"Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you;
He rises to show you compassion.
For the Lord is a God of justice.
Blessed are all who wait for Him!"
-Isaiah 30:18
This Bible verse was in our latest newsletter from Bethany Christian Services and was a great reminder of God's goodness! He has blessed us already as we worked through our checklists and jumped through hoops, and He will continue to bless us as we wait for Him and His PERFECT timing for our family.
Many people have asked us where we "fit" in the grand scheme of our adoption agency. We have some current numbers about our Modesto agency that we thought might be helpful...since January 2010:
15 placements (domestic and inter-country)
30 "waiting families" (THIS IS US!)
5 birthmothers at Bethany's House
13 potential birth mothers in counseling
2 families "matched" with potential birth moms
Every month we receive a newsletter with these updated numbers along with the first names of all the waiting families. This has been a great reminder for us to pray for others in our same place....sometimes its difficult to not feel like its a competition! Praying for each other and for Bethany Christian Services' worldwide ministries has been a great source of comfort and conviction. Please join us!
"All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful."
-Psalm 25:10
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Sunday, May 9, 2010
HURRY UP....and w-a-i-t.
We are "in the book!!!"
Such an exciting time....hard to believe that we have really checked all our lists and jumped through all the hoops. We've done the best we possibly could with all the things we could have "control" over and now we've handed it over. *WOW* We really covet your prayers for our social worker, Rhonda, now! She is the one who will be showing our profile to potential birthmothers. Pray that the Lord will give her insight and clarity!!!! Please also continue to pray for our future birthmother....we know that God has a beautiful plan for her life and are eager to welcome her into our family. Pray also for our unborn child!!!! Our hearts ache to meet this precious person that the Lord is bringing to our family in such a special way....pray especially for safety for him/her.
If you want to have a really good idea of what "phase" we're in now, think about going to the airport. You plan your trip ahead of time, prepare as much as you possibly can for a smooth and problem-free trip. You arrive early to the airport and prepare for the security checks, etc. Hurry hurry hurry...then wait wait wait. No matter how many times you check the departure screen or ask the airline personnel, things only move so quickly. You just don't have control over when that plane arrives! Sometimes the plane is delayed or cancelled and the only thing you can control is how to respond to those situations. THIS IS ADOPTION!!! Its a wonderful and beautiful thing that is 100% worthwhile...but there are also a lot of things that seem like you should be able to control, and you just can't!
Thankfully, we have A LOT of GOD-GIVEN peace about this waiting/lack of control....but we urge you to pray for us as we wait. Yes, we will be "checking the departure screens" regularly (our social worker has encouraged us to call her once a month to check in and see if anyone has shown interest in our profile, etc.) and yes, we will probably get antsy and anxious at times. But we are truly confident that God has gone before us and already determined who our birthmother and child are! As Ethan reminds us, "God is never surprised."
Our prayer during this waiting time is to focus on the work the Lord has set before us right now.....we are still involved in ministries at our local church and involved in our community activities. Ashley will not be going back to teach Spanish this fall, but is hoping to pump up her photography business to keep her busy (www.cainphotography.blogspot.com). Summer should be an exciting time with several family vacations planned too! We are trusting in the promise of Proverbs 4:25-26:
"Let your eyes look directly ahead
And let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you.
Watch the path of your feet
And all your ways will be established."
Such an exciting time....hard to believe that we have really checked all our lists and jumped through all the hoops. We've done the best we possibly could with all the things we could have "control" over and now we've handed it over. *WOW* We really covet your prayers for our social worker, Rhonda, now! She is the one who will be showing our profile to potential birthmothers. Pray that the Lord will give her insight and clarity!!!! Please also continue to pray for our future birthmother....we know that God has a beautiful plan for her life and are eager to welcome her into our family. Pray also for our unborn child!!!! Our hearts ache to meet this precious person that the Lord is bringing to our family in such a special way....pray especially for safety for him/her.
If you want to have a really good idea of what "phase" we're in now, think about going to the airport. You plan your trip ahead of time, prepare as much as you possibly can for a smooth and problem-free trip. You arrive early to the airport and prepare for the security checks, etc. Hurry hurry hurry...then wait wait wait. No matter how many times you check the departure screen or ask the airline personnel, things only move so quickly. You just don't have control over when that plane arrives! Sometimes the plane is delayed or cancelled and the only thing you can control is how to respond to those situations. THIS IS ADOPTION!!! Its a wonderful and beautiful thing that is 100% worthwhile...but there are also a lot of things that seem like you should be able to control, and you just can't!
Thankfully, we have A LOT of GOD-GIVEN peace about this waiting/lack of control....but we urge you to pray for us as we wait. Yes, we will be "checking the departure screens" regularly (our social worker has encouraged us to call her once a month to check in and see if anyone has shown interest in our profile, etc.) and yes, we will probably get antsy and anxious at times. But we are truly confident that God has gone before us and already determined who our birthmother and child are! As Ethan reminds us, "God is never surprised."
Our prayer during this waiting time is to focus on the work the Lord has set before us right now.....we are still involved in ministries at our local church and involved in our community activities. Ashley will not be going back to teach Spanish this fall, but is hoping to pump up her photography business to keep her busy (www.cainphotography.blogspot.com). Summer should be an exciting time with several family vacations planned too! We are trusting in the promise of Proverbs 4:25-26:
"Let your eyes look directly ahead
And let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you.
Watch the path of your feet
And all your ways will be established."
Choosing joy today!!!!!!!
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