God’s blessing already April 24, 2008

I’m not sure how to say what I truly feel here. I know the title above gives some indication, obviously. There are times in life when you know that God blesses you (your health, a good job, a wonderful wife, etc) and then there are times when that blessing is so at odds with your sense of normalcy and justice that is almost makes you break down in a spirit of humility at how much God loves us and wants to bless us. It makes you wonder if you really know God, or if the best and deepest relationship with God that you can manage would still just be the tip of the iceberg.

When it comes to paying for an adoption, every couple that we have talked to has said almost the same thing: “We didn’t know where the money was going to come from, but God provided it right when we needed it”….Well, that just happened to us in a very real way. The math is pretty simple – we needed $1,000 to complete our contract with the adoption agency. We had not even really gotten the word out completely – we haven’t even sent out our sponsor letter. We had only told our small group, some friends, and our families. However, today we received a check in the mail for exactly $1,000. We were floored…we ended up in a state of tears for about a half an hour. I even lost my appetite for dinner (and for those of you who know me, that is saying something!). It was truly a humbling experience – that is the best way we know how to describe it. The bottom line is that God blesses his children – period…regardless of whether or not you prayed ‘enough’ that day, or read your bible ‘enough’ that day, or if you felt Christian ‘enough’. God’s blessing is real, whether we believe we deserve it or not – and when you find yourself in the crosshairs of his awesome unrelenting grace, it is truly a humbling, life-changing experience.

–Kent

One down April 23, 2008

Our social worker just left.  We have completed our home visit and we have 90% of our paperwork complete!  WOOHOO!  We still have a pretty good amount of stuff to accomplish, but we are well on our way! 

Tonight is the first night that all of this has felt real.  I was actually standing at the door saying good bye to our social worker and I suddenly had this huge realization that I am on my way to becoming a mother!  I teared up a little bit.

I’m exhausted and my eyes are tired.  More tomorrow.

Gearing Up April 21, 2008

Well things are underway and moving right along.  Tuesday night is our first home visit!  We are excited about finally getting things started.  It seems like they are moving along quickly.  We’ve completed a good portion of our paperwork and Kent has got his physical completed today.  Plans are shaping up for our 5K walk.  The only weekend available was Father’s Day weekend.  I know that will hinder the turnout, but I do think it’s appropriate to have it on that day because the money we will raise from the walk will allow Kent to celebrate Father’s Day soon! 

Please continue to pray for our fund raising efforts.  Please pray for our child and for the birthmother of our child.  Thank you for joining with us.

 

On your mark April 17, 2008

We’ve finally reached the starting line!  After a few months of regrouping, we are finally ready to start our adoption process.  We were feeling pretty burdened with the weight of the debt we were carrying from the IVF so we stopped everything and took a few months to steady our footing.  During this time, a miracle took place.  We still owed $11,000 on our IVF.  We’d paid down the balance from $22,000 and still had a little over half left to pay.  We were fully expecting to take a year at least to pay off the rest.  However, God provided a way for us to pay off the balance at the beginning of April!  Through our tax refund and a commission check Kent got from work, it was exactly the amount we needed to pay off everything and be completely DEBT FREE! 

Now we can begin our journey with a lighter step.  Even though the thought of raising $30,000 is overwhelming, I know God will provide a way.

We are working on our home study packet right now and soon we will have our first home visit.  I hope they don’t deduct points for dog hair on the couch.