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