Adoption update. . . . is it like #4652?

Hello friends! Here we are, on the ride of adoption. It has just intensified. We have spent the last couple of weeks, praying fervently for two things- the birth mom that we have been matched with and all the orphans in Haiti. It has been daunting at times, for as we all know, where our hearts are focused in prayer- we get attached to as well. SO, it has been a journey. I have been reminded over and over of James 1:27

"27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

I don't, by any stretch of the imagination, claim to be "pure and faultless." However, I do strive to love the things my Father in heaven loves. I do long to connect to His heart, by connecting myself to the things that he is connected to. It have become clear to me, over and over, that the Lord loves those who are suffering. He heard the cries of the Israelites when they were in slavery, he heard the cries of David throughout the Psalms, and He heard the cries of Stephen right before he was stoned to death. The Lord is SOOOO present in the midst of our suffering. He heard my (and John's) cries when Benjamin was born and we were so sick. He heard our cries when Samuel was so sick. He has heard our cries for the next member of our family as well.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." Matthew 5:3-8 (italics mine)

I am no great biblical scholar, but I know this beyond a shadow of a doubt. The Lord is with those who suffer. He is with the babies in Haiti and he is with our birth mother. She is doing something great- something amazing, and she will suffer at some point for it. Her heart will ache. My heart has ached in the last several weeks. But, the Lord is good. And He is with us.

Be praying for us in the next week. The birth mother has arrived back in the Wichita, KS area and is finishing the last steps to prepare for this process. Her due date is January 27 (that's this Wednesday!!!) and we are getting prepared to head to meet her as soon as she and we are ready. Whenever we get a call that the baby is coming, we will load up in the van and get ready to welcome our baby sister into the world! Thank you so much for being a part of this. We are beyond grateful.

Please continue to say a prayer for us- we are $4000 short on the final bill. It seems like nothing since the Lord has provided so much already, but it is still such a large amount of money. Pray with us that the Lord would provide. There is a donate button on the side of the blog and we are so very grateful for anything you can contribute! Either way we'll keep you posted on every step of the journey and how it all works out!

Haitian babies. . . and kids. :)

If you are interested in knowing exactly what is going on with the children of Haiti, this I encourage you to read this blog. Randy is on staff here at IHOP, he directs the Zoe Foundation and Hannah's Dream- both organizations empowering the church to adopt domestically. He, along with Crisis Response International, sent also as part of IHOP, are working frantically with the US Government to figure out how to get these children out of Haiti. CRI has and will continue to put people on the ground in Port-au-Prince, while Randy and his gang are fervently working out the details from this end. Little ones like diapers and formula and big ones like Planes. All that to say, if you want to be moved to pray, if you want to hear what is happening on this end- go read it. It's amazing and beautiful and horrible all at the same time.

the Hebrews and Haiti. . .

So, we went to church this morning and came home at 10:30 as usual. We are, by the way, those crazy people that I never thought I would be-- getting up to go to EARLY church! Oh well, sidenote. On the way home, the boys asked to watch a movie. As any mother fighting this battle knows, I didn't want to be the one to always say no, so I pawned the question off onto the husband. :) He simply asked, "What do you want to watch?" Really, honey? The two yesterday and the 4 the day before (post sickness) were not enough? Nonetheless, my boys know how to win their father over. "Prince of Egypt" they replied confidently. And we all know what happened next. . .

Chilren are sitting in the living room watching and I am sitting at the computer sending out an update from friends of ours who are in Haiti right now. It's pretty intense, but all the sudden I am in the middle of one of those moments. You know, when the Lord begins to speak through something really random and suddenly your heart is stirred to prayer and the tears are rolling, and your youngest is wondering--thoroughly confused- why his mama is crying?? Okay, so maybe just strange people like me have those moments, but one just hit me.

Cue movie, Moses questions the Lord and with resounding authority in His voice, the Lord says "I AM who I AM. This is what you say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you. Say to the Israelites, The Lord the God of your Fathers- the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob- has sent me to you. . . . I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you. . . And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery into. . . a land flowing with milk and honey." (Ex. 3:14-17) All the sudden, my heart is moved and the Lord is pressing on me to pray for the orphans of Haiti. That the Lord would bring them out of their misery, that he sees them in it. AND that He and only He, who put the mountains in their place and formed the earth, could do it. That He is the great I AM. And in all his grandeur and splendid authority, he sees the littlest and the smallest. He sees these children and longs for them to have mothers and fathers. To have families and brothers and sisters.


When the Lord brought about one miraculous event, when he moved a nation out of slavery, all Egypt watched. It will be a testimony to all the nations when He brings out of Haiti a nation of children without mothers and fathers. That the world will know, God cares for the little ones, He has risen from the dead in power and might, and He is coming again! And that like the ones saved from the wreckage, He will save us all and raise us from the dead in fullness on a restored and renewed planet for all eternity! Amen and Amen.

The 4-1-1 on the Harrigan Fam. . . (is that right?)

Anyway, I have like a hundred pics that I have been wanting to post about all the non-adoption related, and yet terribly interesting fun we've been having around the Harrigan house these last several weeks. SO, this is like those 2 minute, get you up to date with the headlines kind of blog. :)

1. We have used, and thoroughly enjoyed, the new wood stove installed last May. With high temps near 0 this past week, it has dramatically helped. (though if you are in the basement very long, it is not nearly as pleasant down there!!!) Either way, fire is fun for little boys, so there was much grandeur involved in building the first!



2. Bethany's bedding has been purchased and put in the room. It is incredibly cute, if you ask me, and Benjamin helped put it all together! We had a blast talking about and praying for our new family member on the way.



3. It has snowed here. A lot. See below. :)



4. Our dear friends Andrew and Lydia Faith got engaged this past week, and though Andrew is overseas for a year, they plan to marry in GA next Spring! Whoo hoo!



5. This just in. . . . Samuel is really cute.



6. On another note all together, Daddy Harrigan decided to go for a midnight sledding adventure with four other friends. Really?? Wow.



7. On a final note, we have a video from mostly Samuel, though I had to tie Benjamin down to not jump into the fun. We have family devotions most nights, and Samuel has formed a definite opinion now about his favorite song, "This is the day."



Goodnight and goodbye!

Let's Make a Deal. . .

Today's blog post by a friend here is Kansas City is awesome. It's about the reward we get when we invest in something beyond ourselves. I wanted to pass it along, mainly as another way of saying THANK YOU to all of you who have invested time, money, and heart into our adoption of Bethany. We are still waiting for more details, but we know that she is coming soon, and we know it will be from the Wichita, KS area. Everything with adoption is a roller coaster- and until 12 hours after delivery and again 30-60 days later, after finalization- nothing is ever for sure. SO, we continue to pray, continue to wait, and sit in a place of peace. Knowing full well that the Lord is in control, he can take care of things bigger than us and He can take care of Bethany. He is good and strong.

WE ARE MATCHED!!!

Here it is friends! We have finally been matched! We are matched with a birth mother who has traveled from Texas to Kansas to deliver through an adoption agency called Adoption Connections. It is a small agency, run by a husband and wife couple and they are amazing. She is the social worker and he is the lawyer. They are incredibly affordable, compared to their competition and they take really good care of both babies/birth mothers and adoptive families. We got matched with a baby that is due in the coming weeks and though we don't have all the details yet, we are at a place where we feel at peace and confident that this is the right step.

It's amazing. We got calls all fall and at each one I was full of anxiety. Are we making the right decision? How do you make such a decision? What if we heard wrong? What if? What if? What if??? And yet, at this point in the game I have no anxiety. (Except of course the absurdity of the fact that we will have a newborn in the house sometime within the next 15-30 days!!) I have this sense deep within me that this in the one we have been praying for. That the Lord has taken care of her in a very real and tangible way. That he is taking care of us and preparing us for the things he has coming our way. It's completely surreal and yet vividly clear at the same time. Weird, I know.

People we have talked with who have experienced the same kind of situation have shared how things sometimes pass by in a blur. Details get lost, what was important is no longer, and what used to be worthless is suddenly vastly important. I know I sound like I am rambling, but in an effort to share my heart without giving away too much information that is not for the internet, I am suddenly without words.

We are going to have a baby! It's like I peed on a stick this past week and the doctor told me I was due in 2 weeks. Really??? Are you sure, Lord???? And yet. . . of course this is it. We've been planning and praying for about nine months. Interesting math, huh? Finalization in Kansas is 30-60 days, so for those of you who know our plans for 2010, everything is still on for go.

We are also in need of some funds. The fees, including everything, are $16,000. I know, a lot of money, but I like to say it costed $25,000 to have Benjamin and almost $50,000 for Samuel, so this one's a breeze!! No really, we have a bunch in the bank, some promised from a grant here locally, and remain about $2000 short. That's nothing!! If you are moved and have anything to pass along we would desperately appreciate it. We have a paypal account you can link to from the blog, and that would probably be the most efficient and quickest route for now. We could get a call any day that says she is in labor! Come to the hospital!! Let me know if you have any questions and be praying. We covet your prayers over this little one! Blessings friends.

goodbye and goodnight.

The Right Time and the Right Place

Well friends, it has been some time and though we are not fully there, I feel like we are closer and closer every day to meeting our Bethany. We spent the day yesterday working on a preciously pink room- complete with all the necessities. And this morning I find a post about a most worthy mommy, with a creator-God baby and am again amazed at the truth of the Lord. I have never had a Christmas baby. I've been pregnant twice at Christmastime, but never near delivery. I may not have one this year, but this was such an amazing reminder that the Lord can do amazing things if we are open to His leading. I am no Mary, and my Child is no Christ- but life coming anew is always a reminder of the Life that came for all.

Look here at my friend Candace's Blog - she has words to inspire. Words of truth and light. And words that cause us to remember the Savior. Thanks friend!

The Awakening here at IHOP

Hey friends-



For those following the land of IHOP, I thought I would share this link. It's a CBN report on the revival happening here. There is a move of the spirit that has been happening since mid-November. It is amazing to see people hearts and bodies being healed. The Lord is good and loves his people. Enjoy!

Waiting. . .

Here it is. The packed diaper bag. See the really cute blanket? See the diapers? What about the formula? (I realized yesterday at Costco that we have no other way to feed a baby other than formula and they eat often, so we better be a little bit prepared.)

I know I sound like a broken record sometimes, but waiting is an interesting adventure. I've waiting for all kinds of things in my life, and for some reason it doesn't get any easier. You know, like riding a bike or making pound cake?? The more I do those things, the easier they get. Not waiting.

Not.

One.

Bit.

So, as different news comes and goes we keep praying. We stay content in the plans he has for us, our family, our Bethany, and her birth mother. This week we decided to show our profile (a lovely little booklet of all the wonderful parts of our family) to a birth mother who is due with a little girl in 2 weeks. We've never gotten to this step before and I may be speaking completely out of turn. We are really praying that this is her. We really believe that the Lord knows if it is or not. He is mighty and good, he carries our hearts in the palm of his hand. And as much as He knows my heart to have her here, He also knows all the other hearts involved. He will do what is best. He will give me strength to pray for her. He will sustain this birth mother to make one of the hardest choices she has ever had to make. He will strengthen this little one in the transition from the world inside to the world outside. He will speak truth and life to my boys, as they adjust to the idea of a new sister and learn about taking care of her. AND, he will guide our steps into righteousness- living out the life of Christ at every step of the way.

Isaiah 40:28-31 "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

Psalm 139:13-16 "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."

All of my days have been ordained before me and all of Bethany's days have been set before the God of heaven and earth. He is forming her, fearfully and wonderfully. We will see her at some point, the Lord is good and so we wait. . . .

In honor of my sister and her christmas joy. . . .

You got to see the pic of my sister. They are on her blog (see below, I'm With the Lion). I thought I would show you the Harrigan fam at their best. Or maybe almost. . .



really, aren't we cute??? :)