With God, All Things Are Possible

If you would have told me a year ago that we would be where we are now, I would have told you that there is no way we could afford or do it. I would have been right. Thankfully, it is not us that has done it. It has been orchestrated by God working in and around us and the body of Christ. At our church, we are challenged to attempt something so great that it be doomed to fail unless God be in it. Well, this must be it for us! So far, God has provided the cost, the connections, the favor in letting the agency let us begin even though we didn't have enough raised for their fees alone and the favor in how quickly this process has happened for us. God is faithful! Now, we did have the call to step out when we did. So, don't just jump and assume it is His will. : )

So, OUR LITTLE BOY is precious! His current name is Jihoon, which means wisdom and contributor. We plan on keeping that as his Korean name, and naming him Samuel Joseph. He just looks like a Samuel to us. The meaning fits perfectly too. According to his records, his health is "grossly normal" and he is developmentally on track. He is not shy and is a good babbler. I love how they say that, "He is a naughty baby who likes to play with his foster family." He seems to be well-taken care of by them. They had a lot of sweet things to say.

Depending on how quickly this next phase of paperwork goes through, we could travel as early as late November? But then it could also take several months longer. At this point, it is still sinking in that my prayers have been answered. I finally have a baby!!! Joe is already the proud father who carries his picture with him all day, showing it off. He has been so helpful with this last leg of paperwork too. I am paper-worked-out, so he took over.

The next leg is getting everything ready for Samuel, traveling to Korea, and making decisions about what to do when we get him. I have been very nervous about the last part because my income is needed. We have a little extra to go out to eat occasionally and pay for unexpected things. We have already cut out as much as possible. So, to think about not continuing to work at my current job is scary. I don't know what will be decided or how things will work out, but they always do. God has been getting me ready this summer for this time. I read about several missionaries and their stories of God's provision and protection. It never seems to be the way I plan it out, but it ends up being better. So, we will focus on today and let God work out our tomorrow.

On an end note, I wanted to share something else I noticed while reading Samuel's information. Do you remember me telling you on an earlier post how God had kept me awake one night and called me to pray for the protection of my baby and his birth mother's wisdom? If not, go back and read it. Well, his paperwork states that his birth mother worried about what to do with her baby while she was pregnant because she was poor and the birth father had cut off contact. She agonized about what to do. Well, my prayer was Feb. 20th and Samuel was born March 13th. God knew that she needed prayer and let me be one of those to pray for her. How awesome is that?!

I have had a lot of new people reading the blog lately and they have asked how they can help. If you are one of them, our support letter was posted on June 2nd. Basically, we are working with Promise686, we do have a prayer team that gets updates and prayer requests, and we are taking hand-me-downs at this time, anything from diapers never used to furniture. We have a crib and a glider so far. Oh, and the Tupperware Fundraiser is posted as well.

Unfortunately, we can't post pictures of Samuel until he is legally ours, which could be a year from now. After we get him from Korea, we still have home study visits for up to 6 months and then we adopt here in the states. So, our journey is far from over. But it is a wonderful journey! Thank you to all of you who have prayed for us so far. : ) And PRAISE GOD!!!

Referral!

We said at one time that we wouldn't announce a referral until we knew we were going to accept it. But, we are too excited to wait! We got the call today!
We go through the packet with our Home Study social worker Monday after work. UGH! I hope I can sleep and concentrate on the first day of school Monday. I'm sure I'll have so much to think about with that. At least it will be a good distraction.
I met some of my new students and their parents today. Every single one of them were adorable! I look forward to getting to know them this year.
I also got to see some of my former students. My how they grow so fast! Some are just about taller than me and this is only my fourth year at this school. One of the parents told me that 2 of her children (both my former students) have decided to do a triathlon and use the money raised for our adoption. I was so touched I had to hold back tears. They have even gotten some of my others students to do the same. I am so blessed with such wonderful children in my life. Their parents are just as wonderful. I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. : )
I can't wait to make a book of all of these stories for our baby and show how the body of Christ, young and old, were used by God to bring him into our lives.
I say him, because this referral is a boy, and he was born in March. I have so many family members born in March, including myself. I'm nervous to get too excited, because a referral does not guarantee it is our baby. After we go through the paperwork, we send off or go to a pediatrician to break down whatever medical issue he has and tell us the long-term effects. If it is a costly issue, we will have to pass up the referral so that he can go to a family that can better help him. These parents give up their children so that they can be better-cared for. It would be selfish of me to take on someone that I can't care for as well as another family. We are praying that it will not be an issue. Joe is pretty confident that we will not have to pass him up.
So, we will see. Pray for us to have wisdom and discernment, patience, and peace. There are so many decisions to make and more paperwork to do once we accept a referral.

Tupperware Fundraiser

You've received an Evite invitation. Click here to RSVP!

Here is information about our first fundraiser.

We are so excited about this opportunity. Allison is a friend of mine. She lived near me when we were in high school and we didn't even know each other until her husband started working at our church, where Joe and I both work. Since then, we have been instant friends and in the same discipleship group. I am honored and thankful for this blessing that she is offering. We are also excited about being able to get some Tupperware items for our baby with the extra points.

If you can not come to the Tupperware party, you can still order from Allison. The directions are in the Evite.

Joe is excited too. He is already wanting to plan out our snacks and things. I told him that he needs to get the baby room ready for everyone to see it. LOL

Keep praying not only for our fund-raising, but also for God to work it all out according to His glory. It is Him doing all of this and we are amazed. Also pray for our baby and his/her mom. Selfishly, I pray for her health, but I also pray for her heart. I know it can't be easy giving up life that grew inside of you for 9 months. We are so grateful for the opportunity she is giving this child and for us to be able to be a part of. We are trying to be patient and will definitely let you know when we get information on our baby.

Until then, we wait, we pray, and we worship.