Katie Davis on Adoption

Catalyst Atlanta 2011 from Catalyst on Vimeo.

 
In a word, this is phenomenal!  The more I see & hear Katie Davis, the more I love her!

The Platts' Adoption Journey

I've been following the Platt family's adoption journey through the Brook Hills blog, & it has been such a blessing!  They aren't just sharing about their adoption of their daughter, but also of how God brought their sons into their lives.  All of the stories are wonderful, filled with humor, warmth, & love.  And they've all left me with a renewed adoration of God's plan & timing, which He works out with absolute perfection.  May you be blessed & moved to praise God through their story as well!  Soli Deo Gloria!

The Very Heart of the Gospel

“The joyful news of the Gospel is that God the Father brings us to share in the loving communion that He forever enjoys with His eternal and natural Son through the work of His eternal and natural Son in our place and in our stead. Through adoption God graciously brings us to participate in the reciprocal love that ever flows between the Father and His Son. Not only is this the very heart of adoption; it is also the very heart of the Gospel.”

~Dan Cruver, Reclaiming Adoption
Of First Importance

Uncertainty Made Certain

Sometimes, life just makes sense. Everything falls into place easily, without so much as a hint of uncertainty. Meeting & marrying Michael was like this. We had a whirlwind courtship lasting just 4 months from meeting to marriage. And neither of us doubted for one second that our union was God-ordained & -blessed. However, uncertainty absolutely preceded our meeting - where was my future husband, when would he come along, would he come along, what was God's plan - all of this swirled through my head & heart for years before that glorious day that God brought Michael to me. But then, on that day, all my years of waiting suddenly made sense. All that time was not just idle waiting. Even when I was in the throes of despair that I would always be alone, God was working out His plan for my life. There were times, too, when I knew that. Times when I had faith that God was perfectly in control & knew what He was doing. I couldn't see that, but because I know Him, I knew it to be true. My single years were preparation for me. God used that time to prepare me for marriage, for being a good wife. How? Mainly by showing me how great of a sinner I am. He showed me my selfishness, pride, & independence - things that have no place in a godly marriage. But He didn't leave me there. He showed me my need for Him. He brought me to repentance & sanctified me, an ongoing process that He continues in me today. He also used that time to strengthen my faith in & love for Him, to the point that I knew that if I never married, He would be enough. So, those uncertain years weren't wasted, & in one fell swoop, God made all things clear.

Right now is another uncertain time for Michael & me. We are barren, childless. For some people, this might be a wonderful thing, but for us, it's sorrowful. We love children, we dream of & plan for children, we pray & cry for children. We have names picked out & even outfits bought for children. But we don't have children. Our arms are empty & our home devoid of the laughter & playing of children. Just a few months shy of a year ago now, we began a journey of adoption. We began this journey full of joy & anticipation, sure that this was God's will & plan for us to become parents. Now, we're not so sure. We still want to adopt, that hasn't changed. But circumstances have. We've had the money required to complete our home study twice now, & both times, that money's had to be spent on necessities. That the money was there for those necessities was a gift from God, there's no doubt about that, & we are very thankful for His graciousness in providing for us. But, at the same time, we were so sad that it meant a set-back in our adoption process. To be honest, "sad" doesn't quite cover it.  Heart-breaking grief comes closer.  When I realized that our adoption was going to have to be put on hold, maybe stopped altogether, I went off alone & sobbed out all of my longings & my grief.  I cried out to God, begging Him to either bless us with the children I so desperately want or to take away this down-in-my-very-bones longing for them.  So far, He hasn't done either, but He has granted me peace, for which I'm thankful.  Not being allowed to move forward has led us to doubt our certainty that our adoption is God's will, too. Months have gone by since we were able to save up that money, & I wish I could say that we have it all figured out now, but we don't. We don't know what God's plan is. Although we hope & pray that our future includes children of our own - both biological & adopted - we don't know that it does. We're so uncertain of the future. But we are certain of God. He is working everything out according to His marvelous plan, which will be for our good & His glory. This uncertain time, even if it be years long, is not wasted time. He is preparing us for the future, for the fulfillment of His plan. And I know, with ever fiber of my being, that once His plan has come to fruition, we will know that it was worth the wait.

*Our most gracious heavenly Father, oh! how we love You! Thank You, thank You for being our God! For being sovereign over our lives & for not giving us the control. You work all things out in the best way. In all things, You receive glory, but - amazingly - You also love to work things out for our good! You are loving & merciful, & we praise Your holy name! Thank You for Your assurance that, even when we don't understand the events of our lives, You are in control. Michael & I both pray for children. We so long to love them, hold them, play with them, & tell them about You! But we know that Your plan is better than ours. If You give us children, we will praise You. And if You don't give us children, we will praise You. Please, Lord, please give us such a love for You, that even if our heart's desire for children is not fulfilled, that You will be enough. We love you, Lord, but - as always - give us more love for You. Fill us up to overflowing with love for You, & we will have all we will ever need. In Christ's holy name we pray, Amen.

Packing an Umbrella

We've all heard the old adage "If you pray for rain, you'd better pack an umbrella". Mama sent me an email just this morning with a story about a couple married 5 years who prayed for children & proved this adage true as God blessed them with 4 children in as many years. At the top, she told me that this would be me in a couple of years, realizing my heart's desire in a house full of children. I pray so. My heart has really been aching the last few days for my children. My arms have felt so empty. I asked Michael today through tears, "How can I miss someone so much that I've never met?" We were standing in Costco, looking at the children's clothes, which I was affectionately stroking, wishing for the babies that I'm trusting God to give us. I decided then to "pack an umbrella". So, in faith that God is working to bring our children to us, Michael & I bought 6 outfits -- 3 girls' & 3 boys'.  These are closeup shots of the coordinating bibs that came with the outfits.  They're so cute!

We know that God has called us to this adoption, & because that's true, we also know that He will complete the adoption & unite us with our babies when the time is right. Sometimes it can be hard to hold on to this assurance, though, especially as more time goes by & we still don't have the funds to move on. Although I have these weak moments (thankfully few) where I wonder how it's all going to happen - if it's all going to happen - knowing that it will happen in God's time is comforting to me in my waiting. It's also comforting to know that our family & friends who love us are supporting & praying with us for peace, patience, & for the safety & well-being of our babies until God brings them to us. So, as we wait, we also prepare for God to bring the rain. I hope it's a deluge!

Why adopt? Why Ethiopia? Part 2

Yesterday, we explained why we're adopting as opposed to attempting to conceive through fertility treatments & such.  Today, we'd like to deal with why we're adopting from Ethiopia rather than domestically. 

So...why Ethiopia?  There are so many reasons I can give!  The most important reason is that we simply feel God leading us there.  We could have gone the domestic route - we thought about it & may do so in the future - but we simply feel that for now, God is leading us to Ethiopia.  We believe our God is sovereign & that He ordained that all of our children - birth & adopted - be ours from before the foundation of the world.  The most basic reason that we're adopting from Ethiopia is that our children are in Ethiopia, just as God has willed.  Like I said, we've always wanted to adopt (seriously, like from the time I was 12 & Michael was a teenager), but we thought we would wait until after we had "our own" children.  (As an aside, I detest that phrase now; they won't be our biological children, but they will be "our own" children.)  Then, my sister- & brother-in-law started the process; we were over at their house one night this past January & spent literally hours watching You Tube videos showing adoption stories, a lot of them from Ethiopia.  Watching all of these children who had no one suddenly becoming part of a family was simply extraordinary!  I cried the whole time & was completely drained by the end of the day.  Michael & I drove home talking about how we didn't have to wait; we could adopt now.  One reason we chose Ethiopia is because of how speedy their process is compared to other nations.  But the main reason, other than God's leading, is that as we began researching Ethiopia to get a better feel of the culture, we discovered the dire situation facing these beautiful people.  For Ethiopia's orphans, many of whom are living on the streets, life is a daily struggle to survive.  There are between 4 & 6 million orphans in Ethiopia alone, & most of them don't live to see their 5th birthday; they're dying from starvation, preventable diseases, & subhuman conditions.  More than 26,000 children around the world die every single day from these conditions!  That's 1,080+ every hour, 18+ every minute!  Imagine if our church were representative of these statistics.  In a matter of minutes, not one child would be left alive.  Learning this, we simply couldn't turn our backs on the situation.  We have to save these children.

One of the "flagship" verses of adoption is James 1:27.  As Christ's church, we are all called to "visit orphans & widows in their distress".  We just recently heard a sermon explaining that "visit" means save, as in all the times that God "visited" His people in distress.  He didn't just comfort them & then leave them in their situations; He rescued them from the situations.  We are all called to rescue orphans, whether by means of adoption or by means of facilitating adoption.  You know what's been amazing in this for me personally?  I've never met my children - they may not even be born yet - but I know that before creation, God planned them to be mine, & I love them to the very bottom of my soul.  I may not have them in my arms yet, but they are firmly planted in my heart.

*Our most gracious heavenly Father, please help us, as Your adopted children, to reflect your heart by adopting orphans from all over the world.  These children are so precious, & they need us to rescue them from poverty, disease, & death.  We can't do it without You, though.  Please make Your people - Your bride - burn with a passion for adoption for Your glory!  In Christ's holy name, Amen.

Why adopt? Why Ethiopia? Part 1

Michael & I have been asked more than once now 2 questions in particular regarding our adoption:  Why are you adopting rather than trying to conceive on your own or with a doctor's help?  Why are you adopting from Ethiopia rather than domestically?  I recently corresponded with a dear friend concerning these 2 issues, & I figure that for every person brave enough to ask these questions out loud, there are a few more who are wondering.  So, I would like to share our reasons here.

It's probably easier to start with why we're adopting at all.  First of all, it "just so happens" that we have both always wanted to adopt transracially, specifically African.  We are not able to conceive right now due to my PCOS, but weight loss will clear that up (which we are working on), & Lord willing, one day we will be "bellied up" (an awesome expression that's new to me!).  Regardless of if we ever have biological children or not, we will adopt.  We want to adopt in addition to having biological children, not in lieu of.  Adoption is costly, & we could spend that money on fertility treatments instead.  However, God has chosen not to create a child in my womb right now, while He has chosen to create all of the many children around the world who have become orphans through no fault of their own.  We believe our money is better spent rescuing these children rather than bucking against God's plan for us in our barrenness.  God is concerned with orphans, as He testifies in His Word, & we as His children should reflect His heart.  In adoption, we show the world God's love for & adoption of us.  He is, after all, an adoptive Father Himself.  Because we have been adopted "vertically" by Him, we have a desire to adopt "horizontally" the orphans in this world.  These are children who have no one to love them; no one to protect, support, or comfort them; no place to call home.  They are worthy of all of these things, & by adopting them, we show the world who God is.  Isn't that beautiful?!  We also fulfill the Great Commission in adoption.  We are taking children who, if left as orphans, will most likely never hear the gospel of Jesus Christ & are training them in the admonition of the Lord.  We are discipling them in Christ!  Again, it's just beautiful!

I'll cover why we feel led to adopt from Ethiopia rather than domestically in the next post.

God Provides

Okay, so the most amazing thing happened yesterday! But before I tell you that, I have to give some background. As most of you probably know, Michael & I are a one-income family. He's an RN on a cardiac surgical unit, & I - though once an elementary school teacher - am now a housewife. (Much to both of our satisfaction, I might add, though that's probably another post!) In our desire to add "parent" to our job descriptions, we've embarked upon a journey to adopt 2 children from Ethiopia. Being a one-income family, & not having a spare $27,000 laying around - shocking, I know - we're sometimes unsure how we are ever going to afford this adoption. Two days ago, we were reminded of how truly daunting this venture may be. You see, we had our first home study meeting with our fabulous social worker, Claire, who proceeded to lay out the next few steps that we will need to fund. We've paid around $2,000 into the process up to this point, and our next few steps will cost almost $2,400. Wow! Never mind not having $27,000 laying around; we don't even have this much! Here's where God steps in. He knows our need. He's placed this desire in our hearts & this call on our lives. We've both reminded each other a few times already - & will no doubt do so many more times in this journey - that because He's given us this desire & call, that He will provide the way for us to fulfill it. We know this to the bottom of our souls, & He has proven faithful. You see, on the way home from our meeting, we discussed our new dilemma. How are we going to come up with this amount of money? We are definitely going to have to sacrifice; that's part of being a parent, after all, not to mention being a Christian. (Although, it doesn't really feel like we're sacrificing anything when the end result in both instances is so rewarding!) Extra shifts at Michael's work are scarce, almost nonexistent. I can sew & sell some things, but probably not $2,400 worth. The money from our paychecks mostly goes toward bills & necessities with some left over to put back in savings. So, where are we going to get the money? Turns out, from God. We just got our paycheck & somehow, in some truly inexplicable way, NONE of that money is needed for bills. Seriously -- NONE! Amazingly, the large bulk of this paycheck can go into savings toward our adoption! So, whereas we were a couple thousand dollars short of paying for these next few steps, now we only lack a couple hundred!

*God, You are so faithful to us, & we are so grateful to You!  Thank You for giving us this desire to rescue orphans & give them an everlasting family who will love, nurture, protect, & disciple them. Thank You for giving us this opportunity to reflect Your love for us & to reflect Your adoption of us as Your children, by loving & adopting these children. And, thank You for providing the way to fulfill Your calling. We love You! In Christ's holy name, Amen.