More Paperwork

(one of our Home Study pics)




I have been consumed with paperwork! Ahhhhh!!!

Okay, I feel better. : )

Yesterday, I prayed for a good night sleep because I have been tossing and turning the last few nights, not being able to shut my mind off. God was gracious and I slept like a rock.

I was a little nervous about getting my fingerprints because I was told to go to a Metro PCS. I kept thinking, "That is a phone store. They are going to look at me like I am crazy!" But, they had an electronic pad, and they did my fingerprints in a matter of minutes. The cool thing is that the guys there were Korean. Yeah. . .

Between the two of us, we have the bulk of the paperwork done now. We finish up the financial stuff today or tomorrow and then we take our courses. Joe is getting his physical and blood work today and I go on Monday. We are waiting for a few things to come or get turned in from other people or offices. But I think we are doing great as far as getting things done in good-timing.

Next week, Joe and I both have off for spring break. I am going to do the spring cleaning and organizing before our first home study the Monday after the break. Joe is going to work on seminary and doing some things around the house, like repainting the crib. We were blessed by receiving the paint we were going to need to buy for free!! That saved us about $40.00!! It was another God gift!!! Yay God!!!!

Our prayer requests are:
- That we take things one day at a time and are able to sleep restfully.
-More importantly, that we continue to keep God as our focus and not neglect anything He has called us to do.
-Wisdom and discernment as to what we should commit to and let go of. We want to do everything, but know that some things will have to be done by someone else or another time.
-Keeping an eye open in regards to spiritual warfare and protection from the enemies schemes and attacks.
-Protection and health for our baby, the mother, and foster family.

We are so blessed with all of our friends and family that are praying for us. Thank you!!!

First contact with home study agent!!!

We got a call that we have been waiting for! Our home study agent was assigned to us and called the same day. This agent is one that we have been hoping and praying to be able to use. She has come highly recommended by several others that have used her. She is also familiar with Promise 686, an organization at our church that assists families with adoption. So now we are getting geared up for another phase of paperwork and running around. We are still waiting for our official application from the adoption agency to arrive. I guess that we will have plenty to do over Spring Break.

People have asked us what we are going to name our child. Since we don't know if it is a boy or girl yet, it is hard to say. But we do have names picked out.
If it is a girl, we are going to name her Hannah Lee, after my halmoni (grandmother). Her maiden name was Hae Im Lee. She helped raise most of her grandchildren and was a woman of service and unconditional love to us.
If it is a boy, we were debating between Samuel (the long-awaited prophet by his mother) or Joseph (the name Joe has always loved). BTW- Joe's real name is John. But the name Joseph has won out because our very first donation was given by one of my students, named Joseph. So, in a way, our boy will be named after him. William will be the middle name, after my brother, my grandfather, and Joe's grandfather. The fact that so many important men in our lived have the same middle name, was quite helpful in our decision. : )
So now, we wait to find out what to call our child. I am soooo excited!!!

Home Study application complete!

We finished the Home Study application in pretty good time. Of course, it was pretty much all I worked on during my spare time for a few days in a row. Joe finished his part on Sunday. I started to wonder if the timing is good to start all of this because Joe has so much work to do with seminary, having a full-time job, and ministry on the weekends. I decided not to bother him about when he was going to do the parts that I can't do for him. But he was just as motivated to get it done and turned in as soon as possible. We are just so excited and don't want to waste any time.

Now, we wait for the official application for the agency and the Home Study agent to meet with us and go over more things for us to do. My prayer is that we can get this stuff before Spring Break so that we can use that time to do the bulk of paperwork and other items. Joe is taking the week off to be with me during our vacation and work on getting the house more ready for our baby.

God has opened many opportunities to share about Him to others through this process. It is so wonderful to be used to testify His faithfulness and provision.

Our First Seed of Faith

About a year ago, Joe felt like we should start getting a baby room ready as a seed of faith. I thought, "Whatever, we aren't even pregnant." A few months later, I went on a prayer walk with my friend Kristen. As we prayed, God laid it on my heart to take that step of faith. I was worried that if we didn't get pregnant soon that it would just be a reminder of what we didn't have. But we went ahead and took that step. God blessed us with a donated crib, a swing, and an umbrella stroller. More recently we received a rocker and some toys. Instead of it being a reminder of what I was missing, it served as a reminder of what God is doing already. It is our room of faith and hope.

It was many months later when God called us to step out again and start our pre-application with AIAA for a Korean child. As I said earlier, we knew that we didn't have the money in the account and could not make enough with our salaries. But you know, He is already sending us people with a heart for adoption to donate finances. We have not asked for those donations, God just sends them to us. Growing up in a Korean household, we don't ask for financial donations for mission trips and such. It was uncomfortable enough sending out fund-raising letters for that in the past. So, receiving money to help us adopt a baby was a really strange feeling. I was incredibly grateful, yet felt a sense of guilt at the same time. This was until God showed me some of the bigger picture.

You see, for the last couple of years, I have tried to go back to teaching full-time at a public school so that we could save up for an adoption. The doors have always been closed and so I have continued teaching part-time at a christian school. This is one of the reasons we gave up on adoption for a while. But, guess who are the primary people that have offered donations, encouragement, and connections. . . parents of my students. There have been people in our Sunday School, discipleship group, co-workers, and other friends as well, but it was through my current and former parents that God used to ease my fear and step out to plant another seed of faith. I believe that God is teaching me, yet again, that everything belongs to Him, and He is going to receive the glory, not me. I need to stop being so self-sufficient.

Oh, did I mention that one of my students this year is one out of 3 that were adopted by his parents, and another student's family is in the process of adopting right now. This family is also part of an organization at our church that helps Christians with adoption. Oh, and the family that got us thinking about adoption again recently and has helped us tremendously, is one of my current student's parents. Now, what are the odds?

God is more awesome than I can even begin to imagine.

where to begin . . .

This is my first blog, so I don't really know how to do this. Here goes . . .

Joe and I have been married for almost 4 years. Out of all of those years we have wanted children. We both had it on our hearts to adopt one day even before we met. We just figured we would have our own first. It is MUCH cheaper. : )

About a year and a half ago, we started looking into adoption. I really felt in my heart that God had a baby for me and to start praying for it. After researching and talking to others, we decided to wait on the adoption and try out some "treatments" to help us get pregnant. Joe works for a church and is going to seminary and I work part-time at a Christian school. So, thinking about the cost of adoption was overwhelming.

After several disappointments and doctor bills, I came to the end of myself. I was led to let go and wait for God to show us what to do. I was done trying to figure it all out and "geetit dun" get it done. (I am very much a go-getter. Joe is more of the "trust and God will provide" one.) After years of watching others get married, pregnant, and pregnant again, I was beginning to understand why some women couldn't go to baby showers anymore. I always thought in the back of my mind that they just didn't have enough faith. But I knew in my heart that God had a baby for me. I just didn't know when or how. So, God has given me more mercy for the broken-hearted, because I was truly broken. But I held fast and waited for God to move us.

One night we went to a family's house for dinner. They talked about their heart for adoption and that got us starting to talk about it again. That night I couldn't sleep and so I went to the baby room we prepared months ago as our "seed of faith" and started reading through Psalms. I got to the part about being knit together in the mother's womb. All of a sudden, I got this urge to pray for protection for my baby and that this baby wasn't going to come from my womb. That was one of the first of many signs that adoption is where God was leading us. I, of course, went through times of doubting that it was really from God, but every time I began to doubt, He would give me another sign. I guess I had to get in the passenger's seat and wait for God to drive. He has surely been driving us through the beginning stages of this process. Every time we hit a bump, it has worked out without us really having to do anything. He has blessed us with advocates, encouragers, prayers, advisers, and even financial assistance. It is so God, because we have not asked for this help. We have truly been humbled and don't know how to even begin to thank those that have been so instrumental already.

BTW- We have just gotten pre-approved by the agency and are about to start our application and Home Study. So, this is truly just the beginning.

There is too much to type in one sitting, so check back for updates and more pieces of this big puzzle that God is putting together.