Well, here we are at the 9 month mark of our wait for baby 2. I like to tell people that I look good for being 9 months expecting. Everyone gets a good laugh at that. Humor makes the wait seem shorter. But while we wait, there is so much to think about.
Lately, I have been pondering how hard it will be for our children to grow up in this crazy world where the "normal" and the "accepted right" are so very opposite to what the Scriptures say. Homosexuality and abortion are the "hot" topics in the media...and they are two topics that we are going to have to explain to our children. It is a scary world that children are born into. I feel so sorry for them because what was not accepted when I was a child 30+years ago is totally accepted now. Society is free fall of sin and godlessness that one day will come to end when the Lord Jesus returns for his children, puts the ca-bosh on the whole dealio, and creates a new heaven and new earth. Until that glorious day, we are instructed to raise our children in the "nurture and admonition of the Lord" (Eph. 6:4) and teach our children what the Bible says on the happenings in society, It is a tough job, and it is only gonna get tougher.
So what do waiting and the demise of society have in common? For us a believers it is Jesus Christ-- the One who is the same yesterday, today and forever--the One who is omnipotent (all powerful), omniscient (all knowing), and omnipresent (everywhere present). God knows where our child is right now. He is actually right there with the child and birthparents, and he is powerful enough to supersede any agency or plan to bring that child to us when it is the appointed time. God ordained from before time began that the child who would come to us through another woman's womb would be born in this day and time. Knowing that HE knew/knows all this, gives me the confidence that when the time is right, we will meet our child, and God will give us the wisdom to raise the child in this day of adversity.
So, while wait, I learn to trust I learn to depend on the One who is so much stronger than me. I learn that when I am weak, he is strong. I learn that man plans his course but the Lord directs his steps (Prov. 16:9). I learn to "wait on the Lord for my strength to be renewed" (Is. 40:31). And I pray with all my heart for a baby whom I have yet to meet but whom I love with every fiber of my being and long to hold. This is my calling. This the plan God has laid out for my life (Jer. 29:11) and it is very good.
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Waiting, Thinking, and Dreaming
Ok, so it has been a while since you heard from me. Sorry about that. Life has been busy lately, but not on our adoption front. Seems like NOTHING is happening for us. as far as we know, the agency is not working with any birth moms who are interested in our profile. Oh, I know that God is working on fronts not seen, but this waiting thing is driving me crazy! If you know me well, then you know that patience is not my strongest suit. Yet here I am...here WE are.
Like any expectant parent, the wait to hold that little bundle of joy is excruciating. Unlike biological families, adoptive families don't have an 8-9 month away due date. The adoption wait time for placement is indefinite and impossible to put a time frame on. Some adoptive families are placed with babies close to home study approval or before they even have funds raised. I even know two different families who were asked to parent a baby even before they had completed homestudies! Some families wait 3+ years. For some, infant adoption, sadly, never happens. Reality tell me that we are only about 6 months into the "official wait time" after home study completion. My heart tells me that there is this piece of my heart (and our family) missing and that baby needs to get here NOW!
I love to tell people that we are expecting. The looks of their faces as they look at my (ever-shrinking!) waist are humorous mixtures of expectancy, confusion, and bewilderment. I love to tell people that we are growing our family! Adoption is my favorite topic. Joshua's story is fun to tell. I love how God brought him to our lives and tell him often that "I waited my whole life just to be your mommy." I am sure that I could never have written a story as unique and awesome as the one God wrote when he planned how he would bring Joshua to us after 12 years of waiting and infertility. And I know the story of how Baby #2 becomes part of our family will be just as awesome and God-fingerprinted. I just want to know it now. Like the end of a good book or a riveting movie, the way is unknown to us, and we are so curious to know it!
The wait is hard. I am not going to lie. When I hear of families being placed with a child, I get the same excitement/longing as I did when we were childless and I heard of yet another pregnancy. I am thrilled beyond measure when I learn of miraculous adoption placements...and yet I am filled with longing for our little one. I dream of him/her/them. I try, just like a biologically expectant mama. to imagine what the little one looks like, what they might become, how unique his/her/their little personality will be, and so on. The wait feels terminal...and exciting!
Soooo...here we are. Waiting. Thinking. Dreaming. Expecting. Would you pray for us to be patient? Would you pray for our child's birth mother/father to be healthy and safe and to make wise choices for themselves and the little one? Would you pray for our baby to grow healthy? Would you pray for the birthfamily as they prepare to make a very hard decision? Would you pray that God will bring our paths together in HIS timing and that we will wait on Him? We could sure you the prayers. Thank you for reading this mama's heart cry today.
Like any expectant parent, the wait to hold that little bundle of joy is excruciating. Unlike biological families, adoptive families don't have an 8-9 month away due date. The adoption wait time for placement is indefinite and impossible to put a time frame on. Some adoptive families are placed with babies close to home study approval or before they even have funds raised. I even know two different families who were asked to parent a baby even before they had completed homestudies! Some families wait 3+ years. For some, infant adoption, sadly, never happens. Reality tell me that we are only about 6 months into the "official wait time" after home study completion. My heart tells me that there is this piece of my heart (and our family) missing and that baby needs to get here NOW!
I love to tell people that we are expecting. The looks of their faces as they look at my (ever-shrinking!) waist are humorous mixtures of expectancy, confusion, and bewilderment. I love to tell people that we are growing our family! Adoption is my favorite topic. Joshua's story is fun to tell. I love how God brought him to our lives and tell him often that "I waited my whole life just to be your mommy." I am sure that I could never have written a story as unique and awesome as the one God wrote when he planned how he would bring Joshua to us after 12 years of waiting and infertility. And I know the story of how Baby #2 becomes part of our family will be just as awesome and God-fingerprinted. I just want to know it now. Like the end of a good book or a riveting movie, the way is unknown to us, and we are so curious to know it!
The wait is hard. I am not going to lie. When I hear of families being placed with a child, I get the same excitement/longing as I did when we were childless and I heard of yet another pregnancy. I am thrilled beyond measure when I learn of miraculous adoption placements...and yet I am filled with longing for our little one. I dream of him/her/them. I try, just like a biologically expectant mama. to imagine what the little one looks like, what they might become, how unique his/her/their little personality will be, and so on. The wait feels terminal...and exciting!
Soooo...here we are. Waiting. Thinking. Dreaming. Expecting. Would you pray for us to be patient? Would you pray for our child's birth mother/father to be healthy and safe and to make wise choices for themselves and the little one? Would you pray for our baby to grow healthy? Would you pray for the birthfamily as they prepare to make a very hard decision? Would you pray that God will bring our paths together in HIS timing and that we will wait on Him? We could sure you the prayers. Thank you for reading this mama's heart cry today.
Monday, April 6, 2015
FULLY FUNDED! (Jehovah-Jireh-The Lord will provide.)
God has been at work again this weekend. From Thursday to Saturday, God brought in another $550 for baby fund. I am awed at how God is doing this. One pair of donors requested that we not thank them for the contribution, but rather thank God who gave them an abundance so they could have the privilege to share. I thought alot about that. Their sweet, humble spirits point us to Christ, the giver of all good gifts. I do thank God for his provisions. I thank Him that he nudged hearts to donate to our miracle. There are lots of good causes for which we have opportunities to share. There are so many requests for monetary donations in this world today. Eric and I are touched that so many people have been submissive to the Holy Spirit and given to help us bring home baby 2. In a day and time when expenses are high and cost of living rising, God once again defied all odds. Amazing. Jehovah-jireh - the Lord will provide. We are humbled. AND.......
We are excited to announce......that with the combination of funds raised and the money from the job that the Lord gave me (Which I forgot to add in this morning!).....WE ARE FULLY FUNDED!! God has used so many believers to bring us to be fully funded...in less than a year! (Unless God brings us Twins! hahaha! Then that is another story!).When we started fundraising for this adoption last July, we were overwhelmed by the high dollar amount. We put in $6,000 from our savings to get us started. We didn't know exactly how God was going to bring it all in, but we knew he would. He enabled us to save some money by being extremely frugal and we were able to add another $1,000. Then he gave me a job, which has added the final amount needed and a little extra (which we will keep on saving in case God does give us twins.ha!) God.Is.Awesome.
Thank you to all our friends and family who have donated and prayed. We are so very thankful for you. Please keep up the prayers.Pray for the baby and the birth parents. Pray for good health. For wise counsel. For peace in decisions. Also please pray for us. Now we have no "goals to achieve," the wait may seem terminal. And my curiosity is killing me. My imagination is working overtime. We have baby clothes for both genders, so that is set. However, it is really hard to set up a nursery without a gender idea and with no supplies. We will begin looking for nursery stuff here soon. (YAY!!)
I hope that God brings him/her/them soon. I like to tell people that I am expecting but I just dont know when I am due. With Joshua it took almost exactly 2years and one disrupted adoption. I hope for a shorter, less painful path this time. But the Lord plans our steps. He knows what the path will be. He goes before us. He protects from behind. He walk with us. So now, we wait. We dream. We trust in the Almighty God to work out his will in our lives. We are so excited! Stay tuned for updates. As they come, we will let you know!
Thank you for sharing our journey.
We are excited to announce......that with the combination of funds raised and the money from the job that the Lord gave me (Which I forgot to add in this morning!).....WE ARE FULLY FUNDED!! God has used so many believers to bring us to be fully funded...in less than a year! (Unless God brings us Twins! hahaha! Then that is another story!).When we started fundraising for this adoption last July, we were overwhelmed by the high dollar amount. We put in $6,000 from our savings to get us started. We didn't know exactly how God was going to bring it all in, but we knew he would. He enabled us to save some money by being extremely frugal and we were able to add another $1,000. Then he gave me a job, which has added the final amount needed and a little extra (which we will keep on saving in case God does give us twins.ha!) God.Is.Awesome.
Thank you to all our friends and family who have donated and prayed. We are so very thankful for you. Please keep up the prayers.Pray for the baby and the birth parents. Pray for good health. For wise counsel. For peace in decisions. Also please pray for us. Now we have no "goals to achieve," the wait may seem terminal. And my curiosity is killing me. My imagination is working overtime. We have baby clothes for both genders, so that is set. However, it is really hard to set up a nursery without a gender idea and with no supplies. We will begin looking for nursery stuff here soon. (YAY!!)
I hope that God brings him/her/them soon. I like to tell people that I am expecting but I just dont know when I am due. With Joshua it took almost exactly 2years and one disrupted adoption. I hope for a shorter, less painful path this time. But the Lord plans our steps. He knows what the path will be. He goes before us. He protects from behind. He walk with us. So now, we wait. We dream. We trust in the Almighty God to work out his will in our lives. We are so excited! Stay tuned for updates. As they come, we will let you know!
Thank you for sharing our journey.
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
"Faithful is he who calls you who also will do it." I Thess. 5:24
I have posted a lot lately, but I am so excited that I want to share the God is doing! Look how God provides. Look how God tells the doubters that this is his plan! LOOK WHAT God is doing!
Since my last post on Sunday, $300 more has come in! 2 donations via our Paypal link (to the right of this blog) and 3 donations via personal checks. We are now UNDER a $1000!! I am awed.
We started this Take 2 journey in June of 2014, and look what God has done in less than 12 months! We started with $6,000 from savings (and some left from our previous adoption fund) and then saved another $1,000. God has used 3 private home parties/fundraisers, a giant yard sale, a spaghetti dinner, a concert, the sell of personal goods online, and gifts from individuals to bring in almost $10,100. God has provided $7,500 in grants that have been promised by ShowHope and the NAMB minister's adoption grant. I am amazed. I am grateful. I love the affirmation that we are on the right track. I love the confirmation of I Thessalonians 5:24, "Faithful is he who calls you who also will do it."
THANK YOU!
Since my last post on Sunday, $300 more has come in! 2 donations via our Paypal link (to the right of this blog) and 3 donations via personal checks. We are now UNDER a $1000!! I am awed.
We started this Take 2 journey in June of 2014, and look what God has done in less than 12 months! We started with $6,000 from savings (and some left from our previous adoption fund) and then saved another $1,000. God has used 3 private home parties/fundraisers, a giant yard sale, a spaghetti dinner, a concert, the sell of personal goods online, and gifts from individuals to bring in almost $10,100. God has provided $7,500 in grants that have been promised by ShowHope and the NAMB minister's adoption grant. I am amazed. I am grateful. I love the affirmation that we are on the right track. I love the confirmation of I Thessalonians 5:24, "Faithful is he who calls you who also will do it."
THANK YOU!
Sunday, March 29, 2015
God is Able
This morning in church we sang the song "God is Able" by Hillsong. Here are the lyrics:
"God Is Able"
"God Is Able"
Verse 1
God is able.
He will never fail.
He is almighty God.
Greater than all we seek.
Greater than all we ask.
He has done great things.
Verse 2
God is with us.
God is on our side.
He will make a way.
Far above all we know.
Far above all we hope.
He has done great things.
Chorus
Lifted up,
He defeated the grave.
Raised to life,
Our God is able.
In His name,
We overcome.
For the Lord o
ur God is able
Bridge
God is with us.
He will go before.
He will never leave us.
He will never leave us.
God is for us.
He has open arms.
He will never fail us.
He will never fail us.
The words in the first verse really spoke the prayer of my heart "Far above all we know. Far above all we hope. He has done great things." God has awed me. I always knew that he would take care of the finances for our adoption. I never doubted it. When you know you are in the center of God's will, you have that confidence. In fact, money is not usually something I excessively stress over because I have seen God provide for my needs so many times in my life in ways that exceed my comprehension. It is always out of my control. We just try to practice good stewardship and frugal living. I tend to stress on the details that I can control--the logistics of an event, feeding the crew, making sure that everything flows, etc.
Everything for the concert went off like it was supposed to -- almost like planned. When the offering was received and counted, my world was rocked...and I was humbled. God had done it again. He brought in more than I thought. I was rejoicing. And then come church this morning. People stopped me and handed me more donations. I was filled with gratitude.
Eric and I came home and put all funds together and got the deposit slip ready for the bank. $525 more dollars came in this morning, This brings our total for this event to $2360.57. We are about $1200 from being fully funded. Amazing. My God did this. My God is able. Thank you, God! Thank you for using your people to minister to this pastor's family--to this mama. Thank YOU for your part in our miracle.
Saturday, March 28, 2015
"This is the Lord's doing. It is marvelous in our eyes." (Psalm 118:23)
So, last night was our All For Love Adoption Concert. All I can say is WOW! God used you to do it. The music was amazing, if I don't say so myself (but I don't only have to rely on my biased opinion, as I have heard several positive comments from others in attendance. About 55 people were in attendance. Those 55 people raised $1,835.57. (That 57 cents is very important too. I was told that a little girl placed a bag of change in the basket.) Wow! The Lord showed us that he doesn't need large numbers to do amazing things. We are awed by the way God used all of you to bring us to almost fully funded! We now have $23,241.57 of the needed $25,000!! We are so close! Spence Baby 2 can come anytime now and we would not go into debt...THANK YOU!! We are rejoicing. "This is the Lord's doing. It is marvelous in our eyes." (Psalm 118:23) Some folks gave out of their own limited funds to have a part in our miracle. We are truly humbled. Thank you. Some folks gave out of their abundance for a cause they believed in. We are again humbled. Thank you. Words fail to express the gratitude that is overflowing from our hearts.
Please continue to pray for us as we wait for our little one. Please pray for the birth parents as they make the choice to give life and them to place the child for adoption. All adoptions come from a hard place, so pain is inevitable. Pray for safety and good health for the birth mom and baby. Please pray for us to have patience and to not lose sight of the goal. This time of waiting and wondering can be nerve-racking. We don't have a set "9 months" like a most families do. Our time sometimes seems interminably long. Help us to rest in the strong arms of the Father who loves us and who has the baby and birth family in the palm of his hand. Thank you.
On another note, I am continuing to work with TruBlue part time in order to earn the needed remainder of funds and then to save for the inevitable needed supplies that a new baby requires. I am very thankful for the job the Lord has provided.
Thank you for reading. Thank you for praying. Thank you for praying. Thank you for your part in our miracle.
Please continue to pray for us as we wait for our little one. Please pray for the birth parents as they make the choice to give life and them to place the child for adoption. All adoptions come from a hard place, so pain is inevitable. Pray for safety and good health for the birth mom and baby. Please pray for us to have patience and to not lose sight of the goal. This time of waiting and wondering can be nerve-racking. We don't have a set "9 months" like a most families do. Our time sometimes seems interminably long. Help us to rest in the strong arms of the Father who loves us and who has the baby and birth family in the palm of his hand. Thank you.
On another note, I am continuing to work with TruBlue part time in order to earn the needed remainder of funds and then to save for the inevitable needed supplies that a new baby requires. I am very thankful for the job the Lord has provided.
Thank you for reading. Thank you for praying. Thank you for praying. Thank you for your part in our miracle.
Monday, March 16, 2015
Bad News or Good News - God is in Control!
3/13/15 (Friday)
I received a letter today. It was one that I had hoped would bear good news for us. It did not. We did not receive one of the grants we applied for back in December. I know that the grant reviewers have really tough decisions to make regarding limited fund disbursement. I know that there are hundreds of applicants for every session. Even though we did not receive the grant, I am surprisingly not discouraged. See, I know that "my God shall supply all your (our) need according to his riches in Christ Jesus." (Phil. 4:19). I also know that "faithful is he who calls you who also will do it." (I Thess. 5:24). God has lead down this path of adoption. He knew that we would not be able to have biological children and chose to build our family this way. Families are built all sorts of ways. For us, at this point, domestic infant adoption is the way. I know some question our decision to go down this costly road when there are other less expensive ways to adopt, but this is the way that God has led us.Not every adoption route is for every person. We will continue forward down the path the Lord has called us. I refuse to be afraid that the funds won't come in or that people won't understand. We answer to the God who made the heavens and owns the cattle on a thousand hills. He promises to provide.
3/16/15 (Monday) - As I write this I am smiling very brightly, shaking all over, and shedding happy tears. My heart is singing "Thank you, Jesus! Thank you, Jesus!" Why, you might ask? Well today we received good news! The Bible tells us in Proverbs 25:25 that good news from a far country is as refreshing as cool water to a weary soul. Well, good news came, and I am refreshed and enlivened! See, today we received word back from another grant agency, Show Hope (/showhope.org/). They are graciously giving us a $7,000 grant for our adoption! $7,000!! Out of all the applicants, God led them to choose us. I am in awe. I am pumped! My son watched me with wide eyes as I jumped around the house shouting "Jesus! Jesus! Oh my goodness! Thank you, Jesus!" As tears poured down my face and I impatiently tried to get Eric to answer his phone, I kept repeating the same thing-"Jesus! Jesus!" HE DID IT! God reminded me that he is going to take care of bringing in the funds for us to bring home our next child. I am pumped.
Now, all that being said, we still have need of funds. Here are a few ways that you can be part of our miracle. 1) There is a concert on Friday night, March 27 at 7pm at Yorkminster Presbyterian Church in Grafton. Please come.Bring a friend. Bring an enemy (they might come to know Jesus). There will be a love offering taken, but giving will be at your discretion. No dollar amounts set. No limitations on who comes. It would be so encouraging to sing to a church full of people. So come one, come all!! 2) There is also a Pay pal link on the home page of our blog. The link is attached to baby fund, so all donations go directly into an account designated for baby.
THANK YOU-- for reading, for praying, for giving. Your support gives strength as we wait for and anticipate bringing home our child.
I received a letter today. It was one that I had hoped would bear good news for us. It did not. We did not receive one of the grants we applied for back in December. I know that the grant reviewers have really tough decisions to make regarding limited fund disbursement. I know that there are hundreds of applicants for every session. Even though we did not receive the grant, I am surprisingly not discouraged. See, I know that "my God shall supply all your (our) need according to his riches in Christ Jesus." (Phil. 4:19). I also know that "faithful is he who calls you who also will do it." (I Thess. 5:24). God has lead down this path of adoption. He knew that we would not be able to have biological children and chose to build our family this way. Families are built all sorts of ways. For us, at this point, domestic infant adoption is the way. I know some question our decision to go down this costly road when there are other less expensive ways to adopt, but this is the way that God has led us.Not every adoption route is for every person. We will continue forward down the path the Lord has called us. I refuse to be afraid that the funds won't come in or that people won't understand. We answer to the God who made the heavens and owns the cattle on a thousand hills. He promises to provide.
3/16/15 (Monday) - As I write this I am smiling very brightly, shaking all over, and shedding happy tears. My heart is singing "Thank you, Jesus! Thank you, Jesus!" Why, you might ask? Well today we received good news! The Bible tells us in Proverbs 25:25 that good news from a far country is as refreshing as cool water to a weary soul. Well, good news came, and I am refreshed and enlivened! See, today we received word back from another grant agency, Show Hope (/showhope.org/). They are graciously giving us a $7,000 grant for our adoption! $7,000!! Out of all the applicants, God led them to choose us. I am in awe. I am pumped! My son watched me with wide eyes as I jumped around the house shouting "Jesus! Jesus! Oh my goodness! Thank you, Jesus!" As tears poured down my face and I impatiently tried to get Eric to answer his phone, I kept repeating the same thing-"Jesus! Jesus!" HE DID IT! God reminded me that he is going to take care of bringing in the funds for us to bring home our next child. I am pumped.
Now, all that being said, we still have need of funds. Here are a few ways that you can be part of our miracle. 1) There is a concert on Friday night, March 27 at 7pm at Yorkminster Presbyterian Church in Grafton. Please come.Bring a friend. Bring an enemy (they might come to know Jesus). There will be a love offering taken, but giving will be at your discretion. No dollar amounts set. No limitations on who comes. It would be so encouraging to sing to a church full of people. So come one, come all!! 2) There is also a Pay pal link on the home page of our blog. The link is attached to baby fund, so all donations go directly into an account designated for baby.
THANK YOU-- for reading, for praying, for giving. Your support gives strength as we wait for and anticipate bringing home our child.
Monday, February 9, 2015
Poster for the All For Love - Take 2 Concert
I finally finished the advertising for the concert, and I am quite pleased with the results. Please feel free to print and/or share it with as many people as possible. In about 8 days, we will have pocket-sized postcards available for passing along, too! Please invite as many people as possible. It is going to be an awesome concert!
The Following link will take you to a printable PDF. Copy and paste into your browser. https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7DOea8izwYHc182SGRXLU4xVUk/view?usp=sharing
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| Add caption |
Sunday, January 25, 2015
Fundraising: A Concert and a Job
SAVE THE DATE FOR A CONCERT
All for Love - Take 2
Friday, March 27 @ 7:00 pm
Yorkminster Presbyterian Church
Another avenue of fundraising that we are pursuing is for me (Virginia) to take a part time job. I am now a part time house cleaner with TruBlue of Yorktown. Money from this job will go directly into Baby Fund 2.
Please feel free to share this blog (and our story) with friends and family. The more people praying the better! On the blog home page you can find the latest updates, a fundraising thermometer, and a Paypal link for online donations.
Thanks so much for your prayer and support!
~Eric and Virginia
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