IT'S OFFICIAL!!!

So, here she is.  Little Bethany Joy.  As with any adoption, things can always change, but here we are and this time we think it will actually happen.  Here's the story. . .

Three weeks ago, on a Monday morning, I got up with John to see him off.  He was headed to the airport at 5am- he would spend the day in South Florida, and then head to Haiti the next day.  (without easy phone access)  He left early that morning, and early that afternoon I got a call from our dear friend and adoption consultant Tracie.  She said, "When exactly are you coming home from your trip this summer?"  Well, I said, "right now it looks like early July, but it's pretty flexible.  Why?"  

She said, "Can you come home early and be here for a baby due July 7?"   What????????

I QUICKLY said I had to call John- before he got to Haiti!  There were so many questions, so many thoughts all at the same time, I didn't know what to do with myself.  No word on the sex of the baby- only that the birth mother was from the Pacific island area and that this would probably be the first adoption to come through Hannah's Dream.  She was in KC on a student visa and was about 22 weeks along.  Well, I called John, we talked it through, and felt immediately that this was the right situation.  I called Tracie back, and said, "Let's go."

So, three weeks later, after John got back home, we went and signed all the papers.  We all decided that if the situation before was 95% risk (risk that the birth mother would change her mind) then this situation is like 1% risk.  Everything about this situation is different than before- the largest factor being that she is directly connected to the agency and the social worker.  They have a relationship- a friendship where the agency is now the support system for the birth mother.  It is such a cool situation.  I will tell more of the details later, but either way be praying for little Harrigan- growing and forming somewhere in the Kansas City area.  That the Lord would speak life over her heart- that she would know she was formed and made with a purpose, and that her forever family has been praying for and seeking after her for months!

We are praying for you and your birth mama in these next months- over and over, every day.  The Lord is mighty to save.

The Heart of the Father. . . for the African American Culture.

So, Monday night the boys and I went to what I mistakenly called, a "show." Not because it wasn't a show, but simply because the boys thought that meant movie. Oh well, another day I will expound on my boys love for movies and my utter distaste for that love.

The African American Forerunner Alliance is a wing of IHOP that is committed to bringing the African American community into intercession, before the Lord, and uniting with other ministries around the nation focused on the same thing.  "The African American Forerunner Alliance (AAFA) exists to serve and strengthen all who have a desire to see black believers walk in fullness." It is amazing, and having spent a year teaching and living with an African American poverty populations, my heart is connected to such things.  Knowing that soon, we will be having a child in our family whose skin is a different color than mine, pushes my heart to want to understand the plight of those in our country who have been enslaved and abused for generations.   see video. . .


One of their groups, the Heart of David, did a play this week that showed the history of blacks in America, and called them forward- that they would know Jesus fully and live for Him in the days to come.  It is a play written for and acted by African American men and women- and though we were slightly out of place, I couldn't help but think about the days to come- when one or more of my own children will struggle with serious questions of race and identity.  We live in a fallen world.  Jesus has not yet returned.  People will look at me and my family funny.  Sure, some people will tell me how wonderful it is that we are multi-cultural.  However, I know on the front end that it will not always be pretty.  Others will stare, and even others will scoff at me.  I know my daughter will ask, "Mommy, why is my skin a different color than yours?"  I want to answer that question fully and honestly.  I want to know the history of people in this nation who share a common genetic link with my adopted children.

The play looked at the role of significant Black Americans- specifically Martin Luther King- throughout history.    The impact they made, not on policy and politics, but on the heart and soul of African Americans around the nation. 

I leave you with the same question posed in the play.  Who do you put your hope in?  Who is my hope in?  There is one man, one person, ONE who can make all things right.  There is one alone who can vindicate the wrongs in our life, one who can heal the wounds, bring freedom, and guarantee equality.  The One who created us equal, the one who formed us in our mothers' wombs, and the one who sees us completely (good and bad!).  He is our hope.  He is our eternity, and He is the one who will fight for us. 

1 Peter 1:3-6   "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade-- kept in heaven for you,  who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.  In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials." (bold mine)

Adoption anyone??

Since I know you are all ready to jump on the adoption rollercoaster with us :), I thought you might appreciate this video.  It's a great testimony about what is happening in the adoption movement around the church right now.  I read a statement from the director of the Zoe Foundation today that struck me,
     "If anything is going to move from being a blip on the radar to a full blown revolution, it takes many, many people saying the same thing.    The church is thinking differently about adoption because adoption ministries are springing up everywhere. The Zoe Foundation is not a lone voice calling in the wilderness – it is joined by other groups, large and small, that want to see adoption happen.
From the Abba Fund to Focus on the Family, all across the nation, adoption conferences and events are taking place…and it’s making a difference."

Everywhere I turn, I get to talk to wonderful people who are changing the face of adoption.  They share their stories with me, their reasons, their motivations, their testimonies about what the Lord is doing in their midst.  I am moved to be even a small part of this amazing thing the Lord is doing.  Enjoy the video and we'll have an update again soon!

My Samuel. . . . Happy 3rd Birthday!

Dear Samuel,

I remember well the night you were born.  You made me work hard for it, but all of the sudden it was over.  It was as if you wanted to make sure the timing was just right, your debut into this world was perfect.  The testimony of healing that you carry is powerful, and as you speak to me every day, I am reminded that the Lord healed you and gave you life.  He is such a good Father. 

You are becoming such an amazing little boy. You wear your heart so fully, and I am inspired and encouraged to see it. You love completely- your brother, daddy, and mommy. You say such amazing things. Just now I woke you up from nap and you said you wanted to go downstairs and play with brother. And in the van today, you said you wanted to tell me a story.  "Mommy I want to tell you a story.  Me and Brother went down the driveway to get a ball and then we came back up.  The End."  Fantastic!!  You go to Sunday School class with brother, and you love being there with him. You adore playing outside, and you don't even mind who is out there with you most of the time. Your heart is growing in depth every day,even as your pants are getting too short, and your words are forming into ones given by the Father.

My favorite thing about you lately is hearing the songs that are growing in your heart. You love to sing Misty Edwards, "You shall love me, You shall love me" and WaterDeep, "OH Israel, trust in the Lord" OR "He will come, He will come" over and over again. There may be nothing playing, or there may be other music playing, and yet the song that is in your heart will come out through your mouth. "This is the Day" is also heard often in our hallways. You, my child, are a singer and I love seeing it day in and day out. What a beautiful and sweet voice you have.

I hope you had an amazing birthday. You have talked about playing at "Mr. Richee's house" since we got home from MN, so I figure you aren't too upset that mommy spent the first part of the day welcoming Baby Sister Miller into the world. You two share a birthday, isn't that fun? You loved your Lightening McQueen cake and Gordon the train engine that you got. You couldn't stop talking about both of them for quite some time.

I love you sweet boy.  May you continue to grow in love and wisdom- learning the heart of the Father and the words of his heart, that you may share or sing them all the days of your life.

Mommy