To Those Who Wait

As we mentioned in our last post, in order to finalize our adoption this year we must be matched with a set of siblings by the end of this month. There are now only 21 days (3 wks) left in the month of September and our hearts are overwhelmed with anxiety and impatience. Even though we know in our hearts that God is in full control, we have yet to reach a place of peaceful rest in Him. To be honest, we are struggling. Although sometimes God allows us to struggle, we are not in the struggle alone. He reminded us of that just this morning. We opened Spurgeon's Daily Devotion to these words....

"I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not. Jeremiah 33:3

Prevailing prayer is victorious over the God of mercy... it enables the Christian to cover heaven with clouds of blessing, and earth with floods of mercy."

I am not what may be called "superstitious" or "mystical" however, I do find it interesting/comforting that the words we read this morning, which were ever so healing to our troubled hearts, are found in the 33rd chapter and the 3rd verse of Jeremiah. 3...3...3... Did you catch that? We have a timeline of 3 weeks to be matched with 3 children in order to finalize this year, and God used a verse from the 33rd chapter and the 3rd verse of the book of Jeremiah to comfort our hearts! I don't know how to interpret such a thing, or if there's even anything to be interpreted from it, but I do know that no matter what chapter, or what verse, or which book it came from, it IS a promise from God. Not a promise that we will be matched in 3 weeks, but a promise that He hears our cries and we are not forsaken... that He has a purpose and He WILL answer, in GREAT and MIGHTY ways that we know not. That is His promise!

We covet your prayers as we find ourselves in a familiar place... a place that we were in at this time a year ago... a place of waiting on the Lord. God used this song to comfort us then and He continues to use it to this day. He reminds us that He truly is good to those who wait...

Dossier Approved

On August 13, we received word from our caseworker that we were officially dossier approved! The most amazing part of it all was that there were no revisions requested by Colombia (there is usually a 75% chance that they will ask for revisions/additional information regarding your dossier)! We know beyond a shadow of a doubt that this was God’s provision for us, yet again. He has truly guided us on each step of this journey. Even when we step out in faith, not knowing what is ahead, He is ALWAYS the solid rock beneath our feet leading us on to the finish. 

If only you could see this story unfolding from our perspective. Only then could you truly experience the wonder of our circumstance and the outstretched arm of love and faithfulness extended to us time and again by our loving Father.  When we began this journey, almost a year ago, the estimated amount to complete the adoption of 3 children from Colombia was $38,000 ($26,000 in adoption fees and $10-12,000 in travel expenses). It was made known to us that this amount was an estimate and was subject to change. We never imagined that “change” could mean a decrease in the amount, but decrease is exactly what it did! I am not certain when the amount changed, but I am certain it was all of the Lord! The current estimate to complete the adoption of 3 children from Colombia is now only $26,000 ($19,000 in adoption fees and $5-7,000 in travel expenses)!!! This means that we are now ONLY $4,000 away from meeting our financial need! OUR GOD IS SO GOOD! 

We still have about 150 adoption t-shirts left. In hopes to sell the remainder of our tees, we will be at Loblolly Festival in Laurel, MS on October 6^th (the same festival where we began our fundraising adventures last year). If sold, the remaining tees will generate $2,200, which leaves only $1,800 to raise! Does that sound as amazing to your ears as it does to ours? We are TRULY blessed and forever grateful to the Lord for His provision through people like you, who have given SO much to help us fill our home with little ones! Thank you could never say enough!

We are excited to be near the finish line of fundraising because our referral (match) could literally come ANY day! It’s a relief to know that when that phone call does finally come, a lack of funds will no longer be an issue! PRAISE GOD! One thing that is pressing on our hearts is the timeline of the referral. In order for us to finalize the adoption this year, we will need to be matched by the end of this month. Of course, we desire greatly for the match to come quickly and for our families to experience these bundles of joy during the Christmas season, but of course we know who is in control of it all, right down to the smallest detail. We whole-heartedly believe HE WILL PROVIDE, and possibly in ways we could never imagine – we’ve already witnessed a financial miracle in this journey… and SURELY He is ABLE to do abundantly above what we could ask or think, so we trust Him and the time line He chooses.

Thank you in advance for your prayers….. we’re almost there!