It is time

Wow, here we are...two years since my last post and one child later! Sweet Lyla Jane was born July 28, 2010. She is precious...even if she is mine! She is the most content, chubby, bubbly baby I have ever been around. She has added so much to our family. She is adored by her big 4 year old brother. He told me the other day, "Mommy, I'm gonna marry Lyla". The love is mutual with Lyla. She looks for Jackson every morning when she wakes. Since Lyla has been born, I have been a stay at home mom pretty much. I see patients as soon as Mark gets home around 3:45, one or two days a week and work all day on Thursdays when the kids go for a visit with Beppie and Bo. The Lord has just worked things out...I am so undeserving. And so it is time...

Mark and I LOVE our family. We try to enjoy even the most non-eventful moments and non-picture taking times...knowing that God has blessed us beyond measure. About 2 years after we married Mark traveled to Honduras to Emmanuel orphanage to help with construction needs and spending time with the orphans. Of course, with his return home all kinds of questions came concerning adoption. We both agreed that this was a path that we knew we would want to take one day. Strange thing was that Honduras was not a country open to adoption. During the fall of 2009, I began teaching a Sunday school class on James 1 (specifically James 1:27)and Mark and I traveled with our friends (Tyson and Renee Griffin) to an adoption convention in Nashville. At that time, Tyson and Renee were awaiting the arrival of their precious daughter, Ren, from China. Once again, the Lord confirmed that adoption was definitely something that we were called to be apart of...then sweet Lyla came along. Sixteen months passed. During that time, the Lord continued to give me a desire in my heart to have another child...yet with that desire came direction from God...wait. On Monday, March 14, 2011(little did I know) Mark felt the Lord directing him...it is time to look into adopting. Mark is coaching middle school baseball and had a game that night until late, so we didnt talk much. On that same day I had some friends that are in the interior decorating business come by and give me suggestions for new kitchen cabinet colors and curtains. In a still small voice I really didnt want to hear, the Lord said, "you should be saving some of that money for adopting". Tuesday, I took Jackson to the dentist and during a rare moment I was able to read a few chapters in a new book, "Waiting to see" by MaryBeth Chapman. They talk of their adoption processes. One of the chapters talks of a day when deciding on going to China, every person they encountered that day was Chinese. I prayed, "Lord, just give me some direction. I'm still waiting but please give us some direction". That night I watched the youtube video "Depraved Indifference". After sixteen months, I decided to look on Gladney, a large adoption agency website. I clicked on Costa Rica and under this heading were bold letters, "Honduras is now open for adoptions"! I was shocked. The next day I texted Mark and told him. That night we looked at the website and requested our first information packet, starting the process to adopt from Honduras. Emotions...fear, complete peace, anxiety, giddiness all in one. The next day we received a call from Gladney. The lady so sweetly explained to us that because Mark is on two meds for depression and ADHD (very low dosages that he has been on since a teenager), we were not qualified to adopt from Honduras and basically every other country, except Columbia and Bulgaria. We were shocked...no Honduras. How was there such peace and direction like never before, all to be thrown in the air with this news. After much prayer and discussion...we have decided that this was God's way to open a door to our hearts. We know that it is time for us to be diligent in prayer on this subject and to allow our ears to yearn for the Lord's voice for direction...knowing he is taking us to a new place of faith. Please be in prayer for our family and our extended family with this decision."'Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink?  Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?' And the King will say, ' I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it unto me!" Matthew 25:37-40