Adoption...

So I have gotten a few questions about our adoption and I will try to answer them here. Where to begin is the question I struggle with, as this has been in the works for a long time.

We had been praying for direction, (actually I was praying for a baby to be dropped into my lap~no joke) as we wanted to adopt, but didn't know where, when or how. One day I got a call asking if we would be interested in praying about the opportunity to adopt a newborn baby. Ah yeah... of course! We prayed and met the birth mom, and were excited about the possibility of adopting. Then we got a call asking if we would be interested in adopting the birth mom(she was very young,) her baby, and her 2 younger brothers. 4 more kids! We prayed and were truly open to whatever God had in store for us. There were so many hurdles that stood in our way and we weren't sure how this would all play out, but we were committed to seeking God's will in this situation. Finally we received the call that the baby had been born, and that the birth mom decided to keep HIM (yes, it was a boy!) and that the family would stay together. Prayer answered.

So, we finished our home study, and were still not sure of what to do, we were thinking Ethiopia, as there are not many countries that find our income level, and amount of children desirable!(imagine that!) Anyhow, our social worker suggested domestic adoption since I REALLY want a newborn baby. We had never considered it before, for several reasons, the most obvious is...will a birth mom EVER choose us to raise her baby when there are so many couples with out any children out there vying for a baby? Apparently, (we shall see) there is a need for more families who will take an African American baby. When we contacted the agency that she recommended, the director seemed confident we would be chosen, although she did say it may take longer since we want a girl, and with our family size.

I am not worried at all, yes, I long for a baby, and would really love to have one SOON! But I know God is in control, and if He wants us to have a baby, we will get a baby. Sometimes I think we should go with a bigger agency, so it would be faster (but with that comes much bigger fees,) but then I remember that God doesn't need any help, so I am going to let Him do as He sees fit!

We will need a new 8 passenger vehicle...hopefully not a 12 passenger van, yes, I have "VANity issues" But, if God calls me to adopt a bunch more kids, I will have to give up those issues as well! We are praying for both the money to cover the adoption, and a "new" (used) vehicle. We are so excited to see what this new year will bring, and will let you know if and when or what is going on, as soon as we see God moving!

We had no idea how we were going to pay for Anaya's adoption, and I am so pleased to say that every last bit of it is paid off. WOW look what GOD did! We had many gifts given, we skimped and saved, and sold our beloved property in Hamilton, we have no retirement, or savings to speak of, but it was totally worth it! She is the one "thing"(I realize she is definitely not a thing) in this world we can(prayerfully) take with us into Heaven, and there is nothing else in this world that matters. No our kids will not (likely) have college paid for, we will never be able to have all of the things we want, Ryan will never retire!!(just kidding...I hope!) But, so what. This life is just a breath. It's not about our comfort, (though I am a fan of comfort!) It is about eternity. As Frances Chan puts it, we are (trying) to place deposits in our eternal bank account! Good thing, cuz the one here is looking pretty slim!

I hate posts without pictures, so here is a new picture of Ry and I. It has been a long time since we had our picture taken together. Each kid took a few and we finally got one, lets just say one of us is not so photogenic.