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!