Blessed With Mother's Day Mail

 

 

When a holiday hurts because of empty, aching arms, the sweet + uplifting words of other adoptive mamas heals some of the pain.

 

When most people we know either can't think of any words to say to mothers-in-waiting, or don't think of recognizing us at all yet...those that do speak words of wisdom and those that do recognize us...they help. They know. They feel with us.

 

I was so blessed last week to receive four beautiful cards from four beautiful women. I have not met these women--I only know them from a Facebook adoption group. But, they made me smile this last Mother's Day weekend--with gratitude for connections and hope for motherhood.

 

To know I am being prayed for is so comforting. And to know my children and their birth families are being prayed for--wow. It leaves me speechless. And so thankful.

 

Lovely Scripture these women wrote out for me:

 

He settles the childless woman in her home as a happy mother of children. Praise the Lord.

~Psalm 113:9

 

Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

~2 Corinthians 1:3-4

 

I am counting on the Lord; yes, I am counting on Him. I have put my hope in His word."

~Psalm 130:5

approved-a-versary

 

 

Yesterday, May 8th, is the 1 year anniversary of when we learned we were approved into the All God's Children Ethiopia program!

 

In last year's post Approved!, I said that the three emotions I was feeling were:

 

THRILLED

GRATEFUL

ECSTATIC

 

Now? Still very thrilled. Still very grateful. Still very ecstatic!

 

We wonder why God chose us.

 

He chose to bring together a small-town farmer's daughter from Wisconsin and a baker's son from Washington. He chose for us to endure infertility. He chose for us to adopt from Ethiopia. He chose for us to be mommy and daddy to at least one little baby from Africa.

 

Sometimes this feels like a very difficult route. It is!

 

But this route requires us to trust Jesus in faith. Without faith, there would only be despair for us. All that would be left would be longing, sadness, and impatience. Faith is everything.

 

Jesus is everything.

 

So we wait in the Presence of Jesus. We hold His hand and give Him thanks and praise for being the God who gives and takes away.

 

He is our Strength.

He is our Shield.

He is our Hope.

Six Months Dreaming

 

We have been on the waitlist to adopt for 6 months today!

 

We are...probably not even 1/8th of the way to our referral.

 

We are...sad that just 6 months into this process our girl number did not move at all and our sibling number went up 3--the opposite way.

 

**This happens when families ahead of us on the list expand their parameters from boy list only to include girl list or sibling list as well. Instead of being placed at the end of the list, they are placed based on the date they joined their initial list/s. Also, some families are placed on hold due to a concurrent adoption or pregnancy, and then added back on at a certain time.**

 

We are also...in awe of God's timing. Sometimes we think 'now' is better. But it is not! God surely knows what is best for us and for His plan for the greater picture.

 

But, most of all,

 

We are...blessed.

 

It is really that simple.

 

When we slow down and walk hand-in-hand with our Creator, He is truly all that matters!

 

I have memorized this verse, and it has become very useful in squashing fears, like a hammer!

 

He will have no fear of bad news;

His heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.

~Psalm 112:7



April Numbers!

Today we received our April waitlist numbers from AGCI!

 

Our new numbers are:

 

125

For a girl 0-12 months old

AND

58

For siblings--a girl 0-12 months old and a birthsister 0-5 years old

We moved 0 spots down on the girls list and 3 spots up on the siblings list!

Overall, we have moved 14 spots down on the girls list and 5 spots down on the siblings list.

As the mountains surround Jerusalem,

so the Lord surrounds his people

both now and forevermore.

Psalm 125:2

I have sought your face with all my heart;

be gracious to me according to your promise.

Psalm 119:58