We are SO excited. God is doing big things. We have been waiting for what seems a lifetime for our journey to having a child to begin (that's a WHOLE 'nother story!). NOW IS THE TIME. For those of you who don't know, we have been waiting patiently on God for the right time to begin the adoption process. It's something we have always considered, but over the last year it has become something we have become emotionally ready for. Things have been stirring lately, and are beginning to fall into place.
We met Pam, a social worker at an adoption agency, just a few short months ago through a church we started attending last year. We have developed a friendship, and she has been educating us and encouraging us along in the pre-adoption stages, reliably informing us of any details or pertinent info. We have some other friends who have also been interested in adoption, and they invited us along to go to an informational meeting at that agency a couple months ago. Although we had been thinking about it, we weren't sure we were ready quite yet, but ultimately decided it couldn't hurt to go ahead and just find out some information. The meeting was very informational & made things feel so real. Even though it was hard emotionally to be there (because it reminds you of your inability to have a baby), we were happy to look forward to the next steps and find out exactly what we needed to do. It was there that we began to learn exactly what course and what type of adoption we would be taking part in. And we decided we wanted to have a baby by next year. That would mean we'd need to start the process this year...soon.
But, being that adoption is extremely costly, we have been hesitant to turn our application in, knowing we do NOT have all the money yet that it will ultimately take. You don't have to have all the money up front, but we knew it would take us a while to have the final large payment that is due when your child is placed in your home. So it's a bit hard to go forward with something you don't have the money for! We entertained the idea of getting an adoption loan to cover some of the cost, but we didn't feel a peace about that. We have been working diligently on getting out of debt for the past couple of years and feel strongly about not creating more. In the past 2 months, we've just been waiting. All the while, Pam would gently nudge us along here & there, keeping us posted. In the meantime, God was working on our hearts! I cry just thinking about it. I grew up in church, my parents have been in the ministry & have both been to Bible School. So I got to reap the benefits of their knowledge of the Word. I feel like I have a pretty good grip on His word. But, OH MY, God has a way of revealing things to you through his scripture in a timely way! Even after you've read something a hundred times throughout your life, it can become newly applicable! Recently God has been laying scripture after scripture on our hearts regarding trust in Him and patiently waiting for his promises to pass (a collection of them!). That's what Abraham & Sarah, along with many others did (Heb. 6:12-15). And we received a sermon on cd from Keith Moore Ministries just yesterday talking about not putting things off that we feel are right to do. An excerpt from the letter we received with the cd called "Trust Him":
"Watch about putting everything off into the future, or you could miss some once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. When you sense that something is right to do, rearrange your schedule, believe for the money, do whatever it takes, and don't delay. Live today so that you'll have no regrets tomorrow. Psalm 34:8 says "O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in Him". Having faith in God is trusting Him."
This letter was so relevant and confirming for us.
Also, last week our fellow "adoption" friends so kindly gave us a book called Adopt Without Debt. The book was a God-send, full of great information that met us right where we are at. We felt like the author's story could be ours because things sounded so similar to our situation. It gave us hope, and lots of ideas we plan to use to help fund our adoption.
Then, just yesterday, Pam told us there were only a couple spots left in a class we would have to get in in order to adopt in the time frame we wanted, & that would require us getting our app in asap. So, we decided... it was TIME! (Note that we did not feel any pressure from Pam). We told her "Count us in!" So here we are. We've arrived. We're ready to trust in him to provide his promises. Our application for adoption is complete and will be handed in tomorrow.
We plan to blog about our journey and keep everyone posted and involved...
Till next time!
Eagerly but patiently waiting,
The Sharpes
See also Heb 6: 12-15; 11:11; Psalm 37:3-5; Philipians 1:6; Prov 19:21
