James Chapter 1 -persevering

"2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does. "

Oh how I needed to read this Truth today (or I guess yesterday now)!
While this waiting may not seem like a trial to some....on some days it certainly can be. I have honestly not been thinking about it too much with the holidays and Tyler being a non-stop monkey, but these words today really made me see where I stand in God's eyes.
I shouldn't be pouting or disappointed or DOUBTING....God is in control and this time is helping my faith to develop perseverance so one day I will be complete before my God, and He's the reason we are doing this...so HE is what ultimately matters!"

God's word is amazing....this verse really came alive to me when we were facing a whole different kind of trial. When I was 35 weeks pregnant, my twin brother's wife was 22 weeks pregnant, and my other sister-in-law had just given birth to twin girls who were fighting great at their premature age....excitement was everywhere! Then my brother and his wife call and in a matter of 24 hours they went from thinking something was wrong, being ambulanced to U of L, given hope that the baby may make it, to having to give birth to their perfectly formed, but just too small 22 week old son...it was the most devastating, heart wrenching, faith testing thing myself or family has ever and hopefully will ever experience.
The next few days after I was left with my huge belly and bouncing baby inside me feeling so guilty for the life I still had growing inside....my brother and his wife had moved to a tiny town to help grow a church in the youth and children deptartmet and where living their lives for God...so in my warped mind they shouldn't have to go through trials because they were pleasing God... but God's word doesn't say "if you live for me you will have no trouble or worries"
It says
"WHEN you face trials...." not IF.
God knows we will face trials in this broken world, but His mercies are new every morning, and weeping may last for the night but joy comes in the morning!
My brother and his wife, a year and 2 weeks after loosing their son, gave birth to a healthy, happy, spunky, little girl who is most definitely a joy!

While this trial of waiting seems long and harder some days more than others....I know Joy will come in the morning...the perfect morning God has picked for us...and until then, I will keep diving into the Truth in hopes of one day being complete before my God...yeah for perseverance!

James Chapter 1

little update...

Ok...I haven't posted in a while but there hasn't been much time with Christmas coming up sooo fast...which I am still not done shopping!!! But I wanted to give a little adoption update for those of you who check in from time to time to see whats going on....
I THOUGHT since the week of Thanksgiving that we were at #1 (unofficially that is) see our agency sends out updates every 2 weeks that tells how many referrals were made...and I have been stalking those very closely and we should be at #1...but apparently one of the referrals must have fallen through or somthing. This whole time I have only connected with families either way ahead of us in the process or behind us in the process...never knowing anyone who was with-in 1-2 spots of us on the list...until tonight!!
The family who really is #1 ( making us FOR SURE #2) joined our agency's yahoo group and shared how she is also waiting at #1 and waiting for her little boy referral....Well I was bummed for all of 5 seconds because.....they live in our city!!!!!!! This whole time I have not known but ONE family who was even in our state and now I "cyber-meet" the family who is 1 spot ahead of us and they live near us....God is amazing! It is exciting to meet people close to you on the list because more than likely you will be traveling together and meeting your children at the same time and all that. But we not only will be doing that....but also have the oppertunity to let our boys stay connected!!! They may be in the same crib right now while half way around the world, their mama's are in the same city!!! Can you belive that!? I am pumped! :D
So while it is now extreamly likely that our call won't come until after Christmas or even the new year...I am OK with it because I feel like I can relax more. What amazing proof that God is weaving all this together....he knows our son, knows when we will know him, and when we will bring him home!
So I am going to enjoy this time basking in the all-surpassing knowledge of our God and when the call comes....well the call comes....and the whole world will know about it!!! :)
Sorry to have gotten anyone's hopes up since me thinking we were #1 may have made other families think they were a spot higher than they were....but I know I had it right according to information given to us, I just was out of the loop somewhere! Either way, referrals will be coming soon I know it...and in the perfect time for all those precious children and their waiting forever families!!
Merry Christmas!

Our Christmas Picture

Here's our family picture this year...I love the chaos in trying to get that great picture with our little man and oh the joy when we finally get one that's good! :)
I can't help but feel someone is missing....when he does arrive, there will be more family pictures taken than anyone would care to see!!!
Merry Christmas!

Oh this wait....

is really starting to get to me! Each day is a rollar coaster ride....one minute I'm fine, "Yes God, we will wait, You are in control"....the next minute...."Please let it be today God!!" I am in constant surrender....which I am sure is right where God wants me :) I have always been "a control freak" as my sweet husband would say :) And now here I am thrusted in to one of the most UN-controlable happenings one could go through in life! God is funny like that!
I want to post this link for all the waiting families
http://www.cmt.ca/Artist/TheWilsons
This family just adopted a little girl, they are artists who are now on a show on CMT about their life as they struggle to make is big and raise their family too. They wrote this song 'Mine all Mine' once you go to the link, on the right hand side, half way down you will see the song so you can hear it...it is wonderful!
We are heading to the big town of Gaitlinburg TN today! This is the 3rd year now my husband's Dad's side of the family (very large) all get together in a big 12 room cabin for the weekend and celebrate Christmas the whole time! There's lots of stuff to do in the cabin itself but it is just nice to have a place we can all fit and be together in one place, so it will be a good distraction.
I must say I would LOVE for our agency to call before the day is up!! Friday is there paperwork day...so they won't be returning phone calls or emails, and I have heard families getting calls on Fridays....so I hope it's today and we can have another thing to celebrate this weekend!!
Have a wonderful weekend!!

God must be up to somthing!

I can't help but wonder...."What in the world are you up to God?" :)
My hubby has been home alot off and on the past 2 weeks...making for many days that seemed like the perfect time to get our awaited phone call...BUT no call. We even heard news that the transition home will be moving to a bigger and better place the end of this month, so I was afraid they'd hold off on referrals until after the move and the new year! A sweet friend informed me she heard other wise from her case worker though, who said they were confident that referrals would be made this month...so yeah! I am hopeful! God must really have a special and amazing moment waiting for us...We are praying that he is being comforted during so many transtions and testing and that his papers arrive in order and all together so they will be ready to be given to us!! (soon!) I am not really as anxious as I once was...after 2 weeks that dwindles :) but am finally at that place were I can just say ahhh it will happen when God wants it to!
God gave me this verse today
"Be joyful ALWAYS. Pray CONTINUALLY. Give THANKS in ALL circumstances for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" 1 Thess.
So...it's not just when I FEEL joyful and not when I NEED somthing that I should pray and I should be THANKFUL even while I WAIT!!!! Thank you God....you are teaching me so much!

My sweet Ty

So I am really getting into the Christmas spirit now! The past couple of years I haven't felt that special spark you feel at this time of year...but this year I am and I love it! Tyler is at the most precious age and he is so curious and it will be so fun to see him with gifts and santa and all that good stuff! My aunt got him this adorable outfit so we started posing for pictures early! :)
I have felt guilty about being so consumed with hearing news about our future son that I felt like I was missing what is right in front of me!...this wonderful cutie!!! I love him so much and he will be my only child for just a little while longer...so while I am aching to see our new son and start the process to getting him home with us...I will cherish Tyler more and enjoy the individual attention I am able to give him!

Still...

Hangin' in there!
I keep hearing over and over again...
"Be still and know that I am God"
Psalm 46:10

Since Monday....

WE ARE NUMBER ONE!

Now we wait some more...with even more anticipation knowing we really are next....our baby boy is out there...we are here, ready and waiting for that phone to ring!

Oh and happy Thanksgiving!...I am sure tomorrow will be too busy to blog! Hopefully though, I will have a HUGE reason to make a new post :)

I can wait...

WHEW I have to get this out...
Last night I was convicted in the most precious way,
I was reading a blog post from another waiting family (Thanks Amy) and she had wrote about her child's birth mom, it was sweet and heart wrenching.
While I pray for our future son's birth mom several times a day and have cried when thinking of her many different times, I have not REALLY GENUINELY been thinking of her lately and what she may be feeling. I have been so caught up in waiting for the call about our son that I have simply just thought only of us and our excitement...when on the other side of the world she is experiencing pain and sorrow. We don't have to know specifics to know that she is in a horrible situation if she has to, out of the deepest love one can have, give her child over to another. I can not fully grasp this, but I am forever thankful that she carried him and loves him and is acting out of love for his behalf.
So right now she may be having her final days with him...I can see her nursing him and wishing things were different. (One sweet day there will be no more poverty, illness, orphans, or sin). She may be sick and with the only strength she has left, is holding him in her frail arms for small precious moments. I no longer am wishing the days away, praying for the phone to ring, but instead praying that our son's birth mom is getting the most precious time she can have with her son. God please comfort her and let her know and feel the love You have for her and her son and the love we have for her and her son.
Should you read this, please pray this with me.
Our call will come when it's suppose to, until then, I CAN WAIT!

My little man enjoying the weather

These are a few pictures from the impromptu photo shoot Ty inspired me to do today! He was playing in the leaves and looking so cute I had to grab my camera! :)

Oh how I cherish that crinkle over his nose when he smiles real big!

I read this on a blog I love to follow of this amazing, young, powerful girl...this is just a portion from some of the most wonderful things she writes, which all stem from her life in Uganda. You don't have to know her story to understand this piece. You can follow her at www.kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com


We are but a vapor. I think we know that we could die tomorrow, or worse that our children could, but do we really KNOW it? You know, LIVE as if we know in our hearts that we are just a breath, that we will wither and fade like the grass and the flowers... I know there are days when I don't. I am not meaning to be morbid, simply realistic. Because I know that if I lived like I really KNEW this truth, if I treated everyone as if they were David and might be taken tomorrow, I would love better. I would hug my children tighter and hold them longer. I would tell people thank you more often and I would tell God thank you more often. I am thankful that as I care for sick children often, this is something I am reminded of often, and I pray that it would change the way I life my life.Francis Chan wrote, "How we live our days, is how we live our lives." I had to read it several times as I let it soak in. Because it is true. So often we find ourselves waiting for a specific moment, a specific call, something special. For what? How we spend our days... that will be our LIFE. Because today could be it. If Jesus came back today and said, "Let's go!" would we be ready? Would we be doing what we want to be doing when we meet Jesus? People say to me often, "You are so lucky that you found your calling, that you know your purpose in life." This statement boggles my mind. I AM so blessed to live the life that I do. But it isn't rocket science. God did NOT part the sky and shout out to me, "Katie! Serve my people." I read it in His word. You can too. We can all see as plain as day that Jesus says the number one commandment is to love the Lord and love your neighbor. I happened to move to Uganda and love those neighbors, but that is not the point. As believers, we should already KNOW our calling; it is to love the Lord and love our neighbors by caring for them in whatever broken state they are in. When He said that "the poor will always be among us" I don't think he meant that as an excuse not to worry about it but as a reminder that there is ALWAYS a neighbor, no matter where we are, in a worse condition than we are. I can only believe that God created us to make this world a little better. That he designed us in love to show that love to others. I just don't know what everyone is waiting for.

Romans 15:13

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.


I am so thankful for this verse God lead me to today...and it stirs up with great understanding the prayer in my heart...

"God my hope IS in YOU, and I pray that you will fill us with joy and peace as we trust in you and your perfect timing to reveal the new son you have chosen for us. YOU know him, YOU know where he is, YOU know how he is, and YOU know when we will know all this too, and that Lord is enough. May our hope overflow by the power of the Holy Spirit...my hope is in YOU!"

Getting ready....

Even Tyler is doing his part to get ready for his new "brudder".
He started to give the baby doll the bottle all on his own, it was sooo cute! I have slowly started cleaning up the extra room that will become Tyler's "big boy room" and am going through clothes and saving all the clothes that are too small for Tyler now....It's nice because I don't have to be sad that Tyler has outgrown so many clothes since we will get to use them...soon hopefully!
I am preparing myself to not get our referral until after the first group of families to travel get back home since the courts reopened, which they won't be back until the end of Novemeber. So by early December surely we will know who our new son will be! God knows how badly I long to see his face before Thanksgiving though...so we will see! :D Untill then I am doing my best to stay busy...the house has been kept clean more lately then ever before! :)
I might not post much until the call just because not much is changing, but oh when the call comes....I will be posting like crazy!!

WAITING!!

OK so we know we are now unofficially #2!!! This is so exciting but it's like that last month of pregnancy that goes by sooo slow! I am enjoying where we are right now but I just want to see our sweet boy's face! The call about him could come any day now, but there are alot of children at the transition home where he will be, due to court closures over there, so they aren't able to take in as many orphans as normal until more families are able to come and pick their children up to go to their forever home... which I just found out that there is a group of families going the 2nd to last week of November to bring their children home...SO definitely by the 1st week of December we should know who he is..............BUT I WANT THE CALL TO COME NOW!!!
Oh I am doing my best to be patient...my impatience isn't out of unbelief in God but out of pure anxious excitement! The whole world will know when the call about our boy comes!!
Please keep praying for his health and happiness and comfort as he experiences so many new things soon and for his birthmother as she faces somthing no one should have to face.
Until then....we'll be WAITING!

Our adoption agency called today....

But it wasn't THE CALL!
That's Ok though, I know God's timing is perfect! So anyway she was calling to give us our monthly update and tell us our new number....
She (Christy) said we were officially (this is important to remeber) #4! In case you are wondering...I posted we were #3 a little over a week ago (unofficially). This is because when we were at #5, in the Bi-weekly email update they send out it showed there had been 2 boy referrals during those last 2 week....so yes were really were #3 just UNOFFICIALLY.
The difference is that the families who have recieved a referral or have been matched with child, haven't yet sent in the contracts/fees/etc that make it an OFFICIAL acceptance (which is how they base the official waiting list numbers). Theres more....
Christy also said "families ahead of you are currently in the refferal process so that number will be changing very soon" ~ I don't remember if she said "all the families...a few of the families or some of the families" but I definitley heard familieS (PLURAL) so...(with the help of my smart sister-in-law) that means we should AT LEAST BE AT #2 unofficially ( if we're at #4 that if more than ONE family -like she said- is in the proccess or has received a referral then we're surely at #2) ...which means we could get our call any day now!
Am I over analyzing??? :) I can't help it! This is our SON I am talking about not just some number!!!!
OH yeah and at the end of the call she said, "I hope to be calling you again very soon!"
And I replied..."OK! We'll be ready!!!"

This weekend!...

Saturday we FINALLY got our USCIS (immigration) approval!!! "It has been determined that we are able to furnish proper care to an orphan"!! WHOO!! We applied back in July so I was getting nervous since it was taking so long...but now we are definitly ready to recieve our referral! All of our ducks are starting to really be in a row! :)

Then it was time for Trick or Treating! Our little man was a doggy or "woof-woof" as he says :)
And oh he is sooo cute! He loved the candy!!!!!

Here he is all hyped up from the candy once we got home...I think he went to bed at 11...normally he is down by 8:30 or 9! He was sooo wired it was hilarious!

Then Sunday (today) we had a luncheon at church that was headed up by some sweet sweet ladies in our church. One of them has seen us literally grow up in the church so it was a full circle thing for her. The other, has only known us a short time but it was her idea to do this for us...we are so blessed! This was in the bulletin...

I thought it would be good for people to see pictures and facts about Ethiopia since so many people are still unaware of the orphan crisis so I made some posters to put up...

This next sign was outside the door with the donation box. I thought the box was such a great idea and worked perfectly! (these ladies had it all under control!)

These wonderful women (and many more) made this luncheon possible!!! During church I was actually figuring numbers up in my head thinking "well if we max out our credit card (our very first one that we opened for the adoption), along with the money we have saved so far...we ABSOLUTELY would need $800 just to make the referral possible "Please God let us raise $800"...travel would have to wait but we would have time to come up with that....well lets just say that God TRIPLED my request!!! He truely is the the God "who is able to do immeasurably more than all we could ask or imagine" (Ephesians 3:20)

Thanks to these ladies and our wonderful church family for letting God's grace be shown to us through them!!! TO GOD BE THE GLORY!!!

So behind!

Well I am so behind on "blogging" that I am not really sure where to start!


I guess we have just been busy doing the day to day thing and by the time bedtime rolls around...I am ready to collapse, not blog! But anyway alot has been going on....Tyler's been sick but is finally better, I wrecked my car on Monday on the way to his Dr appointment...it was crazy and deserves a whole post by itself but I will just say that God was completely with us the whole time! I had to write everything down when I got home because over and over during that time frame there was just one thing after another where I was just like "wow God is right here with me"...we swerved really bad and I lost control on a busy road yet no other car was involved, the police were very nice, played with Tyler and even called to verify my insurance since the only paper I had was expired...we came inches away from a light pole, but instead took out a sign that collapsed when I hit it...a back window was blown out but not a speck of glass was anywhere near Tyler...moments after I got home both my brother and my cousin called to offer me their cars for as long as I needed it.......I know there is more but thats the highlights. God protected us completely and while Satan may be trying to discourage us through this, we won't let him. Actually God is turning it out for our good as always, someone is already interested in buying the wrecked thing (our insurance won't cover enough for us to fix it) and so we will have more money to put towards the adoption... here are some pictures of the damage :)

Besides that...I can not get this baby I have never met off of my mind! I kept thinking of Tyler's ultrasound pictures the other day and how exciting it was to get those first glimpses of him and how I can't wait to get our first glimpses of this baby ~growing not in my womb, but in my heart...so I tried to paint our newest son his own "ultrasound image".....

We are also getting ready for the big call...when we will actually get our first glimpse at this little boy God has hand-picked for us, so the video camera is sitting on the mini-tripod in the kitchen, just waiting to catch us on the phone when we get "the call"!!! This week we should recieve our "number call" but I am hoping that the number call will actually be the call about our little boy! I can't wait!!!

Here is some pictures of Tyler putting away change in the piggy bank we have for his little brother! I thought it was soo cute to see his little hands "feeding the piggy" so I had to get a picture of it! I was cheering every time he put change in...saying "yeah Brother!!" He loved it!

Coffee + Adoption Fundraiser = perfect!

http://www.justlovecoffee.com/TheWalters


Please check out our online coffee store!! A wonderful man who has also adopted, started this great way of helping families raise money for their adoptions! $5 of every bag of coffee sold will be given directly to us each month! 100 bags = $500!! That seems so easy!!! I have tried the coffee myself and it is much better than the off brand I buy! :D It is great actually, I tried the Ethiopian brew of course :) but there is many others to choose from.
I know we may seem a little over the top with asking for money and fundraising, but I hope and pray others aren't annoyed or overwhelmed by our efforts to bring home a sweet little boy....$20,000 is alot of money most people pay that for a car over a course of 5 years...we are expected to come up with that in just months! All I know is "where God guides, He provides!" When this sweet baby boy is brought home I will know and I hope everyone who has witnessed this journey will know that it was all by the work and power of our ALMIGHTY GOD!
TO HIM BE THE GLORY!!

We just might be......

#3!!
I am blown away at the thought of being #3!....10 spots ago we started this waitlist thing the first week of August....and at this rate, we just might know who our baby will be in the first week of November! I can't say for sure we are #3 but, I knew of the family at #1 getting their referral last week...but then we got our bi-weekly update from our agency in an email and it said there had been 2 boy referrals....so that would put us at #3! I don't know any of the families ahead of us now so I am totally clueless for at least 2 weeks. We should get a phone call with our official number the first week of Novemeber, but at the least by Friday the 6th we will get another email update....or our big call could come... only God knows what will come first!

I am glad to be home tonight with our little boy who has croupe...he is coughing and acting pitiful. I thought I had to work but got called off! Yeah! Last night we didn't get much sleep so I need the rest tonight! We already had Tyler in a steamy bathroom so hopefully he will rest well.

Getting to be with my sick little boy makes me think and pray for an AGCI family who recently learned their baby boy (only a few weeks old and still in Ethiopia) is sick and in the hospital there with pneumonia...they just learned about him a few weeks ago and now just heard he is sick...I can't imagine how it must feel to not get to be with him knowing he is sick! We are praying for her and her little baby and I ask you to do the same...you can check out their story at
www.knowingnobounds.blogspot.com

well I better get some rest in case the croupe monster rears its ugly head again tonight!!

I was tagged! Cute little Whitney (mommy to baby boy in Ethiopia see Pratterbox.blogspot.com) tagged me to do this! The "tag" challenge was to respond to each of the following questions with a one-word answer, then tag 6 other bloggers to do the same. I am horrible at these things but here goes!....

1. Where is your cell phone? Table
2. Your hair? Flat
3. Your mother? Pure
4. Your father? goofy
5. Your favorite food? fries
6. Your dream last night? Didn't
7. Your favorite drink? Diet Pepsi
8. Your dream/goal? Heaven
9. What room are you in? Living
10. Your hobby? Photography
11. Your fear? Cancer
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Here
13. Where were you last night? Home
14. Something that you aren’t? patient
15. Muffins? chocolate chip
16. Wish list item? Babyboy
17. Where did you grow up? Here - Lexington
18. Last thing you did? Baked
19. What are you wearing? Scrubs ( might have to go in to work :( )
20. Your TV? Football (Go Cats!)
21. Your pets? Huskey
22. Friends? wonderful
23. Your life? Amazing
24. Your mood? curious
25. Missing someone? the little boy I am waiting for! (couldn't help it had to use more than 1 word)
26. Vehicle? tired
27. Something you’re not wearing? socks
28. Your favorite store? Walmart
29. Your favorite color? Pink
30. When was the last time you laughed? morning
31. Last time you cried? afternoon
32. Your best friend? hubby
33. One place that I go to over and over? Bed
34. One person who emails me regularly? Mom
35. Favorite place to eat? moms and mother-in-laws......good and free!!

so I didn't exactly keep it to one word! But I am just proud I got it done!

about to go to bed...but then...

I checked our adoption agency Listserv "chat/forum like thingy" and..............



the couple at #1 got thier referral!!!!!!!! So happy for them!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Which also means..........................

WE ARE NOW NUMBER 4!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
NUMBER 4!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WHOA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So excited!!
I have recieved so much good news lately it is just crazy....God is so amazing, I am so glad I can rest in him and his perfectness!!!!
Can I say it again..............
NUMBER 4!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ok now I really gotta go to bed!!!!

Have to share this....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duyL9UjLrdM


This is a sweet video from one of our AGCI families. It gives lots of footage of the transition home (Hannah's Hope) where the children go before we get to them. You will see the sweet "special mommies" and how much they love and care for our children - praise God for those precious women!
ENJOY!

Oh and there was another referral today of a baby girl...we don't move up any, (since we are on the boy list) but that's ok! I am so excited there is still room for children at HH since court has been closed I have began to assume that it will be a while before more referrals will be made...so there is still hope for moving up to #1 sooner rather than later. Some may think I am crazy for being so ready to get our next child, since we have a 17 month old too and they will be so close in age...but when you feel it in your heart and know that your baby is out there....there is no other feeling than I WANT HIM NOW! Until then we are resting in God's perfect timing and praying he gets to Hannahs Hope soon!

It's Fall...for sure!

It's Fall! I have been slackin' on doing posts!

All of a sudden it was fall here in Kentucky and in between the rainy days there have been some awesome fall days....The day at the pumpkin patch was one of the rainy days, but we made the best of it! Earlier this week we had an awesome fall day and found pretty leaves so I decided to put our new wait list number on it! 5! FIVE! That seems so close....but so far away too!

There has already been one family who has passed court in Ethiopia now that they are re-opened! PRAISE GOD! So hopefully more will pass soon...travel and bring their babies home...and make room for more babies...hopefully ours!!! :)

Over the past week or so I have been overwhelmed with how much God provides for us!

I read in 1 Peter how God's grace is made evident through us....us! We may be the grace of God to someone today....and oh how people have been the grace of God to me lately. He really is capable of more than anything we think or imagine!!!!!

Also please be praying for 2 children we learned of from Hannah's Hope (the transition home ran by our agency) that are hospitilized for pneumonia. There mommies can't be with them now and I can't imagine how heart breaking that is! Plus you don't even get regular updates on them! Naomi and Baby Z are their names, thankfully these 2 litte girls are under the care of the Great Physician!

Spirit of Adoption: Dr Moore's msg from Together for Adoption

Spirit of Adoption: Dr Moore's msg from Together for Adoption

This was one the messages we heard this weekend at the Together for Adoption conference...I really suggest listening to this one!

WHY?......

I have needed to get this in writing for a while now, but have not really had the words....so many people want to know WHY. "Why do you want to adopt?" "You already have a child of your own." "Why do you have to go to Ethiopia?...there are so many children available here"

These questions stir somthing in me...I just wish I could spit out all the feelings I have and all the scriptures and background of our life that lead us to this point, but it is hard for me when I am in that moment. This weekend we went to a 'together for adoption' conference and we were flooded not with information on physical adoption of orphans but spiritual adoption, our adoption by God through Christ. This is an exerpt from a book Adopted For Life written by one of the speakers there this weekend Russell D. Moore ( I really recommend the book!)

"Not everyone is called to adopt. No one wants parents who adopt children out of the same sense of duty with which they may give to the building fund for the new church gymnasium. But all of us have a stake in the adoption issue, because Jesus does. He is the one who tells us his Father is also "Father of the fatherless" (Psalms 68:5). He is the who insists on calling "the least of these" his "brothers" (Matthew 25:40) and who tells us that the first time we hear his voice, he will be askin us if we did the same."

To me is it simple...I heard God telling me that we were to adopt more clearly than I have heard anything in my life before. I knew the desire was from God and when I told Matthew about it and watched his heart also grow in the desire I knew it was from God and that was that...we were adopting! But it isn't easy to make that very clear to everyone and especially to those who don't seek God daily. So I hope this makes it more clear....
Scriptures tell us that God has adopted us, He didn't just reconcile us to Him, he took it further and called us his children....
Romans 8:15-16
"For you did not recieve a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you recieved the Spirit of adoption. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father". The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children."
Galations 4:4-7
"But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under the law, that we might recieve the full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir."
Ephesians 1:5-6
"In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will - to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves"
This weekend's conference helped me realize even clearer that the reason we have the desire to adopt is because God has adopted us! Adoption is at the very heart of God and the more you know God, the more you too will know and desire the spirit of adoption.

Now...WHY ETHIOPIA?
Again, it is simple to me, once we started really researching adoption, Ethiopia is where I was always drawn to - We looked into adopting here in the US, but Ethiopia was always on my heart. When I compare the orphan here in the US to the orphan in Ethiopia...there is no doubt that the conditions in which a child must live in here in the US is still far better than the conditions a child lives in Ethiopia. That is not to make light of the the need of orphans here! Also there are far more couples willing to adopt a child here domestically then there are couples who are willing to cross oceans and even racial lines in order to adopt.
Some statistics:
U.N. estimate of the number of orphans in the world today: 145 million
Number of children in the foster care system in the United States: Approximately 500,000
Number of children in the foster care system waiting to be adopted: Approximately 130,000
Of those 145 million worldwide, 5 million of them are in Ethiopia! Ethiopia has one of the largest numbers of orphans in the world. It just makes sense to us, God is leading us there, we are willing to face the diseases and uncertainties and racial differences... Of the millions of orphans worldwide I don't think the argument or comment should be..."Well why there and why not here?" but rather to see that it is a child who once had no parents, had no love, had no one to rock them to sleep at night that will now have all of that....who cares where they come from...what matters is that there is ONE LESS ORPHAN!!
I hope I have not rambled too much...trying to really put into words and facts what seems so simple and true to me is hard but I think it needed to be done!

Anxiety....

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will gaurd your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus". Philippians 4:6&7

Oh how grateful I am for sweet scriptures such as this one...peace that transcends all understanding... this what I need.
We are headed to the 'Together 4 Adoption' conference in Nashville TN this weekend and I am so very excited. It will be a time for my husband and I to be alone together, just us, which I think all couples, especially those with children, need from time to time and it will be an amazing worshipful experience as we hear from others who have adopted and learn all that God wants us to learn about this amazing plan he has for us! However I am anxious at the same time because we are leaving our little boy here for the weekend. He will be with my mom who he loves and she treats him like a little 22 lb king! But it is still the longest I have ever been without him...from Friday afternoon to Sunday afternoon...I know he will be fine but satan has a way of creeping fear and anxiety in, yet this morning with this scripture I am battleing that and praying against it with faith that God's peace that transcends all understanding will be gaurding my heart and my mind in Christ Jesus! How amazing!
So I am off to finish packing and headed to TN...while Tyler is off to Memaw's and may even go to the Lousieville Zoo tomorrow! I know God will make this weekend an amazing one!

My little man is 17 months today!

SO! My little man is 17 months old! I can't believe it, I remember when he made a big deal over every WEEK..."he is 2 weeks old today!" Ahh the time goes by SO fast! He has turned

into quite a little show off :)
He is absolutely so fun these days!

Here he is enjoying some playful snuggle time with his
"older woman" sweet Ms. Kyla!
They have really come to be good friends and it

is sooo cute to watch them play and interact
together now! I love it!

He is even.....

practicing his "sharing" though it is with our huskie :) They enjoyed Cherrios Saturday morning while watching animal planet! haha!

Now I have him playing with a rubber duckie "family of 4" in the bathtub! He lines them so neatly and sweet and then one by one knocks them off! :D

Did I mention he has become a show off! He LOVES making his "Da-da" lift up for a dunk on our

little goal in Matt's UK room (soon to be Tyler's big boy room.) Matt would lift him up and Tyler would turn all the way around to make sure I was looking at him with my camera ready...nice pose huh!? :D



Well I hope you have enjoyed the many faces and moments of my sweet little man...he is growing up sooo fast, I can't savor enough of each sweet moment when he lays his head on my chest or calls out "mama" first thing in the morning....the love a parent has for their child is so amazing, yet it is a small comparison to the love God has for us! How grateful I am to raise and love this little boy, in hopes of showing him that he too is a beloved child of God.

My heart explodes with love for Tyler and I can not imagine how I will feel when I have TWO sweet boys! I can't wait and am so excited for Tyler to have a brother to grow up with and share so much with....oh yeah it looks like we really are #6 :)

HAPPY 17 MONTH BIRTHDAY TO MY SWEET TYLER BOO!

Oh my...

So we might be # 6 now! My head is spinning :)
I am off to work tonight...my Joy will sustain me through the long 12 hour shift!
"They Joy of the Lord is my STRENGTH"

So... it looks like Tyler is not so thrilled about being carried around in my home-made baby sling :) I hope his new brother will be! This one was kinda small for him...but I wanted to try it out! Anyway on to....

My oh so precious parents :)

My dad came over to look at our dishwasher which wasn't spinning the water out, we found nasty yellowish water in the bottom of it...gross! BUT thankfully he was able to figure out where the clog was and now the dishwasher is up and running! I have to admit that washing the dishes by hand the "old fashion way" was kinda fun. It took me back to washing dishes as a kid...my dad would wash and I would dry :)

Also my mom got to pick up her "Love for Ethiopia" shirt! :) Too cute - she had a hard time posing for a picture by herself so dad had to jump in!

I am feeling random, but want to end with this..........

"Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. I say to myself, 'The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait on him" Lamentations 3:22

Tyler in his CUTE overalls!

Thought I should add some pictures! Haven't posted any in a while!

I just love my little man!

AHHHHH!!!!

I am getting SOOO excited!!!! More referrals (more families were matched up with children) were made this week!!! We are for sure #7 now...but the there has also been the hint that maybe the new unknown #1 family has recieved their referral too.....we could even be #6!!! AHHH! I will stick with 7 for now though! WHOA!!!!
AHHH I just can't wait to see the baby God has for us!!
Matt, Ty and me were wrestling/snuggling on the couch tonight and I said "oh I can't wait until we add our 2nd boy to this pile!!!" It may be sooner than later!!! I just hope the courts in Ethiopia re-open and get back in buisness before things slow WAY down...so far so good!
let me say it again............
AAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Baby Slings!

Ok! So I have now added baby slings to the list of crafts that I am plunging myself into to help raise money for the adoption. So now there is...
-baby slings ($15)
-t-shirts (either with Africa in a heart or Ethiopia in a heart or the rustic Ethiopian flag)
-fitted shirts with the Africa shape on them in various fabric patterns
-piggy banks
-ornaments
I refuse to let my list grow any further, because I am starting to get carried away...I guess this "wait list" period is getting to me! The crafting distracts me and helps to raise money...both are wonderful and much needed!
Email me if you are interested in anything!
awalter060405@insightbb.com

Crafts for Cash continued...and more

So I have discovered that the slideshow I made of pictures of the crafts I have been working on to raise money for our adoption wasn't working all the time. I think something was wrong with the website where I made it...SO I posted pictures of them all in the side bar. See my previous post "Crafts for Cash...well kinda :) " for the prices. I also added the paypal button to help make paying for the items easier and just in case some one feels led to donate to our adoption!
God is really motivating me to step out in faith and try to raise money and see what He can do!
I read in a book the other day that had adoption advice and someone wrote some words of advice that where so big to me.....
"God is not bound by geography, timelines, politics or finances ~ God hasn't asked you to walk this path alone. Not only will He remain with you each step of the way, He has prepared many warriors to go into battle with you. You'll be amazed at who He uses to meet your needs"
I read this at the perfect moment when I needed to be reminded of this the most, His grace is enough!

In case you can't see the slideshow...

I posted a slideshow on the sidebar of the crafts I am trying to sell to raise money for our adoption but some people can't see it for some reason so here is the link to see them all...
http://s788.photobucket.com/albums/yy170/awalter060405/

Crafts for Cash....well kinda :)

I really just thought "Crafts for Cash" sounded catchy :) We will accept any form of money, not just cash! :)
Seriously though, our time on the wait list has really been moving along and so I have been overwhelming my brain with ideas for raising more money since it appears we will be needing it sooner rather than later! We are waiting to hear back about grant money, but we will still need to raise alot of money on our own even if we are awarded grants. So I have put my energy into making crafts that are inspired by adoption and will hopefully be somthing that others, including those not directly involved in adoption would like....I posted a slide show of most of the things but here is a description
1. T-shirts $20.00 ~I have discovered Iron-on! There are 5 designs I am sticking with to keep from going over board
a - worth the wait ~ very cute on a onesie (see picture in slideshow)
b- the shape of africa inside a heart (see picture of logo in slideshow)
c- the Ethiopian flag -rustic looking (see picture of logo in slideshow)
d- shape of Africa solid black with the words "adoption rocks" and heart over Ethiopia in pink (sorry no picture, I will add one soon, but trust me it is very cute)
e- red heart shape with Ethiopia on the inside of it in white letters (picture also coming soon)

2. Piggy Banks $7.00 ~ I loved decorating the piggy banks and thought it'd be a great thing for couples to purchase not just for themselves but for them to give out to other family members

3. Africa shape fabric shirts $20.00~ These vary some and depend on availability of the shirts I have, but my cousin Brittany was so kind to model for me (see slide show) So I can do a large Africa shape in the center or a smaller one to the side like seen in the picture of me (in the pink).
I can also add a heart over the country of your choice

4. Onesies $7.00 ~ They are the same as the shirts - you can choose from either one of the logo's I mentioned like "Worth the Wait" or I can put the Africa shape on the onesie too! Very cute - I hope to add a picture of my son modeling one of the Africa fabric shaped onesies you see in the pictures

5. Ornaments $5.00 ~ I love these! The phrases so far...
-Our Heart's in Ethiopia
-Waiting with Love (along with Africa shape and heart over Ethiopia)
-Forever Family and your family's name

* I hope somthing appeals to you! All the prices include shipping!
Email me ~ awalter060405@insightbb.com or Facebook me if you are interested in anything or have any questions!

Labor of Love

As we creep closer and closer to finding out who our baby is and prepare to actually go get him and bring him home, there is sooo many things to think about and to do and to pray about and at times I can get really overwhelmed with it all...but tonight all I can think about is "baby E's" (as Aunt La-La has nicknamed him) birth mother.
If we are only a few months away from finding out who he is, then she may be only months or even weeks away from delivery...or maybe has even already delivered him. What is she thinking? Does she touch her belly in hope? Is she sick and facing death? Is this child the only thing keeping her going right now? Is she young and scared? It hurts to imagine her, but I must. I pray she is comforted. Regardless of the details of her situation, she has to be sad.
"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."
Matthew 5:4
This verse brings hope
I am praying for baby E's birth mother to be comforted. Please pray with me

Not much to blog about...

I feel like life has been pretty "usual" lately. Nothing too exciting or new to really need to blog about...but then I think that is a horrible way to think...God is doing big and great things in our lives each and every day.
As far as our progress in our "wait" we are already up to #9! Wow! That is 4 spots up in just a month...things will be a little slower this month, but then I am sure they will speed up again in mid-October. In the mean time we are waiting to hear about grants we have applied for and I am brainstorming ways we can make and or raise money for the remaining expenses...I have alot of ideas, but not too many that will make it very far. There will be more to come about that soon...once I have more things in order.
I have been drawn to the need to dwell on God's commands lately. Lots of times through out my days and weeks, I think about the adoption process and how crazy it may seem to others and even to myself at times and then I begin to allow doubt and fear to creep in...I have struggled with doubts related to everything about the adoption more than any other experience we have gone through. God has shown me that this is because it requires more faith and obedience than anything else we have ever done and this ultimately brings Him more glory, so satan has to do his best to make me have doubts and fears in hopes of leading me to doubt God and loose faith. But I won't let satan do that. I know God has called us to do this and we will obey...we will rely on our faith in God and bring Him the glory He deserves while doing so! He has brought us this far, and I KNOW He will continue to guide us through this process and in everything else we face.
"being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ" Philippians 1:6

Tyler was clapping over his new shirt as we said "Yea! Brother!" Nevermind the drool oozing down or the smudge already on it from the fruit loops I gave him just minutes after he put the shirt on!

I love my boys and can't wait to have my other one!

I am sitting alone tonight, very rare, Ty is in bed early and Matt is eating dinner with a friend. I can't help but think about how much I love these 2 boys in my life and of course long for the one who is not with us yet! God has blessed beyond anything I could ever imagine!

Things this week have made me really look at where we are and what we have and what is really important. It is so easy to loose sight of love and what really matters, satan is really at work...trying to distract me with discouragement and worry...but God is far more powerful than anything satan can send my way. This post is just helping me to refocus on what's real and here right now and rest in God's future grace. He has brought us this far and always brought us through any trials we have been faced with...so I can rest easy that He will continue to lead us, and provide where he guides. I can't wait to blog about my THREE boys!

Pressure's on..and OH my GOODNESS!

So I am feeling like the pressure is on to actually keep up with this blog we started since we are now telling people about it :0 Yikes. I can already tell that I am not a very good blogger, but hopefully with time I will get better! Also I don't know how to get cute things on here like so many others have...anybody with easy suggestions on how to go about adding things...just let me know!
and now the OH MY GOODNESS.............
I have already gotten behind on this blog, but 2 Monday's ago, on August 3rd we found out that we were officially #13 on the adoption wait list! Whew! I was super excited to just be on the list and no longer "waiting to wait." So I was thinking we might move up one or two spots by next month....but NO....here it is 2 weeks later and already 3 families ahead of us have been matched up with their new baby boy's.......meaning......we are already unofficially #10!!! I can't believe it! Me and Matt's heads are spinning. I know it slow down in Sept. with the court closer and all...but wow 3 spots in 2 weeks, CRAZY!
I can not wait to see the little man God has picked out for our family! WHEW this adoption ride is an emotional one, but I love it!!
Well hopefully I will have this blog juiced up soon with cute things to look at and more pictures!

Catching up to now...waiting to wait

While we are just in the beginning of this whole adoption process....there has already been so many ways I have seen God at work. Once we sent in our pre-application, we were then pre-approved the next day! From there we had to move on to the more lengthy and detailed application, and just a few short days later we were officially approved for 2 countries - Bulgaria and Ethiopia. I had always been drawn to Ethiopia while researching adoption and the different agencies and now that we were approved for that country, I knew it was were God was leading us to. From there we started the orientation packet, more forms to sign and fees to collect. We didn't know where the money for these initial fees would come from and as doors seemed to be shutting, a large one opened and were able to get what we needed to move forward with the next step. During this time I kept worrying about the money part of it all and God kept giving me this verse Philippians 4:19 "and my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus" And he met our needs. God is good!
So we then moved on to getting the forms done and collected for the dossier and starting the home study....I was a mad woman with a check-list...watch out. I wouldn't let a day go by with our some sort of "to-do list" until everything was collected. These past few weeks have been spent waiting for the home study to be written (13 pages about us..whew) and then approved by our agency....we our currently waiting for the final home study report to arrive so we can send it in with our dossier paper work and be put on the waiting list for an infant boy!!
Just the other night I was fighting back the feelings of discouragement about how long the wait for the home study approval was taking, when my phone rang....it was approved in the same day it had been resubmitted with the necessary revisions! I was literally jumping up and down! God has been faithful to remind me that He is the one in control and I am to trust in Him and His perfect timing! So now here we are ....waiting to wait

Ephesians 1:5

"In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will"

How awesome is that! God was the first adoptive parent, He is who began this whole adoption thing in the first place! Adoption is in the heart of God and so I know this is how it has come upon my heart. I am adopted by God through the death and resurrection of Jesus.

And so begins our adoption journey....I can not think back to the exact moment when I knew I felt the call from God to pursue adoption, I think it has always been something God has had in my heart and grew little by little until I could no longer keep the desire inside. However once I was married and the idea of starting a family started coming up, I remember starting to research adoption and different agencies, this was back in 2007. At that time I was only 21 years old and most agencies required for the parents to be at least 24! This didn't stop me from requesting the free information packets they offered and watching the dvd's that came with them. I remember watching the dvd's and just crying and crying, hoping that one day I would have a story like the families on the dvd. In September of 2007 we learned I was pregnant. It was wonderful, those 9 months were full of more ups and downs then I think my entire life has had, but God was there the whole time.
Our son Tyler was born April 29th 2008 and is one of my life's greatest joy's, I do not deserve the happiness he brings me each day. It is amazing. Becoming a parent changes you in more ways than you can ever prepare for. While deep inside I was still holding on to a desire to adopt, I thought that through the birth of a biological child, the desire to adopt would fade...I was wrong! God is funny that way I guess.
I don't remember the date, but I remember the exact moment when my heart busted with such a longing to adopt a child that I knew it was God laying this on my heart, burdening me so heavily that I could not ignore it or keep it buried any longer. I was rocking Tyler to sleep, standing near his crib in the dimly lit room, I could see his face resting between my arm and my chest and the look of pure peace on his face moved me so deeply. All I could think about was how peaceful and content he was safe in my arms, and how there were so many other children out there alone, maybe crying themselves to sleep, never being rocked or sang to...I knew that night, that I could no longer go on as if this desire wasn't there. And so I prayed and I cried and I prayed, I needed guidance on how to bring this up to Matt in a way that he would know I was serious, not just talking about what I wish could happen.
Slowly I began weeding adoption into conversations, talking to him about other families who had adopted, showing him the dvd's I had received 2 years before...and continued praying. I know he must have thought I was crazy, and I'm sure he probably still does, but one night I really told him all God had been saying and putting on my heart.
It was harder than I thought it would be revealing these raw desires I had, but I know he saw that it wasn't something I had just come up with on my own, but rather that God was at work. His reaction wasn't negative, but not really as positive as I had hoped. All he could really say was that he would have to pray about it. I knew I couldn't press him on this, this was way beyond anything I could ever convince him of.
In the mean time I began researching agencies again, this time with new excitement and passion. Little by little I showed Matt what I had seen or read or thought was good about this agency or that agency and tried to let him know about the process as I tried to figure it out too.
And then one night when I thought I had found the agency God was leading us to, I showed him the pre-application, it wasn't long or overwhelming, just basic stuff....and he said "go for it." I remember saying "really?" and being the man he is, he said "I wouldn't have said 'go for it' if I didn't mean it." Once Matt was on board, the devil began to work on me...filling me with new doubts about 'could we really do this, and what about the money!?' But a sister in Christ who had been down this road many times reminded me of the lies Satan will try to tell us when we are in line with what God wants, I shared these doubts with Matt and also what this sister in Christ had said. Then, we filled out the pre-application one night in May sitting on the bed...and oh it was just the beginning!