got a strong "Foot Hold" but a long way to go

Thank you for your texts, Facebook messages, and cards.  We are missing you too. Sorry Jesse and I have been MIA for the past month or so.  Just like when you trying to conceive a baby you need alone time.  :)  Well we are trying to get pregnant on paper.  


So this is why we have been MIA. After our home visit we needed to get right to work on our paperwork in our home study.  Here are some of the fun items we have had to track down: certificates, licenses, vaccination history on our pets, insurance info, and finances pages to name a few. And then just signing a bunch of policies and making decisions that will impact our entire lives. Needless to say we are still in paperwork mode....prayers and tears   

Domestic Packet -- HALF CHECK



We have also completed two of the four online classes. To be honest this is not my favorite part of the process and we are planning to have all four done before Wednesday... prayers and more prayers



Domestic Adoption Courses -- HALF CHECK 

We have also completed our first of four group training sessions.  I really enjoyed our first class.  The Lord answered one of my prayers that evening.  I have had a void in my heart for a while now.  I am unable to connect with other women who can have babies naturally.  So I have prayed that God will send me a friend that I can talk to about being infertile.  Thank you Lord for giving me a friend at work and now a local friend.  I just happen to sit next to someone who lives just a few streets over from my house and yes she struggles with infertility.  Praise the Lord for helping me in my time of loneliness, please pray that I may fill the void in these ladies lives as well. Ok back to the class... The group session was about partnering with another ministry to help fund raise.  Jesse and I had already been in prayer before this meeting about this project and it just happens to be one that we are going to do. Their mission verse is James 1:27- Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.  

Please check out their site for more details.  http://www.bothhandsfoundation.org/    We will be looking to do this Fundraiser in the Fall.  What a great way to be a blessing and to help serve a widow in Middle Tennessee...  prayers and praises



Domestic Group Training Courses -- 1/4 CHECK



Ok now I have saved the best for last.  What an incredible way to begin my weekend at Fellowship Bible Church at the Wait No More Conference. I found myself at one moment in tears just as I looked around the room and saw 500+ other adopting families worshiping God.  It was an emotional service and the Holy Spirit covered the entire conference.  We heard story after story about how lives have been impacted through adoption.  We heard from adopting parents, adopted children, and we heard from the Lord.  Adoption is a life sacrifice just like we are doing as Christians... tears and tears

Dear God,

Heal my heart and make it clean; Open up my eyes to the things unseen; Show me how to love like you have loved me; Break my heart for what breaks yours; Everything I am for Your kingdom's cause; As I walk from earth into eternity.

Amen

The Saga continues as we have our physicals and interviews on Wednesday!

finally some "Weight Off My Feet"

Most of our blogs have been about sharing the good news. But today I would like to share some of the challenges that we are going through.  

First challenge-- Do you want to adopt a child with special needs? Wow what a tough question for me.  If I were to get pregnant and if my child had a special need, I would not abort it or give it away. I would take this child in my arms and love it no matter what. But you have to make a decision... prayers and tears.. prayers and tears.. 

Second challenge-- In the event that the adoptive parents die, whom will assume the guardianship role of the children.... Wow again.  There are so many people that have prayed for us, prayed for this child, and whom we love so dear.  But we have to just pick one couple... prayers and tears.. prayers and tears..

Third challenge-- Home visit today.  Do you have a carbon monoxide detector, fire extinguishers and so on?  Also make sure all closets, drawers, and cabinets are cleaned, organized, and baby proofed... Now I love to clean and organize so this was alot of fun, but throw in my CDOness (OCD in ABC order) and you get someone who hasn't slept in a week.   Obsessing over everything including that the entire house is clean top to bottom except for the oven.  I did not clean my oven.  OH MY GOODNESS!! Now you may say Krista why are they going to look in your oven?? They didn't but I KNOW that it is the only thing not clean in my house.  So the compulsive obsessing continues... prayers and tears.. prayers and tears..

Final thought..  someone reminded me this week that it is a good thing that I will not have morning sickness.  This process is emotionally, physically, and spiritually draining. My morning sickness began day one of this adoption process.

Now the good news... I know and believe that God has a plan for each of these challenges and He will make everything beautiful in His time.  -Ecclesiastes 3:11  

So check back in the future because I am sure I will be able to share the good news from these challenges.  Time to clean my oven!!

Home Visit--CHECK.

the fingerprints and "footprints" of God

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.  -Proverbs 22:6

This was my answer today to the question why do you want to adopt a baby? God spoke through me when I gave that answer. Do you ever speak and wonder was that me speaking???  Well today I knew it was the power of the Holy Spirit. I was covered by the fingerprints of God.

I said it is important to us to begin to instill our faith and values in a baby at a young age so that we can train the child up so he will know where to go.  I then looked behind me and that verse was on a painting on the wall. A masterpiece, a living breathtaking piece of art...What a God moment to be able to speak the Word of God, but to also have it right at our fingertips.  

The rest of our meeting went well.  It was really just a quick meeting to map out the rest of our adoption journey.  From fingerprinting, adoption training courses, interviews, fees, home study, and tons and tons of paperwork.  

Fingerprinting--CHECK. 

Ok now what is next on my checklist? (Sigh..)  This is going to be alot of work. I am a proactive mega planner and this is something that is outside of my scope of planning. My friends tell me that my planning days will be over soon when a baby is added to my life.  That is something that I will need prayer for... This morning during my quiet time I asked the Lord to help me adjust and to quit planning everything and to allow God to intervene with His plan and do all things in His timing. Please pray with me.

Dear God,

Please rescue me from my addiction of planning.  I surrender all of my life checklists and planners over to you.  Please align them to Your will and give me strength to give up all self-control.  God I trust in You and I love You!  

AMEN

putting on my "dancing shoes"

When you have good news you need to shout it from the mountaintops. 

How beautiful on the mountains are the 

feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace,

    who bring good tidings,

    who proclaim salvation,

who say to Zion,

    “Your God reigns!”

8 

Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices;

    together they shout for joy.

When the Lord returns to Zion,

    they will see it with their own eyes.

9 

Burst into songs of joy together,

    you ruins of Jerusalem,

for the Lord has comforted his people,

    he has redeemed Jerusalem.

10 

The Lord will lay bare his holy arm

    in the sight of all the nations,

and all the ends of the earth will see

    the salvation of our God.

-Isaiah 52:7-10

I am not much of a dancer, but I guess I should dance a little.  Well since we have good news and all.  Jesse has a tumor in his lung and we have been watching it for the past 9 months and he has no treatment what so ever.  Last week we got the results from his CT scan and it showed that his tumor is shrinking.  How does this happen without the Lord's intervention? Praise the Lord for continuing to protect us. 

Oh yeah one more thing, our adoption application is approved and we have our first meeting this Thursday. Ok I will dance a lot now.  Just need to pick the right song...  

putting myself in someone else's "Shoes"

I truly believe that God places people in your path for a reason.  Those people are friends, co-workers, or even random people you meet throughout your day. Some of the best conversations take place around the water cooler.  Well, at my office we don't have a water cooler but we have a kitchenette with a coffee pot.  And for all of you who know me and my coffee addiction you know that I spend alot of time around that area.

This past week while at the coffee pot, I ran into someone who knows what it is like to have a loved one with cancer.  A co-worker of mine found out recently that his son has leukemia. As we began sharing our stories and remembering what it was like to find out that our loved ones were diagnosed.  We talked about how unprepared we were and about how our faith had changed because of cancer.  God placed him at the coffee pot at the right time.. His time.  Our talk was very inspiring and encouraging.  

About two weeks ago it was that time of the year that both Jesse and I dread.  It was the time of the year for Jesse to take his cancer test. So this entire time I have been waiting impatiently for the results.  I found myself asking Jesse every day "did they call?" Or "ok maybe you should call them"... And finally last Friday we received the call.. The results were that he needed more tests.  Was this bad or is that good, I wondered? So here I am today finding myself to be more and more impatient.  Wanting everything to be ok instantly .. So here we are in the waiting period again...

I praise the Lord that I have an awesome husband that is faithful and trusts in God.  He trusts that God is always in control.  Joshua 1:9 says Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid; do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. Jesse is strong and courageous, I wish I was there...  I could say that I am not worrying about this, but I would be lying if I did.  It is really hard, but with God's guidance I'll get there. 

Also to be honest I haven't wanted to tell too many people about this.  To have to answer all the questions like... have you heard from the doctor yet??? what did the Dr. say??? what does this mean??? I didn't want to have to go through that.  So I didn't tell too many people that I was going through this.  

So let me guess what you are thinking...why would she put this in her blog if she didn't want to tell us about it.  Well I have decided to put myself in someone else's shoes. After speaking with my co-worker, and how he spoke on the significance of the prayers and support of others through this time; it's was the awaking I needed.  So I realized that I need to tell my friends and loved ones about what is going on.  I need prayer and support!  I know God loves us and He protects, but I am still scared.  Please pray for Jesse and I as we continue through our journey of battling this disease.  I know God has a plan and one day this will all make sense to me. 

 

 

getting our "Feet Wet" in our first fundraiser

God has good purposes for our lives, which He reveals to us through His word, His people, His nature, and our own hearts.  Jeremiah 29:11 says that for I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  God has placed some great people around Jesse and I and just in the right timing, His timing. Brooke and Kevin Maschmeier are some of those great people.  God has a plan for their life as well.   So you can see how excited I was to be able to partner with such a wonderful and inspiring couple for our first adoption fundraiser.  

In this fundraiser Jesse, Brooke, Kevin, and I sold "Tins for Tots" to our co-workers at our offices. Beginning in December we began selling Christmas tins that

we would later fill with delicious homemade Christmas treats to 91 of our co-workers. We were blessed to be able to raise $800 per family for a total of $1,600. God is so good! Thanks to each of you that purchased the tins to help fund the Aguirre and Maschmeier Tot. Also Praise the Lord for Hobby Lobby and their 50% off on all Decorative Christmas Items, in that we were able to purchase nice tins at an affordable costs.  

So the fun began on Friday, December 13th as I began the baking process. Thank you Kroger for having all the right stuff.. Sugar, Butter, Nuts.... YUM!  What a great time I had baking!!! The same could not been said for Jesse as he was able to experience the joy of baking... It was controlled chaos. We had brittle in this pan and cookies in that pan and we were alternating items in the oven and then the timer was going off and dishes piling up in the sink..... 
Fun times in the Kitchen!!!

On Sunday December 15th, the stuffing began!  Thanks to Adria, Jaye, Brooke, and Rebecca for helping us stuff these goodies! Also thank to all of you who donated your own homemade goodies.  I heard story after story from those baking goodies. There was a mom who baked their goodies with her young daughter and shared with her the gift of helping and giving to others. Another friend baked her cookies with her grandmother and her daughter sharing experiences about her own adoption. One woman talked to her grandchildren about our adoption and how this small gift can play a huge role in child's life. My heart was so overwhelmed with joy as I heard each and every story.  God was working in each of your homes as you baked for our fundraiser. Philippians 1:3-6 says "I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.   

Thank you again for your prayer support for our adoption. Remember Brooke and Kevin Maschmeier's in your prayers as well.  Here is a link to follow their journey. http://love-found-us.blogspot.com/

Until next time...

take the shackles off my "Feet" so I can dance

This morning as I drove into work one of my favorite songs was on the radio.

My chains are gone
I've been set free
My God, my Savior has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy reigns
Unending love, amazing grace

Thank you Lord for setting me free and breaking me out of these chains.  For the past six years I have been held in bondage because of my anger with God for not being able to have kids.  I allowed the fear and doubt to consume my life.  Even though Jesse was in remission and he was healed, I wasn’t. I knew I loved God and I loved Jesse and I thanked God for sparing Jesse’s life, but having this void in my heart took years to heal.  After Jesse’s extensive treatment was over, we decided to elope and get married.  Even though at that time it seemed rushed, it was the best decision I made.  See I am not very romantic and I like things very simple, so this was perfect for me.  I would not have had it any other way.   

But year’s passed and the void remained… I still felt at a loss not being able to have kids.  Mother’s Days and Father’s Days would pass and I would allow myself to remain behind closed doors because I was unable to face what the world was celebrating.  It took until this last year before I could fully embrace why….. until I fully surrendered it over to God and trusted that there was a reason.  His hand was molding and shaping each and every part of our lives during these past few years.  God had broken those chains that held my anger and fear and I was free.  Now what?????

Well there are so many kids that need parents and need a home.  We do not need to make our own, because there are kids out there.  We will love them like they are our own.  So guess what…. God is calling us to adopt.  To say that I have overcome all of this would not be correct.  I am in this journey with God, and He is molding and shaping me even today.   Jesse and I covet your prayers as we take you guys on this journey with us.  God is shaping and molding those little hands and feet to add to the Aguirre Family. 
 

1 Samuel 1:27 says for this child I prayed for…