Approved, but....

Okay, we finally got all the necessary forms turned into our agency and we are pre-approved to adopt. There is just one thing....

When we started this journey Josh and I both were drawn to Russia. We read a lot about other countries but none of them seemed right compared to Russia....Russia was "the one" we just knew it.

Well, our agency said if we were to proceed with a Russian adoption it would be "really high risk". They said we are free to go ahead with it if we choose but there would be extra disclaimers to sign and risks to take. Basically because Russia looks at a families finances extremely close we may not make enough to support another child in their eyes. Based off the agencies #s they gave us we make about $5,000 more than the minimum THEY require...but Russia is extremely picky about finances so there is a chance they could turn us down even though we qualify via the agencies standards.

Our agency looked at our pre-application and based off our ages, years we have been married and the age range of the child we want told us the best options for us would be Honduras or Ethiopia. I don't want to sound incredibly shallow but we were really hoping to adopt a child that would blend in with our family so Honduras & Ethiopia don't really sound too appealing.

So yes, we are approved to move forth with an adoption...we are just back to square one figuring out what country to go with. Right now we are just praying for direction.

Kristin

Nothing New

Hi! I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

We don't have anything new to share. Just wanted to come on here and let you all know where we are at now. We still have to contact our agency and turn in one more form. THEN we will have some news. Just wanted you all to know that despite the most recent loss, this adoption is still ON and we are just as excited about it as before!

Will update again once we hear back from our agency!

-Kristin

Jesus Calling- Nov. 24 daily devotional

If you've never heard of the book/devotional Jesus Calling I highly recommend it. It's a daily devotional written from Gods point of view. This was the devotional for today and I thought it fit perfectly. A few hours after I posted our news yesterday we lost the baby. The devotional for today was exactly what I needed to hear. I'm not letting this get me down or depress me. I'm choosing Joy and will continue to thank Him for He is good and only wants the best for me. I trust Him, so I am at peace. 


I hope this blesses you all as well:


"Thankfulness takes the sting out of adversity. That is why I have instructed you to give thanks for everything. There is an element of mystery in this transaction: You give Me thanks (regardless of your feelings), and I give you Joy (regardless of your circumstances). This is a spiritual act of obedience -at times, blind obedience. To people who don't know Me intimately, it can seem irrational and even impossible to thank Me for heartrending hardships. Nonetheless, those who obey Me in this way are invariably blessed, even though difficulties may remain. Thankfulness opens your heart to My Presence and your mind to My thoughts. You may still be in the same place, with the same set of cirumstances, but it is as if a light has been switched on, enabling you to see from My perspective. It is this Light of My Presence that removes the sting from adversity."


Happy Thanksgiving everyone! :)

Some News

Well, we have some news to share. Our adoption journey may be on hold for a little while because a few days ago we found out that I am pregnant again. This was completely unexpected as we stopped "trying" last month after our 3rd consecutive loss. I will be honest, things are not looking good right now with this pregnancy but I am trying to hold out hope. Or Faith? Something. If this pregnancy progresses we will have to notify our agency and will have to wait until the baby is 6 months old before we can continue with the adoption. Yes, even if we have another of our own it is still a desire of ours to adopt. Our hearts have been forever changed and we will pursue what God has shown us He wants us to do. :)

I'll keep everyone updated!

Pre-Application News *UPDATE*

I just got an email back from our agency about our pre-application. I was starting to get really anxious. It was only supposed to take about 3 days but today was day 9!! I was hoping for a big fat approval but it seems it's not that easy.

We make about $700 a year to little (as a family of four) to qualify for adoption. I am pretty disappointed, but I was told if we have enough liquid assets to make up the difference then we can proceed with the adoption (and I am pretty sure that we do!). However, the country we have been looking into is very picky about adoptive families finances. Praying that we won't see too many problems with this. Also, the number Josh gave me was just an estimate. We are going to figure it up right down to the dollar and hopefully that will put us a little closer to our goal.

So, that is where we are at right now. Keep praying please!


-----UPDATE:

Great news! Once Josh got home we checked out all his old paystubs from last year and it turns out we actually make about $2,000 MORE than what he originally guessed, so we should qualify!!! I emailed our agency with the update and hope to hear back soon. Of course I'll update as soon as I do! :)

First Post

As some of you may (or may not) know, we have been trying to add baby #3 to our family for awhile. It's been a tough road in which we have endured 3 more miscarriages. With each loss I felt different emotions, sometimes I was at peace and ready to try again, other times I was furious with God for "taking away" yet another child, and other times just purely sad. I am no longer any of those things. I have peace (although we are not "trying" again) and believe maybe those miscarriages were just leading us to this point, to the child He already had in mind for us. Had we had a successful pregnancy we would not be on this journey right now and who knows what that would have meant..would our child be adopted by someone else? Would he or she be suffering? Hungry? Lonely? What if if he or she never got adopted and ended up on the streets at 16 (when most orphans are too old for the orphanages and are  left to fend for themselves.) Those children often turn to drugs and prostitution, and 1 in 10 will commit suicide. This is almost too much to think about. I am so thankful though, that everything that has happened to me, good AND bad, has led me to this point, this place in my life.



I will be honest, when I first felt adoption weighing on my heart and started to look into it I considered it my "Plan B". I had never really wanted to adopt, I NEVER thought I would be able to love another child as if they were my own. I didn't see a reason to adopt when I could have my own. Well, lets just say God sure opened my eyes and completely changed my heart. Adoption is now Plan A for me, I wouldn't want to get pregnant right now even if I knew I would not lose the baby. I already have a child waiting for me, MY child, that God chose for me when s/he was just an infant in the womb. Not my womb, but I don't care a single bit. My baby is waiting for me. Waiting for a mommy, and a daddy. Waiting to be loved.



If you're wondering what you can do to help: PRAY. That is the #1 thing we need right now. Once our application is approved we will start doing fundraisers so right now please just pray that everything goes smoothly and that we receive favor through every step of this process. Please also pray for all the children in orphanages that are lonely, hungry, sick, and who have never known what it's like to have a family or to be loved. Pray for their comfort and most of all pray that they will find their forever homes soon!



 I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you. -John 14:18

 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. -James 1:27