Exciting news!

"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." John 14:18

Many of you already know, but in case you haven't heard. WE ARE ADOPTING! That's right! Our family will be growing through adoption in the next year or two. We have decided on adopting internationally. There are many reasons for this decision. I will probably write more about that in another post. We have not settled on which country. Right now we are interested in Uganda, Panama and China. Hopefully we will narrow it down in the next couple of weeks!

Why adoption? With so many children that need loving families, why not?! John and I had always imagined that we would adopt at some point. We were thrilled when we realized that our timeline was being changed and that God wanted it to happen much sooner than we had originally anticipated!

One reason we thought adoption would happen down the road is because it is so expensive. We simply assumed it was out of reach financially. However, the more we prayed and researched we found that it was more of a possibility than we expected. It will still be a huge step out in faith for us. We do not currently have all of the fees. We do not know where the money will come from. We are trusting God to meet those needs.  God has always been faithful to his promises and always provided so generously to us.  We often pray that we might find a way to extend those blessings to others.

John and I have much, much more to write on this topic. We will be updating the blog with more news and information so keep checking back. :)   For now, please pray for guidance as we decide from which country we should adopt.  Pray that our hearts and minds are prepared for a new family member and how to be the best family possible for one of God's children.   Here is something I have come across that I thought was inspiring: 

While not everyone is called to adopt a child into their own family, there are many ways we as Christians can provide for orphans. Pray! Pray for children who are without a family; that they might have safety, provision and shelter.  Pray for adoptive/foster families, that they would listen and heed God's prompting.  Other great ways to support adoption is by sponsoring a child though Compassion International, supporting others who are fostering/adopting, providing respite care for foster families, providing financial help for those adopting, supporting orphan care groups at church, mentoring a child, the list goes on and on!  Please join us in our excitement as we start another new adventure.