God's Relentless Pursuit: Adoption Guest Post

Watching God do incredible things through CJ and Andrea's adoption back in 2014 when they were in the adoption process was an amazing privilege. They are family who deeply loves God, deeply loves one another, and deeply loves adoption. I asked Andrea if she would share some reflections on adoption for the blog today and I'm so glad she was eager to do so. Enjoy! My husband and I never planned on adoption. Some people are born knowing. Some people know at a young age. Some people know early in their family planning that adoption will be a part of it. This was not us. We had one child. Then two. Then three. And they were perfect and wonderful and beautiful, and they completed our family....

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Adoption Guest Post: Don't Waste the Wait

No one likes to wait. It's frustrating and it's stretching and it's just plain hard. Right now Will and Candice are in the thick of that really difficult part of the adoption journey-they are waiting for an expectant mama to choose them. I'm honored to be walking with them as their adoption consultant and I'm so glad I get to share Candice's heart with you today! Guest Post by Candice: Don't Waste The Wait.  In the process In the waiting You're making melodies over me And your presence  Is the promise For I am a pilgrim on a journey ~Shepherd (Bethel Music) In all honesty, the adoption wait has been a little harder on me than I thought it would be. After dealing with fertility...

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Matt and Jacque's Adoption Story: Trusting His Heart

This sweet family has been built through the gift of adoption. They have learned that in the mysterious ups and downs of the process when you can't see what God's doing, you have to trust His heart. Matt and Jacque adopted their oldest son from Ethiopia several years ago and last March they contacted me about beginning a domestic adoption. They were quickly matched with a baby due Christmas Day. But their Christmas wasn't spent welcoming the baby they were waiting for. Instead, a very difficult situation ended in the expectant mom they were matched with choosing to parent. A failed adoption is a heartbreaking experience to walk through and it can make a family want to quit the entire...

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Tonsillectomy Tips From A Six Year Old

Our sweet Addie Beth recently had her tonsils out and she wanted to write a letter with tips for her cousin who is getting his out soon. I thought these were too cute not to share with you and she said that would be just fine. I'm happy to present to you... 10 Tips For Kids Who Get Their Tonsils Out by Addie Beth 1. The people put a circle thing around your head like a mask to help you sleep. 2. It helps you feel better if you just sort of not actually do anything exciting like singing or dancing or something like that or moving around a lot. If you’re out for most of the day, then you should just rest. 3. Basically, for drinking, I would say that you need to never stop drinking. And here’s...

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Adoption Guest Post: Happy-Sadness

A couple months ago I shared a guest post by Kim about the costs of infertility. I have the privilege of being Rick and Kim's adoption consultant right now. I love reading anything and everything that Kim writes! God's given her a gift with words and her writing always go straight to my heart. Here is another beautiful guest post that Kim wrote about the happy-sadness of this stage of waiting in their adoption process. Happy-Sadness in Adoption by Kim What do you say when people ask you how you’re doing? Fifteen years ago my standard response would have been, “fine” – no matter what was really happening. But then I “randomly” sat down next to a boy I didn’t know at all and asked him...

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Adoption Guest Post: Bloom Where You Are Planted

Recently, one of my sweet families had the opportunity to share with their church community about the beginning of their adoption journey. Bryan and Laura are currently in the process of getting their home study completed and then I'll be walking them through the process of applying to various adoption agencies. I asked Laura if I could post a bit of what she shared in hopes that it encourages you as much as it did me! Bloom Where You Are Planted by Laura Everyone knows the phrase, “Bloom where you are planted.” It means to grow wherever you are. Let’s be honest, everyone wants to bloom in a beautiful garden, and feel they deserve that. What happens though if our garden is rocky,...

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Adoption Story: David and Sarah (Being Still Before God)

(Photo Credit: Kristen Anne Photography) Being a part of David and Sarah's adoption journey has been one of the highlights of my experiences as an adoption consultant and a huge encouragement to my faith in God's beautiful mysterious plans. If you were on social media at all last summer, chances are you saw the beautiful photos of this family meeting their daughter for the first time. One of their dear friends, Kristen, went with them to photograph their first moments together, posted it to her photography page on FaceBook, and overnight it had struck a chord with thousands of people all over the world. Suddenly they had all kinds of news sources like ABC News, Today, People, and Buzz...

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