APPROVAL

We have our I-800A Approval!!!  If you know anything about the adoption world then you know that is a very big deal!  If you aren't familiar, then just know that this is a very BIG step in bringing our child home from the other side of the world!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR to us!!  :-)

Praising God for His perfect timing and thanking Him for the patience to endure the rest of the "wait"!

Hope you and yours have a safe, fun and happy New Year's celebration!

Michelle

PS
Thank you for reading this.  Thank you for caring and supporting us.  Thank you if you have given to our adoption fund.  Thank you if you have or do pray for us!  We appreciate YOU!

2012 is going to be AMAZING

So here I sit with 2011 winding down and I really can't believe all that has transpired over the past year, particularly over the past 6 months.  I went from a close-minded husband that constantly said, "no honey, I'm sorry but I just don't see how it can work out.  The initial cost alone is overwhelming, but then you add the cost of raising another child....clothes, lunches, books, sports teams, COLLEGE!!!???  We just can't do it."   I went from that guy to the guy that says, "How can I be concerned with somthing as trivial as money when there are children out there concerned with life.  When will they eat next?  Could anyone love them as their own?  Does anyone even know that they exist?"  These days I also don't worry so much about getting ahead in the corporate world.  I've worked for the same company for 23 years and my attitude was often, 'well after 23 years you would think that I would deserve to get that promotion'.  Today, I don't think about the success (whatever that means) or the added income.  I find myself more and more wishing that there was a way to travel around the mid-west and share with others that there are children that need help.  I feel so privileged that we are going to be helping a child, but at the same time I can't help but feel how insignificant it seems in the grand scheme of the world of children without families.  This I can promise you, though.  It will not be insignificant to our new child when we bring him/her home.  Luke 15 tells us that Jesus taught that the shepherd would "leave the 99 in the open country and go after the one lost sheep until he finds it."  Did you catch that?  The ONE lost sheep. It doesn't say that he would find all 150 million lost.  It doesn't say that he would wait until what he felt was an adequate number of lost to spend his time searching for.  He would go after the one.  I take great comfort in following the guidance of our Savior and going after the one.  All we need now is for 150 million other families to find their one.  Do you think it's hard?  Do you think that it's a "nice idea" but it's for someone else?  Afterall, your biological children are really involved in their sporting activities.  You help out at church...teach a Sunday School class...you even give to charity from time to time.  But to be able to take on such a committment?  Impossible.  I get it.  I understand that point of view completely because that's where I was.  It's totally ridiculous, but I get it.  But thank God that Jesus didn't use that argument when he left to search for me.  Wow.  It scares me to think of what my life might be like if Jesus hadn't sought me out and saved me from myself.  Shouldn't I pay it forward and do the same?  One child.  That's all.  Just add one to your family . One less orphan in the world, one more joy in your family.  One Less / One More.   My wife is currently reading a book called Kisses from Katie.  It is available on the website http://www.147millionorphans.com/.  If I can figure out what I'm doing (technologically advanced I am not), I'll add a link to this on our site where you can help our adoption cause though this site and get this book and some amazing apparel at the same time.   Michelle is crying, laughing, ready to bust wanting to tell me all about everything she is reading about this remarkable young woman.  I get the feeling that after reading this story, my little concerns over adopting a child will seem a little petty.  Come to think of it, I already felt that way a little after meeting Kiel and Carolyn Twietmeyer who have 14 children: 7 biological and 7 adopted.  They are doing amazing things in the world of adoption as is this young Katie from the book.  But God doesn't compare us to others and judge us by whether we DO as much as our neighbor.  All God asks is that we follow Him.  Blindly.  Faithfully.  Even when it's hard.  Even when it doesn't make sense to us or our friends or our family.  Just follow.  I'm learning to do that.  It's a struggle for me at times as I feel my fleshly nature WANTING to do other things.  But the rewards of those wants are fleeting and not nearly as satisfying as I thought they might be.  The rewards of following Christ?  Well, He's gotten me this far in spite of myself.  I can only imagine where else he will take me.

I hope you choose to follow along with us on this blog.  Sometimes you'll get posts from me, sometimes from Michelle.  We'll try to keep you up on our own adoption process at times (though I'm sure you will respect that we will be discreet about the details for now).  And at times it will be like today's post with just some thoughts and insight from someone that is searching to do what God is asking of him.  Is it enough?  To our child it will be more than enough....it will be everything.  One Less / One More.

Here we go!!!

We started our adoption process in May.  At that time, we said we would never have our own blog.  Not that we were against blogs, but we just didn't see ourselves doing one.  Now, 7 months later, we find that we have so many people wondering what is going on with the process and so many things we want to share that it just seemed right to get one started.  As we post this, you will see different styles as both Tony and Michelle will be writing updates.  We feel rather humbled by the whole process.  I mean, who would really be interested in following our lives on-line.  For those of you interested, we are extremely grateful to you for supporting us in prayer and for being involved in our process.  So, with all those disclaimers and thoughts and everything....here we go.

There are so many things we are thinking of that we want to share.  It would be easy to get way ahead of ourselves and share with you some of the most recent developments, but then you would miss out on the fullness of the entire journey.  So we will do our best to go back, retrace our steps, and bring you up to speed from the beginning.

Hopefully we will be able to share with you some of our concerns and experiences that will help you throughout your own journey just as other blogs were helpful to us.  Maybe you'll find your situations to be similar to ours and maybe you'll be able to gain some insight.  (or maybe you'll just get a nice laugh at our expense, which is pefectly fine as well.) 

The idea of adoption has been in and out of our minds for several years.  Ok, let me clarify that.  It has been IN Michelle's mind....period.  It has been both in AND out of my mind.  You see, when it comes to major family decisions I find that I am not unlike most of you men out there.  Sure, I saw the need for these orphan children.  Yes, I knew they needed assistance and I even felt a desire to be able to do something ourselves in the process.  But I would do the "man thing" when trying to figure out how it would work.  I would lie in bed at night and crunch numbers.  I would even wake up in the middle of the night and have these numbers going through my head.  I just couldn't figure out how to make it work.  I would often go to bed with tears because I had this great desire to do something for these children but I just didn't think we were able.  As you may or may not know, the process of international adoption can be rather expensive.  That is all relevant, of course, but our family we would consider it expensive.  No matter how I tried to manipulate the numbers I just couldn't seem to make them work.  And that is where the problem existed.  "I" was trying to make the numbers "work".   One morning I awoke with a different outlook.  I realized that it had not been a financial issue I was struggling with, but rather a faith issue.  And so with that, I was able to give my concerns to God and turn it over to Him.  I didn't know where the finances would come from (and I still don't) but I allowed myself to trust God and to wait and see how it would all work out.  So that's how we got started.  We invite you to join us on this journey of faith.

Until next time,
God Bless.