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Saturday, April 6, 2013

Our wait Is Part Of His Plan!

We know that all things good are worth waiting for.  Well, our Miracle is taking awhile but it is so worth the wait.  We can choose to be sad and unhappy about the wait or embrace it and trust that his plan is also about the time that we are spending in wait for our little one.  We choose to embrace this whole journey and trust in Him. 

As many of you know we were right there.  Home study done, visa ready, hearts prepared and then it happened.  They stopped doing adoptions at the organization that we were adopting from in Taiwan.  My heart said let's wait.  God led us to Taiwan and I was not ready to just switch countries because it was easy.  One thing I have learned in my 36 years is that easy does not always mean it is the right choice.  Walking with the Lord is definitely not always easy.  Through the hard it builds our character and strength in our faith. 

We went a few months ago and talked with our social worker.  We signed up to do domestic adoption in Illinois as well.  We check our emails all the time to see if there is any news.  Taiwan  remains in my prayers and on my heart more than ever. 

Taiwan is not only on just Kent and I's heart but also on our pastor and his wife's as well.  They are leaving 4/09/2013 to go on a missions trip to Taiwan.  As much as my heart wants to hide in their suit case and just go find my child I know God has already picked them out and it is not my choice to play his part.  Our church is being called to Taiwan and I can not wait to see what that looks like in the future.  I know that my connection with this beautiful county is more than just a thought in my head.  God has my heart connected and even thought I am not for sure what that looks like I know that it is real and it is strong.

We found another orphanage that I have been trying to put in an application for so long now.  It is a Christian organization that has not been taking applications for awhile now.  I finally got to fill one out and they have now put us on their waiting list.  We are number 29.  Praise the Lord we have a number!  7 used to be my favorite number but now it will always be 29.  It is so exciting to think that after 28 more families receive their miracles we could receive ours.  Oh what a day that is going to be.  My heart and soul are so ready to make our family whole.

We are waiting and praying and believing more than ever that through the wait we have became different people.  We know what it feels like to be able to have a child and we know what it feels like not to be able to have a child.  We have made so many friends and connections because of this beautiful little life that we are so blessed to be able to someday call our own! 

Thanks so much for your prayers, patience, and love.  We have had so many asking and I have been really bad about keeping up on this blog.  I am so sorry for the wait.  We are still believing that through many miracles all of this will be a testimony to so many others that are adopting or are thinking about it.  We have chose a little more difficult road than most but I know in my heart that it is the road that God chose for our family. 

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Speed Bumps

     I love that the title of the series our Pastor is doing is called "Speed Bumps. "  We have been waiting for over a year now for our adoption.  For those of you that do not know, we are held up right now.  Taiwan changed their laws earlier than expected and we are waiting for them to transition.  We got our paperwork done right after the deadline of them taking paperwork. (Speed Bump 1)
     Two days after I posted my last blog I had a bit of a health scare.  I was overdosed on Vitamin D and thyroid medicine that my doctor had prescribed.  I have been on thyroid medicine for 3 years because mine is a little under active.  The doctor had not been watching my blood work and they gave me too much.  Needless to say my body did not like that at all.  At the same time Kent had to have rotator cuff surgery.  He had hurt his shoulder at work.    It was suppose to be a simple orthoscopic surgery.  His surgery ended up taking 4 incisions and 23 staples to fix the tear.  (Speed Bumps 2 & 3)
     While all of this was happening we also got some more news.  Lifesong will not match our fundraising funds for the adoption. (Speed Bump 4)
     I have to say that during all of these speed bumps we had a lot of time to just take in each other and take in the Lord.  We talk all the time about his timing being just right.  Here is an example of how his plan is greater than ours.  All of these events happened the summer of the drought.  This means since it is summer the kids were home.  We had extra help around the house.  Since it has been so dry the grass has not been growing and Kent has not had to mow much.  Normally Kent has quite a few burials.  If he has a full burial it takes so much more work than a cremation.  The last full burial he has had to do was the day he hurt his shoulder.  He has had many burials since that day but they have all been cremations, lifting a huge amount of work off of him.
     I have learned so much about my Father through out this whole experience.  There was one specific night when I was having a really hard time sleeping.  Kent had just had his surgery.  He had taken pain medicine that made him rather sleepy.  I did not want to wake him to tell him I was having a hard time.  I laid out like a cross on the bedroom floor praying with all I had to my Father.  I then heard him say "Monica why don't you come to me more often when you are in need?  I am your Father and you go to Kent to help you instead of me.  He is your husband but he is human just like you.  If you want supernatural help you have to come to the inventor of supernatural".  Big lesson learned right there!
     We just received our 5th speed bump in the last couple of months.  We were going to be able to adopt from the Organization that we were because they did not have the rule that you must have to have $80,000 in assets to be able to adopt.  Our home and Kent's truck are part of his pay at his job.  Since we do not have our name on them because they are provided through his employer we are not eligible to adopt from most agencies that have a Taiwan program.  This organization was different, we were so excited.  Now that they have to partner with an agency we do not know if the Taiwan door will stay open for us.  We talked to our social worker about foster adopting is the US.  In order for us to have that option and keep our hearts open to Taiwan we would have to switch agencies and maybe start our home study all over again.
     Now what?  We pray!  We pray that we know God put all of those speed bumps there for a reason.  We pray and ask for direction and guidance.  I know that it is his will not mine.  I want whatever he has for my life and nothing less.  So I pray that the doors that are suppose to be open will open and our hearts will spot them.  I pray for our child and for their mother.  I pray that my Father uses our story to inspire or help someone who is walking or will be walking this same path.  I pray for all of you.  I pray that you know when you have hit a speed bump.  Those speed bumps all of them are there for a reason.  Take that time to deepen your faith and get closer to the one that longs for you to be close.  Our God is taking care of our family.  He is doing it in a much different way then I imagined or would have picked but that is why he is God and I am not.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Mathew 18:5 In whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me!

     I want to start off by saying how sorry I am for not updating the blog in awhile.  Not a lot has changed in our adoption process until this last week.  If any of you have been through the adoption process, there is a lot of waiting.  We have waited every step of the way.  You turn in a little bit of paper work then you wait until you turn in more just to wait.  We are getting closer and closer!

     We went to Naperville this last Monday and got fingerprinted for the last time.  The paperwork is now in the hands of immigration.  This is the last stop our paperwork has to take before we send it to our friends in Taiwan.  We are praying that the paperwork gets through in a very timely manner. 

     We just found out a couple of weeks ago that they are changing adoption in Taiwan quite a bit.  We are adopting independently through a Christian organization in Taiwan.  They have been allowed to give referrals for families adopting.  As of June 1st they will no longer be able to do that.  We are hoping and praying that God stays in the lead on this journey and that he helps our paperwork to get through and in their hands in time.  If not then we wait until this Organization partners with an agency and then we could get a referral. 

     We have learned that the adoption process can definitely be very hard because laws change all of the time.  We also know that getting all stressed out will not do anybody any good.  God has had this whole journey planned out from the beginning and he knows how it will work out all the way to the very end.  We are so thankful that we know and trust in him and he has it all under control.

     We are waiting to hear back from LifeSong an organization here in Illinois that helps financially with adoptions.  We should be hearing back from them any day now.  They help match donations up to a certain amount.  We are planning on having another garage sale/bake sale as soon as we find out.  I still have a ton of stuff from our last garage sale in the basement just waiting to find a new home.  If you would like to donate or help out with the garage sale/bake sale just let me know.

     All together the cost of the adoption is between $26,000 - $28,000.  We still have a long way to go financially but we are getting closer and closer everyday to getting our pictures of our soon to be little one.  I can not wait to see our new family member.  Our hearts are so full of love for this little child that we have not even seen yet.  We know that they are waiting on us right now and my heart aches to hold him or her and let them know how long we have waited and how much we love them. 

     Thank you all for being an incredible support system for us while we have been on this journey.  We know that God has so much more in store for our family.  This is about so much more than adoption.  It is about listening to his prompting and following him to places we never thought we could go.  I really feel that God has a calling for our family and I can't wait to share it with all of you after we bring our little one home. 

     I am sorry once again that it has taken so long for me to update our journey.  As many of you know months fly by really fast sometimes. We love you all and we appreciate your prayers!

Monday, January 16, 2012

Staying on His course!

     I love that when I opened my Bible tonight the first thing I read was Psalm 19:1-8.  It is about staying on God's course.  It says that as long as you keep walking His course and keep seeking him then you will be blessed.  Kent and I just started the 21 day Daniel fast.  We are seeking him deeply and know that he has amazing plans to bless our family.

     As many of you know we have been waiting and waiting for our home study to be finished.  We just found out it will probably be another 8 weeks before it is finished.  It would be so easy to get stressed out and impatient while waiting, but God has given us this extreme feeling of peace.  We know it is going to happen and it will happen right when it is suppose to happen.  God's plan is always on time and his timing is always right. 

     We have got to watch some friends of ours go to Taiwan and adopt there little baby girl through pictures on facebook.  It has been so exciting to get to watch and see the same path being walked that we are walking.  We have got to see the whole thing unfold.  Walking this adoption journey with others that are right there too is so comforting.

     We know that we still have a ways to go.  We have to wait on the paperwork first.  Then we can go to Lifesong For Orphans and they will help us in raising funds.  We are still so far away from our goal but God loves doing miracles and it is so awesome being able to have front row seats to this one.  He has already shown us that he can work through anybody.  He loves to show us his love in so many ways and it is so fun to see it coming from directions that you never expected.

     We are taking this time of waiting to get closer to him everyday.  It is so fun watching him and the closer to him I get, the more I see him everywhere and in everything.

     We love you all and thanks for all of your prayers and support.  There is not a day that goes by that someone does not ask us about our adoption.  We are so blessed to get to have you all walking beside us on one of the most amazing adventures of our lives!

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Patience - The will or ability to wait or endure without complaint!

    I want to apologize for not updating the blog in awhile.  As many of you know this is a very busy season.  We have been making ornaments, shopping, spending time with friends and family and trying to keep up with both the kids activities.  We are spending the day tomorrow baking cookies  (which is about a month later than usual.)  Well a lot has gone on and not a lot has gone on with the adoption.  Confused?  I will explain.

     We have completed all we can do for our part of the first process in the State Of Illinois.  We have been waiting for weeks for DCFS to process our paperwork.  We have called our social worker a ton of times.  The only response we can get is that the state is really backed up.  We finally called Bill Mitchell who is the State Representative for our area.  I have worked with him before a few years ago and he helped us out in a situation with Dawson and the school bus.  We knew that he would jump in to help out.  He called DCFS to see what the hold up was.  He was then told that when the state made all their cut backs that was one of the jobs effected.  There is only one lady who processes the paperwork for adoptions in Illinois. 

     We then explained our journey and how the law in Taiwan has passed to stop International adoption.  If we can get the paperwork finished and finish our journey before July we should still be OK.  I know it would just be easier to switch countries and be put on another waiting list but God has not released us from Taiwan.  We really feel as though he has laid this all out and that is the direction he told us to go.  We know that his timing and his plan are always perfect and no matter what happens that it was all his will.  He has had this planned from the very beginning and we have learned that trusting him is so much easier than fighting him and trying to go our own way.

     Bill Mitchells' office got a hold of the lady that does all of the adoption paperwork.  He asked her if she could put our file on the top of her stack due to our situation (the law passing in Taiwan.)  We are now just waiting to hear back and we are praying for a miracle that our paperwork gets found and finished.  There could not be a greater Christmas present. 

     About a month ago God put something on my heart and I feel it is very important to share.  We were having a conversation and he opened up my heart and eyes and said "If you can not trust me 100% in your life then how can you trust me to bring your little one home."  Wow, that is huge.  I go to church and pray everyday and thought that my relationship with him was going just great.  Surprise he loves to shock you back into reality sometimes and he did me that day.  Well, since that day I have been trusting him with all that I have and all that I am.  I am expecting him to do big miracles because I know that he is true to his word.  I have put all my trust in him and I know he will make sure our little one gets home.

Thanks for all of your continued support and I am so sorry it took me so long to update you all on our adoption!  We are just learning to be patient and watching God's plan unfold in his time.

Monday, November 14, 2011

All Things Are Possible Through Christ Who Strengthens Me!

     It has been awhile since I last updated the blog and a lot has came up.  The last time I updated we were just waiting on DCFS to get our paperwork finished.  Well, we are still waiting.  Our social worker told us it would be about 2 weeks and it has been 5 weeks.  We are now going on week 6.  This is only the first of two trips for our paperwork.  It has to be sent to DCFS twice.  I am starting to think that our papers are lost in a pile somewhere.  Prayers for our paperwork to get found and processed are very welcomed right now. 

     There has been another small kink put into our process.  We knew at the beginning of our adoption that they were trying to make some changes to the adoption process in Taiwan.  They were suppose to make these changes at the beginning of next year.  They were trying to pass a law that stopped international adoption in Taiwan.  We knew that it was not a big deal because if you were already in the process you were grandfathered in and the adoption would still be completed.  Well, they decided to move the date up to try and stop international adoption.  They passed the law last week.  Since our paper work from DCFS is still in limbo we have not officially started our process in Taiwan yet.  We are told however that the law will probably not go into effect until July.  If we can hurry and get the paperwork back and get the process started and finished by then we would still be OK.

     We are asking for prayers that our paperwork gets found and processed quickly.  We know that God has our path all planned out and his will, will be done.  I have prayed and asked God to take away all the uneasy feelings and all of the weight that my heart is bearing.  It is so hard knowing that someone else is holding your future in their hands and it can't get started until they make it start.

     Thank you all so much for all of your support and prayers.  We know that it is only by God's will that this whole journey began.  The outcome is going to be an amazing miracle that is a true testimony of his great love.

Monday, November 7, 2011

The Waiting begins!

     I thought I would update you all on how our adoption is going.  As many of you know with adoption there is a lot of waiting that comes along with it.  Well, that is where we are right now.  We finished our home study and sent our paper work to DCFS.  They have to look it over and send it back to our social worker.  Well, it has been a month now and we are still waiting for them to look at the paper work.  Once the paperwork gets sent back to our social worker she has to send one more paper to them and then it will be finalized.  It is really hard waiting for someone else to get your future started.

     We are asking for prayers that our paperwork would get a chance to get reviewed and they would get it mailed back in a timely manner.  We know that waiting is a huge part of the adoption process but usually this is not when the waiting begins.  This paperwork is usually done being processed in a couple of weeks.  We know that God's timing is always right but our hearts are so ready for the next step.  Thanks for standing by us and for all of the prayers.