Monday, September 29, 2008

Thanks and The Rest of the Story

Thank you so much for your encouragement and prayers. I must say, HE is amazing! We certainly don’t deserve the blessings He has showered upon us. Our desire is to glorify Him through this process and the union with our precious child. We are taking the ‘new’ journey to a waiting child, and I want to journal our process, step by step. For those who have adopted, it may seem very elementary and for those who are considering, it may seem overwhelming. My goal is to simply walk you through the steps of the process with the reminder that it changes frequently.

How did we get here? It’s no secret that since Clayton and I accepted Christ (11 years ago for him and 7 years ago for me) we have had a growing desire to serve God full-time in another culture. We have sought direction, even looked for an avenue to take us to another country. Two years after I surrendered my life, He bent my heart toward adoption, and the plight of the fatherless has become my heartbeat.
We are constantly reminded that God does not need to use us, but He chooses to do so. He has opened many doors of opportunity for us and given us the courage to cross the threshold, knowing full well we will depend on Him for everything. He has not called us to that which we are able, but invited us to do what will require complete trust in Him. Each seed of adoption in our lives has been planted by God Himself, and He has proven faithful and trustworthy, as evidenced by each of our beautiful children.
Once Kaeleb was home, we had a peace that God was likely finished growing our family but certainly not finished with us. We began to seek Him fervently on missions: How? Where? When? It was during this time that I was completely brokenhearted for the children left behind, and He gently whispered to me, “I will send you to China … but only for a short time to receive your child.”
Clayton and I were both stunned, at least! We pondered this and continued to pray. I vowed to keep silent as Clayton sought clarity from the Lord. A short time later, God said to him, “I am holy.” It was a reminder that what is a surprise to us is no surprise to Him; He is sovereign; His plans are far greater than ours, and He has given us life for His glory.
We have been ‘approved’ by our agency, Lifeline Children’s Services, and have begun the home study process with the agency that facilitated our first two adoptions, Dillon International. We are proceeding with the knowledge we cannot do this alone. We are so grateful to our church family who has loved us, supported and encouraged us and prayed us through every journey we’ve taken. I have many friends who, even though are very much a part of a church family, the church family has not been very much a part of their adoption process. As the body of Christ, we do need to rally around our family, and we have certainly been rallied!
There are many truths God has spoken to us, but four that I really like to share are:
1) His grace really is sufficient, and His power is made perfect in our weakness. (2 Cor 12:9)
2) Having faith means not seeing the whole plan. (Heb 11:1)
3) Trusting that His plans are best. (Jer 29:11)
4) When seeking the Lord, we won’t always please people. (Gal 1:10)

May He be glorified, and may the joy that can only come with abundant life in Chrst be seen!

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh Connie, how we have been praying for your family! Thank you for sharing how God has so clearly led you to this point! Can't wait to follow your journey to your new precious little one!
Tanya
Bentonville, AR

Anonymous said...

Hey,

Well I will be praying for you guys and I am so excited for you once againg!!! :) One more time and we just can't wait!!!!
Love you guys

Unknown said...

Connie - I could barely finish reading your post because of the tears. I am so happy for your family and will be praying for you through each step. I just love the way God works, His timing is always perfect. I read your posts often and you are a blessing to me and many others. Thank you for your example.

Lisa Goforth

Shelly said...

I am so thrilled for your family, and can't wait to follow this journey with you all! Your words are such an encouragement! We will pray for your family, as you add another blessing! Congratulations!!!

Shelly McCain

Gina said...

Congratulations Connie and Clayton! We are so amazed and happy for you. You are such an inspiration for us that we too can do this!

Bree said...

Hey, just came across your blog and wanted to say Congrats from one LL family to another! I'll be praying for your journey!

Sabrina
Mommy to A, born in Guatemala
Waiting for Baby Sis now...

Anonymous said...

Thank you, Connie for sharing your adoption story and your willingness to follow our Lord!

It is just so WONDERFUL that your church family gives you the support that you need to go through this process.

I look so forward to following along with this adoption of your precious child!

How is your Mom doing?

Take care,
Holly M. (Xiushan Family)

Blessed Family said...

Hi Connie,
I can't wait to follow your journey again. Your family is amazing and the best thing is - it is Christ centered, how lucky your children are. I am so anxious to see what plans are ahead of you all.

Rachelle said...

Wow....blessings on your next journey! May God be glorified!

Shelly said...

http://www.nihaoyall.com/

I wanted to point you to a blog that I came across recently. She shared their testimony of faith through their adoption journeys, and I'm hoping it will encourage you as well!

Shelly McCain

Unknown said...

yeah Connie!!!! I am so happy for your family!! We share another passion it looks like also-candles. Email about how I can buy some!!
Looking forward to new details......
Shelly Cline
Mom to K6!

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