer letting us know we had a possible match and needed to set up a Skype call for the next day. So in shock, we went on our way spreading Holiday Cheer, all the while our heads were full of questions.
This adoption is much different from our first. With Isaac we knew nothing of his birth mother other than age and some family history. He was 11 months old when we were matched and our only contact was with his wonderful foster mother when we picked him up in Korea. I think often of his birth mother and pray that she knows what a precious gift she gave us, but will probably never have a face or name to go with those thoughts. When we went into our second adoption we both realized that God had been working on our hearts about domestic adoption. Our fears before about open adoption and the possibility of the birth mother changing her mind were paralyzing. But God has a way to test and grow our faith and sometimes change our hearts.
As we went about our day awaiting our Skype call, I tried to come up with things to ask the birth mother as well as questions that she might ask us. I had played it out in my head 100 times before we sat down in front of the computer that evening.
Our call started with our translator, luckily for us our birth mother speaks English which made the conversation much easier. We began with our names and over the course of an hour shared much about each other. My eyes filled with tears as she talked about the decision she was making for her baby girl. I had thought about that choice with Isaac's birth mother but never saw the pain and courage that went along with it. I felt a connection right away, like our hearts were mended together and the questions I had before didn't matter so much anymore. The money it didn't matter, the worries of what may happen didn't really matter much either. In that moment Travis and I realized that this was so much bigger than us, than our adoption. It was about sharing God's love with all of these people. It is about praying for our lawyer who is trying to do whats best for the Marshallese people he loves with little to no help. It's about understanding God's love for our lives in a way greater than we ever knew before.
For many of you, none of this makes sense, the risk are too great. I agree the risk are huge for us and many nights I lie awake thinking of those risk. What if she changes her mind before the birth or worse after, what if she comes back later and decides she wants her baby girl back. What if we don't have the money we need to take care of this child, what if we have to stay in Arkansas for over 2 weeks with our baby girl before we can get a court date, what if it's more like 6 weeks like others have had to wait. What if she is not healthy, what if there are more medical complications with have to pay for, but what if we go to get our baby girl and she is beautiful and healthy. What if we bring her home in a short amount of time and see that she is a perfect fit for our family, what if our relationship grows with her birth mother and she grows to understand God's love in a greater way. What if God's in control of every single detail of this whole thing, and He has called us to follow him completely. If that's the case, and we believe that it is, none of the "what ifs " really matter. We just have to trust him.
So that night as we talked for over an hour with the mother of our baby girl and we committed ourselves to each other. The next day we signed a contract and sent a check to make sure that her needs and the needs of our child will be taken care of. And somewhere around March 11 our precious baby girl will be born!
Right now we are preparing our hearts and home for the addition. I have been going through baby clothes and baby items to find out what we still need. I will post about some needs that we may have at a later date. I have sent a list of questions to our lawyer about everything under the sun and we are waiting for a reply. And as the calender gets ready to flip to another year we anticipate what God is going to do in our lives. It may not work out just perfect but I know He is in control and we are good with that. Please pray that when the doubts creep in and the questions linger in our minds that we put our trust in God alone. Thank you for the support you have already shown us, in prayer and financially. This time the wait is much shorter March is right around the corner!
Friday, November 14, 2014
Yet Another Adventure
After returning home from our first Amazing Race, we spent some time relaxing enjoying our new addition. There are no words to describe how Isaac has completely turned our world upside down. He is an amazing little boy with a wonderful sense of humor and incredible affinity for things with wheels and wagons. As we were finishing up our last post-placement visit with our case worker she looked at us all and said, "I will see you again soon!" I guess she knew something that we didn't at the time. She knew that our hearts still had room for more.
Today I write to tell you about our call to join the Amazing Race again. Travis says that as soon as we landed in Dallas on the way home from getting Isaac that I was ready to adopt again. I will say that he is probably right. I had to convince myself to just enjoy our hilarious little man and not worry with what God had in store for our family. Late this summer after much prayer and discussion we decided it was time to at least send an email to see what our options were for adopting again.
Really there were a few options for us, Korea which already had my heart, China, or domestic adoption. We would jump on a plane to Korea again in a minute if it had not been for the changes made in the process since adopting Isaac. You now have to travel to Korea multiple times and stay for up to two weeks at a time. With two children at home, this option did not seem like the best one for our family. China did not feel right to us either. That only left domestic adoption, which would take forever, or so we thought. Turns out our agency has been working with a lawyer out of Arkansas to perform private adoptions with a people group from the Marshall Islands. She told us that the process was fairly quick in adoption terms and instructed us to call to find out more. We began to pray about where God had in mind for us, realizing that my email to check on options had quickly turned our hearts toward readiness! After a little more research and help from Travis' cousin and his wife, this is what we know about our upcoming adoption.
The Marshall Islands is part of a larger group of islands referred to as Micronesia located in the Pacific ocean about midway between Hawaii and Australia.
Back in 1940s and 50s the United States conducted nuclear testing on certain islands within the Marshall Islands which caused those areas to be uninhabitable. Thus, the remaining islands became overpopulated with very little opportunity for work. Since America caused so much destruction in the Marshall Islands they formed an agreement which allowed Marshallese people to travel in and around the United States without a VISA and no restriction on length of stay.
Since then Marshallese have been migrating from their homeland to the United States since the 1980s in hopes of earning money, educating their children, and seeking medical care. The second largest population of Marshallese are residing in Springdale, Arkansas. Most are working in the chicken industry for Tyson Chicken. This culture does not believe in birth control. However, they do believe in adoption. Many of the children are being born into families or cohabitation situations where they are unable to provide and care for their children. Marshallese women have also been subjected to various forms of sex trafficking. There seems to be a growing need for families to adopt these babies that are being born into impoverished situations. Most of these birth mothers care about their children and want to see them placed with a family who will love them and provide for them. This is a culture who has a love for children and celebrates them, many on the island never make it to their first birthday because of poverty or illness. We are absolutly blown away by this opportunity, to minister to this people group and to bring another amazing child into our home.
Anna and Isaac are also excited, though Isaac has no idea what he is getting into. When you ask if he wants a boy or girl he just says, "I want a baby!" Anna on the other hand has quite a lot to say about this adoption. She has not only declared that she wants a baby sister but has also proclaimed that she should have naming rights!
We are currently in the process of gathering funds. We were blessed this week with the ability to completely pay off our first adoption loan, just in time to get a second! We will be doing our best to raise money which will include a raffle for a signed UK basketball, a yard sale and anything else we might be able to come up with. We appreciate any help you can give us but more than anything covet your prayers as we journey on. We have learned that adoption is quite the roller coaster ride and want to be ready for whatever comes our way!
"If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and truth."
1 John 3:17-18
And the race begins....
Today I write to tell you about our call to join the Amazing Race again. Travis says that as soon as we landed in Dallas on the way home from getting Isaac that I was ready to adopt again. I will say that he is probably right. I had to convince myself to just enjoy our hilarious little man and not worry with what God had in store for our family. Late this summer after much prayer and discussion we decided it was time to at least send an email to see what our options were for adopting again.
Really there were a few options for us, Korea which already had my heart, China, or domestic adoption. We would jump on a plane to Korea again in a minute if it had not been for the changes made in the process since adopting Isaac. You now have to travel to Korea multiple times and stay for up to two weeks at a time. With two children at home, this option did not seem like the best one for our family. China did not feel right to us either. That only left domestic adoption, which would take forever, or so we thought. Turns out our agency has been working with a lawyer out of Arkansas to perform private adoptions with a people group from the Marshall Islands. She told us that the process was fairly quick in adoption terms and instructed us to call to find out more. We began to pray about where God had in mind for us, realizing that my email to check on options had quickly turned our hearts toward readiness! After a little more research and help from Travis' cousin and his wife, this is what we know about our upcoming adoption.
The Marshall Islands is part of a larger group of islands referred to as Micronesia located in the Pacific ocean about midway between Hawaii and Australia.
Back in 1940s and 50s the United States conducted nuclear testing on certain islands within the Marshall Islands which caused those areas to be uninhabitable. Thus, the remaining islands became overpopulated with very little opportunity for work. Since America caused so much destruction in the Marshall Islands they formed an agreement which allowed Marshallese people to travel in and around the United States without a VISA and no restriction on length of stay.
Since then Marshallese have been migrating from their homeland to the United States since the 1980s in hopes of earning money, educating their children, and seeking medical care. The second largest population of Marshallese are residing in Springdale, Arkansas. Most are working in the chicken industry for Tyson Chicken. This culture does not believe in birth control. However, they do believe in adoption. Many of the children are being born into families or cohabitation situations where they are unable to provide and care for their children. Marshallese women have also been subjected to various forms of sex trafficking. There seems to be a growing need for families to adopt these babies that are being born into impoverished situations. Most of these birth mothers care about their children and want to see them placed with a family who will love them and provide for them. This is a culture who has a love for children and celebrates them, many on the island never make it to their first birthday because of poverty or illness. We are absolutly blown away by this opportunity, to minister to this people group and to bring another amazing child into our home.
Anna and Isaac are also excited, though Isaac has no idea what he is getting into. When you ask if he wants a boy or girl he just says, "I want a baby!" Anna on the other hand has quite a lot to say about this adoption. She has not only declared that she wants a baby sister but has also proclaimed that she should have naming rights!
We are currently in the process of gathering funds. We were blessed this week with the ability to completely pay off our first adoption loan, just in time to get a second! We will be doing our best to raise money which will include a raffle for a signed UK basketball, a yard sale and anything else we might be able to come up with. We appreciate any help you can give us but more than anything covet your prayers as we journey on. We have learned that adoption is quite the roller coaster ride and want to be ready for whatever comes our way!
"If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and truth."
1 John 3:17-18
And the race begins....
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