It’s been a while since my last blog post! The last couple months have been nonstop and it doesn’t look like it will slow down until summer comes to an end. We have done 3 summer camps in 5 weeks and right now we are in the middle of the 3rd. We are in South Carolina at Camp Bob Cooper fellowshipping with some fun adults and students. I am so proud of my husband and the awesome job he is doing in his nightly sermons. We pray that the Lord’s Word penetrates the hearts of the students and that they would consider Jesus!
It’s been a busy time trying to balance family, summer camps, church, and daily life. In the last couple months we have had family visit us in KY, a couple family emergencies, 3 trips to TN, 3 summer camps, a wrecked vehicle, a home study addendum, our adoption counselor changed, we received over $11,000 as a result of our Lifesong fundraiser, we were approved for a $4,000 grant from Show Hope, and we have had a ton of activities that go along with church! We are exhausted but we know that God is working in our lives so we cling to him! There have been plenty of times that I have had some great things to share but I have failed to make it to the computer!
One highlight of the last couple months was being able to meet a sweet couple in Louisville that adopted two boys from the Congo. It was the neatest experience and a total God hug! We went to a restaurant with some friends after church a few Sunday’s ago and the couple seated next to our table had their 2 Congo babies with them. I was able to talk to their mother and ask her questions. My heart melted when I was able to hold one of their sweet children. He was beautiful! I just keep thinking, “They’re real! Congo children really do exist!” It was the ray of hope and encouragement that I needed that week. Sometimes the adoption process is so difficult because it almost seems like there is no light at the end of the tunnel. We have no photo, no gender, and no due date. Many times I think about this stuff when my heart isn’t fixed on Christ and I start to doubt. I become forgetful of the promises of God. That random meeting of that dear couple and their sweet children was just the kick in the rear that I needed to turn to Christ and say “Thank you.” Thank you for choosing us for this journey. Thank you for providing. Thank you for loving me so deeply that you would orchestrate a totally random meeting so I could hold a real life baby from the Congo. So, fellow adoptive mothers, don’t lose hope! Don’t forget the blessing of the journey! Fall into the lap of your Heavenly Father and be reminded of Isaiah 40: 31, “but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
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| Kevin and I with his nephew, Jacob. |
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| Kevin and I with his brother, sister, and nephew. |
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Kevin's wrecked truck.
We were attacked by a gate during a storm! :( |
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Ladies Night at Carlisle making bears for
Operation Christmas Child boxes! |
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| Carlisle Avenue student camp! |
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| The girls of Gum Springs student camp! |
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| Kevin speaking in S.C. for Pray's Mill Baptist Church. |
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| Me hanging out next to the lake in South Carolina! |
WHERE WE ARE IN THE ADOPTION PROCESS RIGHT NOW:
OUR HOME STUDY ADDENDUM IS COMPLETE AND WE WILL SUBMIT OUR ADDENDUM TO THE USCIS FOR APPROVAL. WE ARE CURRENTLY WAITING FOR A REFERRAL WHICH IS SAID TO BE 6-12 MONTHS. WE HAVE ALREADY BEEN WAITING 4 MONTHS! PRAY THAT THE LORD’S FAVOR FALLS ON OUR PAPERWORK AND THAT WE WOULD RECEIVE A REFERRAL SOON!
