The Family Update

Although we've been a bit quiet on the blog lately, we've continued to be working on a few different adoption-related projects that have kept us busy.

One of these projects has been to set up some ways to help spread the word about our adoption, let people know where we are at in the process, and offer ways for them to support us, if they desire to do so.  Being one who appreciates good communication, here's hoping we can do that in a few different ways as we continue to wait for the call to go pick up Joshua.

So, we decided to write a letter giving all of you a short overview of our adoption process, where we are at, and how you can help us out.  If you'd like a copy of it, you can download it here.

We're excited for the upcoming days, even though we don't know when we will be able to travel to South Korea.  Thanks for your partnership and support as we work to bring Joshua home!

What's In A Name?

A few weeks ago we played a little game with you to see if you could identify YS’s American name that we had given him.  It’s been pretty funny to read some of the responses that people wrote (name him after some White Sox players....really?), but surprisingly a few people actually guessed correctly - Joshua!  Oh, what would we be without Google Translate, right?  Nice going Elsa.....the Choco-Pies are on their way!

But maybe the bigger question is, “why Joshua?”  Joshua has always been a name and a Bible character we like, and so one we were considering for our little guy.  Then, when we received the paperwork for him back in July, we noticed his Korean name meant “reign” and “crowd”, with the intent of the social workers who named him that he would become one who would reign (or lead) the crowd.

Although we have no way of knowing what he will grow up to be, we do desire Joshua to be one who will be a leader of sorts, as he follows the leadership of Christ.  As we look at the life of Joshua in the Old Testament, we see someone who was humble, eager to learn, and had a deep desire to grow in his understanding of God.  One account shows Joshua remaining at the Tent of Meeting (where the Lord met with Moses), even after Moses left.  (Exodus 33:11)  Joshua had a craving to develop his own relationship with the Lord and present himself as one with a teachable spirit and attitude. 

This teachable spirit allowed God to put Joshua into more leadership roles as the years went on.  Joshua, along with Caleb, were only two of the twelve spies who brought back a favorable report of the Promised Land, and by faith believed that God would give them that land (Numbers 13-14).  He later was anointed leader of the nation of Israel, and ultimately given the task of leading the nation of Israel into the land of Canaan.  (Numbers 27:12-23)  Joshua’s humble, teachable spirit, combined with his faith and trust in the goodness of the God he served, allowed him to be a powerful leader among the people of his day.

One Bible study guide wrote, “Joshua was available to the Lord, for the task the Lord had, with the people God chose.” 

In short, we desire and pray the same for our Joshua, that he would have a desire to know Christ personally, and that his heart would be humble, teachable, and desirous of learning how God wants to use him during his lifetime.

Will you join us in praying the same?

Receive First. Give Second.

Last weekend I (Eric) had the opportunity to take 49 of our high school students & adult leaders on our annual fall retreat.  For the past 5 years we have been going to a great camp named Timber-Lee Christian Center in East Troy, WI.  The camp itself is beautiful, with a number of different activities and things for us to do while we are there. 

But what makes this retreat different from most retreats I plan for our students, is that this is designed specifically as a service retreat, where we serve the camp by giving a full day (Saturday) to work projects or jobs that the camp staff have determined for us to do.  A bit odd or unusual for students to get excited about?  Well, if size is any indication, this was our largest fall retreat yet.  In the past, we've helped Timber-Lee clear brush, demolish summer cabin interiors, rip up carpet, paint luggage carts, split wood, rake leaves, and move bunk beds and mattresses, just to name a few.  One year we even helped cater an amazing mother-daughter banquet they were hosting, and had a blast dressing up as waiters and waitresses.

This year was no exception, as they had us working in a few different areas of camp.  We helped them split wood, rake leaves, clean fenceline, and clear some large areas of land that became overgrown with invasive species and brush that crowed out some of the natural prairie landscape.  The bonus of being a part of the brush clearing project was being able to build the largest pile of brush and then watch it go up in flames.  I only wished someone would have remembered to bring the hot dogs and marshmallows to roast!

Our Saturday work projects and service was put in the context of helping our students see the need and value of serving others as a way of expressing Christ's love to others.  On Friday night, I challenged our students to think about the idea of love more deeply.  As much as the world tells us about love (and our need for it), it has no ability - or authority - to give us the power to love.  The power and ability to love can only come from Someone who is love - Jesus Christ himself.

"This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." - 1 John 4:9-10

"We love because he first loved us." - 1 John 4:19

In order to love, we need to first understand that God himself is the source of love.  He defines love - by the actions he’s taken.  And he proved it by sending his son on the cross for us as a sacrifice.

It's a principle that author Max Lucado calls:  Receive first.  Give second.

When we have chosen to receive and live in God’s love - through a relationship with Christ - then we have the ability to draw from that love and express it to others, which God calls us to do.

Receive first.  Give second.

Sounds like a simple concept, doesn't it?  But yet how hard it is to put into practice!  The encouraging news is that because Christ lives in us, we have been given the ability and power through Christ to live out this love on a daily basis.

And this past weekend our students demonstrated this love to the camp and to one another through their actions.  It was a great weekend of fun, hard work, little sleep (hey, it is a retreat, after all), and great food.  But in the end, it was all about living out the calling to love others, because Christ loved us.

I'm proud of our students and adult leaders for their willingness to sacrifice a weekend and serve others in this way.  My prayer is that this principle of "receive first, give second" will continue to take root and lead to lives that have personally received the love of Christ and are committed to give that love to others in tangible, practical ways.

(click here if you can't view the video above)

The Name Game

Although we are unable to share YS' Korean name, which we will keep for his middle name, we are able to share his American name. This weekend we had the opportunity to go to a Korean event at our adoption agency. It was a joy to learn more about Korean culture, and see lots of little children adopted from Korea, and their families. It was fun to think about going next year, with our little boy! Nathan and I also tried our hand at Korean writing. I wrote YS' American name in Korean!

So here is the Name Game Challenge: Look at the Korean name below, and figure out what it is in English! Then make your guess. If you need a little help, you can look at the second picture below, which is "Nathan" in Korean! (On the bottom right corner the sweet Korean ladies from the adoption agency, who taught us, put their signature.)

P.S. We have some Korean 'Choco-Pies' for the winner!

If A Picture Is Worth 1,000 Words.....

....then we could write this post for a long time!

This past week we received an unexpected surprise in the form of some new pictures of our little guy, YS at his one year old check up.  Our case worker at the agency emailed them to Jill (at home) and me (at work) so we could both enjoy the chance to see some updated pictures of YS.

Although we can't post pictures of him yet (security and privacy issues prevent us), we can tell you he's looking very healthy and doing incredibly well.  His pictures have him playing with some toys, walking around, and even sitting on the lap of his care giver looking content and at ease.  But I couldn't help but be drawn to my favorite picture - one of him sitting on the lap of his care giver getting hugged and tickled.  Looking at the picture you see his eyes are almost completely shut because the smile on his mouth is so big and wide.  His mouth is wide open with delight, giving a good look at his teeth and tongue, as you can almost hear the giggles and squeals coming out.  Ahhh!  How much longer do we have to wait until WE can give him hugs and tickles from US?!!  Either way, it's obvious to me that he is being taken care of and loved on very well by everyone at the agency in S. Korea and his care giver.....and for that I am thankful.


Needless to say, there was a long pause in my work day to take in these new pictures and see my son growing and having a fun time exploring his world.  It didn't take too long for me to set these pictures as my screen saver on my computer, even though it caused my productivity at church to go down at various points of the day....like, every 3 minutes when my screen saver came on  = ).  And yes, shortly after that updated pictures were already being developed at Wal-Mart and being brought home to share with the family (to much joy and excitement).

We were also given an updated medical report for him, which was fun to see how he has grown and developed since just a few months ago.  From all accounts he appears to be progressing well for a 1 year old!  We found out he's added a few more teeth (now has 4 on top and bottom), able to speak some simple words, is climbing all around, waves "bye bye" to people, and responds to his Korean name.  Unfortunately, it doesn't look like he's a fan of bathtime, but I'm sure Nathan and Brooke will have no trouble showing YS how much fun bathtime can be here in our house!

Unexpected updates like this are always welcome at our house!  What will the next one be?

Happy 1st Birthday!

So the news on the adoption front has been a bit quiet lately, most in part to there not being any new updates or news to share.  We're in our next phase of waiting, while we have completed and sent off more paperwork to the many different agencies and departments (both here in the U.S. and in Korea) that will be processing and handling all the details of finalizing our adoption.  Korea did confirm that they received and have looked over our paperwork, so that's good news!

But, we had cause for a little celebration this past Friday when we had the chance to celebrate YS's 1st birthday!  Even though he isn't officially a part of our family and is still in S. Korea, we still wanted to celebrate his birthday, sing for him, and give him a few presents, and oh yea, eat some cake too.  We also wanted to take lots of pictures and videos so when he gets older, he'll be able to see how much we loved him and celebrated him.....even before he was ours.

If you know Nathan and Brooke at all, you know they LOVE the idea of having a party, and this was no exception.  The party planners started a day ahead of time and hung streamers all throughout the living room.  Then they grabbed balloons and started blowing them up and hanging them everywhere - finishing with a multi-colored balloon bouquet hanging down in the middle of the living room (think disco ball hanging from the ceiling), all while listening to Veggie Tales and happy birthday music on the stereo.  What an afternoon!  If you are ever in need for some party planners, Nathan & Brooke are your go-to people!  Jill also made an incredible (and elaborate) teddy bear birthday cake (see pic), complete with birthday hat and candle.

When Friday came and we were ready to celebrate, we even had the joy of having Grandpa & Grandma Rasmussen join us, as they were coming home from a trip out East.  It was a lot of fun to celebrate with our family!

After dinner, we opened a few gifts that Nathan & Brooke had picked out for YS, which they showed everyone - a few books, some toy blocks, and soft balls.  Nathan and Brooke are anxiously waiting to read and play with you when you come, YS!  We also have one other gift that we left wrapped up until YS arrives, and can't wait for him to open it up and enjoy it.

All in all, it was a fun night to celebrate our little guy's first birthday.  Although we haven't met him yet, he is very much a part of our family and we are excited that he is our own.  Despite the miles that separate us right now, YS, know that we love you and talk about you on a daily basis, and can't wait to have you as part of our family.  We're looking forward to celebrating your NEXT birthday here with us!

Our Little Boy!

Our family is super excited to share with you that we have received our referral- a very important step in our adoption journey!! In short, he is an adorable little boy, currently 10 months old, from South Korea. As of right now, we will probably have to wait about a year until we can go to get him and bring him home.

When our social worker called to share this news, Eric was in Colorado with the high school youth on their summer trip. I knew there was a slight chance we could get the referral that week, but the most recent information had indicated that the referrals were coming in more slowly to our agency, so we probably wouldn't get one quite yet. But, we did! This was great news, but also meant all the information was at our local agency, and since I wanted Eric to be there too, I had to wait! So, our social worker told me just a little, and we set up a time to come in first thing Monday morning after Eric arrived Sunday night. Waiting these four days just gave me practice for our next wait which will be the hardest- waiting to meet him and bring him home!

I was also glad I was able to get a hold of Eric that day (who often didn't have cell phone coverage in the mountains of CO) and share this wonderful news.

So here are a few of our family's thoughts on this little guy joining our family!

Jill shares:

I'm filled with joy. Now that we know a little about him, I feel like he's our little boy, and my love for him just keeps growing. I pray for him every day, and am amazed to think that God has had this plan for us, and known the future of our family, and this little boy, our son. I'm so thankful he is bringing us together. I wish we could go to pick him up so much sooner- both to pick him up to give him a hug, and to pick him up to bring him home!

Eric shares:

The morning that I received a text message from Jill telling me we had received our referral was almost a shock for me to receive. In the middle of our h.s. summer trip I was beginning to feel exhausted, tired, and emotionally spent. But reading the words "referral" on my phone immediately brought excitement and anticipation about who this child was.....and when I was going to know more. Needless to say, it was hard to keep this news under wraps for the next 4 days (even though I did share it with my fellow adult leaders later that day - I just couldn't contain it to myself!) It's so exciting to finally have a little guy to look forward to holding, loving, and welcoming into our family. His picture is already framed and put beside Nathan & Brooke's as if he's one of us, and it looks so good. But waiting another 11-12 months is going to be really difficult and challenging, since I'm eager to bring him home and have him in our family. Patience.....patience......patience.....

Nathan shares:

"I'm very happy. He is so cute. I'm excited to have a little brother to play with. The hardest part is WAITING!"

(When we were getting the information from our agency, Nathan was at soccer camp. They were inside due to stormy weather, and had a little down time at the end where they could draw. When we picked him up, he hopped in the car, and shared his drawing with us- a picture of our family of five- mommy, daddy, Nathan, Brooke, and his new little brother! That's his drawing at the top of this post.

You can ask Nathan if you want to see a picture of his new little brother, because he carries it with him in his wallet. He's a proud big brother!)

Brooke shares:

"I'm going to play peek-a-boo with him, and put him on my shoulders and give him a piggy back ride." A few days after we found out all about him, she announced, "Now I know who I'm going to marry- YS!" (She said his Korean name, but I am only using initials.)

(When we first got the referral and she saw his picture, she smiled and blew him a kiss!)

Life in 6 Words (The G.O.S.P.E.L.)

On this Easter we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  What an amazing day!  Not only did Jesus rise from the dead and defeat death (once and for all), his resurrection provides us with hope and eternal life - found only through a relationship with Christ.

I am so thankful for the Gospel and the power of it in my own life.  As I reflect on this special day, I am reminded how the entire Gospel can be broken down into 6 simple words.

God. Our. Sins. Paying. Everyone. Life.

I think this video sums it up well.  No commentary needed.  (Thanks Dare2Share for this resource and tool)




May the Truth of the Gospel be evident in your life this Easter season.

Happy Easter!

David, Dare2Share, and Being Awkward

A few weekends ago, I took 21 of our high school students and leaders to the annual Dare2Share conference held nearby at the Sears Centre.  With slightly over 5,000 students there, it was one rockin' weekend!  Dare2Share is a ministry organization based outside of Denver, CO that exists to help equip and prepare students to relationally and relentlessly share their faith with their friends.  Their approach and passion for evangelism have transformed our student ministry and has helped our ministry develop a passion and strategy for reaching our non-believing friends.   Greg Stier & his crew do an amazing job at these conferences (and in all the resources and articles they also provide), as they desire to teach and train students to share their faith with their friends.  I'm honored to consider them a partner in my ministry.

The theme this year was "The 'Un' Tour" and it centered around David and his story of overcoming Goliath.  During the weekend, our students were challenged with the idea to become UN-cool, UN-afraid, UN-ashamed, and UN-leashed for the Gospel.  Our students were given the chance to take a 'cell phone challenge' and call two of their friends to share the Gospel (the sight of seeing 5,000 students on their phones simultaneously sharing the Gospel is amazing).  They were also challenged to write the names of their un-saved friends on their hands as a visible reminder to pray, pursue, and persuade their friends to consider the Gospel.  Saturday afternoon our students spent 2 hours doing a silent prayer walk around their local high school - praying for their friends, teachers, administrators, and for God to do a mighty work through them to reach their campus for Him.  What a powerful opportunity to commit their school to Christ.  Some even shared their faith over dinner that night at the local restaurant we ate at.

In short, it was a GREAT weekend to be reminded of the power of the Gospel, our responsibility to share it with others (Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 1:8), and our call by God to be "awkward" for Him.  Awkward is Awesome!

As you think of it, pray for our students as they seek to live "THE Cause" (the Great Commission) and make disciples who make disciples.  Our students are still having great conversations and opportunities with their friends.  Viva La Cause!

Home Study: Continued & Complete

Although we've been a bit quiet lately on the blog, I wanted to throw an update up about how adoption details have been progressing for us over the past month or two.

In short, we've been keeping ourselves busy getting our home study completed (a major 'woo hoo' moment) and all the related paperwork turned in for that.  For those of you not familiar with what a home study is, it's basically a series of approx. five different sessions with our case worker who seeks to get to know us, our history (both individual and as a family), parenting styles, and how we deal with different situations and decisions on a regular basis.  We're also asked to submit a lot of paperwork, health records, and even get fingerprinted and background checked at the state/federal level (and they all came back clear....I think? haha)  She even comes to visit our home, so she can see our living space and how "life at the Groezinger's" is like.  Surprisingly, that day we were pretty normal!  = )

Our case worker then pulls together all her notes and thoughts from our sessions and writes up a summary report about us that is submitted to the State of Illinois for their approval of us becoming adoptive parents.  This report is also viewed by others in the adoption process (including the S. Korean agency we are adopting from, S. Korean government, etc)  And, oh yea, we're not even able to see this report until after it's approved by the state.  A little weird to think about, eh?

The good news is, though, we have finished all of our sessions, turned in all our necessary paperwork, and are now waiting for our case worker to submit the report to the state.  Rumor is that it could take 4-6 weeks to get it back, at which point we'll be notified and can continue moving forward on our next preparation plans.  In many ways, acceptance of our home study by the State is a huge step and goes a long way in moving us closer to getting our referral, so we are really excited about getting past this point.

Meanwhile (back at the ranch), we've been working through some online adoption training courses we are required to take by our agency (and pass.....yes, there is a short quiz at the end of each course).  The trainings have been pretty insightful and helpful.  They have focused on some of the unique situations involving international adoption, cultural issues we need to be aware of, common medical issues, and insight into how we can build attachment with our new child.  Some of them are a bit overwhelming, but they've given us some good insight and help into preparing us for our newest addition to the family.

So, in short - more paperwork being filled out, meetings, discussions, learning, and the waiting is now beginning......but the day is getting closer....and our anticipation is building for when we'll meet our little guy/girl for the first time and bring them home.....

More updates to come!

Winter Retreat 2011

Whew - been awhile since I've posted anything.  Yikes.  Things have been a bit crazy and out of control lately...and the blog has suffered.  Sorry!  Our last post was right after Snow-mageddon 2011 back in early Feb.   And how ironic that we're projected to get up to another 6" tonight?  Snow?  HA!  I laugh in the face of snow!  Bring it on!

Speaking of snow, a few weeks ago (Feb. 11-13) I took 44 high school students and leaders up to Lake Geneva, WI for our annual Oasis Winter Retreat.  Seems like every year is unique in one way or another - and this year was no exception.  Beautiful weather, plenty of snow, and a great opportunity for our students to spend time with one another and rally around our theme, "Truth on Trial".

We spent our weekend wrestling with understanding the truth of Jesus Christ, as he is revealed to us in Scripture, specifically the book of John.  This lead to some great discussions during our Sat. night meeting where we (the adult leaders) fielded questions our students had submitted to us on index cards and answered them from the front.  We didn't have time to go through all the questions, but some of them were pretty amazing to answer:

• "Jesus is truth, so why do people not believe in his truth?  Why is it so hard for people to understand?"
• "In John 18:37-38 Jesus had said, 'Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.' But there are people who aren't Christians and still pursue the truth.  How does that exactly work?"
• "With so many other religions out there, how do you know for sure that Christianity is right?  What if it's a coincidence?"
• "How does one gain the passion to pursue God completely, faithful to spiritual disciplines?  I know it comes from God, but truly, what does that mean?  If all you have to do is breakdown and submit to Jesus, then why can I not read my Bible and pray daily?  It's frustrating...."

 After our meeting was done, the discussions only continued as a few smaller groups picked up and kept asking more questions to some of the adult leaders....some until 12:30 in the morning!

The weekend gave us a great opportunity to get away as a group and enjoy some time together, which was a lot of fun.  But it also gave us the chance to engage in some deep conversations and point students back to Scripture and challenge them with the truth that is there.  And THAT is what retreats are all about....

Snow Day x2!

So we got hammered here in Chicago with an amazing 17+ inches (I lost count) of snow between Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning.  We woke up to snow drifts half way up our garage door, a car that was barely visible in the driveway, and wondering where our street was.

Needless to say, school was canceled on Wednesday (and Thursday), which gave us some time to go out and have some fun enjoying Snowzilla 2011:

Brooke, lovin' that the snow is up to her waist!

Nathan, diving in!

The view looking back toward the garage (and car) - at least 4.5' high drifts!

Our view looking toward the street.  Wait - there's a STREET there?  Where?

Mommy & Brooke, cuddling to stay warm!

Gotta love these snow days!  Unfortunately, tomorrow it's back to school (and work)....uggh!

Markers

Word is getting out to our friends and family about our plans to adopt from South Korea, and we couldn't be more excited!  If this is the first time you're checking this blog out, welcome!  We hope these updates will keep you updated on how our adoption progress is coming as time goes on, as well as a few random fun things about our family life too.

One of the first questions I've been asked when I tell people we're adopting is, "what led you to decide to adopt?"  Well, read on for my side of the story.....and I'm sure you'll hear Jill's side of the story soon too <nudge, nudge>


Although I can't pinpoint the exact time frame of when the idea of adoption came up, adopting a child was an idea Jill shared with me a couple of years ago.  I could tell that adoption was something Jill was burdened by and had given much thought over, but I was fairly closed-minded to the idea.  Even though I felt adoption was great for some families to pursue, and I fully supported it, I just wasn't comfortable with the idea of our own family adopting or ever seeing myself adopting a child.

Jill would occasionally bring it up, and my response would be the same - not sensing the same feeling as her.  It wasn't until last Spring (2010) that I finally agreed to spend some legitimate time praying and wrestling through the idea of adoption for our family so I could give Jill a definitive answer.  As I began praying and thinking through this idea, I began to become convicted at how self-centered my ideas and thoughts about adoption were.  I wanted to have my family in my own way, and that way didn't involve adoption.  Yikes - how selfish (and foolish) could I get?

And so began a journey for me of beginning to see some "markers" that God was placing in my life to help me reconsider my selfish, personal view:

Marker #1:  In June 2010 I had the opportunity to go to Colorado and spend a few days with some youth workers from around the U.S. to do some brainstorming and vision planning with a youth ministry organization.  It was an incredible trip and a lot of fun being around other like-minded youth workers.  While I was there, we had dinner at the director's home.  While enjoying some great BBQ pulled pork, chips, and a Pepsi, I found myself in the middle (literally) of a conversation between two youth workers that were sharing about their current international adoption process.  Thinking this was a little too surreal, I just listened carefully, not knowing what to say.  After a few minutes of listening to their conversation and story, I began to talk more with Erik (one of the two y-workers) and heard his own story of adoption.  It was a bit too ironic for me to hear that his story was very similar to my own.  After some more discussion about adoption, he offered to pray with me about God's leading for our family, and encouraged me with some heartfelt words and support.  I remember texting Jill later that night with a sense of excitement how God placed me between two youth workers who were following His leading to adopt.  God used these two youth workers, who I had just been introduced to, to begin softening my heart to the idea of adopting.


Marker #2:  A few weeks later I led our first team of high school students on a 10 day missions trip to the inner city of Memphis, TN.  At the end of the trip, we spent a night at a church right outside of Memphis for some team debrief and relaxation.  The next day, before driving back to Chicago, we spent some time doing our own quiet devotional, reading through Matthew 25:31-46.  Our theme for this trip was "Dare to Disciple", emphasizing the radical nature and call of being a disciple of Christ.  And this devotional was titled "The Gospel Lived Out".  All week long we had been challenging the students to consider what it meant to live as a disciple of Christ.  It should impact every element of life - including how we interact and care for others, just as this passage was challenging us to consider.

As I wrapped up my time that morning, I needed to answer the question, "What should I do?" in response to what God was teaching me in this passage.  One possible application I was wrestling with was "is God asking me/us to live out the meaning of this passage through adopting a child?"  It was a huge question to ask, but as a disciple of Christ, it's one that I needed to wrestle with and answer out of obedience to Him.  I didn't sense God giving me a definite "yes" or "no" at the time, but did believe that God was using this passage to make me aware of the needs of others.  I also felt that He was challenging me to consider how he has called me to respond to these needs, out of obedience to Him.  As I finished my own quiet time that morning, my specific action step was to continue to pray about God's leading for adoption and to attend  1-2 adoption informational meetings in the next month with Jill.  God is continuing to move and speak.....


Marker #3:  Over the 4th of July, we took a quick trip out to visit some of Jill's extended family in Northwest Iowa.  Being the 4th of July, there were plenty of fireworks, parades, food vendors (elephant ears, anyone?), and concerts to take in.  While we were getting ready to go to one of these events, Jill's uncle randomly asked me if I had heard of a book called "Adopted For Life" by Russell D. Moore.  They were studying it at their church and exploring the idea of how their church could be involved in ministering to those who are adopting or considering adoption.  I was caught off-guard by his question - did he know I was wrestling through the idea of us adopting?  Why did he ask me about this specific book?  I was able to safely respond by saying I hadn't heard of the book, but tried not to lead on that I was really intrigued by the book and anxious to read it.  (not sure how well I did with that, though)

Later that day he asked me another question:  "Have you and Jill ever considered adoption?"  I realized I couldn't dodge this question as easily as I could his earlier one about the book.  For a split second I was left speechless and didn't know how to respond.  I couldn't let on that we were thinking about this exact question!  I said a few words (which probably came out really weird), only until I could figure out how to not answer his question directly and shift the attention to something else (maybe I've been watching too much political Q&A?)  I think I tried to make a quick joke to lighten the mood and hope he wouldn't ask the question again, which worked.  Phew!  He later apologized for asking that question, but I wasn't offended at all....just blown away again as I began to think that God was using him and his questions as another "marker" on this journey of adoption I was on.

Little did Jill's uncle know....after we arrived home I ordered the book he asked me about and started reading it right away.  (more on the book in a future post)  Needless to say, despite the awkwardness of those moments and questions during that hot day in July, God used Jill's uncle in more ways than he ever realized......


And so, after some continued prayer and discussion into the early fall, I was prepared and confident to tell Jill that I was ready to adopt.  I was all in.  God had changed my attitude, my priorities, and my heart and I was ready to make a difference in the life of another child who may not otherwise have a family or someone to love them.

Soon afterward, we began attending a few informational adoption meetings with some agencies in the area and looking over options that would be a good fit for our family.  Before you know it, the formal application and initial paperwork was filled out and turned in!  And now we're on our way to adopting a little boy or girl from South Korea!  God is good!

Adopting!

"Three things will last forever- faith, hope, and love- and the greatest of these is love." -1 Corinthians 13:13

When Nathan, our first child was born, I grew in my faith in our almighty God; in hope, looking forward to eternal life in heaven with Jesus; and in love- for my baby boy and for my father in heaven. I had a little better glimpse of God's love for me. Now, as our family continues on this new journey of adopting a toddler, we are trusting in the Lord's faithfulness and sovereignty, hoping this little one will soon be adopted into our family and then, we pray, through their own faith in Jesus, be adopted into God's family. We are amazed by God's love for us, but also know that He will reveal this love to us in new ways through the joys and challenges of becoming a family of five. We appreciate your prayers as we continue on our adoption journey!

First!

Have you ever read an article online and seen someone who posted a comment at the end of it that said "FIRST!"  It makes me wonder....  Do people just surf around websites waiting for new articles to be posted, just so they can be the first to comment?  Really?  <sigh>

Well, I don't think I've ever been first in anything, let alone the first to comment on a article, so I can't say I have the thrill of knowing what that feels like.  But, I am excited about being the first to post something on our new site!  (Should I be clenching my fists in the air or something?)  I'll admit, it's a bit weird to think about - I would have never thought we would enter into the world of blogging, but Jill and I hope it will be a way for us to keep our friends and family updated with what's going on in our world and with our family.


We hope you'll find this blog site just another way to stay connected to us, our family, and what going on in our lives.  We're excited for what lies ahead.....and are glad you're joining us for the ride!

Now to guess who's going to make the first comment......