Our Journey from Montana to China

Hi everybody.  There are SO MANY stories I'd love to share with you from our journey to bring Lily home, but alas, I have no time to write at this moment.  Life is CRAZY busy with 3 children.  Is it me or does going from 2 children to 3 FEEL like going to 10!  I need more arms...so many more arms. Since I don't have long...here's a bit of our journey.  I'll warn you...it's 20 minutes long...grab some coffee...or just smile and don't watch it :)  Blessings to you all.  This parenting gig is a ride!

Finlayson Adoption Video...the video quality isn't perfect...maybe I'll upload a larger file version later :)

I tried uploading a little better quality video here if you are interested in that :)
Cheers!

Adoption Update: Part 6

After an excruciating day yesterday, I am able to sit down and tell you 

WE GOT LOA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(That was me shouting it out!)

For those of you who may not know, LOA stands for Letter of Approval. and it comes directly from the Chinese Government.  I don't want to focus on the negative things we have been experiencing over the past couple weeks, but I would like to briefly mention a little of our story so God can adequately be thanked for this miracle.  

We received "Soft LOA" December 1st (or sometime over the Thanksgiving holiday while our agency was closed...exact dates are not given for this step of the process...weird, I know).  Anyway, I am getting off track.  Soft LOA is basically the same approval as "Hard LOA" without the official document/paper itself.  Soft LOA shows up on the CCCWA (Chinese Adoption Branch of Government) website, and it means you have been approved, and the physical paper (Hard LOA) should be on it's way very soon.  Because we are expediting we were thinking it would show up in a week's time...MAX.  

We were wrong...and we waited checking in with our agency every single day.   Our agency had no idea where our LOA was, but they assured us it would arrive to their office any day.

A week passed...

After a full week I realized there was a small possibility we could use our soft LOA to move forward to the next step of the adoption process, so I asked our agency to send via e-amil.  This is where we started facing problems.  Our soft LOA had gone missing from the CCCWA website.  At first, we were told that it was because the website was down and it would appear again soon when the site was up and running again,  so we waited.

Another week passed...

The site was up and running again, and there was still no record of Soft LOA.  We were then told that our dossier moved so quickly through the process that we were most likely being forced to wait for LOA because the CCCWA did not have a chance to process our funds.  

Then December 15th came...

 and our worlds were rocked!  

We still had no Soft LOA or any word on Hard (paper) LOA.  We were then told by a few families that when a soft LOA goes missing it can mean that China has decided to pull the child's file and the child becomes "un-adoptable."  (I don't think this is what actually happened, but when someone says this, your mama bear comes out in full force and you want answers).  When we heard this was a possibility that other families had experienced, I panicked.  And I started trying to find answers.  

I called...

I called everyone I could possibly think to call...

E.V.E.R.Y.O.N.E

(multiple times hoping for news...any news)

Meanwhile, while I heard nothing about our status of receiving our adoption approval or answers about our daughters eligibility, I did get an "update" on Lily's wellness yesterday.  We are allowed to ask 5  questions (yes, only 5) about Lily every 2-3 months (yes only every 60-90 days...IT REALLY SUCKS!)  Since we missed our travel deadline this month, we were allowed to ask a few days before the 2 month mark.  The news we received yesterday was not what we were hoping for.  

The orphanage only answered 1 of our 5 questions.  In a nut shell, they told us that Lily broke her right femur in June.  She was hospitalized for 20 days, and her break didn't heal properly .  Her right leg is now slightly shorter than her left.  Not only is she is afraid to walk, but she most likely feels constant pain in her leg.  

When I read this, I was already feeling pretty down-and-out.  Not being able to get to your hurting child is one of the worst feelings in the world.  At this point, I needed to ask everyone...and I mean everyone...to pray.  So naturally, we posted our request to facebook.  

Later that night, Clint and I begged, and I mean BEEEEGGGED God for the miracle of LOA. You see, with out this one, little piece of paper EVERYTHING in the process shuts down.  We are stuck...just waiting... knowing our child needs us more every day.

We decided to wear our Bring Lily Home Shirts as a family the next day (today).  We told Liam it was because we were asking and fully expecting God to provide a miracle.  He thought that was pretty cool! :)

We went about our day, and at about 4:30 when I had not heard from our agency, I called them.  They hadn't heard anything, but they wanted to give it just one more day before storming the gates of China.  With a heavy heart I reluctantly said okay.

Amy, one of or case workers said to me,

"Alissa, my heart is truly breaking for you.  The next time I call you, I will have good news...I pray for good news.  Look for my number on your caller ID."

I hung up the phone with a heavy heart, asking God why He wanted us to wait.

I cried...and asked Him for strength to face tomorrow, because I was running pretty low on faith-fuel.

About 30 minutes later, while I was standing in the middle of the dollar store of all places, 

my phone rang...

It was Amy's number...

This was our conversation...

****RRRIIIINNNGGG***

Me: NOOOOO WAYYYYYY!

Amy: Alissa?  Hi, this is Amy from Holt.

Me: Amy, Hi!!!

Amy: I'm sitting at my desk with your LOA in my HANDS.  We received a late shipment, I ripped it open and it was for you!  It was your LOA!  Congratulations!

Right there, in the middle of the Dollar store arts and craft section, I started screaming and jumping up and down (I'm serious...people were most definitely staring...it was like an awkward flash mob, but I was the only one involved!).  I think I actually jumped on a lady's foot (it was crazy busy there for some reason), I felt pretty bad about the foot stomping incident but she hurried to get away from the crazy lady, so I just kept jumping!

LOA...

It has arrived...

We have a few more steps before we can book travel, but we are moving again.

Mama and Daddy are coming sweet Lily girl, 

We're riding on the grace coverings of Jesus.

Hold tight.  We'll be there soon!

Thank you for praying.  It's working.
24 hours after we asked you to storm the gates of Heaven, Jesus came running!

Please keep it up!

Blessings to you all!

Adoption Update: Part 5

Many of you have been asking us for more  Adoption updates.  To be honest, I've been dreading writing the news we have to share with you.  Today, December 12th, is the day we were hoping to fly out of Kalispell to pick up our sweet Lily girl.  We were hoping and praying that Monday would be the day she would be placed in our arms for the very first time. Instead, here I sit...within the comfort of my home, drinking hot tea and picking at computer keys, while my little girl is sleeping (its 2:51 a.m. where she is) in a metal crib, at and orphanage 5,981 miles away from her family.  To say my heart has been shattered into a million pieces over these past two weeks, may be the biggest understatement I've uttered in my entire life.

We sent our dossier to China on November 7th and have been waiting on our hard LOA (letter of approval from China) every day since.  Every. single. day...I weep over the excruciating waiting...  wondering, hoping and praying that she is, in fact, okay...that she is well.  Does she smile?  How often does she hear the words, "Go sleep in the corner by yourself and don't cry."? (words she knows and understands according to our last update from her orphanage).  Will anyone hug her next time she goes to get a transfusion?  What battle will she face today?  Has anyone ever told her the words, "I love you."?

However, with all of these thoughts tormenting me by day and by night, I Thank God Almighty for His Grace and patience with me.  You see, I'm human, and I am weak.  I've yelled at God...literally yelled.  I've been mad at Him for not breathing life into someone's hands at the CCCWA and getting us the paperwork we've been waiting on for the past 35 days.  And after I have a melt-down, much like the ones I sometimes see from my own little 18 month-old, He scoops up the pieces, provides me comfort and covers me with love in different ways.

Sometimes it's as if I can hear Him say, "Alissa, are you done now?  Do you trust me?  Do you really trust me?  I've got this, really, I do.  Trust me.  Take my hand, get up, and lets walk through this together."  By His goodness, peace abounds and once again I am able to step forward.

Last Sunday, I was a compete wreck, and God sent two women to pray with me after church.  Women who I didn't ask to come, sat with me and held my hands while I cried.  Then they prayed as if they knew exactly what I needed to hear from God himself.

And even this week, He sent me a message over facebook.  Can God do that?  Why yes He can.  This week a complete stranger sent me a message over facebook explaining to me that she had a connection with our daughter, Lily.  Friends, her story meant the WORLD to me, and once again, through her story, God patiently breathed life into my weary heart.

So what news do we have to share?  We are now hoping to fly out on January 16th.  Please pray with us.  I mentioned confessed that I've yelled at God for not getting us to China today.  Although that is entirely true, what I really want to share is that I choose to trust Him.  Lily was His daughter first, and He loves her so much.  Although I do not understand why He wants us to wait a little longer to make our family whole, I will try to rest in knowing it for the best, because His way is always best.  This is something I need to remind myself of daily...sometimes hourly multiple times per hour, but I will choose to trust Him.

During this wait, I've started reading Ann Voskamp's book, 1000 Gifts again.  And once again, I've started writing down God's gifts to me.  God has blessed us more than we could ever imagine, and today I choose to be thankful.

#222 Ruby laid her head on my chest, fell asleep, and I was able to feel her breathing slow and watch her dream.
#223 Someday soon I will hold Lily the same way.  It may take a long time for her to attach to me enough to fall asleep on my chest, but IT WILL happen.

Thank you all for your prayers.  They are being heard.  As soon as we get LOA, we will shout it out and you will all know!  Many blessings.

Here's something that touched my heart recently.  I could learn a lot from this little guy's faith!

Our Adoption Story: Part 4

Exodus 14:13-14 & 21

And Moses said to the people, "Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will work for you today.  For the Egyptians you see today, you shall never see again.  The Lord will fight for you, and you only have to be silent...." (21) Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.

I keep coming back to this particular miracle in the Bible.  I feel we, like the Israelites, are on a journey that has become a race, and we are standing at the waters edge without all of our needed resources.  Without faith, our journey becomes impossible, but with faith, God has parted the sea,  commanded us to be silent, to have faith and move forward anyway.

Friends, I know I sound like a broken record, but our lives have been flooded with God's miraculous workings even since I last posted.  Last week, we filed a particular document with the USCIS.  It was our last document needed before we could send our dossier to China.  When I inquired about it, the current wait time was 70-90 days.  God got ours processed in 2 days!   Can I get and amen?!

As you know, we had our big event, Operation: Bring Lily Home this past Friday.  We were BLOWN AWAY  by the number of people who came out to support our family.  We felt so loved and honored to be in a place where people would not only come to rejoice the anticipation of our daughter, but they would sacrifice their own financial resources to bring her home! 

We started planning this event at the very end of September.  The first thing to nail down, of course,  was the date.  God's timing could not have been more perfect.  Unbeknownst to us when we started planning, we would need $15,900 this week!   As I type this, we are in the process of getting our last "stamps of approval" on our dossier.  We need to make sure we have everything in place and  ready to go in order for our agency to book our travel.  (We do have a few other little things to accomplish first, but at this point, why would I not believe God will get it done quick?)  Travel cannot be booked until our "China Fee" is paid in full.  I wasn't sure of the exact amount we raised Friday until yesterday, as we were still awaiting a few donations.  Today, I have the privilege of announcing God's faithfulness.  He gives us EXACTLY what we need, when we need it.  

DURING OPERATION: BRING LILY HOME, WE RAISED $15, 887. 34! 
(CORRECTION:  I CHANGED IT DUE TO MY MATHEMATICAL EEROR!  AMAZING!!!)

God is moving and as Clint states all the time, "We are amazed, but we are not surprised."  We are so privileged to walk in His goodness.  Thank you to all of you who have been praying, who have donated and sacrificed your time to help bring our daughter home.  We are almost there, and we will be forever grateful.

We estimate needing about $10,000-$12,000 to be considered fully funded.  The reason our remaining cost is estimated is because the travel rates are always changing.  Our travel dates are still unknown, but we continue to pray for December.  We will keep you posted.  

I was moved to tears yesterday when two children, from two different families, came up to Clint and me and handed us money they earned and saved to help bring our daughter home.  In fact, I'm crying even now as I reminisce...these kids were 4 and 6 years-old.  Their tender hearts, showed us a glimpse of God's heart  in a MAGNIFICENT way!  I cannot tell you how much our faith has grown in the past few months, and it keeps growing as we see God move...What better way to see Jesus' heart than through children?

Keep praying for us, will you?  It's working!

   

Our Adoption Story: Part 3

God continues to show us favor in our expanding family.  

We feel unworthy of His goodness, but so thankful that He chooses to bless our family by way of "Modern Day Miracles."  

I thought I'd share a few of the things He's done as of late.  

The Miracle of Insurance:

As most of you know, Lily has some severe medical needs that are not being met while she is living away from us.  We called our insurance company a couple weeks ago to see when our insurance would be available to her.  I asked the gal on the phone if we could get Lily covered while we wait to bring her home...i.e. now please.  She didn't think that was possible.  I said, I understood, but could she just make certain and confirm with her boss.  She was very kind, and told me she would definitely check and get back to me.  A week later (Actually, the day I got the phone call in front of the vet...Read about that here) she called me back said she asked her boss.  He didn't think it would be possible either, but he couldn't be certain, so he would asked his boss.  Ultimately, they all had a meeting and decided that when our home study cleared (October 8), we would have full coverage for our little girl!  Praise the Lord!

The Miracle of Finance:

I will be honest.  Clint and I are not comfortable asking people for help...especially in this area.  In fact, we really struggled with the idea of asking people for money, but we knew we could not do this on our own, and God was telling us to get moving!  I actually think part of the reason we have been blessed with an expedited adoption process is because God was forcing us out of our own pride.  

Ultimately, we asked for help, and we have been flabbergasted by people sacrificing finically, to support our family, by donating to Operation:Bring Lily Home.   It costs roughly $35,000-$40,000 to bring Lily home.  We had/have no idea how we were going to meet this financial mark in just a few short months, but we trusted the Lord to make a way.   

Twice, we have had some pretty large deadlines to hit in order to keep the process going.  One $5000 deadline and one $3500.  BOTH times, through the faithfulness of our Lord, and through the hearts of His people, someone has GIVEN us the EXACT amount we needed in order to move forward to our next step.  We still have a long ways to go, but we have been so blessed by our friends and family in this area!  

Thank you for your donations.  Thank you for buying t-shirts.  Thank you for clearing your schedules to come eat spaghetti with us on October 24th, and donating your gifts and services to our silent auction.  

To all of you, THANK YOU!  Because of you, our family has been forever changed.

The Miracle of Prayer:

This is one of my favorite things...it has yet to be fu filled.  Since seeing Lily's picture for the first time (back when we were still calling her Elsa...you can read about that here), we have been praying for her.  I don't just mean Clint and Me.  Liam has been praying for Lily too.  In the beginning, we didn't tell Liam we were trying to make "Elsa" his sister, but he did know she was an orphan.  To him, that meant she had no mommy or daddy, and she needed one, so he prayed.  This was/is his prayer:

"Dear Jesus, please help baby Elsa (now Lily), and help her come to my next birthday party."

Liam's birthday is December 31st.  From the very beginning, we have been trying to get her home in the December timeframe.  We are fervently praying that the Lord will meet Liam's request.  How amazing is it that he had the sense to pray for something he didn't know we were praying too?!  

Liam now knows he's getting a sister named Lily.  There is still some abstract confusion, because he is concerned that means we might have to give Ruby away because, "We don't have room for two babies." Oh, to be three!

This is just a small glimpse of what God has been doing.  We are honored to serve such a mighty King, and we are thankful that He continues to provide what we need, just at the right time.  

I've always believed miracles were a thing for Jesus' time, but it's like we say to Liam, "Just because you you can't see Him, doesn't mean He's not there!"  Jesus' time is NOW...still just as prevalent...just as real...as it was 2000 years ago.  

We are living under His Grace and I am so thankful to be receiving Jesus' Modern Day Miracles.
Thank you for praying! 
Please keep it up!

Hope to see you on October 24th!

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Our Adoption Story-Part 2

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

I've always known that the Lord has a plan for me and for our family, but I've never seen God's work unfold as clearly and magnificently as it has in the past month or so.  What a blessing and a privilege it is to serve a King who allows us to see glimpses of who He is, and how much He Loves us.  

Let me explain.  As most of you know, we are expecting our third child, by way of adoption.  We could not be more thrilled!  Many of you also know that this has been a long time coming for our family.  If you want to hear more details on that part of our story, you can read about it here.  

Over the course of the past few weeks, Jesus has graced our lives in a real, clear and marvelous way!  We believe that Jesus is always, and has always been, at work in our lives, but we don't always have the opportunity to see the "how's " and "why's" of what He is doing.  This time we do, and it has been one of the most amazing things I've ever had the opportunity to experience!  

I'd like you to see some of what I'm talking about, so here's a little of our story.  What we didn't realize is that God started writing this part of our story SO long ago (If we're really thinking about it, He already knew this story before we were born, and has had the ending all worked out for eternity, but for the sake of this post, I'm talking regular, human timeline here :).

Let's Reminisce:

We moved back to Montana just over three years ago.  Many of you know that we had a really hard time selling our Washington home when we moved.  In fact, we JUST sold our house on August 28, 2014.  During the past 2.5 years, we were praying fervently that the Lord would provide a way for us to get out from under our house, but it just didn't seem like it would ever happen.  About 7 months ago, we had an interested buyer and we were patient.  At the beginning of August, it FINALLY seemed like it was going to sell, but there were still no guarantees.  

During the month of August, we were also feeling "the tug."  Adoption was on our hearts, and it was something we wanted to start actively pursuing.  As you know, we have had China on our hearts for quite some time (Again, you can read here if you'd like more of the back story).  As many of you know, I'm only 29, so we were just waiting for my decade to roll over in order to be eligible to adopt from China.  We found out that you can actually start applying at 29 1/2 (The average Chinese-American adoption of a Child with special needs is 24 months, so I guess they figure you will have the time), so we decided it was time.

We officially applied to our placement agency on August 13, 2014.  We were thinking we would have tons of time to fill out paperwork, and eventually the Lord would lead us to the right "referral" from our agency.  Well, we were WRONG!  On August 29, 2014, we saw our daughter's picture for the first time on our Agency's "Waiting Child" list.   After seeing Elsa's sweet face (it's important to realize that this is only her name for the purposes of the agency website, not her actual name), we IMMEDIATELY felt the need to pray and ask God for wisdom concerning this little girl.  Remember, I said our house closed on the 28th...yep...that's right the DAY BEFORE we first saw Elsa's photo!

Why is This Important to Note? 

Because This Marks:
 Miracle #1 

(Well, actually us staying Montana is miracle #1, but that's another story, for another time).  For over two years, we were praying for our house to sell, God knew it wasn't the right time.  We wanted to sell our house  partly because we wanted to move closer to Clint's work, and partly because we wanted to start saving for our future adoption.  Turns out God had both issues covered (Of course He did! He's GOD!)!  It turns out, if we would have sold our house two years ago, like WE wanted, chances are we probably found a new home, purchased it, and moved closer to Kalispell.  Having that new financial investment would have bumped us out of China's required "financial bracket."  According to their rules and regulations, we would have been considered a "financial risk," and we wouldn't have even be eligible to adopt from China! 

How amazing is God's timing?!  

We sold our house according to HIS timeline which was exactly:

• Two-and-a -half weeks after finding out all of our adoption eligibility requirements.
• The day before we saw out daughters photo for the first time.
• 3 months before I turned 30.

Six days after seeing Elsa's sweet face online, I went to a friend's house to talk about adoption stuff.  Clint and I had been praying, taking to medical professionals and our insurance company all week and were trying to determine if we could move forward with this sweet girl.  As I walked into my friend's house, the first thing I said was,"I've fallen in love with a little girl online."  She responded with,"Is it Elsa?"  My blood stopped cold!  How in the world did she know?  I hadn't said a word about it!  She then mentioned to me that she saw Elsa's picture too, fell in love with her, and felt compelled to pray for her.  How amazing is that?!  The date was September 5, 2014.  I will NEVER forget it, because on this day, I left my friend's house Realizing that we had actually found our daughter!  I knew it from the moment I laid eyes on her sweet face, but on this day God gave me all the confidence I needed to say yes...On September 5, 2014, which just happened to be Sweet Elsa's 3rd birthday.

On September 8th, that we informed our agency that we wanted to be Elsa's forever family, only to be crushed when they told us that they were waiting on other families who had also inquired about her.  They informed us that if anyone else came forward, they would probably go with another family, because they were  further along in their paperwork process.  They "didn't want us to get our hopes up...and please be open to other waiting children."  At 8 months of age, Elsa was diagnosed with Thalassemia and Siderosis  (I'll talk more about this in another post).  Neither of her severe medical conditions have been properly treated for the past 2.5 years.  Meaning, she needs to get home immediately for survival.  We knew this, and our minds wanted to be joyful that she was no longer going to be an orphan, but our hearts were grieving at the thought that just when we knew we could be the ones to love her forever, someone else might take the opportunity from us.  We know that there are TONS of kids who need homes out there, but in our hearts we already felt like Elsa was our daughter, and we were her parents.  To some people it may be hard to understand, but it felt like I was 4 weeks pregnant, and someone just told me that I wouldn't be able to keep my child. 

It was a LONG week.  Two other families ended up stepping forward, also wanting to be Elsa's parents.  We were praying, along with, many of our friends and family members.  We were given the opportunity to write a letter, and fill out a very long questionnaire about why we think we would be the best choice to be Elsa's forever family.  Our agency would then look it over, have a meeting, and determine where Elsa should be placed.  We labored and prayed over our answers, begging God to let us have her, but also pleading that we would be strong enough to graciously accept His will...even if His will meant she was to go to another family.  

The day before the decision was made our pastor preached a message on serving the Lord with your family.  I was a complete mess!  Although we are using a Christian adoption agency, that doesn't mean that the adoptive families are all followers of Jesus.  I was having a hard time thinking that Elsa might not go to a family who would tell her how much God loves her, and that He has always had a purpose for her life.  I couldn't sleep that night.  I looked at the clock and it was 3 a.m.  I just kept praying for peace and that God would handle the situation.  It was at that time I  had thoughts of:

Wow, I can say something about sweet, Elsa that I cannot say about my other two children.  There are two other mommies out there that love Elsa just as much as I do.  I know that no other mom could possibly love Liam and Ruby the way that I love them, but there are moms our there who love Elsa just the way that I do...right now.  Like me, they'd fallen in complete love with a little girl they'd also never had the opportunity to love close up...to snuggle or to kiss.  

It was in that moment, that I could release Elsa to Jesus, knowing that He would take care of her, even if Clint and I weren't the vessels He chose to use.  I now believe God had us go through this period of uncertainty to help us realize that our children are His children first, and that we need to trust Him to take care of them.

Miracle #2

On Monday, September 15, 2014, I was standing outside our veterinarians office with Liam, Ruby, and our two cats (we were getting our animals  "home study approved"),  when my phone rang.  It was our social worker and she had news..."Alissa...the agency asked me if I wanted to tell you, or if they should contact you.  I told them I'd contact you if it was good news...They chose you...They said yes."  Of course, I immediately burst into tears!  People were passing us by...some pretending not to see a crazy woman bawling over her cats.  Some asking if I needed help.  Some gawking and the awkward scene, but I didn't care.  THEY SAID YES, the actually said yes!  A high-pitched, mostly-sobbed, "thank you," was all I could muster.  They chose us when the odds were against us.  After all, we had just begun our paper work, and technically we weren't even eligible...as I'm still awaiting my birthday.

There are so many more things that have happened between then and now.  All things I really want to tell you about!  God is at work, and he is choosing to bless our family though this amazing process.  However, the process is not over.  In fact, there is still SO MUCH that has to be done, but if you ask me today how many children I have, I will say 3.  When the Agency contacted us, and we heard things like, "It was a unanimous decision...after reading your file, we knew you were Elsa's family...we've been looking for you for over two years, and I'm so glad we finally found you."  God has graciously been preparing us for this moment, and we are running toward it.  Miracle #2 was "They said Yes."

I'd like to keep rambling on about how blessed we are, and tell you about some more really cool things the Lord has orchestrated, but for now I need to go.  I hear squeals from the crib, and that means nap time is over.  

Keep us in you prayers, will you?  We cherish them.  Oh, and Elsa has a name now...she's no longer just a profile online.  She's always been the daughter of a King, and she has a family just waiting to bring her home... IT'S US.  We call her Lily.

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Jesus has a plan for us.  

It's filled with hope, and we can clearly see it.  

We'll keep you updated.

Waiting and Praying for Child #3--Our Adoption Story--Part 1

I was 12-years-old, sitting in an old church pew, listening to a missionary speak about China's orphans when the Lord first whispered to my heart about adoption.  

I think the man who was speaking had the name of Will.  

What he said and where he lived exactly,  is all very vague.  

However, even at the young age of 12, the Lord's nudging could not have been more clear.  

Ringing in my heart were the words, "This is real.  You can help...and you WILL."

I will?  

What can I do?  

I'm only 12?!  

James 1:27

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

I believe the Lord has called every single one of us to help orphans.

The first thing we all can do to help is pray.  

Pray fervently for children without forever families.

For many years now, I have felt a tug from Jesus.

The tug that says, 

"Praying is right and good, 

but I have more for you."

Isn't God's work incredible?

In college, I met the man of my dreams.

We were on a path to marry, but I hadn't really thought to tell him about the tug the Lord placed on my heart at the age of 12.

(I'm not sure why I didn't think to tell him, I guess it must have been all the twitterpation.")

Clint and I were sitting in a premarital counseling session, when the topic of expectations of future children popped up.

"How many kids do you see yourself having?" 

In that moment, I remember feeling like my heart was going to pop out of my chest.

I was feeling EXTREMELY embarrassed that I had not thought to speak to my fiance about adoption.  How could I have forgotten to bring this up?

 Not only was he now about to hear about my desire need to adopt for the first time in pre-marriage counseling, but also in front of my brother and sister-in-law!

(Yep, we did pre-marriage counseling with my brother...and yes it was a tad awkward at times ;) 

Before long, the question was out...

"Have either of you thought about adoption?"

(or a similar type question)

I remember looking at Clint with a sheepish grin.

The grin he probably didn't recognize then as my:

"I'm-so-sorry. I-completely-forgot-to tell you-until-now" grin.

It's a grin he has seen quite a few times since marrying me in May of 2006, and now can pick up in a single heartbeat.

It was then I shared my story.  

The story of God telling me that not only could I help orphans, but that I would.   

I told him of the whisper that had grown much stronger over the years.  

Not only would I continue to pray for faces that I had never seen, but that someday I would have the extreme privilege and gift of being Mommy to a child who had been burdened with the experience of loosing their biological parents for one reason or another. 

God's grace and mercy covered me in that moment.

 It was a moment which could have been very painful and awkward,

but instead my future husband looked me straight in the eyes and said,

"Alissa, I've felt the same way since I was a teenager."

You see, the Lord knew what He was doing when he brought us together...

...for such a time as this.

Clint and I  have always had it in our minds to adopt internationally.

China has been written on our heart for quite some time.

Would we consider a different option if God presented it?

ABSOLUTELY!

But for now we are starting where we feel God has led first.

I guess you could say I've been waiting to turn 30 since I was 12.

Under China's rules and regulations, you cannot adopt from China until both parents are 30 years of age.

I'm excited to say that in November of this year, 

I WILL FINALLY BE THIRTY-YEARS-OLD!!!

Some people dread the changing decade.

I couldn't be more excited!

As a pre-birthday celebration, we started our preliminary adoption and homestudy paperwork last week!

There are many more things I would like to tell you, but I'll save it for another update.

Some of you may have questions.

Please ask, but know that we do not have all the answers.

Can you help an orphan today?

YES!

You can help one in particular by remembering to pray for Clint, Liam, Ruby and me as we begin the privileged journey of opening our hearts and our home to child #3!  

Our biggest prayer is that by the grace and mercy of Jesus, our child will be provided daily with safety, warmth, nutrition, and love by someone else until we can be the ones to provide those basic needs every day. 

We will also be praying for wisdom, patience, and the Lord's timing, amongst other things.

We are SO EXCITED to see the way the Lord chooses to grow our family!
Will you please partner in prayer with us?
We will keep you updated.

We will leave you with with hope that the Lord has given us.
Thank you for your encouragement and support in advance!

Jeremiah 29:11
 ^"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."