a week closer to a placement

Julie and I talked a lot about adoption this week. We are hoping to have a referral - to know who we will adopt - by Christmas. We are working on the Dossier (official packet of information to send later to Ethiopia). We will hopefully soon have an appointment for finger printing in Nashville. The paper work goes on forever. We also are finishing up the last online training course. This one was all about many medical and developmental issues that can come with international adoption. We have lots to think about and we are trusting God for each step.

One very encouraging thing that happened this week is that I got a call "out of the blue" from a young couple who I was privileged to marry a few years ago. They asked about our story and why we chose to adopt.
They want to help if they can by praying and sending money. It is encouraging for us to know that God is prompting to help.

Julie and I are both looking forward to bringing home our children.  It is encouraging to realize the support around us that will support us in raising them.

A quick update - a busy week

This was a great week - we got an important government application sent in. The “I600A” is an application to our government asking for approval to adopt from overseas.

But the most exciting part was a dinner and silent auction friends had for us to raise money for our adoption. Five couples hosted this dinner and it was a big success!

Lisa Harmon and others collected 50 items for a silent auction. Tobey Nichols cooked the food, Elaine Petsch lined up desserts, Julia Francis Clark organized the servers and the volunteer workers for hire, Renee Cook hosted the dinner at her home and worked the whole night.

Julie and I had a chance to tell our story and Renee helped set this adoption in context

of a great need for children in Ethiopia to have a loving home. We were humbled and grateful for the amazing response. About 70 people came and many who could not come showed their support. Over $4000 was raised! Again, we are humbled and grateful.

Julie’s Testimony

I grew up in a very loving family that went to church every week.  We were very involved in the church.  It was between my junior and senior years in high school that I heard the Gospel in a way that made sense.  In looking back on the years leading up I can see seeds that God was planting all along, but God really grabbed my attention on a youth trip during the summer of 1984.  I had traveled with a group of high school students to Europe.  We were a group composed of students from all over the country.  Some of these students talked about God in a way I had never seen before.  They would pray to Abba Father and talk directly to Him.  They knew God.  I had never seen a relationship with God before.  Through getting to know these girls I became to realize that I had been living life only for myself.  I was convicted of my self-centeredness.  God was yanking on my heart!

            After returning from that trip I began attending Young Life where I learned about Jesus dying for me personally.  I became aware of my own sinful state and my need for Jesus to save me. I prayed to receive Jesus as my personal savior.  This was just the beginning, though, of understanding who the person of God is.

            God continues to grow me and stretch me.  He has taught me the beauty of worshipping in spirit with arms raised and heart open – giving praise and receiving joy and peace at the same time.  In times of trials He has taught me to cling to Him and hold onto His promises.  He has given me great reasons to be thankful as well.  He has blessed me with a wonderful, godly husband who loves me and our children well.  God has also blessed us with four precious children.  I am humbled when I consider the great gifts God has given me – salvation itself is more than I could ever hope for…but then He gives so much more over and above.

Mark’s testimony

I became a Christian when I was in the 7th grade. I had grown up in a

large catholic family, the youngest of 7 children. I went to church

every week but did not hear the gospel. God brought a young pastor and

his family to our neighborhood who shared the gospel with me when I

asked how I can go to heaven. The Holy Spirit came into my heart and I

was made new. I have learned and grown in Christ by his grace daily. I

love God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit with my

whole heart. I also love His word and am grateful for the chance to

spend time with Jesus most everyday.

I need the gospel every day. I normally walk in the freedom that I

have in Christ. I love time with my children and appreciate the

uniqueness of each. I am grateful that God loves me as his adopted

child.

Julie and I see our seeking to adopt as a direct result of God's

spirit guiding us. We are seeking as a family to live out the gospel -

we have been blessed to be a blessing. God has loved us for the sake

of others. We are really grateful to be part of His amazing kingdom

story.

Our Adoption Story

            Many of you know that we are deep in the process of adopting a child from Ethiopia.  This story has been a long time in the development stage.  Mark and I began talking about adoption before we were even married.  Adoption has always been part of our family plan, but it was never clear when or from where.  Over the years we investigated various options from foster care to domestic adoptions to international adoptions.  Because of the lack of clarity we were content to wait until God brought everything more into focus.

  In January of 2010 the country of Haiti suffered a devastating earthquake, bringing to light the plight of orphans there – both those who were orphaned as a result of the earthquake and those who were orphaned before.  It seemed that our desire to adopt was now matched with a very real need.  We began investigating adopting from Haiti, but those doors were shut.  Mark and I, though, decided that God was prompting us to realize that it was time to stop talking about adopting and start taking steps in that direction.  We decided to  pursue adoption until or unless God stopped the process. 

            We attended a Bethany meeting where we first heard about Ethiopia as an adopting country.  We then met with a couple that had just brought two children home from Ethiopia.  We also read a book that taught us about the Ethiopian culture, the hardships they have endured due to AIDS and other extreme conditions.  We learned about the many orphans in that country.  It seemed that God was bringing His plan more into focus. 

            We officially began the adoption process in late spring of 2010 with a phone call to Becky Burns with YWAM (Youth With a Mission) Ethiopia adoption outreach.  Since then we have completed a lot of paperwork, spent hours training via online workshops, and read books about adoption.  Mark, Julianna, and Elizabeth went on a mission trip to Ethiopia where, among other things, they experienced life in Ethiopia. 

            One question we get asked the most is, “What is your time frame?”   This is the part where you come in.  We need to raise around $30,000 to complete this process.  We will be working hard on our end to try to earn/raise this money.  The quicker we raise the money the quicker we can bring our new family member home.  The mountain at times seems too high, but we know that it is not too high for God. 

We also truly need prayer. We do not see this as a secondary “gift”, but primary.  Specific prayer needs:

God’s direction on what specific child/children He would have for us.

Fundraising (big event on October 21^st)

Bonding with our new family member(s).

Peace in the midst of so much uncertainty (when we will go/one child or two).

Adjustment to a new culture, family, everything for the child/children.

Thank you for your time and prayer on this matter.  We know that all children are a blessing from God.  We know we will be blessed with our new family member(s).  We hope and pray and believe that we will be a blessing to him as well.  We have always thought it was a “no-brainer”…we are a family that loves kids and there are kids that would love to be in a family…let’s just match us up.