Where to Begin?!?

I guess I'll start with the most exciting news regarding our adoption. Our homestudy is FINISHED and on its way to our adoption agency! YIPPEE! We also received a phone call from the U.S. Department of Citizenship and Immigration last week to let us know that they didn't have record of our payment for our FBI background checks. Yikes! Good thing I had the receipt, which I promptly faxed to them. I was told we should receive our fingerprint appointment soon and that the appointment would likely be within the month. Yay! I'm trying not to get my hopes up since I know this part of the process can be slow, but just hearing something from USCIS made me excited.

Now for more exciting news. We were blessed to be a part of a gathering of six other adopting families that all go to our church this past Friday night. Our elders and their wives spent the evening talking with us about orphan care and praying over our adoptions. It was so encouraging to be a part of such a loving, supportive, and most of all Christ-seeking group. We all share a passion for orphans and there is not a doubt in my mind that a movement of the Holy Spirit is happening among God's people everywhere to care for orphans. I'm so thankful that our church family is taking part in orphan care and that so many families are seeking God's will for them to adopt. Since that meeting, I have learned of two other families who have committed to adopt and one other family that is strongly considering adoption-all in our church family. How awesome it is to witness first-hand and be a part of God's movement in his people! I'm humbled that God chose us to adopt. I'm unworthy and definitely unable to do it without him! Won't it be awesome for adoption to be such a normal thing for all of our children as they grow up together? I am giddy just thinking about how God is working and so excited to see who else God calls to adopt one of his precious children.

And for my last piece of exciting news. We were totally blown away by a message we received yesterday from a former student from our campus ministry program at University Church. During her time at UA, she was one of our "adopted students." (Our church matches college students with families in our church to give them a "family" while they are away from home). She is now a young professional in Atlanta and her church there received a donation of 1.5 million dollars to be given away to people in need. Each member of the church was given $1250 to give away. She told us that after a lot of prayer, she wanted to give it to us to help bring Sarge home!!! Can you imagine how emotional I am just typing that right now? Multiply that times a hundred and that's how I felt when I got her message. I was totally humbled, honored, surprised, moved to tears, etc., etc., etc.!!! What an awesome and unexpected gift. GOD IS GOOD! I'm sharing that because I really hope that if you are reading this and you are considering adoption, DO NOT LET SATAN USE MONEY AS AN OBSTACLE. Trust in God. Pray about it. If God is calling you to adopt, he WILL provide. He just will. I have been convinced that the expense of adoption is a tool of the enemy to keep orphans, children who are especially close to God's heart, from finding loving families. Don't let Satan convince you otherwise and don't let him win. How sad would it be to stand before God and find out that he just wanted you to trust him in his plans for you to adopt and you let something as meaningless as material possessions or money get in the way? I realize these are strong words, but they are not my words, they are God's. He tells us, ""Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths" (Proverbs 3:5,6). Trust God to provide for your adoption and he will not fail you.