Wednesday, December 17, 2008

An Orphan's Ticket Home

America World Adoption Association - which is the agency working with us on this journey to Abigail - embarked on a huge task this year. They are seeking to raise money for orphans around the world. This money will lead to adoption for many children and families. If your new to the adoption world and just being educated on international adoption in general, you may not realize that many of those 130 million+ orphans around the world are not available for adoption. Why? You might ask, as we did. The answer...the regions in which they are located do not have the resources to obtain the documents that the governments require in order for adoption to occur. These children are growing up without families because of a lack of resources. America World wants to do something about that - to make resources available, but as we all know that requires $money$. So, if you are looking for a great cause to give $$$ to - PLEASE consider An Orphan's Ticket Home. Check out the Badge above or below to learn more about how the $ is being spent.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

FAQ #1

So, we felt like there are some things that we have yet to address. Reading back over our first post, we initially said that there was more to our decision to adopt that would have to be posted when more time presented itself. Well, seeing that we have both been slackers, that just hasn't happened yet. Therefore we decided to go ahead and offer some questions and give our answers(many of these are found in our home study). In case you didn't know, you go through this sort of interview and evaluation process - otherwise known as a home study - to begin the adoption journey. So, here goes:


Why do you want to adopt?

Well, for myself (Missy) I've considered adoption since sometime in junior high. I look back now and see that God was even then shaping my mind and heart to pursue adoption. It wasn't until I was in seminary,though, that I came to understand that we are all adopted by God. One day I was reading Romans 8, and all of sudden it became so real. You see, God had foreordained that a man that had no part in my birth would become my loving earthly father. He would call me his own and make it known that I belonged to him no matter how I resisted him. He loved as only a father would. It was in that moment that it all came together for me. My daddy here on earth was a tangible example of a Heavenly Father whose love patiently waited to be reciprocated. He made me His own too...through Jesus. If I didn't already have the resolve to adopt at some point, I most assuredly did after that revelation. I wanted to be what my dad had been in my life in the life of someone else - to be that living example of God's love.

Adoption was a topic of discussion before Monte and I were ever engaged. Once we were married it became more and more important to us, but always for sometime later. We bought the lies of all the things that "need" to happen before children become part of the family picture - such as: more money,a home we own, education, well-established careers,birth children first,etc. Fortunately for us, the Lord broke through those lies and completely opened our hearts to begin the pursuit of adoption in the Spring of 2007. Our dossier (a large file all about us) was shipped to China in October 2007 and logged into the Chinese computer system on Oct. 22, 2007 (that's our LID - Log in Date).

We want to adopt because God planted the thought in us. He developed that thought into a great love for a child we have not yet seen. At this point, knowing she is across the sea makes us all the more determined to adopt.

Jill's Fantastic GiveAway

Jill is giving away this fantastic basket full of goodies! You should stop by and enter the giveaway. Afterall, doesn't everyone LOVE a FREE Gift! Oh, and you don't have to have a blog -you don't even have to personally know her - to leave a comment and enter...so, don't be lame have a little fun and enter! Click here to head on over there.