Why listen to me?

Coming from the communications field, I'm no stranger to the fact that everybody has a message and they aren't afraid of stating it anywhere and everywhere - whether it's right or wrong. You don't have to look far to find this - Facebook, the grocery store aisle, a digital billboard, and the list could go on.

For anyone who knows me, when it comes to communicating about me, I'm not a big fan. Totally fine communicating for an organization, or someone else! I'd much prefer coffee with a friend any day over expressing my feelings to the world on a social media platform. I thrive off of purposeful, intentional in-person relationships that include talking, laughing, sharing, encouraging...

So what happens when God convicts someone like me to step out of my comfort zone to follow Him, and one of the biggest ways He can display Himself through me is by communicating my story? And it can't always be done over coffee :-!

And here we are - Stephens Family Thais blog :)

This past week marked one year for Jason and I in deciding to adopt. We've seen God work in our lives for a long time, but we've seen many of His attributes amplified during this time!

• MIGHTY We serve a mighty God who's plans are far more perfect than we can ever imagine.
• SOVEREIGN He alone deserves all honor and praise, and He will work in our lives to bring Him just that. As we look back and think about how we wanted to have a family and what that looked like, in all honestly, I can't imagine I would have given Him the glory as much as I have been through the mountains and valleys of this journey.
• FAITHFUL God is faithful to provide, to make a way, and to answer prayers. We rejoice in answered prayer knowing that each day is closer to God giving us a family.
• LOVING God has poured out His grace and mercy upon us. That began when we were born, was glorified the day we recognized that grace and mercy on the cross dying for our sins, and now to follow Christ He continually pours out on us, so undeserving.
• COMPASSION God is the Father to the Fatherless, and to see in His Word the love and compassion He has for orphans, we can't shy away from God's heart on this matter.

So, why listen to me? My prayer is that you'd see Christ in Jason and I - but that God's character and attributes would be amplified through our story! We'd love in this adoption journey to bring a child into our home, that you'd see less of us, and more of our great Savior. Many of you are on this journey with us, we pray that our story would show you how God is sculpting your story, and that includes your hand in ministering to an orphan! May God ALONE get the glory on this blog, in all that has been done on this journey and all that is yet to come. That's why I write!

This week, we were denied a second grant we had applied for, we continue to wait patiently to be matched, and pick up other miscellaneous ways to raise funds needed for when we are matched. Yet in the midst of this being our current adoption status, I saw this video...and my heart broke! May God use us to bring a child out of this situation to hear the Gospel, and I pray even now that they'd come to know Him as their Lord.

Kids of some dear friends of ours sent us the sweetest note in the mail the other day, and the scripture prayer was exactly what we needed. "Do not fear for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous hand." Isaiah 41:10. I pray this for us, for our child, for our child's parents, for Christians being persecuted all over the world, and I pray this is an encouragement to you.

Here's looking to year #2 in the adoption process!