Bethany's Dinner- Fayetteville, AR AND Kansas City, MO

No, this in not the newest member of the Harrigan family. It could be. She could look like this. She could have darker skin, she could have lighter hair. Part of this adventure is recognizing that simple fact, we have no idea what she will look like. But we do know this much, we know that she belongs in this family. We know that she is designed, created, loved and formed that she would be a part of our family. We are anticipating the day when we will meet her. Here's the beginning of the story:

I had always thought about adoption, but was convinced it was for someone else– people who couldn’t have babies or who were kind of weird and wanted a whole bunch of children and had a lot of money. After we had Benjamin, the Lord spoke very clearly to my heart. “There are babies who don’t have mommies and daddies and you are a mommy and daddy.” I’m a black and white kind of girl, so this was one of the better words for my heart. As the years have passed, my heart has grown, not in an abstract way, but a very concrete, clear direction. Before we got pregnant with Samuel, the Lord gave us the name Bethany. We were convinced that Samuel was going to be a girl and her name would be Bethany. We were sure of the word of the Lord. Needless to say, without a doubt, the ultrasound tech said he was a boy, and the Lord knew he was to be called Samuel. Slightly disappointed, I asked the Lord about Bethany. Why had you given me this name when she wasn’t in me? He promptly answered me with my growing heart for adoption. “She is out there. I have and will form her for your family. She will come to you from me.” I was wowed by the awesome hand of the Lord, that he would do such a thing. That he would allow me to participate in this amazing thing called adoption. I am consistently awed by the concept– that we are adopted into the family of heaven, that we are grafted/adopted into the family of Israel. I don’t fully understand it, but I know there must be something there. The dynamic of adoption on the human heart is so powerful that I want to be a part of it. I want to know the heart of the Father from this angle, I want to see the other little ones that he has in store for our family.

Part 2: As we grow in our knowledge of adoption, what it means, what it costs, we begin to realize that we don't have all the resources necessary to do this on our own. We are now learning that it is a combined effort, by the church as a whole, to come together and take care of these little ones who need homes.
Before anyone can adopt, you must complete a home study. It is done by a licensed agency, costs $1000, take at least a month and up to six. It is an examination of all aspects of your life, from marital issues to parenting to financial stability. They are wanting to make sure you are stable enough to adopt. After the home study has been completed you get copies of it and fill out more applications to send to the Adoption Agencies around the nation where the birth mothers come. Once the applications have been received, your profile (a book of pics of your family) is given to birth mothers who fit with what you are looking for and you can get a call with a match. Once you are picked and agreed upon, the largest sum of money goes to the agency that is taking care of that mother. It can range anywhere from $8000 to $35,000. We are interested in the group of babies that most people don’t want to adopt.

We are wanting to have two fundraising dinners: One in Kansas City on July 12 and one in Fayetteville, AR on Sunday, August 2.

We will sell tickets for $50, $75, or $100 each and invite friends to a night out. John and I will speak briefly on adoption, what we have learned, and what we feel like the Lord is saying about it, and then let everyone have a great time enjoying some great food and each other. Here are the things we are praying for and asking:

1. You all have more connections than we could ever have on our own- would you consider hosting a table, inviting 8-10 of your friends for a night out?
2. Would you consider joining us for dinner?
3. Would you pray for this one, Bethany, wherever she is and however she is, that she would know she is created by the Father and loved by our family?
4. Would you consider donating to support this new addition to our family?

Please leave a comment if you can help or are interested in coming. Thanks so much-

In with the heat, out with the spring.

Well, that time of year is fast approaching. I have said in recent years that Kansas City weather is not all that exciting. Maybe I have just been spoiled. Both northwest Arkansas and central Kentucky really have beautiful weather. (though when I was there, I wasn't quite as appreciative). Nonetheless, summer has hit with a vengeance and we are headed into the nineties this week. We have been to two weeks of swimming lessons, which by the way, the local YMCA does wonderfully! We are learning the basics and are soon pool worthy. With maybe a life vest or two. Either way, let the heat come! We have learned some valuable lessons to keeping the upstairs cool, we have learned to venture downstairs when we can't stay that way, and to always, given the choice, play in the sprinkler! We are ready!!

On a side note, I have no pictures today because I left my camera at NaeNae and PaPa's house last weekend and they are mailing it back this week. Swim lesson pics are soon to come, and maybe I'll get a pic of the garden this year. Though I still cannot stand the deer in our area, I have not given up and we have eaten fresh broccoli and lettuce this spring. The tomatoes were eaten, but are coming back from the root, the potatoes are ready to be dug up and the squash and zucchini are looking great! We still haven't seen the corn or the beans, but sadly enough, they were planted very late for their season! We'll have to wait to see if they make it. Love you all dearly and thanks for reading-

The unwanted babies. . .

This is something I saw recently that spoke to my heart. It is definitely what the Lord has been speaking to us- a very simple message- that the adoption of this little one is not about us. It's about her. It's about what purposes the Lord has for her life and what He wants for her. Thought I would share. . . .

Faithful Daddies. . .

Remember that post I put a while back about my Samuel? I told you all that he was very slow to trust, but VERY loyal once his heart had been won. I also told you about how his daddy has won his heart. It is so exciting for me to sit and watch the two of them, they are so alike in such wonderful ways. I am a blessed woman. All that to say, this evening I had another moment of learning about the Father from the men in my life. John got out the mower to take it for a spin or two around the yard with the boys. Since Benjamin was older and since he asked first, he got to ride around the yard with daddy first. Let me explain something at this point. Usually, Samuel comes running inside when the mower is on and tells me it's "too loud." We have learned how to cover our ears with our hands and wait until it passes by and then it's "not too loud." When Benjamin and John decided to go for a ride I didn't even think Samuel would want to and by the time I realized he wasn't afraid anymore, I had already told Benjamin he could ride first. All that to say, Samuel had to wait his turn.

We sat and sat on the back porch, munching on the leftover dinner waiting our turn with Daddy. After a few minutes, John came back, dropped off Benjamin and picked up Samuel. It occurred to me at that moment that Samuel's earthly daddy was teaching him an amazing facet of God the Father. He was teaching him about faithfulness. Daddy was faithful to do what he says, and God is faithful too. He will do what he says. He will keep his word, keep his promises, and follow through. Even at 2 years old, Samuel can learn that Daddies do what they say. Both now and forevermore.

Secondly, I saw a fear in my son disappear that usually rises to the surface. When Daddy was on the mower, no matter how loud and in charge, it wasn't frightening. It wasn't scary because there was safety in his Father's arms. The Lord is so much bigger than we are. He has so much more knowledge about what is happening in our lives, he knows how to control the mower even when we feel like it is loud, out of control, and moving along despite all our attempts to slow it down. It's okay.

I have found myself lately feeling a little out of control and it was such a necessary reminder that the Lord is faithful not to leave me standing on the porch outside his heart. AND that He is the safest place I can be, no matter how much it feels like I may be spinning out of control. Amen and amen!


Matthew 11:28 - 30 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Fun times in KY

So, there are tons of thoughts from this past weekend, but the highlight was definitely the $2.32 purchase of a 50 foot sheet of plastic. And yes, I said, 50 feet. Imagine this. . . . a slightly dramatic hill, water, dish soap, and loads of fun! There were a few tears shed, but overall the fun far outweighed the tears.

P.S. If you are interested in such an activity for your little ones, let me share some very important lessons, learned no less at the expense of our oldest children. (sorry kids)

1. Always wear a shirt (boys) and shorts (girls). The grass hurts when you hit it hard and fast. The front of my son's chest is a sad testimony to this lesson.

2. Soap is crucial for speed, or even going at all. I thought that the soap would be unnecessary if there was enough water- I was mistaken. It doesn't go well at all.

3. You MUST have a catcher at the bottom of the plastic. I don't know if you can tell well enough, but most of the pain of the first experience happened as the kids slid off the bottom and into the grass. On Day 2, we had a daddy at the top and at the bottom. Worked beautifully!!

Besides that, have a blast and know that your kids will love you all the more for all the fun they are having!







Good job Daddy! We love you!

The new beds. . .

Okay, so I thought all who know my boys would appreciate the joy coming forth from the little blue bedroom. The first pic is of Samuel asleep in his big boy bed for the first time! The second is the whole caboodle. . . .

Addendum to the previous post.

Romans 8:23-24 23 "Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all."

So I found an addendum to the last post. I guess this is the reason I have connected so powerfully to the adoption of little ones. I want to know more about what adoption is. As it says in Romans, our hope is in our new bodies at the end of time, when Jesus comes back and we are seated as ADOPTED sons (and daughters) forever in the kingdom of the Lord on Earth. Really, is there anything cooler? To have an even greater understanding into what it means to be adopted, by adopting others, can only increase my own heart to see my adoption into my Father's family finalized on the day he returns. Wow. It's pretty cool.

Adoption. . . . so the story continues (or begins, depending on your view)

So we have had a week of firsts. We are praying about this thing called adoption, and it has suddenly become elevated in our hearts. We met this past week with an Adoption Consultant- one who can help us through the process, create a profile of our family, and point us toward the right social worker for the home study, and finally connect us with agencies around the nation that desire to find Christian families for babies that are available. Then, we went to a dinner put on by the Zoe Foundation- created by a family here in KC to help others more affordably adopt. They are really cool people and have an amazing call from the Lord on their lives. Through it all, I hear the still small voice of the Lord speaking to me. It's really amazing, because at this stage in our lives it's really crazy, we have these two little boys, and we sure DON'T have an extra $25,000 sitting around. And yet, the Lord is speaking so clearly to us on this one. Here's a snippit:

1. I was praying tonight at bible study for this whole situation, particularly the baby and the money. We have to have $3000 to start the process, and are praying for the Lord to lead us to people right now who have the same heart. As I was asking the Lord to provide for this little one, he told me that we were fighting for her- by raising money. I know, it sounds a bit odd, but when you are pregnant, you are going to the doctor, cutting back on caffeine, taking your vitamins, and praying fervently over the one inside you. It is the means of fighting for her from the start. When they are born, you will fight for them at the drop of a hat if ever crossed. The Lord spoke so clearly to me tonight that I cannot do those things this time, but he is calling me to fight for her (we think it might be a little girl somewhere out there). As I talk to people and begin this adventure of fundraising, this is the means that I can fight for her. She is in a womb right now where she is unwanted, I am praying constantly for her heart, but by raising money to bring her into my home, I am fighting for her little life. Just as I would if she were in my womb.

2. My child is unwanted somewhere. I know there is a ton of conversation about when and what babies can know in the womb, but there is a pregnant mother who knows that the child growing inside her would be better off with another family. It is the most noble of decisions. Anyone who has sat in a hospital after holding the newborn you have just birthed, knows the heart connection that happens immediately. For that mother to know it is best to give her to me is honorable at least, noble and sacrificial at best. I have and will continue to pray that she will know she is created, known from the start, and LOVED wholly by a family in Kansas City, and created by a God who was willing to send his son to die for her. There is no greater calling. There is no greater love, than to lay down his life. . . .

Pray with us. It's about to get crazy over here!

James 1:27 "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress"

You gotta see this. . .

So our friends up here in KC have adopted three little girls in the last two years and oddly enough, found out they were pregnant with a fourth girl. They are an amazing family, living as intercessory missionaries for years now, on staff and IHOP, and recently starting a foundation to help families adopt. Great people- if you don't already read it, I totally recommend you start reading his blog- http://randybohlender.wordpress.com It's really cool, but I wanted to share a particular entry. There is a small town in rural Texas called Possum Trot (and for those of you familiar with the rural south, you know what a great name that is for a town). Anyway, the town has three hundred people in it, 200 of them attend a Missionary Baptist church. In the last few years, members of that church have adopted 70 of the state-classified children, hardest to adopt. The story is amazing, and though there are always financial needs when taking care of children, the gospel that these faithful few are preaching is above and beyond anything I have said in the last several days. It's amazing what can be won when fighting the battle with the love of Jesus closest to you. . . enjoy!

http://randybohlender.wordpress.com/2009/04/28/hats-off-to-possum-trot/

By the way, here's the link to the church itself- really cool place.

Springtime fun!

So, the older Samuel gets the more he wants to play with Daddy and Benjamin. He knows that he is smaller, but longs to participate so fully. And as we are learning, whatever he feels in his heart, he feels it fully. So, last night, though it was late and everyone was tired and really dirty, we (well, Daddy) figured out how to safely attach the seat to the back of the bike and around the house and driveway they went. I don't know how well you can tell, but Samuel was delighted. Truly, enthralled. And loving his daddy ever more, every moment.