When Dustin and I first felt the pull on our hearts through Scripture and prayer to adopt, we knew there were some things about it we just could not handle.
But there was a lot we could handle, and so we started with that. We knew that God was moving our family forward in adoption, but we didn't know where we were going, or how we would come up with the financial means to get there.
As I think back on that time one year ago, Abraham's story really resonates with me. God called him out of his comfort zone to a country he didn't know. He asked him to take those first steps in complete faith, trusting in the God who knew where He would take him, but Abraham didn't know where he was going. He had to trust that God had a destination in mind, and that He was powerful enough; loving enough; strong enough; wise enough to bring him there.
When we wrote the first check to the adoption agency that would complete our home study for us, it was a step of faith. God provided the money we needed for that first check - in spite of the fact that, at that time, we were living paycheck to paycheck. We continued down the road, sending in stacks of completed paperwork, writing down more about our past than our journals had ever seen, sending countless emails to our agency, getting our fingerprints taken more times than a felon, and continually writing those checks, walking in faith toward an unclimbable mountain.
That mountain was made up of a final payment due to our placing agency of $20,800. And let me tell you: there was just no way.
But we kept walking with God as He led us right up to the base of it.
And then we stopped. We prayed. And God began moving mountains.
Today we hold in our hands, ready to mail, the payment we prayed for seven weeks ago. We stand humbly on the other side of what was, not long ago, a mountain too huge to see the top of, and we bless the Name of our God, Jehovah-jireh, who moved hearts all across this country, in our home church, and in our families, to provide. God sees our need; He meets our need; and we see Him.
But there was a lot we could handle, and so we started with that. We knew that God was moving our family forward in adoption, but we didn't know where we were going, or how we would come up with the financial means to get there.
As I think back on that time one year ago, Abraham's story really resonates with me. God called him out of his comfort zone to a country he didn't know. He asked him to take those first steps in complete faith, trusting in the God who knew where He would take him, but Abraham didn't know where he was going. He had to trust that God had a destination in mind, and that He was powerful enough; loving enough; strong enough; wise enough to bring him there.
When we wrote the first check to the adoption agency that would complete our home study for us, it was a step of faith. God provided the money we needed for that first check - in spite of the fact that, at that time, we were living paycheck to paycheck. We continued down the road, sending in stacks of completed paperwork, writing down more about our past than our journals had ever seen, sending countless emails to our agency, getting our fingerprints taken more times than a felon, and continually writing those checks, walking in faith toward an unclimbable mountain.
That mountain was made up of a final payment due to our placing agency of $20,800. And let me tell you: there was just no way.
But we kept walking with God as He led us right up to the base of it.
And then we stopped. We prayed. And God began moving mountains.
Today we hold in our hands, ready to mail, the payment we prayed for seven weeks ago. We stand humbly on the other side of what was, not long ago, a mountain too huge to see the top of, and we bless the Name of our God, Jehovah-jireh, who moved hearts all across this country, in our home church, and in our families, to provide. God sees our need; He meets our need; and we see Him.
All glory goes to our Father in heaven, who will not call us without equipping us; our humble thanks goes out to those who allowed God to work through them on our behalf. May you be richly blessed by our Father as a result of your generosity!
Reading the numbers in our adoption account was awe-inspiring, and filled our hearts with gratitude.
Writing that final check was amazing. A tangible reminder that everything we have is a gift from God.
But we haven't arrived.
There will be more mountains before we're done with this process - and valleys. Our hearts can start asking a thousand worried questions: How will we help Jeremiah handle the loss of leaving his foster mother? What will we do if he won't stop crying on a 12-hour flight? How will we pay for plane tickets? What if we get lost in a city of 10 million people where we don't know the language? How long will it take before he thinks of us as his family?
And then we'll stop. And pray. God will again be our Provider. He will equip us to go where He has called when we have no strength to get there on our own.
We will not forget His faithfulness to us.
So Abraham called the name of that place, "The Lord will provide, as it is said to this day, "On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided." - Genesis 22:14
Reading the numbers in our adoption account was awe-inspiring, and filled our hearts with gratitude.
Writing that final check was amazing. A tangible reminder that everything we have is a gift from God.
But we haven't arrived.
There will be more mountains before we're done with this process - and valleys. Our hearts can start asking a thousand worried questions: How will we help Jeremiah handle the loss of leaving his foster mother? What will we do if he won't stop crying on a 12-hour flight? How will we pay for plane tickets? What if we get lost in a city of 10 million people where we don't know the language? How long will it take before he thinks of us as his family?
And then we'll stop. And pray. God will again be our Provider. He will equip us to go where He has called when we have no strength to get there on our own.
We will not forget His faithfulness to us.
So Abraham called the name of that place, "The Lord will provide, as it is said to this day, "On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided." - Genesis 22:14
We are continuing to raise money for our travel expenses. If you would like to support us in this, please make your tax-deductible check payable to Lifesong for Orphans, with Leonard Adoption #2570 in the memo line. Mail your check to:
Lifesong for Orphans
P.O. Box 40/ 202 N. Ford St.
Gridley, IL 61744
Or, visit our Lifesong page online to donate (Paypal charges a service fee for transactions, which will be taken from your donation).
Lifesong for Orphans
P.O. Box 40/ 202 N. Ford St.
Gridley, IL 61744
Or, visit our Lifesong page online to donate (Paypal charges a service fee for transactions, which will be taken from your donation).
RSS Feed