End of Year Update 2018 - Adoption #2
As we come to the end of another year, it still is surreal to me that we
are adopting again! In adoption world, you are either in a sprint or
moving at a snail’s pace. During the ‘sprints’ it goes so fast, you
blink and you’re through that season, wondering how on earth you
survived it. Then during the ‘snail’s pace’ you tend to forget you are
moving at all, or you go crazy trying to make it go faster.
This spring was a whirlwind, to say the least. We completed a home study faster than our social worker has ever seen. Our dossier got lost (enter snail’s pace), leaving us to communicate with a courier service who has never seen that happen before. Our dossier that was shipped to Washington DC ended up in Florida, and who could of predicted that? BUT, praise God they found it! We got on the wait list (to be matched with a child) in June, to conclude our wait time will be longer than adoption #1, almost 12 months to be matched. Leaving us here…hoping to be matched in June of 2019. So, entering the fundraising stage to be prepared for that hefty fee that comes when we were matched, God shows up in Mighty ways. In four months, we raised over $27,000! And among that amount, if God wasn’t showing off enough, we received 7 out of 7 grants we applied for. So many stressful points, tears and amazing God moments rolled up here!
So, where does that leave us in December of 2018?
Simply writing out these core details of this adoption shows so clearly the sovereignty of God, His timing, and His workings. We have seen the Lord work on our son's heart so much these last few months, it’s showing us the opportunity to come. We get to share the Gospel with him everyday, and can I share with you the Lord is moving in his heart. He is beginning to grasp forgiveness, Jesus as Savior and the wickedness of sin in ways we can’t credit ourselves to revealing to him. And we want to offer that hope to our next child as well! As amazing as the gift of a warm home and family is, oh to offer the One who can change their eternity and love them greater than Jason and I ever could!
Every day we see how easily we fall short, yet how much God has equipped us to parent and love our sweet son. God is preparing us for this next child, and He is working in their lives today as well. My heart breaks for the heartache they have or soon will endure in loosing a family to then be in need of one. Would you please pray for that child? And pray for us as God prepares us to minister to them when He says it’s time!
Heading into 2019, we are praying God will use our story and these adoptions to bring Himself Glory! We are praying protection and love to be shown to our next child. And we are praising God for you - for your role in this story that God is writing in our family!
For His Kingdom and with lots of love,
Merry Christmas
The Stephens
Want to support us in tangible ways?
As we continue to rely upon God in meeting our financial needs in this adoption, we currently have two fundraisers happening that will roll through into first quarter 2019.
This spring was a whirlwind, to say the least. We completed a home study faster than our social worker has ever seen. Our dossier got lost (enter snail’s pace), leaving us to communicate with a courier service who has never seen that happen before. Our dossier that was shipped to Washington DC ended up in Florida, and who could of predicted that? BUT, praise God they found it! We got on the wait list (to be matched with a child) in June, to conclude our wait time will be longer than adoption #1, almost 12 months to be matched. Leaving us here…hoping to be matched in June of 2019. So, entering the fundraising stage to be prepared for that hefty fee that comes when we were matched, God shows up in Mighty ways. In four months, we raised over $27,000! And among that amount, if God wasn’t showing off enough, we received 7 out of 7 grants we applied for. So many stressful points, tears and amazing God moments rolled up here!
So, where does that leave us in December of 2018?
- We’ve been in our second adoption process for ten months now!
- We are, Lord willing, six months away from being matched with our 2nd!
- We are $4,500 from being fully supported!
- And we are still expecting to travel sometime in 2020.
Simply writing out these core details of this adoption shows so clearly the sovereignty of God, His timing, and His workings. We have seen the Lord work on our son's heart so much these last few months, it’s showing us the opportunity to come. We get to share the Gospel with him everyday, and can I share with you the Lord is moving in his heart. He is beginning to grasp forgiveness, Jesus as Savior and the wickedness of sin in ways we can’t credit ourselves to revealing to him. And we want to offer that hope to our next child as well! As amazing as the gift of a warm home and family is, oh to offer the One who can change their eternity and love them greater than Jason and I ever could!
Every day we see how easily we fall short, yet how much God has equipped us to parent and love our sweet son. God is preparing us for this next child, and He is working in their lives today as well. My heart breaks for the heartache they have or soon will endure in loosing a family to then be in need of one. Would you please pray for that child? And pray for us as God prepares us to minister to them when He says it’s time!
Heading into 2019, we are praying God will use our story and these adoptions to bring Himself Glory! We are praying protection and love to be shown to our next child. And we are praising God for you - for your role in this story that God is writing in our family!
For His Kingdom and with lots of love,
Merry Christmas
The Stephens
Want to support us in tangible ways?
As we continue to rely upon God in meeting our financial needs in this adoption, we currently have two fundraisers happening that will roll through into first quarter 2019.
- Gobena coffee, 50% of every purchase supports our adoption. Simply purchase through this link. This fundraiser concludes in FEBRUARY.
- Encompass Nutrients, 28% of every purchase supports our adoption. Simply purchase through this link. This fundraiser is ONGOING. The Complete Adult & Complete Kids are daily supplements designed to be an all-in-one nutrient packed with far more nutrition than anything else on the market. Most multivitamins stop right there at just having vitamins & minerals. Our products is 4 products in 1. They have 19 vitamins & minerals but also include probiotic to help with digestion and absorbing more nutrition out of the foods we eat, omega-3 which is a brain food and anti-inflammatory, as well as super greens which help boost the immune system and fight off sickness. Learn more at the website link above!
- If you have not partnered with us financially and would like to, all adoption donations can be directed through our Lifelong account, and please include our name and account number (Stephens, 7765) after you select Give to Adoption. These donations are tax deductible. This account is open to donations through us bringing our child home, and finalize the adoption!
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