The Most Important Part of Our Adoption Process

Prayer is the most important part of our adoption process. Please join us in prayer:

• Pray for the birth parents - for their situation, their comfort, their direction, their healing, their restoration, their adoption plan decision, their needs (physically and spiritually)
• Pray for the case workers - for their discernment, wisdom, protection, strength, to know who to share our portfolio with, God's words to say to birth parents and adoptive families
• Pray for us as waiting adoptive parents - for our patience in waiting for God's perfect timing, that we would stay faithful in prayer for the situation, for God to use our adoption situation to draw others to Himself, for our time as new parents, for adoption provisions, for encouragement, for our focus to stay on Christ and His plan
• Pray for our future child(ren) - for his/her acceptance of adoption later in life, for him/her to understand one day how much we wanted and loved him/her, to fit into our family as a biological child would, for others to accept and welcome our child(ren), for his/her salvation (to be eternally adopted)

Worth it!

Have you completed a task with intentions of that being the only time you had to do that certain something, and later find out you have to do it all over again? That's sort of what we feel like right now. When we completed our home study last year, we thought that we would have an adoption finalized before now. A home study is only good for one year. That means we have to have our home study updated. With that comes more papers to fill out, more doctor visits, another home visit, and another fee. Thankfully, a month or two ago we received a $500 adoption grant from the North American Mission Board. This grant will cover our $400 paperwork update. This is a blessing because we won't have to use any of the Promise686 money. We are saving the Promise686 grant money for our placement fee.

Last week our caseworker emailed us a list of the documents we need to complete. I sighed and told Eric that I feel like we're starting all over again! We're not, but it feels that way. We will take April and May to complete our papers and then have our home visit in May (maybe June since school will be out). The paperwork will not take as long as the original home study paperwork, but it's still paperwork. It's really amazing all that goes in to adopting a child - we had no idea until we were put in the middle of our adoption process. Even though having to update our home study seems overwhelming and disappointing, our future child is worth it!!!!!!!!!!

Covenant Care's 8th Adoption Placement of 2012! 3/19/12

Severed

It was a year ago today that we first received the news that our first adoption process was at its end. On March 24, 2011, Eric and I read an email from a contact person who was near the location of our international princesses. Her words turned us around 180 degrees! Her email basically said that our adoption of the princesses would not be able to be completed (I can explain in person if you ask, but for their protection I won't mention it online). Ouch! That certainly pierced our hearts. Eric called me during my lunch break to notify me of the message, so that means I read those words in between my classes. After ending the call with Eric, I went to my principal's office to notify him of the news. He listened carefully to my heart and then prayed over the situation right then! That's a loving, Christian principal right there! That was a HUGE encouragement and help to me that day! I then had to go back to my class and act like nothing had happened! If I would have focused on it then, I would have had a waterfall of tears that would have flooded the school. We had just finished our adoption blood work and doctor visits that week, and we were about to send our paperwork overseas for the adoption of our princesses. We began to wonder why God allowed this to happen, but we had to keep our focus on the answer: God has a plan! He knows EVERYTHING and has our best interest in mind! We just had to be thankful for the time God did allow us to invest in the girls and trust in God. It still hurt for a while, even though I covered it up well. I even went to church that Sunday and acted like I was fine. I wasn't, though. However, God stayed faithful and was my comfort.

The following month was waiting for confirmation from other sources to see if this news was really true. It was. After receiving this confirmation, we decided to take time to pray about what God wanted us to do and to not talk about adoption for about two weeks. We also decided to read through a certain part of scripture and see what God revealed to us. Close to that time was when our special friends from church told us about Covenant Care. That conversation is what led us to where we are today . . . adopting a baby from America! The road has been hard and bumpy, but I wouldn't have wanted to travel down any other road! I'd rather take God's best and endure the bumps instead of take what I think is best and enjoy the smooth ride. It was on that bumpy road that God showed Himself faithful, present, comforting, real, and in control. As with many experiences in life, we have been able to look back in hind sight and see God's hand in it all. I can say with confidence that God really does have a plan. Those words in the Bible are really true. God cares for me and my future. God cares about our desire to have a family. It was His truth, love, and grace that got us to this point today - for that alone I am forever grateful!

 

This time last year

This time last year, Eric and I were finishing the necessary requirements for our adoption paperwork to be sent overseas for the adoption of our international princesses. We had been in home study meetings, at doctor visits, at Homeland Security fingerprint appointments, etc. Last February and March were crazy busy. Our home study consisted of several meetings with our case worker. After presenting her with our proper initial documents (which took a long time), we met with her several times to be grilled. It actually wasn't that bad. We had been told that case workers are there to help you, not hinder you. That was so true! Our case worker was so helpful in getting our paper work ready for submission. The home study process is so interesting and time-consuming. That part of our adoption process forced us to think about so much. It was also a time for us to explain every teeny tiny detail about our entire lives. That on top of grading papers was a challenge, but God was so faithful and helpful! Even though our home study was originally for international adoption, our case worker changed it to meet domestic requirements, resulting in the ability of Covenant Care to use our existing home study! 

Friends

There are times in life when you just need to confide in someone who has walked where you are walking. We had one of those times recently. We were struggling with our waiting time, so we called upon a very special couple in our church. This couple introduced us to Covenant Care and offered to help us in any way they could, especially since they have walked where we are walking. We had such a wonderful time with them! To hear their story again and glean their advice and encouragement was so uplifting!!! They know exactly what we are feeling and experiencing without us having to say a word. To those of you currently on the adoption journey or those who will be pursuing adoption in the future, surround yourself with people who have traveled or are traveling where you are. The same goes for any other situation in life: don't go it alone! I've been too good at that in the past, so this process has helped me open up more and allow people in to help. That has truly been a blessing! Thank you to all the friends that have supported us throughout this journey!

The Latest News

Many people are wondering about our adoption status. There is no telling what is really happening on our case worker's side of this process, but on our side we're just waiting. We have not heard anything other than we will need to update our adoption paperwork in May. It's already been a year since our home study was finalized! Unbelievable! We would LOVE to hear something soon, but in the meantime we have to trust in God's perfect timing! It's SO comforting to know that God knows!

Store Spark

Saturday was so much fun! Eric and I took some time to go bum around Babies 'R Us! It was so busy in there because of some major diaper deals. We didn't realize how big of a deal it was until we talked to a lady who was in line in front of us.

We went into the store to look at changing tables again. I know we don't know the exact date of when we will be blessed with our baby, but having an unfinished baby room is driving me CRAZY! I have to have a changing table! Eric and I have been looking at them for months. We even look at TV stands and think about the changing table possibilities it offers! Do you know how hard it is to find a changing table that is low enough for people around 5 feet! We finally found one a while back and went back to look at it Saturday. While we were there, we came across a brand new style! It is the perfect height and matches the baby crib style perfectly! The changing table is so new that the store doesn't have them in cherry yet, so I'm on a list to be called when they come in!

Since we were in the store, we HAD to look around, right? In the process we found a cute blanket toy for our baby! We HAD to get it. It matches the frogs and colors in the room. I had so much fun holding that toy and imagining our baby snuggling up to it one day! It is so soft. I had a blanket that I loved on for years, so I definitely want our baby to have something snuggling and soft!

I haven't really been able to focus on the adoption much the last several weeks, so it was fun to get that spark back and dwell on it some more. We can't wait for Baby Miller!!! He/she is most definitely worth waiting for!

Bountiful Baby Blessings

So much has happened in our lives over the last month! Here are a few of the highlights:

- Eric went to Haiti on a vision trip for our summer college mission trip.
- I ended another quarter of school (fun with grading, planning, etc.).
- We celebrated my niece's 4th birthday and my dad's 60th birthday.
- I almost completely lost my voice, but it came back to me a week later.
- I attended a women's conference with church friends.
- We helped out with some church activities such as The Wild Game Dinner.
- We had a surprise visit from my parents!
- Had time to spend with friends!

I'm looking forward to what lies ahead!

A large part of the last month has been family. In particular, the first Saturday in March was full of family time! I loved it! I'm a family girl . . . always have been . . . so time with family means so much to me! A couple of Saturdays ago, Eric and I had the privilege of meeting Eric's mom for breakfast and then having family birthday day with my dad's side of the family. To our surprise, there were two special adoption blessings throughout the day!!!

Adoption Blessing #1: Baby goodies from Eric's Mom!
Eric's mom gave us a photo album, Baby's 1st Christmas stockings (one blue and one pink since the gender is unknown), and some baby toys! The toys were so much fun to play with . . . I mean look at. :) Yes, I played with them at a restaurant table! I admit it! That really gave me the extra excitement I needed during this waiting time!

Adoption Blessing #2: Baby blanket from Grandma!

Our niece testing out our new baby blanket!

My Grandma asked me a while back for our baby room colors. I showed her the bedding and that was the end of it. I knew she wanted to make a blanket for our baby-to-be, but I had no idea I would have the honor of having the blanket so soon! In the midst of celebrating family birthdays, I was given a gift bag to open! Inside was a soft, beautiful, made-with-lots-of-love baby blanket - handmade by Grandma herself! The blanket was even made in a shape that corresponds with the octagons in the baby room bedding! My niece Abigail tested out the blanket and approved 100%! This blanket was yet another volt in my excitement charger.

Thank you, Grandma and Momma Miller, for the very special blanket and baby goodies! Eric and I can't wait to have a baby to use them!

Refreshment

Do you have a favorite refreshment? Maybe cookies and milk or strawberries and fruit dip? Maybe quiet time in your car alone or sitting on top of a mountain in solitude? Maybe going for a run or laughing with a loved one? Refreshments don't have to be edible, just consumable. What?! Yep, consumable. It is easy to imagine consuming cookies or strawberries, but sitting on top of a mountain? Sure! When I sit on top of a mountain in solitude, I consume relaxation and God's peace. When I go for a run, I consume extra energy and an emotional outlet. Aside from my all-time favorite refreshment of spending time with God, what's one of my other favorite refreshments? Writing.

Over the last several weeks my writing flame was almost out, but its flicker is back! I have really missed writing on our adoption blog. How is writing on an adoption blog a means of refreshment?

- Helps me keep track of our adoption journey
- Allows me to go back and see God's hand at work
- Reminds me of where we've been and where we're going
- Serves as a prayer reminder
- Provides the opportunity for others to learn our story of what it's like to be on an adoption journey
- Acknowledges truths about God
- Gives me a chance to wrestle with issues that come up along the way
- Gives my mouth, head, and heart a place to reflect and release
- Creates a record of adoption thoughts and experiences
- Offers an adoption advocacy platform

I know our adoption blog only covers the adoption part of our lives, but having an outlet to share my thoughts throughout the adoption side of our lives is so healthy for me and hopefully helpful for others. Refreshing? Positively! There are some days that I think time is flying fast, and there are other days that I think our adoption placement day is so far away. However, having a place to record what is going on inside of me during this waiting time has helped me more than you will ever know. Refreshing? Absolutely!

What brings you refreshment? Leave a comment to share if you would like!

Refined by Fire: Fueled by Faith

WAKE UP!!! Have you ever had one of those moments? Over the past several weeks, God has gotten my attention in a way that was uncomfortable and difficult, but he took me through that refining fire only to make me stronger and more like Himself.

The Friday following my wake-up call I read over the upcoming Sunday school lesson. The title of the lesson made me inwardly chuckle and say, "Okay, God. I get it!" The title: "Choosing Repentance: What Happens When You Stumble?" The lesson explanation included this statement: "God's grace includes the promise that when we genuinely repent of our sins - when we grieve over what we've done and do a 180 degree turn back toward truth - we can return to a restored relationship with Him" (Collegiate Magazine: Winter 2011/12 page 48). 180 degree turn . . . sound familiar?

The title of our adoption project is 180 Degrees: Turning Lives Around Through Adoption.  When we first made this blog, our project title was intended to show how adoption can turn around the lives of adoptees. The conclusion of our first adoption showed us that God was using the adoption process to turn our lives around, too. Reading the above statement about God's grace and our repentance reminded me once again that God is turning our hearts back to him through means of a refining fire.

God uses times of waiting as a refining fire. Fires can be furious and destructive, yet they can also be fulfilling and warm. Have you ever sat around a warm campfire on a cold, fall evening? We are in a cold season of waiting, but God has a fire blazing all around us to fulfill and comfort us. Not only are we surrounded by a fire, we are IN the fire. This reminds me so much of Daniel's three friends from the Bible. They were placed in a firey furnace to face destruction, yet God walked with them through the fire and brought them out alive and refined, fueled by faith!

God has certainly used our time of waiting as a refining fire to fuel our faith. We have learned so much about ourselves, each other, those around us, and God throughout this process. I am thankful today for God's redeeming love and grace . . . his fire and rain. 

Covenant Care's 7th Adoption Placement of 2012 3/15/12

Two placements in one week (March 13th and 15th)!!!!! We are so excited for these families, but we must admit that we wish we were the ones in the video!!!!! Pray for these birthmoms who have made adoption plans for their children. While these happy couples in the placement videos rejoice in the new addition to their families, there are birthparents grieving the "loss" of their children. We are thankful to be a part of an adoption agency that ministers to birthparents both before and after placement!

Covenant Care's 6th Adoption Placement of 2012

This blessed couple welcomed a new child on March 13th! This is a sweet reunion for sure!

Covenant Care's 5th Placement of 2012

Covenant Care had its 5th placement on March 1st! A video has not been posted by the agency yet, but I will definitely share it when there is one available. We can't wait until we are the people in the video! I'm thankful already that our unknown birthmother will be choosing life for her child. God has a plan!

Covenant Care's 4th Adoption Placement of 2012

Covenant Care had its 4th adoption placement on Feb. 29th! Check out the sweet video!