Adoption Update

Dear Children,

We were hoping to get to meet you soon, but they told us today that it may be longer than we thought. Your orphanage is making some changes in their property to make your current home safer, and we cannot meet you until they have been approved again by your country leaders. We have no clue how long that will take, but we pray that we get to meet you sooner rather than later. 

We are not going to lie. We have been waiting for the "bump" in the road. But the only reason that we have peace is because we know God is working through this. He is behind this! God has been with us our entire process. We know that He is with us now. We know that He is with you right now too. 

Maybe you know God. Maybe you don't yet. But I know that even though we don't know who you are, God does. And He is pursuing you every day.

We are waiting for you. No matter how long we have to wait.

Love, 
Mom & Dad 

We got this news on Wednesday, but I wasn't ready to share until now. I wrote this letter as soon as I found out, but I haven't really let the news sink in until this morning when I broke down during worship. We were so anticipating the end of January because we were finally going to get our referral. But now January will turn into February, and into March and we will have to go about our daily lives just anxiously waiting to hear good news.

We know that our children are already at the orphanage…our agency knows who they are placing us with, but they can't tell us until our orphanage is accredited again, and they have no control over that process. My heart is most broken because I know that my children are there, without Joe and I.

I know that this "bump" is small compared to many other families in the middle of adopting. My heart is broken for the families who are now in year 2, 3, 4 of waiting….for the families who already met their children, the children now "stuck" in the birth countries. I know that our situation pales in comparison to other families' situations. I pray that our "bump" stays small and minor. When I think about third-world countries, I think "slow" or "laid back". They don't follow the same rigid timing and schedules that we are used to in America. Our agency thinks that this will just set us back "months", but I hate to think that the same timing in our children's birth country could take "years".

Right now, we ask that you just pray. Pray for us as we sort through this and what it means for our family and our future. Pray for our children. Pray that they are taken care of…that they are fed, clothed, and LOVED. Pray that God will continue to pursue their hearts so that they are ready to be a part of our family. Pray that the orphanage directors are speedy in the pursuit to get reaccredited, and pray that the government officials can hastily provide all of the approvals for this reaccreditation process. We know in our hearts that there is a reason for this. We don't know what the reason is, but we are so thankful to trust in a God that gives us hope that everything will still be perfect.

Reflection: 2014

This year brought about great things for the Fugate family.

Joe and I accepted jobs in Colorado Springs at The Classical Academy. 

Defended my action research. Graduated with my Masters degree. 

Celebrated our 2nd anniversary. 

Bought our first house. 

Moved to Colorado. 

Adopted Bodie. 

Started my first day as a real teacher. 

Started our adoption process. 

Started my Etsy shop. 

Goal for 2015: 

It has been such a great year. We stepped out in complete faith in SEVERAL areas of our lives (moving to a new state, adopting two children and relying on friends and family to financially support that process, having the courage to meet our neighbors, serving in several areas of our new church, teaching at a school with a brand new (to us) philosophy…the list goes on and on) and continue to see God's faithfulness, love, mercy and grace in each forward step that we take. 

This year has been a true testament to what following God and saying yes to His plans can do. I miss my life in Arkansas. I miss my friends, my church, the comfortableness of it all, but although I have only been gone for six short months, I can already see how God is using our family in BIG ways. 

We are truly blessed. Truly, truly blessed. 

Adoption

For a long time, adoption has been heavy on Joe and I’s hearts. We recognize that we are adopted into the family of Christ, so we feel like it is our call to adopt orphans into our family. Since being married, we prayed consistently about God’s plan for our future regarding children. We would like to have biological children, but we wanted to follow God’s plan for our lives as far as the order of which we should do first: adopt or have biological children.

This past summer, we felt peace about the decision to pursue adoption first and decided that we would start filling out paper work to adopt through foster care in our new state of Colorado. International adoption always had a place in my heart, but due to the large costs, and the fact that for most countries a couple had to be married for 5+ years before getting a referral, we decided to pursue foster care. With that being said, God definitely had another plan for us, and He was calling us to completely trust in him.

I had my eye on an adoption agency in Denver long before we even knew we would be moving to Colorado. I  researched them and followed them on different social media sites. One day in late July, a post came across my feed that was seeking families to adopt sibling groups from a country with children already available for adoption and just waiting for homes (due to our agency and country’s guidelines, we cannot tell you the country via social media at this time). Joe and I talked it through and decided to inquire. We really felt God moving through us to act even from the very, very beginning.

Long story short, we met all of the agency’s requirements, and are currently finishing up our home study portion of the process. Our process is moving a lot quicker than we anticipated, so we feel comfortable letting the news out, as we could potentially have a referral around Thanksgiving and travel to get our children shortly after that.

Y’all…….we are going to be parents!!!!

Here is where you come in. We are so blessed that our process is going quickly because we are that much closer to getting our kids; however, we also have to pay a lot of money in a short amount of time. You can support us in two ways. I am selling personalized hand-stamped jewelry on Etsy here. We also have an online fundraising site available here. Any amount helps, and we are so thankful for those that have already supported us. Also, please share this blog, our Etsy site, and our GoFundMe site on your social media pages. God will do miracles. We completely trust in Him.

If you cannot give financially, please, please be praying for us. Pray that our children are safe and are being loved on. Pray that their joy is renewed each and every day by their Heavenly Father. Pray that God is working on them to be a part of a family, our family. Pray that our process continues to go smoothly and that we can go get them as soon as possible. Pray that if we have to take off work for the 6+ weeks of travel and time home with the kids afterwards, that God would completely cover us financially. Pray that God goes before us to work on the hearts of the people reading this blog and visiting our fundraising sites. 

We would love your encouragement and for you to let us know that you are praying for us throughout the rest of the journey. 

"Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow." Isaiah 1:17

Samantha

I have decided to follow Jesus. No turning back, no turning back.

As I sat in the chair at my great-grandmothers' Southern Baptist church, this song rang out as an invitation from the pulpit. Tears came to my eyes as the realization of what following Jesus' call meant for my life crept into my mind.

I have decided to follow Jesus;

I have decided to follow Jesus; 

I have decided to follow Jesus; 

No turning back, no turning back.

Twenty-three times in the Bible Jesus talks about people "following him". Luke 9: 23 hangs on my bathroom mirror :"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." Yet the lyrics of that simple hymn captured my heart in that moment.

You see, Jesus has called me to Colorado Springs. To live there. To work there. To serve there. To love there. 

Though I may wonder, I still will follow; 

No turning back, no turning back. 

For the first time since answering Jesus's call, fear begin to come over me. I had just spent a weekend filled with family in my hometown. The same hometown that is a 13 hour drive from Colorado Springs. What if something happens to my family and I can't get home in time? What if something happens and my parents need me to be close by? What if a family member dies and I don't get to say goodbye? What if, what if, what if.......? 

My mind wandered, yet God's truth remained in my heart. "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28 

The world behind me, the cross before me;

No turning back, no turning back.

I can't worry. I can only trust that God is working this for His good. There is a bigger picture here. I can't let fear overcome me and direct the outcome of my life. I choose to look to the cross before me. And fix my eyes upon Jesus. I choose the life that He has set before me. 

Though none go with me, still I will follow; 

No turning back, no turning back.

I am so thankful to be traveling on this journey with my husband. I am so thankful that he continues to put his faith in Jesus Christ, day after day. I had peace with this transition long before Joe did, but he continued to pray, and continued to chase after God until he, too, had peace. I am so thankful to be married to a man that recognizes the presence of Jesus Christ in our lives. This move, this opportunity, is not from our own, but from Jesus. 

We will be leaving our families, our friends, our comfortable life behind, but I can only imagine what God has set before us. The people that we will meet, the chances we will have to show the uncommon love of Jesus Christ to the common people in Colorado Springs. 

Will you decide now, to follow Jesus?

No turning back, no turning back. 

Please continue to pray for Joe and I. We can feel your prayers covering us already, and we know that we are so blessed! We met with a real estate agent yesterday....(an agent that prayed over us afterward. God is definitely at work in our lives, and in Colorado Springs!!!) and we are happy to announce that we both have job interviews on Monday, March 31st! 

Samantha

Colorado Springs

When Joe and I first got married, we toyed with the idea of packing up and moving just for the heck of it. We were both teachers (going to be a teacher in my case), so we could essentially live anywhere that we both got jobs. The only place that we both agreed on, if we actually did move, was Colorado. It was something that we mentioned every now and then but had no real intention of actually doing it, until......God called us to surrender.

Joe and I had envisioned (and were completely content with the idea) ourselves getting jobs, buying a house and having a family in Northwest Arkansas.....our own American dream. I was about to start my Masters program and a year of internship in Springdale, so Joe spent all summer applying for jobs closer to Springdale at one of the bigger school districts. No such luck. And we were bummed. 

In August, I felt like God was tugging at my heart to surrender my future to Him. I had gotten caught up in the American dream of getting married and living the picture-perfect, smooth, comfortable, easy life, yet that is not what God put us on the earth to do. I began reading Anything by Jennie Allen, and my whole world was changed. I stopped getting caught up by the cute Pinterest ideas for my future cookie-cutter house and I started looking to God for the answers to my future. 

Around that same time, Joe and I once more talked about picking up and moving. Again, Colorado was mentioned. Our church (Fellowship Bible Church) had recently started a church plant in Colorado Springs, so Joe and I Googled it to get more information. We LOVE our church, so we knew that if we were to move to Colorado, that we would want to be close to this church plant so that we could attend church services with former Fellowship members. The more we started looking into Converge Church, the more we realized that God was calling us there for a more specific purpose. We felt called to not just go to attend this church, but to actually go to be a part of this church plant. We prayed about it.....constantly.....and by the beginning of December, our hearts had not changed. We confided in a couple from our church that had been mentoring/discipling us and one of our friends from Bible Study. With those people praying for us, we decided to go visit Colorado Springs over Christmas break.

It was such an affirming trip. We met with Derek Horn, the pastor for Converge Church, and he talked us through what this church plant was all about. We talked with him about what our roles would be there, and felt at peace about moving. For me, I felt most at peace when I thanked Derek for meeting with us and he said, "We have been praying so hard for people like you guys to move out here and join this work together for God!" It was amazing to me to think that while Joe and I were praying about moving to Colorado, Derek and his team were praying for people like us to move out there......what if we weren't open to God's plan for us?!

So with all that said, we are pursuing a move to Colorado Springs. We will both apply to jobs there this spring/summer and hope to have jobs and a place to live secured by the start of next school year. We plan on going on another "vision trip" over Spring Break. 

How can you help? Pray for us!!! 

*Pray that we will find jobs in Colorado Springs, specifically in the northeastern part of the city. 

*Pray for the timing of interviews, that Joe and I would be able to travel to Colorado Springs if/when we get interview opportunities. 

*Pray that we will find an affordable place to call our home. 

*Pray for our trip over Spring Break. 

*Pray for the missional community groups that are meeting in Colorado Springs at this time. 

*Pray that Joe and I can have discernment when making decisions regarding our future. 

*Pray that we won't let fear guide our decision making.  

Samantha

Transparent Tuesday: What Happens When He Calls My Name?

Life as a Fugate wife has been super busy these past two weeks.....so this week, I would like to feature some dear friends of ours, David and Lindsey Owens. David and Lindsey are missionaries in Guatemala, and to me are a great example of responding to God's call. I am inspired by them. Read Lindsey's latest post (below) from owensinguatemala.com to see why....

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What Happens When He Calls My Name? (Stealing Cookies)

“Who stole the cookie from the cookie jar? Lindsey stole the cookie from the cookie jar!”
“Who Me?”
“Yes, You!”
“Couldn’t be!”
“Then Who?”

I remember this being one of my favorite games as a child. Sitting around in a circle singing about cookies…. What’s not to love?  I enjoyed being in the group… asking who stole the cookie and emphatically shouting “YES, YOU!” to whoever was accused… but I never wanted my name called as the Cookie Stealing Culprit.

Twenty years later, the song is no longer a game but a reality. As a Christian, I have joined the crowd too many times wondering who God will send and calling out those around me. Send John, God. He is an awesome public speaker. Or send Kerri. She is amazing with kids and is bilingual. I have seen many gifted people in my life take on ministry opportunities and make great impact for the kingdom of God…. while I continued to sit in the circle “helping” God pick His next participant.

But what happens when He calls my name?

Two years ago, David and I responded to God’s call to become full-time missionaries in Guatemala. At the time, I felt relieved that God had called my name and I had responded like Isaiah.

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
-Isaiah 6:8

I guess I always thought it was a one-time question, my test was over. But the reality is… God continues to call me out of the crowd daily. Sometimes the tasks are easy… “Lindsey, love on this single mother.” “Lindsey, remind this little girl how beautiful she is.” “Lindsey, make sure this family has enough food to eat.” Sometimes they are harder. “Lindsey, go to the hospital with Silvia and hold her hand during her exams.” “Lindsey, walk alongside Lesvia through the loss of her baby boy.” “Lindsey, continue to fight beside Damaris’ as I heal her from her spiritual attacks.”

These are the times when I say… “Who Me?”
“Yes, you.” He whispers to me in a soft voice.
“Not me.” I respond. “I’m too young. I have no idea what to do. What would I even say?”

Then comes the question that breaks my heart… “Then who?” He asks. The reality is, God will send someone else. His will and desires will be complete with or without me. But, why wouldn’t I want to be involved in God’s plan? It is during these times, when I take a deep breath, remember the words God spoke to Isaiah, and though my flesh says “I’m in over my head.”, I take the next step in following after Christ.

“‘You are my servant’;
I have chosen you and have not rejected you.
So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
-Isaiah 41:9-10

It’s not easy. But it’s worth it. What has God asked you to do? Do you respond with a shocked and afraid “Who Me”? Or in the words of Isaiah, “Here I am Lord”?

Please join me in praying that David and I will always respond to God by saying “Send me” as we strive to follow Jesus and share the Good News of Christ in El Rosario.

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Would you pray for David and Lindsey? I loved Lindsey's words, "I guess I always thought it was a one-time question, my test was over. But the reality is… God continues to call me out of the crowd daily." Sometimes I get caught up in focusing on figuring out the big thing God will call me to...the purpose of my life here on earth...and I forget about the daily callings. God uses us in all moments, big or small...once in a  lifetime or daily. 

Read more about David and Lindsey and their ministry here: vencedorministries.org

Be inspired. Make a difference. 

Answer God's call for your life. 

Transparent Tuesday: Sacrifice

When we forgo the American Dream, we Put God First. When we put God first, we naturally Surrender all other things in order to wholly serve and worship Him.




Surrendering in our world suggests "giving up". We worry about surrendering because of the things we might have to sacrifice in the process. Surrender implies sacrificing freedom, when in reality, surrender IS freedom. What are we afraid of? When we live our lives for ourselves, we are missing out on all that God has in store for us. Don't default to fear, but instead default to the greatness of God*.


*Taken from sermon notes at Fellowship Bible Church of NWA, Mosaic Congregation presented August 31, 2013, by Chip Jackson


Part 4 (excerpts from Anything by Jennie Allen)


What if He lets me suffer? What if he asks me to sacrifice? What if none of my dreams come true? The very thought doing anything demands everything. We have to face our fears. If we believe He is real, if we believe He has an eternal heart, we have to face the fact that a God like that may mess with our temporary comfort. As Christians, we are called to deny ourselves and take up our crosses daily (Luke 9:23). If we live our lives in this way, we will no longer look at things as "my dreams/our dreams" but we will know that we are following God's plan, a plan much greater than anything we can dream for our futures. We must deny ourselves lordship, abandon our earthly hopes and dreams, and invest all that we have for Jesus and the gospel. The very thought of doing anything demands that we give up our plans to follow after God's plan for us. In 1 Peter 2:11, we are referred to as "aliens and strangers" of this world. If we truly believed that this is our temporary home, we wouldn't be trying to make ourselves so comfortable in this life. 

If we believe that this life is temporary, that belief alone changes how we live it. James 4:14 states, "What is your life? You are mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." Think about the wet dew on the grass each morning. It is there when I wake up, but almost gone by the time I make it to work. THAT IS HOW TEMPORARY OUR LIVES ARE. Isn't that crazy? James compares 100-ish earthly years to the time it takes the dew to dry up off the ground....If we, too, can begin to view this life as temporary in the grand scheme of all the things Jesus has to offer us, then our lives would be changed. Sacrificing would become second nature as our eyes our focused on things above and not on early things.


"Since the you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." Colossians 2:16


Following Him completely requires belief that He is good even if everything here and now is not, that He sees us and has an intentional plan for our few years here. This lyric from Lift My Life Up by Unspoken has been stuck in my head all week regarding this post on sacrifice: "If I'm under fire, I know its refining me." God chose us for an intentional purpose, whether it be a purpose that we had in mind or not. He will place us in certain situations so that we may be set apart, so that we may shine His light. 


Christ says, “If you are for me, then the world will be against you. If you are not willing to lose everything you have, including your life, DON’T EVEN FOLLOW ME. Expect persecution, and consider that a privilege. (Matthew 12:30, Luke 14:26, Matthew 5:10) How powerful those words are. Trials purify our faith. In order to consider persecution a privilege, we must not just set aside a devotional time, but instead live a life of devotion. If you haven't heard of Paster Saeed Abedini, I urge you to read his story. He was tricked into flying back to Iran where he was arrested and taken away, simply for being a Christian. He has recently been sentenced to 8 years in one of the world's worst prisons. His every move is scrutinized as the guards wait for him to deny Christ, yet he sees it as a golden opportunity to shine God's light in the world's darkest places. You can listen to a letter he wrote to his wife from prison here. We don't all have a Saeed story, but we all have struggles that we are facing. How are we handling those struggles? Do we see them as a "golden opportunity to shine the light of Christ?" Remember, today's pain is part of tomorrow's redemption story**.


*Taken from sermon notes at Fellowship Bible Church of NWA, Mosaic Congregation presented September 7, 2013, by Matt Newman


So Jesus prayed for us, not that we would be kept from hardship or suffering but that we would be kept from the evil one who desires to take us out. What happens when we are truly devoted to God? So devoted that we are willing to do ANYTHING to deny ourselves and follow Him? We can again look to Daniel 3. God used the small steps in Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego's life when they refused to eat the king's food and responded in faith to the king's dream. These small steps prepared them to refuse to bow to the king's statue, when they knew that the consequence for not bowing was to get thrown into the fiery furnace. The furnace was part of God's design for their lives. In verse 25, after the three men were bound and thrown into the flames, King Nebuchadnezzar says, "Look, I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods." How can we apply this to our lives today??? Jesus was INSIDE the furnace. The three men could have just bowed to the king's statue to escape the flames, but if that were the case, they would have missed the chance to be in the presence of God. If God leads you to it, He is already there waiting for you in it!* 

*Taken from sermon notes at Fellowship Bible Church of NWA, Mosaic Congregation presented August 25, 2013, by Doug Raines


With no regard for the way this would impact her short life here, she looked for the big picture As a woman, the story of Mary, mother of Jesus, can give me an example of how I should live my life. Growing up in church, I've heard the story of the birth of Jesus so many times, that I often forget to be genuinely awed by it. Imagine it taking place in the modern world. A teenager pregnant, claiming to be a virgin. Imagine the ridicule. Mary faced the same ridicule in her time, and instead of allowing it to change the whole story of Christ, our whole story, she looked at the big picture. See, Mary knew that this life is just temporary. We don't know how much she grasped the role she would play in the coming of the Savior, but just imagine what would have happened if Mary didn't want to suffer or sacrifice her temporary comfort in the name of Christ....God chose Mary, and He is looking for those qualities in each and every one of us. Are you willing to say yes???

Samantha