Encouraged

I'm encouraged today toward our adoption miracle. Richard said he wanted us to look at adoption agencies yesterday to find a place to do our home study. Unfortunately we weren't able to. We had grocery shopping, birthday party, house cleaning, laundry, dinner and Valentine's day stuff we did instead. By bedtime we were busy planning our week and woke up this morning sad that another day went by that we hadn't nailed it down. Our heavenly Father is still working though. Richard read Isaiah 58:6-14 to me this morning during our time with the Lord. He said it is all over him and he is full of compassion toward the homeless, poor and needy. He particularly mentioned the children in Haiti who are orphaned. So, I'm encouraged that his (and our) desire isn't being snuffed out by lack of forward momentum. God in his might will have his way.
6 "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?

7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness [a] will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.

9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
"If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,

10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.

11 The LORD will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.

12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

13 "If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath
and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight
and the LORD's holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way
and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,

14 then you will find your joy in the LORD,
and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land
and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob."
The mouth of the LORD has spoken.

The next step

So, our next step is to find a place to do our home study. We were told that the orphanage in Haiti that we are dealing with works with Bethany Adoption Services. The closest one to our home is in Mississippi about 90 miles away. I'm not sure if we are going to have to go their for anything so I have to investigate a little bit more. Otherwise, we do have the option of getting Save a Life to do our home study, which is local and we know a couple of people who work there. Just this morning I was asking God which agency to work with. Soon we will have our answer and move on it!

The Beginning

Okay, so I can't sleep but for good reasons! I can't stop thanking God! Before I say why, let me back up for some of you. After the earthquake in Haiti I was looking at some photos of the devastation of weather.com of all places. One picture was of newly orphaned babies, toddlers lined up sleeping on mattresses. My heart broke for them. I didn't just see these Haitian babies, I saw my babies-Jace and Maleah, Caleb and Josiah. I saw children who were in families that wanted them and loved them but no more. I saw brokenness, confusion, a need for a momma and daddy to hold them and whisper words of love and reassurance to them. I felt pain in my heart and just broke down. In my tears I went to Richard just sharing my heart's cry for these children. Of course he hugged me and held me and then I dried my tears and we went on with our evening. Not until the next day did he tell me he was working on some things worshiping and in the presence of God when I came to him in my tears. He was moved by my compassion and for the Father's compassion. He was moved to desire to adopt. His words to me were, "I can see us with a little Haitian". He also told me that he felt God leading him to send financial support through Messenger Int. in their efforts toward Haiti. So, while he was on the phone making that transaction he was just sharing with the young lady our interest, our story. Looking to God to work things out this is the next chapter in this story.


A week or so later Richard, told me that someone with Messenger International called to talk to him about our interest in adoption. Turns out that he just brought home his children from Haiti. Before this phone call my prayers had been, "Lord, are we to adopt from Haiti or did you use this to turn our hearts back toward adoption? Where do we start?" This man who contacted Richard told us he wants us to start by getting a home study done.

We don't, as of now, meet the requirements of Haiti to adopt, in that we already have 4 of our own children (the requirement is no more than 2 bios) but this man feels that some of those laws will be excused or changed because of the amount of children who lost their parents. He estimated about 50,000 children right now are orphaned. We know that adoptions in Haiti are currently on hold but what a great connection and direction we now have! I'm so excited at God's work and moving in this. I just keep thanking him and praying for these precious children. My heart is overwhelmed by his goodness, it was just the news I was needed but didn't even know I needed! Make sense?

Please pray for us as we watch and wait for the next step to light up for us to walk on as we follow behind God on his path for us.