10 months! (our adoption journey, part 1)

Happy 10 months home sweet Tahlia Xiuhanna!

… and to celebrate you I am going to re-share our adoption story to reveal the mighty ways  the Lord moved mountains to get us to you!

In the summer of 2009 the Lord whispered (out of nowhere) in my ear

HIS WORDS:

 “You will adopt someday,…your family is not yet complete  and it is MY plan for you to adopt.”

I stress the “my” part, because this was not a part of our plans. Brian and I had thought (up to this point) that our family was complete.

However, I was caught like a deer in headlights. I was stopped in my tracks.

I was sobered and overwhelmed…..and I was suddenly consumed with a new love.

 It was from that moment on that the Lord grew in my heart a fierce, overflowing and compassionate love for the orphan. He opened my eyes.

“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you” (John 14:18)

As I tucked this HUGE revelation into my heart and pondered it, I saw the Lord do the same EXACT thing in my children’s hearts.

What a beautiful miracle for a mom to witness.

  And, over 1 1/2 years later, in Brian’s heart as well, a miracle had been done. Brian’s  heart had suddenly been seared with the command: “go get your daughter!”

BUT, It was God’s timing, not mine.

I just had to wait, and in that waiting, I claimed what would become my adoption verse

…even, with all my doubts.

Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!”
(Luke 1:45)

I waited.

I  prayed.

I pleaded.

I begged.

I wondered why would the LORD put this intense and overwhelming desire in my heart but not in Brian’s heart.

 It was frustrating…to say the least.

 Brian assured me that he would pray, and seek the Lord about this. BUT, he stressed that  it would have to be the LORD who would be the one to move him and to show him…and not me.

So, I kicked and screamed I prayed and tried to shut up and just get out of the way. We even did a helpful bible study on “Considering Adoption”  with other seeking couples, which was led by an amazing couple who has a heart for adoption.

 I am SO very thankful for this amazing couple who had invested in us, answered our many questions and prayed over us.

God had placed them in our lives for such a time as this. They helped us seek the Lord in this matter.

I always looked forward to this time of study!! It was the only hour of the week that I was free to talk about my desires to adopt :).

Well,  Then….the storm came.

(WHAT ARE YOU DOING LORD???)

Brian had suddenly lost his job in Oct. of 2010.

Oh boy!  I just had to  lay down my desire and I grieved what I knew could not possibly happen.

I seriously laid it down.

I had to slay it.

The Lord would have to make EVEN more miracles happen if we could ever adopt…HE DIDN’T EVEN HAVE A JOB.

Mountains would have to move.My faith was lacking.

Well, God is in the business of doing miracles.

Brian had revealed to me that it was “in this desert, in this time of need” that the Lord had struck him with the command: “NOW IS THE TIME, GO GET YOUR DAUGHTER!”.

That was in November, when he was still without a job!!

That’s how we knew it was of God, because it was THAT CRAZY!

 He had officially told us on Christmas morning, and we  were all crying and sobbing with joy at the thought of finally starting our journey to our little girl (both Brian and I had agreed that the Lord had laid a girl on our hearts)!

And, we applied for the agency in January.

 Brian had gotten a job right before Christmas. The Lord blessed his obedience!!!!

THE LORD SHOWING ME HIS WORKINGS:

Here is something that amazes me!

As I looked back on my journal entries, seeing the exact month that the Lord revealed to me His plan for us to adopt…..I SAW IT!!!!

 I ran to my old wall calendars (yes, I save them) and I counted back 9 months from Tahlia’s birthday of April 2010. She had been conceived the summer of 2009.

It  was this summer, that the Lord had whispered HIS plan into my ear and gave me a sudden desire to adopt.

Why did He choose that moment??

 Because the Lord had conceived Tahlia in my heart the SAME EXACT TIME HE WAS CONCEIVING TAHLIA IN HER BIRTH MOM’S BELLY!!!!! 

In that moment of revelation, I fell off my bed, and to my knees and praised  and thanked God for giving me a glimpse into HIS LOVE, HIS PLANS.

Then, I ran downstairs to tell Brian!!

His jaw fell open in disbelief, and we both just sat amazed and even more grounded and anchored in God’s calling.

SHOCK AND AWE.

Our God is so sovereign.

 He had my little daughter’s life all planned out from the moment she was created.

 WOW.

His Love is so great.

 In fact, He has each of our days planned before any of them came to be. He can be trusted.

We knew that.

But, in that moment….our faith was affirmed.

It was beautiful.

I praise Him for the blessing to have had our eyes opened to His great plan.

Such a gift.

The Lord  strengthened our faith in preparation for the times when this journey is tough.

 There are certainly hard days with adjusting to 5 children.

We have all learned how to be more compassionate, more serving and more giving.

But, she certainly makes it easier…with that precious smile.

 She has come SO far in the last 10 months.

 We knew, going into this, that  hardships are a reality (its not all fairies and rainbows).

But, by holding tight to the revelation from the Lord, staying anchored in HIM,  we are continually given the strength to press on when it gets hard.

 I WILL never doubt that this was HIS PLAN…EVER!

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” (James 4:8)
 (and just wait to see what He reveals to you!!)

 I never could have, never would have, imagined in the summer of 2009 that we would (almost 3 years later) be  celebrating 10 months as a family of 7

 .He has carried us each step of the way, He has made Himself known. He has worked powerfully through prayer.

He has shown us GRACE.

***click here to read Tahlia’s adoption story: part 2