A Huge Announcement...

So...I thought about starting this post so many different ways, but I just have to blurt it out.

 

Today, July 7, 2014...we were officially accepted into our agency's Haiti program!!

On July 1, 2014 we had submitted our application. This comes
as a surprise to many because we were told we had to wait until August 1...and yes, we had a countdown going. Well...we have since changed agencies and this one said to start July 1. Basically, the sooner, the better. So we got to apply on a dear friends birthday and that day will forever be special to our family.

For those that have followed along with us for a long time, you know how long this has been prayed for. It started when I was 4. Josh and I have been praying about it for all 7 years of our marriage. And today, God said, "Go!"

We wondered why God kept having us wait. I mean, adoption is a command in His word. Why wouldn't He want us to adopt NOW? It's so funny thinking back to those questions...because now we can see exactly why He had us wait. If we hadn't have waited we wouldn't have ended up adopting from Haiti. If we had gone off of our timeline we wouldn't have been in a financial spot to be able to pursue this adoption. Our marriage has only strengthened in the wait. AND God brought us to the orphanage and agency that truly encompasses what we had been praying for in regards to the importance of adopting TRUE orphans. It is amazing to see how He has worked.

And one prayer request we have had that He has answered in bigger ways than we could have imagined...

COMMUNITY. We prayed for friends to come alongside us in this crazy journey. We know there is going to be a lot of hard days ahead. We NEED prayers. We NEED His people coming alongside us. So, we prayed. And the community He has brought to us is so amazing I can't even put it into words. Dear friends that have been around for years. Amazing friendships that have only just begun. And the most amazing friends that are adopting from Haiti alongside us. One family came about in the craziest way at the Choose Joy adoption conference. You should probably just go read our friends blog to learn about their adoption story and to read how God brought us together. We love them dearly.

And then. You guys. In our own teeny tiny town. God introduced us to another family that was getting ready to start their own Haiti adoption. We met through a mutual friend and we ended up getting to have a long chat about our love for Haiti and adoption and what that looks like for both of our families. It was amazing. A friendship has blossomed for sure. THEN God did something even bigger. They are adopting through the same agency and started just a week ahead of us so we get to truly walk together in this.

God is SO very good.

This process is going to be long. There are going to be tears. Frustrations. Hurt. BUT we believe our children are in Haiti and we truly believe this is where God has called us. Because our own adoption in His family was NOT easy. It wasn't pretty. But it was amazing just the same.

You guys. Thank you. Thank you for walking alongside us in this journey. That phone call was SO big and yet just one tiny part of the road ahead. My hands are still shaking from that phone call. We were just doing ordinary things like an ordinary family around our house. So fitting for us. Josh was at work, of course, but we have been sharing texts about our excitement all day long.

We are now getting ready to submit our first agency payment and stack of paperwork. This is getting so real.

Here goes nothing...

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