Well, I can't really say that we thought we would be here. But we are. So many families were getting referrals before the end of the projected wait time, that we had hopes of it not taking the full estimated 6 months.
Then the wait for infant boys got extended to 5-8 months.
GUESS WHAT!?!?!? WE ARE HAPPY TO BE DTE SIX MONTHS!
This means that we are IN the journey! This means that we are over halfway to our little babe(s)!
My positive energy and collection of faith has been refueled! We feel blessed to be on this journey to Ethiopia. This precious journey to create our family! We are privileged to be here! We feel so blessed!
Therefore, WECELEBRATE 6 MONTHS DTE!
Our monthly celebratory "DTE Date Night," however, will have to wait until hubby gets home from his annual guys ski trip (Wednesday). I have a special dinner planned, thanks to a dear friend who is a great fisherman! {hint! hint!}
Please continue to join us in celebrating six months of waiting! Lord, may you bring us to our little one(s) very, very SOON!!!
p.s....just networked my blog with FB! Click to follow on FB, if you'd like (on right of blog below followers)
As frequently happens, our church service awakened me. I want to share of the "awakening" I experienced two Sundays ago (a future post will talk of the sweet blessings of TODAY's service!).
Our assistant pastor, Trevor spoke on "defilement," and things that can defile our bodies and hinder our relationship with God. Sure there were the obvious ones: murder, theft, adultery, etc. But what hit me, was when He started talking of what is in us will come out of us. When Christ was being pierced on the cross, he spoke of God, "Father forgive them........" His knowledge and love for God is what poured out of his mouth during persecution.
Hhhhhmmmmmmm............I cannot say that is what spewed from my mouth immediately upon hearing of a potential delay in our referral! It took much prayer and pondering before I could get myself there again. Sad. I want to be SO FULL of Christ, that NO MATTER WHAT is going on in my life, God's love overflows from my mouth. Not to say I can't be real and have hurt feelings. But rather, amidst my struggle, I want God's truth to roll off my tongue. Immediately. With ease. Second-nature.
I'm a work in progress. Good goal, though, don't you think?!?!..............
Trevor's sermon then went on to discuss the topic of coveting. Ouch. It's not that I covet a child, in that I hold grudges toward the sweet momma friends I have. I genuinely do not do this, thanks to God's protection, I believe. However, I covet becoming a momma so much, that I fear I may be lifting our adoption so high that I risk it becoming a form of idolatry for me.
As MUCH as I ache and yearn to hold my little one(s), I don't ever want to put anyone ahead of God. Afterall, isn't that the definition of idolatry? I know God has put this passion to be a momma on my heart, and that He approve of my desire. I know that it is okay to be SO FILLED with passion for this role in my life, as well as to be SO FILLED with love for our child or children.
However, I fear that the amount of time and energy and emotion that I put into our children-to-be outweighs the time, energy and emotion that I have been giving God lately.
WOW. A dangerous imbalance. One I desire to adjust immediately! Afterall, it's likely better to learn that balance now, before those precious babe(s) are in my arms, right!?!?
THANK YOU, God, for showing me these things in last Sunday's message. Thank you for being right there to help me recognize and face these forms of "defilement." For helping me not only repent of it, but for helping me to CHANGE it! Lord, please show me how it is that you desire for me to spend my time in the "waiting room" purposefully. Help me fill my time, energy and emotions with YOU. And your purpose for me. More of you, Lord. Less of me. AMEN.
Okay, so if you have been following my last couple of blog posts, you know how God has been meeting me in our "waiting room." Well, he further blessed this last Sunday with a couple of sweet "love notes" from Him, that came through some precious friends. Check it out.........
Remember my friend, Connie? Well, she felt prompted by God one day to purchase some of these really sweet items. For me! She questioned God why she should buy them at the time, but followed His divine prompting, thinking He would show her when to bless me with them.
Sunday was the day! She read about our delay in getting a referral, and was reminded of the pampering items she had purchased that had MY name written all over them. She gave them to me just before entering church. Just seeing the zebra print brought tears to my eyes, and my heart immediately heard God say to it "See, my child, I haven't forgotten you! This adoption really IS going to happen!"
Aren't they adorable? Lavendar scented eye mask, Vanilla Bath Oil, Sweet manicure set in a sandal-shaped container, and that sweet elephant lufa! Pampering is just what I have been needing as of late!
THANK YOU, Connie!
--------------------------------------------
Wanna know ANOTHER blessing from that day? YES! This is still from this past Sunday! Great day, huh!?! Guess what this is?!?!?!?......................................
A face-to-face lunch with our dear fellow adoptive friends, Angela and Darrin!
Angela and I have become good friends through our adoption journeys to our children. I bought her ADORABLE Africa necklace and we have been blessed with a special friendship since! It was such a treat to meet her and Darrin, as they passed through town! Felt like we knew them forever! Thanks for taking the time out of your travels back home, to share lunch with us, guys! It was so much FUN and we cannot wait for more family time together with you and all of our children! Like......say.......starting with traveling together SOON to ET to MEET our kiddos, right!?!?!? {big grin}
By the way, if you have not seen this precious necklace, you really MUST! This may sound weird, but I wear it daily and it really has helped me feel closer to our children! I asked her to put a heart over ET, since we do not have a name(s) finalized. Yet! Click the button below to check out her website!
HOLD ON! We had yet ONE MORE BLESSING this last Sunday! That evening, our precious friends, Erica and Josh, surprised us with a visit! They brought Starbucks, great conversation, and they purposely came over to PRAY WITH US AND OVER OUR ADOPTION! How cool is THAT!?!? The prayer was special. And powerful!
AAAANNNNNDDDDD....by the time we prayed, guess what time it was? A little after 9pm! The same time our whole Yahoo group gathers to pray weekly! The time of this "prayer meeting" was not planned. Nor was it coincidence!
Josh and Erica, your love and friendship is priceless! Thanks for being YOU!
What a GREAT Sunday! I had asked God to show himself in MY life, since I had been watching His miracles in others' lives as of late. WOW! He heard me! And responded! He hasn't forgotten me! He chose such wonderful people to remind me of His presence. And His LOVE. For me, Jeff AND our family-to-be!
Don't you LOVE it when God meets you right.where.you.are..........???????...........
Okay, so I would be lying if I said the projected increased waiting did not devastate my momma heart. I would not be truthful if I lead you to believe that no doubt or unbelief ever entered my heart when I read the email notifying us of this lengthened wait period. A lot of "yucky talk" came out of my mouth at first. Words of doubt. Unbelief (or at least questioning of God's desire for good in my life).
Thankfully, I have a wonderful husband who pointed out the "yucky talk" that I was saying. Thankfully, we have a Heavenly Father that understands when we are trying SO HARD to cling to Him, His plan and His timing ~ when it seems so different from our own.
Thankfully, God met me. Right. Where. I. Was. In a heap of tears. Full of doubt. Full of angst at the thought of waiting possibly TWO MORE MONTHS before laying eyes on our little babe(s). He helped chase away the "yucky talk" and replaced it with His truth. Thus, my last post.
This morning, I found myself better able to breathe. Better able to picture us waiting that long if we have to. I could better see and feel God's presence. Well, God didn't stop there. This morning, before heading out to church, I quickly checked in on my emails. And I found a sweet post in our Yahoo group, from Allison.
SUCH GOOD STUFF THAT I HAD TO SHARE IT WITH ALL OF YOU!
Afterall, don't we ALL find ourselves waiting on God at some point in our lives? For many of us, the waiting period is now. May her encouraging words that summarize a book called, "You're Late Again, Lord! The Impatient Woman's Guide to God's Timing", by Karon Phillips Goodman bless and lighten your heart. It sure did lighten mine, while challenging me to consider how I was going to respond to this lengthened time in our "waiting room!"
*We can renew our spirit and strength while we wait. Isaiah 40:31 - Those who WAIT on the Lord SHALL renew their strength. *Moving closer to God every day is something you can do in the wait time. "You don't have to wait patiently when you learn to wait purposefully." *The waiting time can be productive and dynamic. This "waiting room" is here so I can rediscover what I've lost and learn what I need to do. It is there so I can renew my strength and my spirit and move closer to God. *"You can't wait purposefully and control the rest of the world at the same time." (I love that!) *Waiting is not about what is happening on the outside, it is about what is happening on the inside. *God has a plan, a blessed syllabus for your life, and it's always charted from the inside out. *Each wait should get us closer to God and grow us so we see God better. *One of the reasons we are so hopelessly annoyed by the time we spend waiting is because the events are often completely out of our control. We are forced to sideline our plans until someone else completes his. Then we try to seek more control and we can't so we grow more frustrated. The key is surrendering into God's arms and letting Him comfort me from the inside out. *GOD'S sufficiency strengthens our spirit. *Develop the faith to turn to God FIRST, not last. *God wants you to come closer, but you can't do that if you're fighting Him and arguing with Him; if you can't give up the control you think you need. ------- GOD blessed me through a few other incidents today as well, which I will save for my next post. SO MUCH in one day! THANK YOU, LORD! However, I want to leave you with this. The first hour of my day. May it speak to each of you in your own individual way. May it help you find God in your "waiting room." May it challenge you to consider how you will spend extra time in your "waiting room!" Thank you, Alison, for joining my in the "waiting room" and blessing my day!
Please share with me if you hear God pose a specific way in which you can wait purposefully............. Have a blessed week, everyone!
(scroll to bottom of blog; click pause on music player; come back up here and hit play button)
Hear Kerrie Roberts sing my heart's feelings.
WOW. As you know, we are one week shy of being on the wait list for six months. Many of you may recall that we were told by our agency that the "expected wait" would be 4-6 months. Which means, we should be receiving THE CALL any day now!.............
........we got an email today letting us know this was not likely to happen next week............
Our agency has been experiencing a recent and consistent delay in referrals as of late. Given this, they have lengthened the wait for a referral of an infant boy to 5-8 months (infant girl wait remains 7-11 mos). YES, this means that we are no longer expecting a call next week {trying to choke back the tears, here}, and we must be prepared for up to TWO MORE MONTHS of waiting!
I know that our agency, AWAA, is a very upstanding agency, and they are doing all they can to do things RIGHT. They are striving to have all of the paperwork (which continually changes) in hand BEFORE the referral call, in effort to avoid delays between our first and second visits. They also will not refer a child who is sick, so they are praying and waiting for the sick kiddos (ex, respiratory issues) to get well. They are working very hard ~ and ethically ~ on our behalf. We are so very thankful for them!
However, I am at a loss of what to do for my broken momma heart. I cannot help but feel as though I am in a marathon, running toward a finish line that continually gets moved out of sight the moment I get a glimpse of it!
I know it is easy to trust God when our dreams are coming true. Now, when our dream is getting delayed (AGAIN!), we need to really muster up more strength to continue to believe. And trust in God.
I need to cling to His promises one more time, knowing that nothing ~ including this ~ surprises Him. Nothing in life happens without first passing through His hands. And His plan for us is GOOD. ALWAYS. I do keep asking Him "why?" but I need to CHOOSE to trust. Even without answers.
Last post I shared stories of how miraculously He was moving when no one could see the work He was doing. Although we cannot see the reasons or the whys or the details He is orchestrating now, on behalf of our children, I need to keep my eyes on Him. NOT on the darkness. NOT on the things unseen. NOT on the ache my heart and empty arms are feeling. I need to KEEP THE FAITH.
Enemy, get behind us! Because of our belief in Jesus Christ, you have NO power over us, and you must flee! No plan you have can thwart God's plan for our family. In God we trust!
Lord, as the song says, I know that if you can find a way to keep us from the pain of even more waiting, you will. But if not, I still choose to trust in YOU. I know you have your reasons for everything, so I will keep believing. YOU are my hope and my strength. THANK YOU for giving me a husband that gently reminds me of all of this, as he helps me walk through this news. THANK YOU for loving our children and protecting them in our absence. THANK YOU for loving Jeff and me and for trusting us with the gift of your child or children to love FOREVER. THANK YOU for lifting my spirits as I pour out my heart in this post.
NO MATTER WHAT......I STILL LOVE YOU....... NO MATTER WHAT!
Okay, so there are two fabulous stories ~ MIRACLES, really! ~ that have SO INSPIRED my faith that I just HAVE to share them briefly with you! Witness, if you will........The POWER of prayer!!!!
JACKIE AND HER CHILDREN.
Jackie is a fellow AWAA adoptive momma. She and her husband have 3 biological children, and are adopting two children from Ethiopia (ET). They were approved to adopt Micah, an older boy, and they have been waiting for a referral for an infant boy. They eventually received their referral for an infant boy ~ only to have to give up that referral shortly thereafter, as the agency learned that this sweet little boy had two sibling sisters (and Jackie could not bring all three children home).
They were told to anticipate a 1-2 week wait for their referral. EIGHT weeks later, and they still had NO REFERRAL! During this wait God moved this couple to open their request to "either" gender.
I am HAPPY to announce that they RECENTLY learned who their referral was! Who they had been waiting all this extra time to see! A baby GIRL! This little girl had just arrived to the orphanage! You see!?!? This family HAD to wait the extra time, because God had always planned for this family to include this precious girl.....and they had to wait for her to arrive to the orphanange! GOD IS SOOOOO GOOOOOOD!!!!!!!! In fact, they are in ET right now, meeting their son and daughter! To follow their story, click HERE.
GOD IS MOVING!
EVEN WHEN WE CANNOT SEE HIM MOVING!
DAVIDS.
I was recently introduced to this young man. Davids. Just 10 days before his 16th birthday (the day an unadopted child "ages out" of the orphanage), a family backed out of adopting Davids. This means that Davids was facing becoming a child of the streets in just a matter of days! Hundreds of people began emailing and posting on Facebook about his dire situation.
God found Davids a FOREVER FAMILY! In less than 24 HOURS! Get this! The family was already adopting from Latvia (where Davids is), and were bringing home one child.......even though they were approved for TWO CHILDREN!!!! ALL PAPERWORK WAS IN PLACE, MAKING THEM READY TO ADOPT DAVIDS! It was meant to be! An amazing God story! God didn't stop there.....all of us began contributing to an adoption fund for this family, and over $10K was raised in less than 48 HOURS! These funds were going to help handle the one limiting factor of this adoption (finances)! Even a member of THIRD DAY contributed to this fund! DAVIDS HAS A FOREVER FAMILY! You can follow their journey HERE.
GOD CARES FOR HIS CHILDREN!
.....AND PROVIDES FOR HIS WILL TO BE DONE!
THANK YOU, LORD, for reminding me (again) how very much you love each and every one of us! Thank you for reminding me that YOU are in control of things, even when I cannot see you moving! For reminding me that you are orchestrating ALL details of our life! And THANK YOU, LORD, for showing me (again) the POWER. ABSOLUTE POWER OF PRAYER! Mommy and Daddy are praying for you, our precious little one(s)!
This is a GIVEAWAY you WON'T want to miss! They are 2 months waiting to see who their child is, and she is giving away this great canvas piece in honor of marking the 2 month wait! Head over to her blog and enter to WIN this wonderful piece! Entries end this Wednesday at midnight! Go to http://pitterpatterart.wordpress.com/2011/01/16/hoorah-weekend-2-month-giveaway/ to check it out and enter.
GOOD LUCK!
(though I am REALLY hoping to win this one myself! ha!)
P.S. Don't forget to play the GUESSING GAME (scroll down two posts to play)!
WE ARE UNOFFICIALLY TIED FOR NUMBER FOUR ON THE INFANT BOY LIST!!!!
The BEST news, is this is because a family has received their call referring a precious baby boy to them!
How can we be tied? Well, there are two other families who became DTE (dossier sent to Ethiopia) on the same date as we did ~ 7-30-10. There are three families tied for the number one spot for infant boy or "either gender!" Really, any of us can get our call, as some people lower on the "ON DECK" list received their calls before some higher on the list!
ALL IN GOD'S PERFECT TIMING!
WE ARE STILL #9 ON THE SIBLING LIST.
WANNA PLAY OUR GUESSING GAME? Scroll down to last post (right after this one!) for the game that allows you to join in on the guessing fun!
How many children will we be blessed with? (one or two) What genders, if you predict two kiddos? Ages? Date of THE CALL?
HERE ARE THE STATS: *We are #6 on the infant boy list 0 to 6 mos (dropped down one because a family lost a referral). *We are #9 on the sibling list (boy/girl or boy/boy); one infant 0-6 months and the other child could be anywhere between 0-3 yrs. *Agency estimates a 4-6 month wait. *We have been on the wait list almost 5 1/2 months, since 7-30-10.
HOW TO PLAY:
1. Guess the following:
a. WHO? How many children will be referred to us forever? One or Two?
b. WHAT?
* GENDER COMBINATION ~ boy; boy/boy; boy/girl? * AGE(S) ~ be specific! (ex, boy 3 months/2 weeks and girl 3 yrs/6 mos; OR One boy2 mos/3 days)
c. WHEN? What date do you predict we will get THE CALL with our referral?
3. POST YOUR GUESS by clicking "COMMENT" at end of this post. (Include how many kids, gender, age, date you think we will get called)
Example:TWO children; boy/girl; boy 3yrs 2mos and girl 3 months/2days; get the call January 28th (in honor of Jeff's birthday)!
THANKS for joining in on the FUN... and for entertaining this momma-to-be during the wait! {smile}
YES, it has been a while since I last blogged, but that is for another blog post. Maybe Wednesday. Sweet stories. Happy to share. Soon.
However, this post takes precedence.
A number of you emailed me or commented on my post,PRECIOUS GIFT, a few days ago. I am glad that you asked me to share with you some of the ideas that Caycee and I discussed in regards to items to purchase for keepsakes while visiting our little one(s) in Ethiopia.
I thought it best to just blog about it and share the mentioned ideas with everyone ~ while also asking you to PLEASE feel free to ADD TO THE LIST! The more ideas we conjure up together, the more prepared we will all be when we are actually in Ethiopia (ET) and find ourselves with limited shopping time!
I will start the list, and will include any ideas discussed with Caycee and other people who have already gone over to ET. Please "comment" with any other sweet ideas you have ~ to include items you already purchased, plan to purchase or wish you had purchased!
Here Goes.............
1. COFFEE POT AND CUPS. Coffee ceremonies are common in ET. I have heard from quite a few people that these do not travel well, however. Travel with, or ship, at your own risk, I guess! :)
2. ETHIOPIAN OUTFITS. This is good to buy for the children you are currently adopting, as well as anyone else in the family! One person shared with me this weekend (at our Ethiopian Christmas celebration.....part of my next post) that she wishes she would have gotten outfits for her children for future birthdays/ages/sizes. Something to tuck in the back of the memory bank.
3. WOODEN NATIVITY SET. A couple of friends, now, have shared with me how they cherish their ET nativity set. Whether you use it right away, or save it for your child's first Christmas in their own house, I think it is a precious idea!
4. ETHIOPIAN BIBLE. My friend, Amber, bought one in Amharic; while Caycee found a bible that had both Amharic and English. Either way, wonderful idea!
5. ARTWORK. Many have shared the idea of purchasing ET specific artwork. Whether it is ET artistic style, or actual pictures of real places they visited while in Ethiopia.
6. WINE GLASSES. My friend, Allison, said that she and her husband bought two wine glasses to gift to their daughters on their wedding day. Awesome!
7. JEWELRY. It sounds like there is quite a lot of jewelry to choose from when visiting ET. We could purchase special pieces for different "events" in our childrens' lives (ex, birthdays, graduation, wedding, etc). Amber got a lot of great pieces over there and enjoys having me marvel over them! {smile}
8. SPICES. I remember reading that purchasing spices has multi-factorial benefits. One, just having spices set out allows the room to take on a similar Ethiopian scent, which comes in handy when trying to help our children adjust to their new home. Second, having these spices will definitely come in handy when we are trying to cook Ethiopian Cuisine!
9. NICKEL CROSSES (or any other Christian items you see). It isn't hard to find pretty crosses made of nickel when over there in Ethiopia. This could make a great gift on some special occasion! or be neat to put up in their room!
10. ETHIOPIAN MUSIC. From what Jeff and I have been listening to, thus far, we LOVE Ethiopian music! We can't wait to listen to it in person! We definitely want to buy some CDs while we are over there! Anyone know of particularly good musicians we should be sure to NOT leave ET without getting CDs?
11. SCARVES. Many women wear scarves over there (as we do here). Their scarves are known to be beautiful, and again, could be worn now (by us mommas!) and/or be saved for a gift on a special occasion for our daughters and/or our son's brides!
12. FABRIC. My dear neighbor, Lisa, offered the suggestion of buying genuine ET fabric. She says the fabrics in Africa are exotic and very beautiful and she threw out a bunch of ideas of what she could help me make with the fabric! (ex, curtains, framed fabrics, pillows, valences, you name it, she likely thought of it!)
13. BOOKS. Especially children's books that represent what Ethiopian children do as growing up. How they like to play, etc. I've found some good sites, here in the US, if you are interested, let me know.
Jeff and I are beginning our doctor interviews. Tomorrow! 2:30pm. He is a family practice (FP) doctor. A family practice doctor who has a lot of international experience (the majority of the patients that go to this clinic are refugees from a variety of other countries). He is not, however, a pediatrician.
Here's the thing. Boise does not have a pediatrician known to have a ton of international experience.
Here's the other thing. I always said I would ONLY have a pediatrician for our children. You know, a doctor who specializes in kiddos. Right?
Bringing a child or children home from Africa has made us second-guess the whole decision. Which is more important? International expertise or pediatric expertise? We could start with an FP to glean his international knowledge for the first six months or even year, and then go to a pediatrician, which is the direction we are currently leaning toward.
We are only starting the interview and decision process. SO...................
Can you help me out? Can you share with me your opinion?
Would you choose an FP with international experience or would you stick with your initial intent to have a pediatrician?
OH, MY! I just received such a PRECIOUS GIFT from my dear friend, Caycee! Bless her heart! We just got to chat and catch up about her trip to MEET HER DAUGHTER in Ethiopia! While sharing with me a beautiful recap of her trip, she sweetly increased my level of HOPE.
Caycee helped Ethiopia (ET) come ALIVE for me! She shared the moments of first laying eyes on her daughter and their first embrace! She shared with me the "schedule" so-to-speak when you are over there. She shared with me the experience of meeting the drivers and other families, and how KIND everyone is over there!
She fought elevation sickness, and provided me tips on how to combat that, should Jeff or I get queasy when over visiting our little one(s). She talked of the restaurants in Addis, and touched on some of the activities they engaged in when they were not with their daughter. She shared with me how KIND everyone is over there!
She shared stories of how the drivers will bend over backwards to help you find whatever item you are looking to purchase to take home with you. She expressed what an amazing job the drivers' did, interpreting for them with their daughter, M*. She invited me into the general details of meeting M*s birth mother. She shared with me how KIND everyone is over there, in ET!
She brainstormed ideas with me of keepsake items we may want to purchase when it is our turn to travel to Ethiopia to meet OUR child or children! She surprised me with details of how much cleaner and nicer the Guest Home was than she expected; and how pleasantly surprised she was with the cleanliness of our agency's Transition Homes! She shared with me how KIND everyone is over there!
She assured me that the nannies really DO care for ~ and love ~ and love ON our children! REALLY! Hearing how they play with and love on all of the children made my momma heart cry for JOY! Our little babe(s) aren't sitting over there alone. Waiting for us. They may not be receiving OUR love and hugs, but they ARE receiving genuine love and attention! THANK YOU, NANNIES!!!! Again, she shared with me how KIND everyone is over there, in ET.
THANK YOU, CAYCEE! YOU are such a precious gift to me! And our conversation today was such a precious gift as well! THANK YOU for saying exactly what my momma heart needed to hear. Thank you for assuring me that GOD is loving our children; and the nannies are loving our children; that they are in GOOD hands while they await our arrival..................................
THANK YOU for making all of this adoption "stuff" seem REAL! For re-instilling in me the hope that this really IS going to happen, even though it feels at times like we will be in this holding pattern forever! Thank you for calming my worries that our children were alone. Abandoned. They are not!
THANK YOU for helping this journey to our children seem ALIVE and REAL! This really IS going to happen! Maybe not as soon as Jeff and I would like, but definitely exactly when our Heavenly Father has planned for it all along!
Caycee, THANK YOU for blessing me today. Please know that Jeff and I will continue to increase the prayers for M* as she awaits your return to pick her up and bring her HOME! FOREVER! We cannot WAIT to meet her! You bless me, friend........................
My blog friend, Andrea, received a Divine idea to develop a retreat for women with a heart for adoption and/or orphan outreach. The response of attendees was HUGE and God is moving BIG for this retreat!
The retreat is the first weekend in February, and it will include mommies and mommies-to-be who have a heart for adoption and reaching out to orphans in the US and throughout the world. While being a weekend of refreshment, it will also be an opportunity for all of us to put our heads together to create MORE change in the world for children.....together! We are SO excited to see what God is going to do with all of us in the same room together, seeking His guidance for His children! GO GOD!
Andrea created these fabulous shirts (below) for the retreat, while also hoping that they would create great opportunities for conversations about how LOVE is what makes a family!
The t-shirt proceeds will go toward the conference, breakout room fees, set-up fees, audio rentals, etc. YES! Our $100 cost is only to cover our food for the weekend. Andrea needs another couple of thousand dollars to cover the costs of ALL the other stuff to make the weekend happen!
Whether you are going to the retreat or not (registration is closed for this first retreat), the design is precious and I wanted to share the opportunity for you to wear a sweet tee ~ while also supporting the cause of the retreat and more importantly, helping to increase the awareness of the blessing of adoption!
Check them out!
Won't you please go to my blog friend, Andrea's, website (click HERE)to buy this awesome tee!?
NOTE:These tees are NOT true to size! Go up TWO sizes for a normal fit....go up just ONE size for a more fitted tee. Andrea normally wears a small but she can wear a medium in this shirt ~ but is more comfortable in a large.
In LADIES FITTED they have S, M, L, XL, XXL. She recommends a normal S should order L; normal M orders XL; normal L orders XXL; normal XL orders L in unisex.
In UNISEX they have L, XL, XXL. The unisex is a normal fit.
Well, I hope you love the tees as much as I do! I already ordered mine! May the tee bless you and your family story; while maybe even helping another child to be united with their forever family!
Going to the retreat!?!? I CAN'T WAIT TO MEET YOU IN PERSON!!!!
We are so grateful for this past year! Blessed beyond measure, we are. Beyond measure.
We are thankful for Jeff's healing from his ski injury in January. We are awed by God's loving guidance toward this adoption of our little one(s) in February. And for His profound protection every step of the way, since.
We enjoyed celebrating our precious three years of marriage together in June. Our various trips to see family blessed us in July and October. The love and support of our family and friends on this journey to parenthood has been overwhelming. But even greater still............
This year's journey to our children has provided us ample opportunities to be reminded ~ in both BIG and small ways ~ of God's immense LOVE. For us. And for our children. His passion and ability to fulfill the desires of our hearts.
God is watching over ALL of us. His desire is to bless us in abundance. His desire is for us to know Him intimately. We are thankful for the ways in which we have come to know Him better over this past year. We are thankful for His blessings. And His love.
May He continue to watch over our children ~ and yours. And all those children waiting to be joined with their FOREVER family. We are excited to watch as He orchestrates our lives. And yours!
I said to the man who stood at the gate of the new year, "Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown." And he replied, "Go into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way!"
Stepping Stone Prose
Matthew 19:14
Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."
