Orphans

"Real religion, the kind that passes muster before God the Father, is this:

Reach out to the homeless and loveless in their plight, and guard against corruption from the godless world."  James 1:27, The Message

Our pull to the orphans in our world started long ago for Chris and me.  It began before there was an "us." I can only speak for myself, but I have always recognized some part of me that wanted to adopt.  I can't pinpoint the exact reason for this...maybe because my mom was adopted or maybe because the Lord placed that desire in my heart long before I knew what He would call me to.

When Chris and I got married, having kids was a complete no-brainer.  The only discussion was when and how many.  We may have mentioned adoption somewhere along the way, always from Africa mind you.

After 4 years of marriage, we felt "ready" to expand our family.  What seemed like it should be easy turned into almost a year of monthly heartbreak {I realize that for many people a year is a short time, and in the grand scheme of things, it is.}. It was then that the Lord began to bring this idea of adoption to the forefront of our hearts, and we realized that He had only grown our desire to love orphans in the world.  We were excited about adopting, and then I got pregnant.

We were certain that adoption would be part of our family's story.  We just didn't know exactly what that would look like.

We have been praying and seeking and discerning and praying some more about how this desire would manifest itself in our lives.  We have asked for direction, answers, guidance, and clarity about when to move forward and how.

In just a couple of months, we will rescue our first group of kids with Mercy Project.

 We could not be more excited and thankful for the Lord's provision.

There will be about 20 kids in the first group.

One of them is an orphan.  Only one.

Seriously?!?!

After more prayer, seeking counsel, and more affirmation, Chris and I have officially begun the process to adopt this sweet 7 year old boy and bring him home to be part of our family forever.

We couldn't be more excited.  We couldn't feel more grateful and blessed.  We couldn't feel more overwhelmed by every emotion possible.

But, we are certain of one thing.  This is right.

God has called us to religion that involves reaching out to those who are loveless.

Please pray for us--we have lots of paperwork to complete and lots of waiting to do.  We also will be significantly changing the dynamic of our family.  I know we are inadequate, but I also know that the Lord will give us what we need.