"Kicking my Shoes" off and ready to relax

What a journey this has been over the past few months. I am super excited to be able to just kick off these shoes and relax. Today we turned in the last piece of the adoption paperwork. All we have left to do is attend two trainings in April and July.  

Check list for all of those who are keeping score:

Domestic Packet -- CHECK
Domestic Adoption Courses -- CHECK
Home Study -- CHECK
Domestic Group Training Courses -- 1/2 CHECK
Online Profile -- CHECK
Adoption Profile Books -- CHECK

These past two weeks we have been working on our adoption profile books, attended one of our group training courses, and we attended our first adoption fundraiser to help support another couple. We have also worked on our birth mother letters (one from me, one from Jesse, and one from both of us). **See the bottom of this blog for those letters.

Adoption Profile Books: Many people have asked what is an adoption profile book? Well the birth mother looks at family profiles online and finds the families she is interested in.  She then requests to read their profile books. Our profile book contains information about us, our parents, our extended family, our puppy, our nieces and nephews, our home and nursery, our friends, our hobbies, our promise, and our individual birth mother letters. This book took us several weeks in order to make it perfect. Please be in prayer for those that will choose our book.

Domestic Group Training Course: Last week we attended our 2nd group training class. It was titled "Birth Parent Panel". This was an opportunity to hear the side of the story from two birth mothers. What an awesome emotional experience that Jesse and I were able to share. These mothers made a huge sacrifice but at the same time it was their decision and they have perfect peace about it.  Not to say this wasn't hard for them.. we were able to hear the pain, but we were also able to hear the joy and peace in their stories.  Please be in prayer for our birthmother but more importantly all birthmothers as they go through all of this.

Birth Mother Letters: Please see our letters below. The first letter is from both of us and will appear on our online profile. The second and third letters are the individual letters to the birth mother and they appear in our adoption profile book.

Dear Expectant Mother,

God loves you and so do we.  We cannot imagine the difficult decision that you are facing, but we admire you for prayerfully considering the beautiful choice of adoption.  Only a selfless, loving, and courageous mother can make this choice.  We thank you for giving us the opportunity to tell you about ourselves and we hope you consider getting to know us a little bit more. 

Our Story
My name is Jesse. I am 27 years old. When I was 21, I was diagnosed with Cancer. Soon thereafter, I was told that I could not father any children. My heart was torn. No matter how bad I felt I had it, no matter how bad my life seemed at the moment, God had a greater purpose. I can say this now in the journey, I thank God for allowing me to have and survive cancer. I am able to appreciate the little things in life. I may have not been able to father children, but I am able to be a dad.  I am in prayer for you, even now, that you may see this as a great gift to us.

My name is Krista. I am 33 years old and my true passion is serving others and serving my church.  God has called me to do full time ministry.  I work for a Christian Organization and I love to be able to share the gospel with others.  Prayer is the most important thing in my life.  I had begun praying for you and other birthfamilies since the day I found out that we could not have children naturally.  I knew that God had a plan for my life as well as the birthfamily that would choose us. 

Krista’s thoughts on Jesse:
Jesse is my prince charming. He is kind, gentle, patient, loving, funny, handsome, not perfect but humble.  I can't think of a more devoted man to parent a child with.  He has more courage and strength than any other person that I have known.  He is a true man of God.

Jesse's thoughts on Krista: 
Krista is the love of my life.  She is kind, tenderhearted, loving, selfless, persistent, witty, and hardworking.  She puts other’s needs in front on her needs. This is why she will make an excellent mother.  Krista is a woman after God’s heart. 

       

Our Journey
We met at the Boys & Girls Club where we fell in love with one another.  We became each other’s best friends right from the beginning. During our journey at the Boys & Girls Club, we were able to mentor and inspire many children that needed love. This gave us the opportunity to share love to all children as if they were our own.

After battling cancer, the doctors’ told us that we would not be able to have any children of our own, and this was very devastating.  It took us several years to fully understand what God had been telling us all along.  We knew for several years that God called us to be adoptive or foster parents, but we always thought we would have children of our own.  Once we fully understood and trusted God and His plan for our lives, we were ready to begin the adoption process.

We now have been married for 6 years and have made great strides in our life. We have been cancer-free since first diagnosed.  We have both been able to find jobs that we love and enjoy.  But more importantly, we still hold the commitment true about loving every child as if they were our own. This even applies to our current situation.  We are very much invested in the lives of our friends and their children, even so much so, that they call us Uncle Jesse and Aunt Krista.

Our Home
We live in a safe and friendly neighborhood with a hospital, a fire station, schools, and a park within walking distance. Our immediate community is multi-generational with many young families. Our neighbors are warm and gracious, and we enjoy spending time with them. The kids often enjoy running from yard to yard playing together.         

Our Hobbies
Our hobbies include traveling, attending sporting events, playing board games with our friends, and spending time with the family.  We enjoy going to hockey games and especially traveling all over the US to attend these games.  We have been to 7 hockey arenas in the US.  We also love to travel to cities with zoos and theme parks.  We have been to Disneyland, and we plan in the next 10 years to visit Disneyworld.  As much as we love to travel and to spend time with others, we often enjoy time home alone with one another.  We love watching TV and playing with our puppy, Maddie.

Our Promise
We promise to raise this child in a loving, Christian home.

We promise to keep them safe and secure.
We promise to love them no matter what.
We promise to encourage them to love you and respect the loving choice you made for them.

We promise to train up the child in the ways of the Lord so when they grow up they won’t depart.
We promise to nurture them physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

We promise to teach them Spanish no matter what their race.
We promise to surround them with love from family and friends.
We promise to wipe their tears when they’re hurt and laugh when they’re silly.

We promise to always celebrate the little things in life.
We promise to thank the Lord every day for you and your precious gift to us.

Serving Together,

Jesse and Krista

Dear Expectant Mother,

I would like to first let you know that God loves you. Krista and I have been in prayer for you and the baby. We admire your courage and the love you have for your unborn child and are grateful that this love has led you to consider allowing a couple like us the privilege of raising and caring for your child.  My name is Jesse. I am 27 years old. My wife and I have been married for 6 years and have been longing to share our love. I grew up mostly alone with my mom, so I can truly attest to what a mother's love is. I have always loved working with children.  In college I worked for the Boys & Girls Club and saw that many of the children were missing a father figure. Some had a father but not the best role model. I made it my mission to show God's love to these kids. I still hold this to be true in my heart. I would love to have the same opportunity if you should choose.

When I was 21, I was diagnosed with Testicular Cancer. Even though God brought me through it and I enjoy good health today, I was told that I could not father any children. My heart was torn, and it was so hard on me, and on Krista, as we waited to see how God would work this into our plan for marriage. But we are confident He does have a plan for everything-even now with this choice. No matter how bad we feel our situation is, and no matter how bad our lives seem at any moment, God has a greater purpose. I can now say this with absolute confidence at this point in my life. As strange as it may sound, I am truly grateful God allowed me to endure cancer in my life. I may not be able to father children, but I am more than able to be a dad. A father is not just about donating genes-it's about donating one's love. I have so much love in my heart, and I just want to share it. The same love that God shows us is the same love I want to show my son and/or daughter. 

My wife and I are a committed, loving couple and we love to laugh. We enjoy watching sporting events, playing with our dog, playing board games and hanging out with friends. We love traveling to different cities and visiting the zoos there. Above all, we love ministering to and serving others. Krista and I have a servant's heart, and we love helping our church's children and youth groups.

My final thoughts: If you remember one thing and only one thing from this letter, let it be this: God loves you and He has a purpose for all things. Birth mother, you have been covered in prayer, regardless if you choose us or not. We are still grateful that you are willing to share your walk in faith during this process.

Your Brother in Christ,
Jesse



Dearest Birthmother,

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, and it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres.  These verses from the Bible best describe my heart and my soul.  I cannot express the gratitude I have for you and other birthmothers. As this child was created in your womb, just know that you were prayed for. God has placed in my heart the need to pray for all birthmothers around the world. Today, even as you are reading this, you are covered with prayers through our love of Jesus Christ.

My story begins about 6 years ago when my husband was diagnosed with cancer. We found out just before we were married that, as a result of the cancer, having children would not be something we could do. Although adoption was something we were called to do even before that day, we began immediately praying that God would open up the doors for us to share our love. After 6 years, God has cleared the way for us to begin our journey in adoption.
  
In our home, our faith and relationship with Jesus Christ is by far the most important gift we can give. We are very involved in our church, children's ministry, soccer ministry, and small group ministry in our home. We consider it a must to have prayer before every decision and to be in God's Word daily.  

Some of our hobbies are sporting events, traveling, and playing board games with our friends. We enjoy going to hockey games, baseball games, and football games. We are league directors for a sports ministry and play softball on our spare time. We also love to travel to other cities around the US to visit sporting arenas and zoos. And we love having friends and their children over to play board games. 

Our child's birthmother will have a very active role in the life of our adopted child, if she chooses. Family is very important to us, and we gather several times a year to celebrate birthdays, holidays, and just to see one another. Our birthmother will be invited to attend some of these family events, and she is welcomed to be part of our family prayer time each day. We will also send videos and photos of the child twice a month, as our child's birthmother will be part of our family.

Joshua 1:9 says, "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." The courage and strength you possess is an encouragement to me. May God continue to protect you forever and always.

Praying for you!
Krista

Here goes the WAITING PERIOD.........

the "Shoes" in the back of my closet

This morning as I drove into work I listened to some good ole classic hymns. I began thinking about where I was when I first heard this hymn and who taught this to me. Well my sisters and I used to go to a little ole Nazarene church and we used to sit in the front row and we loved singing those hymns. Blessed Assurance, When we all get to heaven, Victory in Jesus, O How I love Jesus, and my favorite Great is Thy Faithfulness.  

“Great is Thy faithfulness,” O God my Father,

There is no shadow of turning with Thee;

Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not

As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.

“Great is Thy faithfulness!” “Great is Thy faithfulness!“

Morning by morning new mercies I see;

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided—

“Great is Thy faithfulness,” Lord, unto me!

Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,

Sun, moon and stars in their courses above,

Join with all nature in manifold witness

To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth, 

Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;

Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, 

Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Reflecting back on this, it reminded me that sometimes you need to pull those shoes out from the back of your closet and share them with others. I want to be able to share these traditions with my children and teach them the good ole classic hymns as well as the new ones.  I want to teach my children that it is important to share where you have come from and where you have been.  

I have also learned it is good to understand the language.  Last week someone said How are thee??  I said, I am well.  Then they said How are thine??  My reply was What, I don't speak King James!  Speak to me in ESV.   Looking back on this I know it is ok that I don't understand King James, but I grew up with that version and many of the hymns that I love are in King James just like Great is Thy Faithfulness.  I have challenged myself to learn and to speak King James for the sake of myself but also my children. Proverbs 22:6 (KJV) Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

The final thought I have is that I do not have any of my grandmothers recipes. We have turned into a generation where we can just go look up recipes online or through The Pioneer Women's blog (which I love by the way).  What ever happened to passing along recipes generation after generation through your own family.  My grandmother made the best banana pudding ever. Now I did not like meringue but my granny always put some on there.  I have to think that my children may like it or they may want to make this for their own children.  My grandmother passed away over 8 years ago and I will never forget those times in the kitchen with her and also that she never put that meringue on my side of the Nanner Puddin.  One other thing she would always say.. What is my name? Puddintain, ask me again I'll tell you the same. I miss my granny! I guess I have some research to do in order to get these recipes for my family.

So this week I encourage you to look back at your past and to see where you have come from and where you have been.  The only way to reveal your past is to share it..

my "Feet" are tired from all this running

Here are a couple of updates from the past few weeks.  God has already answered some of the prayers and tears from my Valentine blog.  Remember I told you that God would take me through this challenging time and bring good news.  Well things are starting to look up.  Joshua 1:9 says Have not I commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.  This verse has been all over the place lately.  It was my verse of the day last week and several people keep sending it my way.  Thank you God!      

February 26th was the busiest day of our adoption process. It began at 5 AM as we woke up to take two online training courses, adoption physicals, and then adoption interviews for the rest of the day. It was worth it though.  We were able to get all of domestic paperwork, online classes, and home study items checked off our list.  Praise the Lord! 

Some of the final items we need to complete are our domestic group training courses, online profile, and adoption profile books.  We will be attending our next adoption group training course next week. This month's topic is Birth Parent Panel, please pray for this event.  Also we are working on our online profile and adoption profile books.  This includes writing letters to the birthmother and finding photos that best describes your life. Once we are done with our letters we will share those. 

I have to share this last piece with you. Adoption is not just for the parents it impacts the entire family.  This week our niece and nephew wrote letters for our adoption profile book. They wanted to write letters to their cousin. Kylen says he is excited to see his cousin and he wants to teach his cousin basketball and go to hockey games with them.  Gabby says, I will be your favorite cousin and I can't wait to meet you.  

   

Check list for all of those who are keeping score:

Domestic Packet -- CHECK
Domestic Adoption Courses -- CHECK
Home Study -- CHECK
Domestic Group Training Courses -- 1/4 CHECK
Online Profile -- 1/4 CHECK
Adoption Profile Books -- 1/4 CHECK