Saturday, April 28, 2011

Wow, what a day!

Curt told me this week that we were going to go to this adoption seminar. Me thinking, wow, great, my heart is going to break all over, and we won't be able to adopt... But then part of me was thinking, YES, we can FINALLY do this! I also had 2 cakes that were due and was supposed to be delivered on Saturday morning, so I called them and got them switched to Fri nite and then Sat afternoon.

We went, and it was like God was telling me, you guys are going to adopt, and it's going to be sooner than you think.

We've gotten papers in the past about American World Adoption Agency and Bethany Christan, but we never really did anything about it. One reason, I wasn't old enough, ok, we both weren't old enough. ;)

Let me back up a bit here, way back! ;)

When we were first married and lived in MI, there was this HUGE 3 story house that we always passed going to IN and then back home to MI. I ALWAYS said, we are gonna get that house and it's going to be filled with kids! We are going to have an orphanage. I LOVED that house, I mean, this house was HUGE! It had about 10 windows all across the front, each story, then about 4-5 on the sides! It reminded me an older house where the servants lived on the 3rd floor. It would have been PERFECT! Of course, newly married, flat broke, it wasn't in the plans then. But my heart would somewhat ache just a little bit every time we passed that house.

Fast forward to a few years later, Curt went to China with the James Fund. He called me one day, crying, and then or course I start crying once he tells me all about Zhihong. I got to looking after that phone call if we could somehow adopt her. Unfortunately, there was NO way that we could. There were a few reasons why, one, didn't make enough, two, wasn't old enough, three, that wasn't God's plan. That's a hard one to swallow, not knowing what was going to happen to Zhihong, knowing that wasn't what God wanted us to do right then.

Fast forward a few more years.... Adoption has always been on my heart, no matter if I was prego or not! :) Especially China.

So I guess you could fast forward to the present! ;) Joseph and April got to bring home their beautiful daughter, I was excited beyond belief for them! Once I saw Anabelle, I know that God was telling me that our lives were going to change, but for the better! You know that once God tells you something, you BETTER obey or prepare yourself, right? ;)

Curt has a guy that works at his local store here in town. They have adopted 5 kids from China and are working on 6 maybe 7? I remember going into the bookstore to get something, and ran into him and was talking to him. He mentioned something about an adoption seminar coming up that next month. My heart leaped a little bit, but didn't say anything.

Well, we weren't going to go, but then that Monday, Curt told me we were going. I was a little nervous, but yet excited.

Needless to say, we got home, got the kids fed, got them down for their naps. I was doing something so I wasn't eating at the same time with the kids, so after I got them down for their naps, I sat on the couch with a bowl of cereal. Curt sat next to me and said, so what do you think?

I just smiled and said, well, you know I HATE and I mean H-A-T-E soggy cereal, so why don't you talk to me while I eat! ;)

He told me he felt that God was telling him we need to adopt! I just said with my mouth full, so completely lady-like I know, IT'S ABOUT TIME!!!! :)

I went to meet my friend to deliver the cake, and Curt was home filling out the on-line application!

I can't tell you what I have been feeling this whole week, waiting! :\ Nerve wrecking, wondering if we would be accepted or not!

We went out to eat with Joseph and April and picked their brains a bit. All we heard were happy stories at the seminar, we wanted the truth! ;) We knew it would be hard, nerve wrecking, but oh so rewarding too! :)

We decided to do as much of the paperwork as we can to save money. It's not going to be cheap, but I KNOW that God will provide! It may seem like it's not enough, but He will provide! I am not going to stress about the money, we will apply for grants and hopefully do some fundraisers, already got my wheels turning for the fund raisers part! ;)

We applied for a special needs girl. Ages 1-8. BUT, I am open to whatever child God wants us to have, even if the child is younger. I am open to a boy as well, I don't know what God has in store.

That night while Curt prayed, he asked God to touch THEM and let THEM know that we are coming. After he said AMEN, I said, do you realize what you just said? You said THEM? Before putting the kids to bed that nite (Saturday), Gavin prayed for his new brother AND sister, and then going into the girls room, Skylar did the SAME thing. I am telling you, she did NOT hear her brother at all! We sat them down Sat afternoon telling them what we were doing and what they thought! I wish I would've had the camera, Kotah face said all! It was almost like, she KNEW it and was saying the same thing Curt and I both said to each other, it's about time! :) Then Gavin and Skylar got this huge smile on their face as well! :)

We also marked that if the child we wanted has a sibling, we would take them as well. So, guess what the kids are doing? They are praying for their new BROTHER AND SISTER! ;) They are asking God to tell them that we are coming, not to worry, we are coming to get them!

Special needs can be anywhere from heart defect, hearing, birth mark, deaf... It just varies. I don't know which child we will get. I just know that God has the right one(s) for us!