Gratitude

First off, let me take care of the essentials...I should wait and tack them on at the end, so you read this whole entry, but I realize time is a precious commodity! So here we go...there is really nothing new going on with our adoption in regards to an actual child. We're still waiting to hear a final yes or no, on both situations. We haven't had a drop of information in about a week or more, so sorry, no good or bad news on that front.

What is new, is that our home study is now officially paid off!!! There is a long, boring story about why it has been such a big ordeal...taxes, vans, government shutdowns etc...but we are very grateful to have gotten that burden off of our backs!! Because of this, I will now be able to apply for two more adoption grants and one loan! This will make a total of three grants that we will be praying about. If we just happened to get them ALL we would be done (well, almost) fundraising! I'm really beginning to loathe that word:)

Something else new...I totally re-worked our profile book. I decided I wanted it to be more visually pleasing, but had no idea how to go about "making it pretty" since I am not a "scrapbooker" and most of my photos are in electronic form anyway (I do realize it would take significantly less magic than is possessed by a fairy godmother to transform them into paper but that's beside the point.) Anyway, the problem with making a "photo book" which you can find easily, is that they cost one whole arm to make, and then if you multiply that by 20 (that's how many books we will need!!!) you quickly run out of limbs. I, being the dogged pursuer of all things cheaper, kept searching until I found a website that allows you to only order the pages...cutting the end cost in half! Now, I do not want any of you to tell me that I could have gone to any photo website to do this, I just don't want to hear that, if that is the case, which I'm sure it isn't...

So, the official, paper version of our profile book should be done soon! Whether or not we will actually need it remains to be seen.

While I'm thinking of it, thanks so much for reading these posts, and for your comments! For some reason I can't reply with a comment of my own, but I love getting your feedback. It means a lot!

Ok, now to more gratitude...
I just want to thank God, in writing, for allowing us the privilege to be in the process of adoption. It is exciting, painful, risky and worth it. You become privy to information you wouldn't otherwise get, about children, birth parents, even birth grandparents. It allows us to pray and love these folks in a more vivid, passionate way, because these are real-life events, taking place now! I love being able to make informed petitions before the great throne of Grace. Also, I want to thank those who have sacrificed to further our cause. Some of you have spent hours and hours, even days to help out with raising funds. I will never, ever forget this. It is humbling and it is precious to us and you know who you are (all of you's.) Some of you have sacrificed time in creating, for Small Steps. Thank you, you have done a beautiful job, and I do believe there is a future for Small Steps beyond our adoption!!

And some of you have sacrificed in the form of dollars. The Lord has chosen to use people who are wealthy in love and kindness, not necessarily in a material way, to fuel this adoption, and we are so grateful. Another one of those ways in which God amazes us...I mean, seriously, aren't there enough rich people in the world, couldn't one of them just cover the cost easily in one fell swoop? But God has taken threads, small and large, thick and thin, to weave this tapestry of love. He is still weaving, and taking His time about it, but who are we that we should question our great and merciful Weaver? He alone knows the pattern, and perhaps the most precious and beautiful material is that which was gathered from the smallest store.

I love that God doesn't just take one of us that He's finished with and make photocopies of that one original. He takes the time to whittle away each rough edge, lovingly refining and sometimes replacing, to perfect each human "thrift store find." Taking each imperfect, highly flawed and sometimes contrary find, and transforming them into pure, Christ-like perfection. He adopts us into His family, and then raises us up to be and "look" just like His Son...Jesus. What a great God we serve, for He has not "left us as orphans" (John 13:18.) And let me just quote one more verse, because this really sums up where most of us that are Christ-followers, are "Not that I have already obtained it, or have already become perfect, but I press on in order that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do; forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:12-14.

So, I/we continue to prayerfully run the race, to answer that upward call. Interspersed in this long marathon are many smaller races, one of which is this adoption. It's not easy, practical or predictable. But each day God has given me the strength to pull through a few more miles. With His grace, we will continue to the happy end of adoption, which is new baby Church. May He bless you in your race, wherever you are. "Be kind, for everyone is fighting a hard battle." I am surrounded by warriors. I'm praying for you friends.

And mama is praying for you, baby Church. We miss you, even though we've never met you. We love you more than words can say. XOXOXO to infinity, you precious child.

P.S. Lu is much better this week...eating, speaking and smiling. It's nice to have "her" back!

**Recent News**
We just heard from our case worker that the FL situation is pretty much finished. The birth mom is refusing the make an adoption plan (really, after all this??) but she will not be granted custody of the child, so he could end up in foster care. Doesn't make a whole lot of sense to us, but we have to accept what is.