I took a week off because we were writing the birth parent letter and making the book that will be shown to birth parents. It was difficult to pick the right pictures and the right words to express who we are on paper. See when our home study is complete we can adopt legally! Now Bethany will show our book to birth parents. But the Birth parent(s) will select us. It could take from 2 months to 2 years so lets pray for a quick selection process. In this blog post I wanted to share our letter.
Click this link to see birthletter
Now we wait for Rhonda to proof the letter and photo book and then we will send them both to press! After we hear that the home study is approved we pay our $2500.00 remaining balance for the home study and we are off on the roller coaster of waiting. While we wait we hope to receive some grant money;because we still have 11,000 dollars more to pay for this adoption. The money part is just the reality of private adoption. But we have faith that will not be our biggest concern
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Monday, March 31, 2014
Week 17: 288 pieces funded 712 more to go!
We are almost to the 300 piece mark!
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Thank you to the Criswells and Atchleys!!! |
REwriting my story
My
minister Lea has started a women’s group and the study is centered around the
book Namesake by Pastor Jessica LaGrone. It’s a weekly study about when God
rewrites your story. Oddly enough God is
rewriting my story as I type. How is He rewriting yours? The author also
struggled with infertility so when she relates scripture to her struggles I
really zone in. I love how she relates her story to scripture and is not
ashamed to tell her stories of struggles and discontentment. She realizes her
story is God’s story.
She
talks about using the phrase “I’ll be happy when…” Mine was I’ll feel better
when I’m a mom. Well after years of that not coming true I realized I better
start feeling good now. Or else I’d be one unhappy camper! I talked about me
choosing the Voice of Truth over Bitterness in a past post. Jessica states, “Those
answered prayers are too often followed by another prayer request. This is proof
that having contentment doesn’t lie in having our every whim fulfilled.” I mean
I want all this adoption stuff to go fast. I mean I’ve been waiting long enough
to be a parent, right? God? God? That little question I was asking God was
wrong. You see God has a life he planned for me to live. There were times I was
so focused on the blessings of others that ignored my own sometimes.
This
journey has made me work on my trust in Him. Sometimes I think I've got it all planned out. But then when I'm disappointed I'm reminded that its on in His time and that He is transforming me and all involved for the moment that's just right. I can't even fathom what's in store. I'm sure it will be better than I can imagine. In the meantime I stay busy. I am improving my relationships, getting involved in my
church, getting my fitness on, enjoying my work and writing every week about our journey. All of it is slowly changing my
perspective. I love how Jessica writes, “Knowing the love of our Heavenly
Father means knowing there will always be more than enough to go around.”
SO
as I wait I try to breathe and take in the beauty of this journey. Truth is it will
be an amazing story worth sharing again and again because it will be His.
Monday, March 24, 2014
Week 16: 275 pieces funded 725 more to go!
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| Thank you Great Aunt Connie for your donation this week! |
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| Louie Dog is always there to help. |
We Are Adopted Plain and Simple
I
can’t believe this journey we are on. We take small steps everyday getting
closer to our children. I wish I knew what will transpire. But this journey has
brought me closer to my Father. No not James Wayne but our Heavenly Father
upstairs. I am not minister or writer but I am an ordinary person trying to
figure out this crazy thing called life. I try because I know that God made me and you to be extraordinary and he has a plan for all us. (Don't you feel that tug at your heart?) I was born to my
mom and dad but I’m adopted by Jesus Christ. All Christians are adopted into
the family of God. But, how did we become adopted? The Bible tells us that by
receiving Jesus into our lives and believing in His name we gain the right to
become God’s children.
John 1:10-13 says of Jesus,
“He
was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not
recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive
him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave
the right to become children of God-children born not of natural descent, nor
of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.” (NIV)
The Man upstairs does not show favoritism between His family members and neither should
we. In His eyes we are united together as one family, a family that is connected
through His son, Jesus Christ. I personally know a couple of families that have
adopted. And by the natural eye you can see the children are adopted because of
their nationally or racial background but if you close your eyes you can hear
their conversations. In their conversations you would never be able to construe
their differences.
God’s
intentions are clear in Ephesians 1:5,
“His
unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us
to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure.” (NLT)
For
all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. So you have not
received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s
Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba,
Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s
children.” (Romans 8:14-16, NLT)
When Tim and I become instant parents we will be committed to our children, like God committed himself to us, His adopted children. He is also a father to the fatherless, loving His children unconditionally. It is comforting to know that regardless of our parent’s failures (though mine were perfect), we can rest in the unfailing love of our Heavenly Father.
Jeremiah 29:11 reassures us of the Lord’s dedication,
“For I know I have plans for you." declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
How cool is that?
Love,
Tim
and Greta
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
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