We Are Adopted

Adopting Yoseph! WE NEED YOU!

2010-10-21T23:26:00.012-04:00

As mentioned in the previous post, we have received our referral! We are so excited and so in love with our little guy! But there is a bit of a harsh reality--adoption is expensive. We received our referral quickly and have a large chunk of money due NEXT WEEK! Our plan has always been to apply for a matching grant and to send out support letters so that others can share in the joy of our journey. Thankfully, we were just approved for a matching grant! And thankfully, we have our letter written! BUT, snail mail won't get us the turnaround we need by NEXT WEEK! So, we are using the resources of social media to get the word out! Below is a copy of our letter and the letter from Lifesong, our grant provider. Please prayerfully consider joining us in our journey to bring our little one home! If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us! Thank you in advance for your love and support!

*Online giving is available and fast! See the bottom of our letter for details!

**I can email you the letter (with pictures of Yoseph!) if you are interested. It's a little easier to read that way!

Although we can't show his picture on here, if you contact me, I will GLADLY send you his cute face!

And We Are Back!

2010-10-15T15:46:00.003-04:00

As you can imagine, our lives have changed a bit in the past year. To say the least. Hosanna just turned a year old last month! She is so much fun and keeps me very busy (as you can tell from the lack of blogging)! I treasure every moment with her and am so thankful to be her mommy! We could also say that our lives have changed a bit in the past three days! On Wednesday we got 'The Call' we had been waiting for! We received our referral for the most adorable little 3ish/4ish year old boy! He is just a doll! Chunky cheeks just like Hosanna! We are praising God for this precious little one and praying for him as we continue with the process to bring him home!

Hosanna is Crawling!

2010-05-20T22:46:00.002-04:00

Hosanna's First Swing

2010-03-18T20:41:00.002-04:00

Today we went to the zoo and Hosanna had her first experience swinging! As soon as I let go of the swing she giggled and giggled! I think she liked it! :)

Show Us Your Life

2010-03-06T01:12:00.002-05:00

Kelly’s Korner is a blog I have been reading pretty consistently for several months. Every week she has a different “Show Us Your Life” topic and other bloggers can post about the topic too. This week’s topic was to share a typical day in your life. So here it is...

A typical day with Hosanna Belle. Although I loved being a teacher, being a stay at home mom was always my dream. Thankfully, the Lord also gave Matt that same desire for me. I am so grateful that Matt works so hard to support our family so that I am able to stay home with our little one. I thank God daily for allowing me to have the best job in the world! Spending the day with Hosanna is amazing! She brings such joy to my heart in everything she does.

8:00 - Wake up (surprisingly with no alarm) and wake Hosanna. I LOVE waking Hosanna up! She always gives me the biggest smile, melts my heart! Feed Hosanna and change her. Take a pic/video of her with my phone and send it to daddy, grandparents, aunt and uncles. Yes, we do this every day! All of the family look forward to their daily viewings of Hosanna.

8:30 - Head downstairs to eat breakfast. Hosanna swings or plays while I eat and check email. Play downstairs, start a load of laundry.

9:50 - Head to Hosanna’s room to read her Bible story. Hosanna naps. I try to do my quiet time and nap if I’m tired.

11:00 - Hosanna wakes up and we play in her room or my room.

12:00 Hosanna eats and then I eat. Somedays I watch “What Not To Wear” while I eat! We play some more or go for a walk.

2:00 - Hosanna naps. I clean whatever needs to be cleaned, plan dinner, etc.

4:00 - Hosanna wakes up and eats. We play until daddy gets home.

5:30ish - Daddy comes home and we hangout and then eat and play some more.

7:00 - Hosanna eats, has her cereal, takes a bath (her favorite!) and gets ready for bed.

8:00 - I rock baby girl for a few minutes, sing/hum to her, pray for her and put her down.

The rest of the night Matt and I hang out and try to go to bed around 10. But as I type right now, it’s 1:00am! Yikes! Too much coffee tonight!

I definitely am a planner and love a consistent schedule, but we are not always at home all day. Some days we go swimming at the Y, go eat lunch with daddy (we eat, he works), go to Bible Study, have play dates, run errands, go to the zoo, etc. We love to be out and about!

Thank you, Lord, for the blessing of a day!

Why I Love Being Hosanna's Mommy

2010-02-23T10:22:00.003-05:00

- she is a blessing from God
- she is a miracle
- she smiles and it melts my heart
- she is a cuddle bug
- she is created perfectly
- she has a precious baby smell
- she makes me laugh by her cute noises
- she is just fun to be with
- she is a sweet baby
- she laughs at my silly faces and songs
- she is adorable
- she has a beautiful smile
- and on and on and on...

Hosanna's First Sled Ride

2010-02-01T15:49:00.005-05:00

Today I took Hosanna on her first sled ride! We got her all bundled up in her precious snow outfit and headed outside. The snow in mom and dad's backyard was perfect for sledding! It was nice and thick with a crunchy layer of ice on top. Hosanna just looked around with those big blue eyes as we went down the hill. I think she enjoyed her first sled ride!

How Hosanna Entered The World

2010-01-24T17:00:00.001-05:00

Now that you have seen pictures, I wanted to share with you how the Lord bought our little miracle into the world! Hosanna was born September 21, 2009 at 8:35 am via c-section. Not how I was hoping for, but God knew how Hosanna would come into the world since the beginning of time. I wanted to go “all natural”. I was excited because the hospital had tubs to labor in, and I love being in water. I wanted to be in the water, to be able to walk around if I wanted, etc. We hired a wonderful doula to help coach me through labor. This birth plan was my desire for many reasons. Number one, I didn’t like the thought of an epidural. Ouch! And I was scared of the risks/side effects for me and baby. Number two, I didn’t want to be hooked up to lots of stuff so I would have the freedom to move about. And number three, why not give it a try!
Well, we had been seeing a specialist because Hosanna had a cyst on her brain (PRAISE THE LORD it was nothing serious and eventually went away). At our 28 week ultrasound appointment baby was measuring 3 pounds, 90 percentile! When my regular OB got these results she was shocked and showed concern for my desire to deliver naturally. Fast forward to week 37, and baby was estimating 9 pounds 1 ounce! At this point, my doctor was very concerned and said she didn’t feel comfortable delivering Hosanna naturally, that she wanted to do a c-section. I feared this and did not want it. We were so conflicted about what to do. We prayed for a peace about our decision and had many praying for us. The Lord granted us the peace we had asked for and we decided to trust our doctor’s decision and go through with the c-section. At our 38 week appointment we told the doctor of our decision and asked what we needed to do next. She said she had already scheduled us for surgery for one week later, September 21st. Wow! It was very exciting to know the date! We were able to tell our families so they could be there.
As September 21st approached, we continued to pray for a safe delivery and I continued to have a peace about all of it. We got to the hospital that Monday morning at 6 and checked in. They escorted us up to Labor and Delivery where Matt and I went back and they prepared me with an IV, which was the worst part of the whole thing! The needle was so uncomfortable! Then I was covered with a huge air blanket to help regulate my temperature. At this time, the family was able to come back. They only visited for a brief moment because I started to feel very uncomfortable. I was so hot under that blanket, the IV was irritating me and I was just ready to get the show on the road! Shortly after my family stepped out, the nurse came and got me and rolled me back to the OR. It was freezing back there!!! Very sterile environment (thank goodness)! The anesthesiologist explained what he was going to do (thankfully the Lord had taken that fear of the epidural away!), gave me a little nausea medicine to take, then sat me up and gave me my spinal. I was quickly laid back down and the doctor started pinching on my stomach. Unfortunately I could feel it! The anesthesiologist decided to give me another spinal. This one took just fine, praise the Lord! Then my OB came in and immediately got to work. Matt was supposed to be in the room at this point, but they had forgotten to get him so a nurse quickly brought him back. When he entered the OR he was able to see on the other side of the curtain and saw everything! He had a look of terror on his face and he rushed to my side telling me he loved me and asked if I was ok. He held my hand and I had him quote one of my memory verses to me over and over again. Psalm 56:3-4 - “When I am afraid, I will trust in you, In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?” I was also saying it in my head. I could feel things going on inside of me. It was the most awkward feeling ever. It felt like they were all the way up in my chest, tugging and pulling. The smell in the room was so distinct, burning flesh! Of course it was my own! Yuck! My doctor told me I would feel a lot of pressure, and that is when they pulled Hosanna out! At 8:35 am our little miracle entered the world! As my doctor pulled her out she called Hosanna a “Chunky Monkey,” a nickname that will probably stick with her! They quickly showed her to me, love at first sight! Then they took her to the table to clean her up. Matt was able to go with her and got some pictures of her. She let out the cutest little cry! While the nurses were working with her, the doctors were counting the utensils and towels. One was missing, but thankfully the anesthesiologist had it! I am glad they made sure they got everything out! Matt was able to bring Hosanna over to me at this point. I couldn’t hold her, but she was beautiful! The nurse wanted to take our first family picture but the camera wouldn’t work. I finally told her not to worry about it because I felt like I was going to get sick and at that moment I turned my head and did! Matt and Hosanna were shipped off to the nursery and family got to see her for the first time. I was still being sewn up. I asked to see my placenta. It was amazing! The back of it, called “the tree of life,” really did look like a tree. After seeing the placenta and being sewn up, I was taken to recovery. As I was coming off of the drugs, my body shook really bad, but I didn’t get sick anymore. I was still a little under the medication at this point, but also a little sad that I didn’t get to see my baby and a little lonely. Eventually family did come and see me, after seeing the baby of course! After some time I was wheeled to the nursery to see Hosanna and then to my room. Family had gone to grab breakfast at this point, so it was just me and Matt waiting for Hosanna to come join us from the nursery. Around 10 something am, Hosanna was brought to our room and I got to hold her for the first time! It was so amazing! She was beautiful! It was such a sweet time, just the 3 of us. It was such an amazing feeling to hold her. So natural. Our families came back and were able to hold her for the first time too. What a joyous time!
I could not have asked for a better “labor” and delivery. The entire experience was just wonderful. I felt the peace of the Lord all day. And our hospital stay was great. Everyone was so nice and helpful. Thank you, Lord! Thank You for Hosanna and entrusting her to us. We are so blessed. May we raise her to love you more than anything!

Friends of Hosanna

2010-01-13T15:44:00.002-05:00

Hosanna

2010-01-13T14:50:00.002-05:00

Beach and Baby

2009-07-09T08:38:00.004-04:00

Last week I was able to take a quick vacation with my dad, mom and brother (and Hosanna, of course). It was so special to spend time with them, just like the old days! Three of us got totally cooked on the first day, so we spent the rest of the week under the canopy or inside. It rained all day the last day we were there, so we played a board game just about all day. It was a very relaxing trip. We ate lots of seafood and ice cream! One of the best things was being in the water. I have always loved water; the pool, the lake, the beach, the bath. Being pregnant, the water was even better! It took away all the little aches and pains of pregnancy and I slept like a baby! I came home dropping hints to Matt that we really need a Y membership. We will see if he gets the hint!
Me and my family!
Hosanna and I soaking up some sun!

After our beach trip, mom and dad made the journey to Louisville to help us with the nursery. Actually, the main task on the agenda was to get the garage organized so that we could clean out the house some to make way for baby! While I was relaxing at the beach, my wonderful husband was busting his tail painting the garage and moving the office from one room to another. I was so proud of all of the work he did! And it allowed us to get so much more done while my parents were in town. When we got in town on Friday night, my great friend Marisa brought us a yummy dinner and helped us paint the nursery (Matt had already cleared the room and taped it off). We finished in about an hour, so spent the rest of the night playing that favorite board game of mine! On Saturday, the men put the crib together and spent the whole day building shelves in the garage. Mom made curtains for the nursery and I… I’m not really sure what I did! Everything turned out just perfect! We are almost all ready for Miss Hosanna to make her grand appearance! Speaking of Miss Hosanna, she is a chunk! We had an ultrasound this week and she is already 3lbs! Yikes! My doctor said that she is around the 90%! My hope is that she just went through a growth spurt and won’t be a 10lb baby! The doctor did say that everything is looking great and we are praising the Lord for that!
Matt and mom painting the nursery.
The lovely curtain mom made!
Matt working on the garage.

Hosanna Belle

2009-06-08T14:21:00.005-04:00

This is her! Our daughter. We already love her so much! Everyone told me I would forget about the sickness and they were right. The more I look at her, the more my love grows for her and I realize it was all worth it! We are 24 weeks today and she is moving around like crazy! It’s very cool to feel her from the inside, but even cooler when Matt or I can feel her kicking our hands on the outside. She’s our little miracle!

Before the end of the school year, my wonderful colleagues threw me a surprise baby shower. It was fabulous! Of course I cried as soon as I walked in the door! I thought I was headed to another ole meeting, but it wasn’t! We ate yummy food (a cake from Pie Kitchen!), played games and opened many gifts. Everyone was so gracious! Hosanna received many wonderful things. We are so thankful for everything that was given to us. My class also gave Hosanna a very special gift, a basket full of board books. I sat down just today and read through many of them. So thoughtful! I know we will spend many hours reading those books to Hosanna over the years.

Quick Adoption Update – I am planning on redoing our paperwork this week for our new agency. Some documents we are able to reuse, but many have to be redone due to expirations and changes. Our hope is to have all of the paperwork done this summer and receive a referral this fall. That would hopefully put us traveling sometime within the first six months of 2010. We are going to be patient and let the Lord work out all of the details. We know his timing is best!

Now That I'm Feeling Better

2009-04-11T11:07:00.001-04:00

First I would like to apologize for having not posted anything in almost two months! Sorry! Shortly after my last post the morning sickness hit hard! And it wasn’t just morning sickness, it was ALL DAY. I would literally get up, go to work, come home and crawl in bed. I was SO sick and miserable. I could hardly keep anything down. I was on nausea medication that would help sometimes, but not always. The meds also made me feel depressed and just not myself, so I stopped taking them about a week ago. I started taking vitamin B12, which seems to be helping and I’m starting to feel more like myself again. Praise the LORD! I have had four sick-free days in a row! I am praying the sickness is slowly passing and will not return!

In pregnancy news… we are now at 16 weeks! We got to hear the heartbeat a couple of weeks ago and will find out what we are having on May 5th (if Baby cooperates)! It’s fun to hear what people think we will have. Matt and I both think it is a girl. Mom and my brother both think it is a girl too, but dad had a dream that is a boy. We will see!

In adoption news… we have a new agency! This agency is local, which we love. We have been able to talk regularly and have met with them once. Both of the ladies we have talked with have been so very kind and understanding. I feel very confident that the Lord has led us to them. I must say though, our meeting was a tad emotional for me (hormones, I guess). I went into the meeting thinking we would only need to change a few things in our paperwork and be good to go, but that isn’t the case. I became very overwhelmed when talking with them about all of the stuff we are going to have to change in our dossier. But, it is going to all be just fine and work out in God’s timing. Right now I’m just trying to focus on finishing up my last 7 weeks of school and then I can devote more time to getting everything together.
Speaking of work, I’m retiring! Wow, that feels weird to say. After this school year is over, I will be a stay-at-home mom! Although the decision was easy because we have always wanted this for our family, I know I will miss my job. My school is such a great place with great people. It is so bittersweet. I am thankful to the Lord for the time he did allow me to work there.

No Words

2009-02-18T21:42:00.002-05:00

Speechless. In awe of God's grace and blessings. Below is a journal entry I wrote about a month ago, the day after we found out we were pregnant. (Yes, we are pregnant!) It is a simple walk through the last 6 months of our journey.

Lord,

Your timing is perfect. I believe that. But that doesn't mean I understand it. We tried for 2 years to have a child of our own. You used that time to prepare us for and lead us to adoption. We prayed. Prayed some more. And began the adoption process. We were thrilled we had been called to adopt. Amazed by the process! Life-changing. Received a referral. Over-joyed. Fell in love with 2 boys in Ethiopia. Thought we were a family of four. Devastated to have to end our relationship with our agency. Lost our referral for the boys. Broken-hearted. Peace from You. Began looking at new agencies. Decided we might go with one. Days later found out we were pregnant. What?! Excited! Worried at all the possibilities. Talk and pray. Talk and pray. What are we to do now. Decide we are still going to adopt. We are called. Our hearts are in Ethiopia. Two of our children are there. Can't go with new agency because we are pregnant. Search for a new agency. We don't understand but we TRUST. WE trust in an almighty God who knows what is best for us. A God who is using this life to make us more like Christ. May we not forget this and glorify You in every decision we make. Guide us Lord!

We are seeking the Lord's guidance daily. We know he has the perfect agency for us that will lead us to our children. We can't wait to get the ball rolling again! Please pray for us as we make this decision about our agency. Please pray for our 3 children, that the Lord will protect them, grow them and bring them into our arms safely.

Agency Update

2009-01-26T22:03:00.001-05:00

We have been without an adoption agency for over a month now. The Lord has been so merciful during this time and has truly healed our broken hearts. All along we have had such a peace about our decision but of course have been sad about the boys. The Lord has reminded us that they are His children and he knows what is best for them and for us. We are so thankful for this truth! We pray the boys have a loving family to go home to quickly.

As for us, we (Matt actually) have spent hours searching for new agencies to explore and compare. We had it narrowed down to two we liked and then for various reasons the Lord led us away from those. We have spent the last couple of weeks focusing on three different agencies and like them all. There is one we feel more drawn to and Matt will be meeting with them tomorrow (they are local). Please pray that God will give us clarity in choosing the agency He wants us to use. The agency that will help us bring our children home!

Never Been Tagged...

2009-01-08T17:27:00.002-05:00

Until now! I have seen tags on blogs, but have never been apart of one before. A friend, Tiffany (who was actually one of my youth leaders growing up and God has since crossed our paths), tagged me to post the 4th picture in my 4th folder from my pictures. Here it is! This picture is from Matt’s work party this fall. We went on a dinner cruise on the Ohio River. This picture is of downtown Louisville. It isn’t really an exciting picture, but it reminded me of the time Matt and I have been here and how much God has blessed us during our time in Louisville. Although we are away from family and friends whom we miss terribly, we love Louisville. We both have jobs that we love, a church family we love, and dear friends we love. I wouldn’t trade our time here for anything! We have grown so much as a couple during our time here. Thank you Lord for gentle reminders of your grace and blessings!

The Power of Giving Thanks

2008-12-23T10:06:00.003-05:00

(Written 12.19.08)
After it happened I asked myself how I would even begin to explain it all on the blog. While I know I can’t retell every intricate detail, I will try to share how the Lord has shown himself to me through it.

Just 3 short days after our last post our world was turned upside down. Matt and I had to make the most difficult decision of our lives to date last week. With many tears and much heartache, we have prayerfully decided not to go through with the adoption of the two boys we thought were already ours. We had already named the boys Emmanuel (Manny) and Judah (Jude). We had our Christmas cards ready to be mailed with their precious faces on them. In our hearts and minds, we were a family of four.

This decision, however, had nothing to do with the boys. With that said, we are choosing not to share details of how we came to our decision on the blog. We want to honor the Lord in how we communicate our story and feel that sharing the specific details over the Internet would not be God-honoring.

So you are probably wondering how the title of this post fits? Let me explain. A wise friend suggested that I start reflecting on the Scripture references and notes from previous sermons given by our pastor. I decided tonight would be a great night to start. I shuffled through the ever-growing pile of papers on my dresser and pulled out the first bulletin I came to. When I read the date on it, I almost put it back. This bulletin was from a month ago (if that tells you how high my pile is ☺)! I read the sermon title (also the title of this post) and figured I should probably stick with it. The key verse for this sermon was Ephesians 5:20 which says, “Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” ALWAYS and FOR EVERYTHING. Ouch. As much as this trial hurt, I decided to dwell on what I could be thankful for. So I began my list…

Thank you God through Jesus Christ:
• For my husband who has been so loving and encouraging during this difficult time.
• For truth being revealed and the wisdom to follow it.
• For friends that are praying for us and love us.
• For adoption.
• For the generous gift from a friend just the day before the trial began, thus reminding us throughout the trial that adoption is Your will for us.
• For family loving us and wanting the best for us.
• For Kenesa and Melkamu (the boys’ Ethiopian names) and the joy they brought to our hearts for months.
• For heartbreak because it brings us closer to You.

Although it has been a devastating week, we have such a peace and so much to be thankful for. Thank you Lord!
Our adoption experience has been amazing and it is very obvious to us that the Lord has orchestrated every detail of our story -- even the trails we have been through this week. We are still adopting, and are waiting on the Lord to show us the next steps we need to take. Please pray for clarity in our upcoming decisions. And most importantly, please pray that the Lord will protect those two precious boys and give them a long life of joy in the Lord.

In Love With Strangers

2008-12-10T21:38:00.004-05:00

First of all, thank you for your prayers. Matt and I have felt such a peace about our decision to accept these two precious boys!

Over the past week we have been blessed to receive more pictures of the boys and a great video of them. I cried my eyes out as I looked at their precious faces! They have such beautiful skin and big brown eyes! I can't wait to hug and kiss on them! They look so happy compared to their first pictures. And the video is priceless. They are playing with one another, running/crawling, and kicking/throwing a ball. As mentioned before, the younger one has an orthopedic problem. The video had great footage of him walking with help and the flexibility of his foot. Praise the Lord it doesn't look as bad as once thought! I ran the video by a children's orthopedic office today and they are going to look over it and help us gain a little knowledge of what we are dealing with.

In regards to paperwork, we have completed our dossier but have not sent it to D.C. yet. We plan on doing that next week. Once our paperwork has been sealed for the final time it will be sent to Ethiopia! We will then wait for a court date in Ethiopia, which we will not be present for (we have a power of attorney). After our court date, we have to wait 6-8 weeks to travel and bring them home! It looks like we will be bringing our boys home at the end of May, first of June. It seems so far away but I know it will fly by!

Because the boys are not legally ours, we are not permitted to post pictures of them. If you would like to see our little angels just email me at mattjessbriggs@gmail.com and I will send you a picture!

Keep praying for us and the boys. Please pray that they are growing healthy. And please pray for this entire process that it will be so smooth! Thank you for your love and support!

Closer Than We Thought!

2008-11-19T21:06:00.000-05:00

Five short days after my last post I received an exciting phone call from our agency. We have been on a roller coaster of emotions since then. Let me just tell you, God is bigger than paperwork! (Just so you know!)
On Monday, November 3, I received a phone call from our agency stating that they had received two boys (brothers) at one of their orphanages, ages 2 and 4. (We had requested 2 children between 0 and 4 years.) We were told we wouldn’t get pictures or medical information for a couple of weeks, but if we wanted them, they were ours! WOW! We thought that we still had to submit our agreement with our agency, agency fees, and our dossier before we would ever get THE CALL. God had different plans.
The following day, Tuesday, I opened my email and there was an email titled “Pictures.” As soon as I clicked on the email, two beautiful Ethiopian boys stared me in the eyes! Once again, although we thought we would have to wait a few weeks for pictures, God had a different plan. To be honest, I wasn’t exactly sure how to feel. I was excited that I was possibly staring at pictures of my children, but nervous that I didn’t know anything about them. We still didn’t have medical information, so we decided not to tell too many people about the referral. That didn’t last long! We quickly fell in love with the boys and couldn’t help but share our good news. Almost two weeks went by without any medical news on the boys. Only two weeks to look at their pictures daily and fall more in love with them. And then the call came.
On Friday, November 14 I received a call from the agency. Our case worker said the boys had been taken to the doctor and she has some information for us. She explained that the 2 year old had club foot and could not walk. I wasn’t exactly sure what club foot was, but when I heard that he couldn’t walk I was in shock. We had never given any thought to the boys having any physical problems. From the pictures you can only see faces. You can tell that the little one is lying on his belly, but it never crossed my mind that he couldn’t walk. The case worker went on to explain that club foot is correctable with braces and/or surgery. With the little one being classified as special needs, they could perhaps come home sooner. But, she said she completely understood if we didn’t feel would could accept the boys. Wow. Two weeks of falling in love and then the thought of never bringing them home. Guilt. I called Matt and we were both pretty dumbfounded. On the one hand we had fallen for them and were almost considering them our own, but on the other hand we were thinking about how we couldn’t afford multiple surgeries for this little guy. We did all we knew we could do and prayed for peace. We prayed God would make it abundantly clear that we were either to accept these 2 boys or allow them to be taken by another family. We prayed and slept on it.
On Saturday, I received another email that explained the little one did NOT have club foot. But he did have an orthopedic problem (whatever that means!). It also said that both boys were clear of any blood-borne diseases. While this news brought great comfort, it also seemed to bring less clarity. What kind of orthopedic problem did he have? Would he need surgery? Braces? Can we provide for him? We prayed and slept on it.
On Sunday, our preacher preached a great sermon on faith. In a nutshell, I walked away reminded that I just need to have faith and believe that the Lord’s will is going to be done and we will receive the children the Lord has already chosen for us. And as for the little ones, they will have very lucky parents, be it us or someone else.
So this is where we are. We have to wait for more in-depth medical information so that we can make a more informed decision. Praise the Lord, He has given Matt and I a peace about our decision, whatever it may be. We are also waiting on more pictures and video of the boys. The great news is that they have been moved from the orphanage to the agency home where they are receiving better care. And they have gone to the house in the company of one of our friend’s baby girl!
In the mean time, we will be submitting our agreement to our agency and our dossier! Hopefully by the first of December we will have more information and a decision made. Please pray that we will listen closely to the Lord’s leading. And pray for these precious little boys!

Another Step Closer!

2008-10-29T23:11:00.003-04:00

I just wanted to post a quick update to let you know that we are getting closer (still a ways a way, but closer)! Our Home Study is officially complete and has been approved by our adoption agency! Praise the Lord! We are almost finished collecting documents for our dossier. The dossier is a collection of official documents that will be sent to Ethiopia. This must be complete before we can be given a referral. After a few more paperwork steps and fees to be paid, we will simply be waiting. Lots of things have to be done in Ethiopia like translating our dossier, a court date, etc. which can lead to a long wait. As we wait, please pray for our patience and for our children that they are taken care of and loved!

October Frenzy!

2008-10-18T09:34:00.007-04:00

October has always been a crazy month for my family. This one has been no different. We always kick off the month by celebrating my dad’s birthday (the 2nd). As you know, the triathlon was the 5th. I had the privilege of going home the following weekend for a wonderful time with family and friends. Since I was in high school, mom and I have done the Race for the Cure together. It is something I look forward to every October. We always meet up with a dear friend of ours, do the race, and then head to Cracker Barrel for a delicious breakfast! My great friend Honna joined us this year as well, which I hope will become part of the race tradition (hint hint, Honna)!

After the race this year, we were able to host another one of our October traditions at mom and dad’s, the annual Soup and Pie Party. It originally started as a way for us to celebrate October birthdays because so many of us have them! Everyone who comes to the party brings a soup, a pie, and a pumpkin. We fill our bellies full of goodness and carve pumpkins for prizes! It is the perfect way to celebrate fall! I just love this time of year!

This trip home was very special for another reason as well. Remember my mention in a previous post about a lady we had never met sending us support money for the adoption? Well, I had the privilege of meeting Lisa during my trip home! We had a quick but wonderful lunch before I headed back to Louisville. It was so great to meet Lisa and hear her heart! I am so excited to see what the Lord is going to do in her life as she too is seeking the Lord’s will about adoption.

Fast forward through a week of sleepless nights writing report cards…

On the 16th of this month our dear friends, the Benges, welcomed their precious son Maddox into the world. Maddox was born a couple of weeks early but is healthy and beautiful! We were blessed to spend some time with them the day he was born and loved every minute of it! There is something so sweet about a fresh baby!

On the 17th we celebrated my birthday! The night before, Matt sent me on a scavenger hunt through the house to find my gift. It was very cute and well thought out! He did a great job planning! After solving some of his riddles, I found my gift… a trip to the spa! I was SO excited!!! I was totally not expecting anything. In fact, the week before the triathlon I had to buy a couple of things for the race and just wrapped them up and put a card on them which said “to me from Matt!” But his gift to the spa totally makes up for him forgetting my birthday 2 years ago! (Ok, he really didn’t forget, he just didn’t say anything about it when he first woke up!) J For dinner we went to an authentic Ethiopian restaurant! It was amazing!!! We ate family style with no utensils! We had beef, lamb, chicken and tilapia. Fabulous! (Except for the poor lamb, I couldn’t bring myself to eat a sweet little lamb!) We will definitely be going back! I can’t wait to learn how to cook some of what we had to eat for our children when they come home! The birthday night ended with friends at our place and cake from the Pie Kitchen (or Package Inn as some think I say)! Our lifelong friends Nick and Allison are up for a wedding and staying with us which made the night even more special! Thank you to all who made my birthday so memorable! Twenty-seven is good!

Well, the second half of the month looks a little more relaxed than the first! Mom’s birthday is the 22nd and things are pretty calm after that. Because we have been so busy, we haven’t had much time to work on our paper work for the adoption. My hope is that we can get started on that very soon. We have been accepted by our agency and are now collecting official documents for our dossier. After collecting our dossier, we will get it sealed in our county, in Frankfort, KY and in D.C. Lots to do, but so worth it!!!

I TRI-ed!

2008-10-05T22:11:00.005-04:00

I wouldn’t necessarily consider myself an athlete. I love sports and all things outdoors, but more of what I do is just for fun! I have always wanted to compete in a triathlon, but never really set my mind to it until this year. I mean, like I really needed something else to consume my time! But I wanted to loose some weight, so I set the goal and was determined to do it! The entire process has been such a wonderful experience! I started training about 12 weeks ago. I found a training plan on line that a guy had made for his senior citizen mom to use to train for her first triathlon. I figured that would be a good plan for me! Having grown-up on a swim team, I wasn’t worried about the swim portion of the race. I wasn’t worried about the bike too much either, except for the fact that my bike is a $60 walmart bike! I was most concerned about the running. I hate to run! When I started training, I would run 1 minute and walk 2 and it was torture! But with persistence, I slowly learned to run at a steady pace for miles! When I would go for runs, I would carry a small card in my hand with prayer requests on it. It was a great time for me to pray for those I love and keep my mind off the pain!

As the triathlon drew closer, I became more and more nervous. Could I really do this? Was I going to come in last place? I continued to pray that God would give me the strength to finish and a peace to calm my nerves. I also prayed that he would give me someone to buddy with during the race, since I was doing it alone. God answered my prayers! Before the race started I met two women who had done a few triathlons and they were so sweet to talk with me and answer my questions. I had so much fun talking with them; I almost missed my swim start! Yikes! The bike portion would have been hard to do with a buddy, especially when everyone has $1,000 bikes and I had my 30lb walmart bike! I just used this time, all 18 miles, to enjoy God’s beauty in nature and soak it all in! When I got to the run, the first mile was pure pain! My legs felt like jelly and steel all mixed-up! I was tempted to walk, but I caught up with a 60 year-old man on mile 2 who was a Godsend! He encouraged me and finished out the race with me! I’m sure he could have just blown on, but he was so kind to stay my pace and chat as we finished the race!

Matt was preaching at a D-Now this weekend, so he wasn’t able to go with me to Lexington for the race. Thankfully I have some amazing friends that decided to go with me and be my cheerleaders! They were incredible support and I am so thankful they were there! Lindsey and Marisa would find me at different points throughout the race and cheer me on. It was so very encouraging! I also have the best parents in the world that drove up from Knoxville to see me race! I was so excited to see them all at the finish line! Thank you, Lord for this amazing journey and for caring me through! By the way, I finished the race and didn’t come in last place! J

One Step Closer

2008-10-03T22:36:00.006-04:00

Today we went to the office of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to file our I600A. We aren’t exactly sure what this document does/is, but we know it brings us one step closer to bringing home our family! When we arrived at the office, the lady asked us for a COPY of our passports and marriage license. We had brought the originals, but not copies. She kindly directed us to the post office, a block away, to make copies. Thankfully it was a beautiful day for a walk! Here are a couple of pictures of our journey downtown…

Empty Pockets, Willing Hearts

2008-09-28T00:39:00.003-04:00

I’m not going to lie; adoption is expensive! There are home study fees, application fees, collecting of official documents fees, agency fees, orphanage fees, travel fees, and on and on. To bring home our two children, we are looking at about $30,000. Do we have this money just lying around? Obviously notJ Should we have waited to start this process when we were “financially able”? Under normal circumstances the answer would be yes, but this is not a normal circumstance. We believe without a shadow of a doubt that when God calls us to something, he WILL provide. Let me share with you some of the many ways our Lord has provided for us during these first steps of our adoption.

Our first expense came when we had to send a $50 application fee to our home study agency. Two days later, we received an unexpected check from my work for… $50! This check brought assurance that we were indeed following God’s will and that he was going to take care of us every step of the way.

The next week we went to Nashville to visit family and friends and while we were there we had to pick up birth certificates and our marriage license (which costs…of course). After picking up our documents, we headed to dinner with our dear friends. This was also our first time meeting their beautiful new baby! During dinner Matt whispered to me, asking if I wanted him to share the news of the adoption with them. Before we could share, our friend came into the room with a card for us. She asked us to open it and inside was a very encouraging note and a check for $200! (We had forgotten that we had already shared our plan to adopt with them.J) And of course I cried as we saw once again how God was providing for our family.

It gets better! Mom had been sharing our story with a friend at work, who is also a believer. I will share more of this relationship later because it is nothing short of a miracle, but for now I will keep it to God’s provision financially. So, this special friend of moms, whom we have never met, sent us a check for $100! In the memo of her check she wrote, “when God calls, he provides”. My thoughts exactly!

Right now we are in the positive with the adoption! We have some much larger expenses coming in the next few weeks, but we aren’t worried. We know that God has called us to adoption, and he will provide. This same friend of moms sent her an email, which she forwarded to us. Here is some of what it said…

“Anytime God gives us a command, He has already provided for its accomplishment. But we have to do the hands-on, ‘certain of what we do not see’ (Hebrews 11:1-2). ~H. Blackaby and R. Edgemon

What are you holding back on doing that you know God wants you to do? Are you waiting for a ‘more opportune time?’ Better circumstances? More provision? I understand. But I also understand, in essence, we are not acting in faith until we act. Believing and doing are different things. If you’re holding back, let this prompt you to burst out of the gate and do whatever it is God has put on your heart. With your yes on the table, whatever else is needed will follow. ~V. Lee”

We are holding on to this truth that God will provide. I can’t wait to see how he will do it and whom he will use! And rest assured that I will share it with you!

Why Ethiopia?

2008-09-19T07:51:00.003-04:00

“How did you choose Ethiopia?” This is one of the first questions that we are asked when people find out we are adopting. Here are some of the reasons we have chosen Ethiopia.

*There are approximately 6 million orphans

*Less than 1% of foreign orphans will ever be adopted

*One out of every 20 children born alive die in their first month of life

*One in 6 children die before their fifth birthday.

*One in 10 children die before their first birthday.

*82% of the population survives on less than 1 dollar a day

*Only 24% of households have access to safe drinking water

*Ethiopia’s doctor to children ratio is 1 to 24,000

*About 72% of school age children have no access to formal education

*55% of Ethiopian children under the age of five are stunted due to malnutrition.

*Most importantly - Ethiopia is where God has called us, our children are there!

So Our Journey Begins

2008-09-18T11:35:00.004-04:00

As mentioned in the previous post, adoption has been on our minds. It has been on mine since I was a little girl. I always knew I wanted to adopt a child and when I met and married Matt, he too had the same desire. We thought we would have a few children biologically and then adopt a few more. Although this was our plan, God had something greater in store (because his plans are always best)!

Let me backtrack a little and bring you up to speed. Matt and I both have always desired a big family. We would have started expanding our family as soon as we married, but with him in school and me working, we decided to put that on hold for a little while. After about a year of marriage, we decided that God knew the best time for us to have a child, so we were going to leave it in his hands. We stopped all forms of pregnancy prevention and expected to get pregnant soon after. Over a year later, we were still without a child. We decided to make an appointment with an infertility doctor and found out that Matt needed surgery. After his surgery, we thought we were well on our way to expanding our family! Indeed we were, just not in the way we thought! A short month after his surgery, Matt left for 2-weeks of intense discipleship training in Texas. This took place in May. While Matt was away, God was dealing with both of us. God placed a man in Matt’s path while in Texas who runs an orphanage in Africa. Through his interactions with this man, Matt started giving more serious thought to adoption. He admits that he was a little nervous about sharing this news with me, but did anyway. He came back from Texas and shared with me that he felt the Lord speaking to him about adoption. To his surprise, I had been feeling the same thing! Not only had God been speaking to both of us about adoption, but he also laid on both of our hearts to adopt 2 children! We spent the majority of the summer talking about this decision and praying about it. Several times throughout the summer the Lord would speak to both of us separately, but when we would share our thoughts with each other we realized that we had been receiving the same message from the Lord. It has truly been an amazing experience. Because of this, we felt full confidence that we should precede with the adoption. Not AFTER biological children, but NOW! So we praise God in all circumstances, even infertility, because we know that his plan never fails and neither does his love and provision.

In August, as I was starting back to school and Matt was starting a new job, we began the adoption process! The Lord has led us to two children in Ethiopia! We haven’t seen them yet, we don’t know their names, but we are already crazy about them! We have our final home study visit on Tuesday and then start all of our paperwork. Please pray for us as we travel this journey. Pray for our children. Our hope is to bring them home sometime during the summer of 2009. And so our journey begins…

All In A Name

2008-08-13T22:39:00.005-04:00

"In love, he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace..."

~Ephesians 1:4c-6a

As we were throwing around ideas for a blog name, we wanted to come up with something that describes us to the fullest extent. We thought of bogus names, we put our initials together to make words, and we came up with serious phrases too. We decided on the latter. As Christians, we believe

that everything we do (even blogs) should reflect Christ and our lives should be an image of God's love. So, with adoption on our minds (more of this to come later :)), we were lead to Ephesians 1. When we become Christians we become children of God; God adopts us into the intimacy of his family through Christ Jesus. How amazing that the God of the universe willed for us to be in his family! So this is how our blog name came to be. We believe that We Are Adopted describes us to the fullest extent. We are children of God, plain and simple. And as children of God, our greatest desire is to reflect our family heritage in all that we do. May this blog be used by God to show others his love.