It is really easy in this process to look at someone else and think you are more deserving. More deserving that the 16 year old who is pregnant, more deserving than the couple around you who are not as financially secure, more deserving than the mom who already has 6 children. It's easy to get trapped into the thought that we deserve a baby.
The truth is...we are not deserving of anything. We are sinners. Broken. Cursed by a choice that was made many years ago.
We deserve nothing.
But God's grace abounds, and he rescues us from the hopelessness that is surely to come without Him.
This is the GOOD NEWS!!!
Though none of us are deserving of anything, He offers us His gift of grace, in love, so that we might be spared from our transgressions and instead might get to spend eternity with Him, our King.
I think more than anything else in this process, He has been teaching me that He is enough. Whether we get a baby tomorrow, or in 10 years, His love and grace are and will always be enough for me. It's through these realizations that He is teaching me to be more gracious and loving to those around me. To realize that everyone is walking through something hard whether it be adoption, addiction, miscarriage, sickness, financial troubles, marital problems, and so much more, and that everyone could stand to be shown a little more grace.
So I challenge you, in whatever your going through, in whatever difficulty that life throws your way. Allow God's grace and love to be enough for you, and in turn, he will use you and change you in ways that you cannot imagine!
"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9
Ashley
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Adoption is a waiting game...
Well its been quite a while since my last post, and I wish I had some exciting news but unfortunately I don't. We were placed on the official waiting list right at the beginning of the year so now we are just waiting and hoping and wishing and praying :) This phase of the adoption is definitely the hardest part--there is not a whole lot to do. We have done our paperwork, and fundraised {most} of the money, and even started setting up the baby's room a little.
Now, we just have to wait.
I knew this would be the case when we started this process, but I must say its really hard to wait! The hardest part is when people ask us {excitedly} if we have heard any news, and we say no.
(crickets)
I feel like I am disappointing people every time I have to say that we still don't know when we might be chosen. That being said, the Lord is still showing himself to us through this process. He alone is the one sustaining us during this time of waiting and silence. We 100% know that this was His calling for us in the beginning, and we know that He will sustain us throughout the process. We are so lucky to be supported by so many friends and family. This baby is definitely going to be loved (and lets admit it, probably spoiled) by so many people!
We have been trying to keep busy in other aspects of our lives so the waiting doesn't seem so long. We have started working on the nursery a little--we painted, ordered a crib, and I have been (slowly) making the bedding. It's nice for me to have projects to do along the way so that I can keep my hands busy! Life tends to be busy now in general since its springtime. There are lots of trips, sporting events, time with friends, graduations, weddings, etc to attend so its nice to have some distractions! We are continuing to rest in the Lord and are hopeful that our time is coming soon!
Thanks for all your prayers and support! Here are some pics since no post is complete without a few!
Thanks again for reading! We love you all!
Ashley and Trevor
*We have 173 puzzle pieces left until the adoption puzzle is complete, so if you would like to sponsor a piece for $10 or just donate in general you can do so through the paypal link on the right! (Or you can contact us personally)
Now, we just have to wait.
I knew this would be the case when we started this process, but I must say its really hard to wait! The hardest part is when people ask us {excitedly} if we have heard any news, and we say no.
(crickets)
I feel like I am disappointing people every time I have to say that we still don't know when we might be chosen. That being said, the Lord is still showing himself to us through this process. He alone is the one sustaining us during this time of waiting and silence. We 100% know that this was His calling for us in the beginning, and we know that He will sustain us throughout the process. We are so lucky to be supported by so many friends and family. This baby is definitely going to be loved (and lets admit it, probably spoiled) by so many people!
We have been trying to keep busy in other aspects of our lives so the waiting doesn't seem so long. We have started working on the nursery a little--we painted, ordered a crib, and I have been (slowly) making the bedding. It's nice for me to have projects to do along the way so that I can keep my hands busy! Life tends to be busy now in general since its springtime. There are lots of trips, sporting events, time with friends, graduations, weddings, etc to attend so its nice to have some distractions! We are continuing to rest in the Lord and are hopeful that our time is coming soon!
Thanks for all your prayers and support! Here are some pics since no post is complete without a few!
I have started working on the nursery a bit...some curtains I made :)
We painted the room that will be the nursery
A chair I found at a consignment shop....dont worry I am going to recover it!
We have a crib--its just still in the box!
Just hanging out!
Ashley and Trevor
*We have 173 puzzle pieces left until the adoption puzzle is complete, so if you would like to sponsor a piece for $10 or just donate in general you can do so through the paypal link on the right! (Or you can contact us personally)
Thursday, December 20, 2012
The Lord's Provision
One of the first reactions that we get when we tell people we are adopting is "Oh, wow I've heard adoption is REALLY expensive." While unfortunately that statemet is true, I just want everyone out there to know that the Lord WILL provide. Our adoption is going to cost us roughly $20,000 once all is said and done. Now, I am not sure about you, but we don't have $20,000 just lying around. However, from the moment that we announced the adoption, the financial gifts have been pouring in. Some small, some large, some unbelieveably large. We have been so blessed by family, friends, and even some random people in our lives who have contributed towards our adoption. We are only a few thousand dollars away from having ALL of the money that we need to complete the adoption. EVERY. SINGLE. PENNY.
In my life, I have heard people speak about the Lord providing, but up until now I never TRULY experienced that. Yes, I always had what I needed and most of the time I even had what I wanted--I was blessed growing up with a family who was financially stable enough to provide for my needs and wants. Then, I graduated college and got a decent job and have (almost) always been able to pay my bills. So, of course the Lord has been providing for me this whole time, but it wasnt until this adoption that I have truly seen the magnitude of the Lords provision. I had no idea how we were going to pay for the adoption, and although I knew the Lord would provide I never expected the very very very generous gifts that have been given by people around us. The fact that we almost have enough money to finance our adoption can only be attributed to the Lord. We are so thankful and we have definitely learned about the kind of people that we want to be. So, if you or your family is thinking about adoption and the finances are holding you back...don't let that be the reason that you don't follow the Lord's awesome, challenging, long, beautiful process of adoption. He WILL provide and through the experience He will change you!
(If you would like to contribute to our adoption fund we have a puzzle fundraiser going on now (see previous post) where you can sponsor a piece of a puzzle for $10 to help bring our family together. The paypal link is over to the right ------>
Thank you to EVERYONE who has contributed so far! We are blessed because of you!
In my life, I have heard people speak about the Lord providing, but up until now I never TRULY experienced that. Yes, I always had what I needed and most of the time I even had what I wanted--I was blessed growing up with a family who was financially stable enough to provide for my needs and wants. Then, I graduated college and got a decent job and have (almost) always been able to pay my bills. So, of course the Lord has been providing for me this whole time, but it wasnt until this adoption that I have truly seen the magnitude of the Lords provision. I had no idea how we were going to pay for the adoption, and although I knew the Lord would provide I never expected the very very very generous gifts that have been given by people around us. The fact that we almost have enough money to finance our adoption can only be attributed to the Lord. We are so thankful and we have definitely learned about the kind of people that we want to be. So, if you or your family is thinking about adoption and the finances are holding you back...don't let that be the reason that you don't follow the Lord's awesome, challenging, long, beautiful process of adoption. He WILL provide and through the experience He will change you!
(If you would like to contribute to our adoption fund we have a puzzle fundraiser going on now (see previous post) where you can sponsor a piece of a puzzle for $10 to help bring our family together. The paypal link is over to the right ------>
Thank you to EVERYONE who has contributed so far! We are blessed because of you!
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Want to be a piece of our adoption?....
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Life lately
Hey everyone!
Of course it has been a while since my last post--time just flies by! I am sure that time is going to start flying by even faster once we get that sweet baby!!
The adoption process is going well--we have our 3rd (of 3) homestudy meeting next Thursday and then we will be waiting for the final approval to be on the waiting families list! We have ALOT of stuff to do between now and then: letters to the birthparents, some online trainings, our profile book, and to finalize some fundraising opportunities! It's funny how this process started out sooooooo slow, and now we are in a mad rush to finish some things up. However, once we are approved, the hard part begins....W....A...I...T....I...N...G! (Praying that it wont be too long)
We continue to see the hand of the Lord throughout this process, which is what is keeping us sane :) We trust His timing and that He will provide!
Here are some things that you can be praying for:
--That the Lord will continue to provide the finances necessary to pay for this adoption
--Pray for us to be content as we wait...we have lots of friends that are pregnant or with new babies (we are super excited for all of them) but sometimes we find ourselves longing for our baby to be here--pray that we will continue to trust in the Lord's timing!
--Pray that we would be wise with our time in the next couple of weeks as we work to finish all the necessary tasks needed to be placed on the waiting family list
--Pray for us as we make some pretty tough decisions about what kind of baby we will accept (this, by far, is the hardest part of this process)
I will leave you with a few pics from our recent family photo session--some of these pics will be used in our profile book! Thanks for praying!
Of course it has been a while since my last post--time just flies by! I am sure that time is going to start flying by even faster once we get that sweet baby!!
The adoption process is going well--we have our 3rd (of 3) homestudy meeting next Thursday and then we will be waiting for the final approval to be on the waiting families list! We have ALOT of stuff to do between now and then: letters to the birthparents, some online trainings, our profile book, and to finalize some fundraising opportunities! It's funny how this process started out sooooooo slow, and now we are in a mad rush to finish some things up. However, once we are approved, the hard part begins....W....A...I...T....I...N...G! (Praying that it wont be too long)
We continue to see the hand of the Lord throughout this process, which is what is keeping us sane :) We trust His timing and that He will provide!
Here are some things that you can be praying for:
--That the Lord will continue to provide the finances necessary to pay for this adoption
--Pray for us to be content as we wait...we have lots of friends that are pregnant or with new babies (we are super excited for all of them) but sometimes we find ourselves longing for our baby to be here--pray that we will continue to trust in the Lord's timing!
--Pray that we would be wise with our time in the next couple of weeks as we work to finish all the necessary tasks needed to be placed on the waiting family list
--Pray for us as we make some pretty tough decisions about what kind of baby we will accept (this, by far, is the hardest part of this process)
I will leave you with a few pics from our recent family photo session--some of these pics will be used in our profile book! Thanks for praying!
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Homestudy
Hey everyone...
It's been a while since I have posted anything--that's mostly because nothing major has been happening. We have spent the last couple on months working on getting some online trainings done that were required in order to start our homestudy. However, I am SUPER happy to report that we had our first homestudy visit yesterday and it went well. This visit was a safety visit where they ask lots of questions about our home: how many smoke detectors? Do you test them as directed? Do you have a carbon monoxide detector? Describe your neighborhood....etc. The visit lasted about 2 hours and we feel like it went as well as possible. This is the 1st of 3 meetings in the homestudy phase (although the other 2 will happen at the office not at our home). Right now our next meeting is scheduled for the beginning of October. It is sounding like the homestudy is going to take about 2-3 months to complete (Im banking on 3) and then we will officially be placed on a waiting list for a baby! YAY! Like I have mentioned before...this process is S.L.O.W, but at least we are making progress. We are trying to take it one step at a time and celebrate each small step. During the next couple months while the homestudy is being done we will get to work on a profile book (aka a scrapbook) that the birthparents will get to look at before choosing us. This should at least be pretty fun--its something creative and that's right up my alley!
In the meantime we continue to see the Lord's presence throughout this process. Our friends and family are VERY supportive, and it is so nice to see how much everyone already loves this baby. We have also been blessed with some very generous financial contributions from friends--its really neat to watch the Lord work and know that this is exactly where you are supposed to be.
We will be doing some fundraising as well over the next few months. The first thing is a yard sale that is happening this Friday and Saturday (9/14-9/15) It will be at our house so if you are in the area and want to drop by please do (message or email if you need our address)
We have also partnered with 147 million orphans and will recieve a portion of the proceeds of any sale that is made using this link:
http://www.147millionorphans.com/?AffId=100
They have some great new merchandise that just came out today so if you purchase through this link you not only support our future child but also orphans around the world!
(Side note: you MUST use the above link for us to get credit)
We also plan on making a T-shirt and maybe doing some other kind of group fundraising event this fall. If anyone has had lots of success with a certain fundraiser let us know!
Well, I think that's it for now...please keep praying, we really appreciate all your support!
Ashley and Trevor
It's been a while since I have posted anything--that's mostly because nothing major has been happening. We have spent the last couple on months working on getting some online trainings done that were required in order to start our homestudy. However, I am SUPER happy to report that we had our first homestudy visit yesterday and it went well. This visit was a safety visit where they ask lots of questions about our home: how many smoke detectors? Do you test them as directed? Do you have a carbon monoxide detector? Describe your neighborhood....etc. The visit lasted about 2 hours and we feel like it went as well as possible. This is the 1st of 3 meetings in the homestudy phase (although the other 2 will happen at the office not at our home). Right now our next meeting is scheduled for the beginning of October. It is sounding like the homestudy is going to take about 2-3 months to complete (Im banking on 3) and then we will officially be placed on a waiting list for a baby! YAY! Like I have mentioned before...this process is S.L.O.W, but at least we are making progress. We are trying to take it one step at a time and celebrate each small step. During the next couple months while the homestudy is being done we will get to work on a profile book (aka a scrapbook) that the birthparents will get to look at before choosing us. This should at least be pretty fun--its something creative and that's right up my alley!
In the meantime we continue to see the Lord's presence throughout this process. Our friends and family are VERY supportive, and it is so nice to see how much everyone already loves this baby. We have also been blessed with some very generous financial contributions from friends--its really neat to watch the Lord work and know that this is exactly where you are supposed to be.
We will be doing some fundraising as well over the next few months. The first thing is a yard sale that is happening this Friday and Saturday (9/14-9/15) It will be at our house so if you are in the area and want to drop by please do (message or email if you need our address)
We have also partnered with 147 million orphans and will recieve a portion of the proceeds of any sale that is made using this link:
http://www.147millionorphans.com/?AffId=100
They have some great new merchandise that just came out today so if you purchase through this link you not only support our future child but also orphans around the world!
(Side note: you MUST use the above link for us to get credit)
We also plan on making a T-shirt and maybe doing some other kind of group fundraising event this fall. If anyone has had lots of success with a certain fundraiser let us know!
Well, I think that's it for now...please keep praying, we really appreciate all your support!
Ashley and Trevor
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Adoption update
Well, it has officially been 2 months and 1 day since we "announced to the world" that we were adopting. Since then, we have already experienced such an outpouring of love and support from family, friends, and sometimes even strangers. We are thankful that people care about us and what is going on in our lives!
So...here is the update....we've done a little bit of paperwork...and have a LOT more to go :) We have attended a required informational meeting, submitted our prelimenary application, and our formal application. We found out today that our formal application has been approved (whew!) and that we are now a little closer in the very LONG process of meeting our child!
The next step in this journey will be some online training and the official homestudy. The homestudy is something that each state requires before we can be placed on a "waiting list" to receive a baby. It will consist of LOTS of paperwork, physicals, interviews together and alone, references, home visits, and more. I am not exactly sure how long the entire homestudy process will take--alot is dependant on us and how quickly we can complete our part of the paperwork. I am hopeful that maybe by the end of the summer (August or September) that we will have a completed homestudy and be ready to be placed on a waiting list. Of course, I am learning, that even the best laid plans that I think of are sure to falter sometimes...and thats ok, because they are my plans. I am clinging to the fact that I am trusting the Lord's plan...His is better than mine for sure!
Some things that you can be praying for:
--That we would continue to trust in the Lord's plan and His timing
--That we would be as efficent as possible in getting our part of the paperwork done
--The birthmother and birthfather of our future child
--Our future child
--Fundraising options--we are planning to do a garage sale in July--if anyone has items besides clothes (we already have a TON of those) that they would be willing to donate to a garage sale we would definitely take them--we are especially hoping for some "bigger" ticket items--furniture, electronics, baby stuff, etc. We would happily come pick it up from you!
Thanks again for all the support you guys have already shown us! We love each and every one of you, and are so thankful to share this journey with you!
I'll keep you posted as things continue to move along!
So...here is the update....we've done a little bit of paperwork...and have a LOT more to go :) We have attended a required informational meeting, submitted our prelimenary application, and our formal application. We found out today that our formal application has been approved (whew!) and that we are now a little closer in the very LONG process of meeting our child!
The next step in this journey will be some online training and the official homestudy. The homestudy is something that each state requires before we can be placed on a "waiting list" to receive a baby. It will consist of LOTS of paperwork, physicals, interviews together and alone, references, home visits, and more. I am not exactly sure how long the entire homestudy process will take--alot is dependant on us and how quickly we can complete our part of the paperwork. I am hopeful that maybe by the end of the summer (August or September) that we will have a completed homestudy and be ready to be placed on a waiting list. Of course, I am learning, that even the best laid plans that I think of are sure to falter sometimes...and thats ok, because they are my plans. I am clinging to the fact that I am trusting the Lord's plan...His is better than mine for sure!
Some things that you can be praying for:
--That we would continue to trust in the Lord's plan and His timing
--That we would be as efficent as possible in getting our part of the paperwork done
--The birthmother and birthfather of our future child
--Our future child
--Fundraising options--we are planning to do a garage sale in July--if anyone has items besides clothes (we already have a TON of those) that they would be willing to donate to a garage sale we would definitely take them--we are especially hoping for some "bigger" ticket items--furniture, electronics, baby stuff, etc. We would happily come pick it up from you!
Thanks again for all the support you guys have already shown us! We love each and every one of you, and are so thankful to share this journey with you!
I'll keep you posted as things continue to move along!
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