9 months!

"Indescribable, uncontainable, You placed the stars in the sky and you know them by name You are amazing God!"

We have just celebrated our 9 month anniversary in our adoption journey! How exciting!  We received the call on November 11, 2011 that we were officially accepted into the Ethiopia program at America World Adoption Association.  This date had significant meaning to me.  If you look at the date numerically it would be 11-11-11. The number one is defined as a new beginning spiritually.  A new beginning would definitely describe the journey of adopting our children.

I would have never thought in my wildest dreams that God would allow me to go through a transformation this big.  Now that I am here, I can look back and see that this adoption was in His plans all along.  For many people, adoption just doesn't make sense.  And trust me I get that.  I think that God chooses special people to endure this journey.  It may be difficult for others to understand why anyone would want to travel across the world to adopt a child.  And for those individuals I always say because love is compelling me to trust God with His decisions.  God chose me and Shawn for this journey for some reason and I am grateful that we did not pass up this opportunity.

 I can see how God was preparing Shawn and I for this beginning our first year of marriage.  We had the awesome opportunity of raising a family member for 5 years off and on.  During this time we both learned so much about parenting, protecting, praying, trusting and most of all the love of God. I began to thank God even more during this time for his will not knowing what He had in store for me. 

"As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him." 2 Samuel 22:31



During this time I watched God do some amazing things with the young lady who He entrusted us with.  He was able to take a little girl who had lost so much and introduce Himself to her.  From that relationship to now, God has been doing a work on my heart.  I am realizing that family is not just about blood relationships but a family is birthed out of love.   

So now I am here, at a place where I am trusting God with this journey.  Yes I have my hard days where I want to fall apart but something inside of me just won't break.  In this season, I have been fighting with the word of God and also the promises that he has made for me.  For those who are currently adopting and in the waiting process, God knows and His timing is perfect.  It may seem like this is a hard cross to bare, especially when there are so many people who just don't get how and why someone would choose to go through this.  But stay the course!  Be steadfast and unmovable and trust that God has already planned an exit date for this journey.

Through these nine months of trusting God I have noticed that my praise has not wavered.   I have a praise for God that is continually on my lips. I recognize with everyday that passes, I know we are one day closer to holding our babies and bringing them home. Although Adoption has its hard days I will still testify to anyone I speak with, that Adoption is not our second choice of a family, but it was and is our first.  God chooses different paths for everyone and as we continue to push through this phase in my life I will continue to give God  ALL the glory for choosing us for this task.

God is good and He is sustaining us.  9 months and very much excited to see what God is going to do!