Snow days, rest, and adoption

Well I haven't blogged in over a month, mostly because our family has been sick, traveling, and busy shuttling around town for this, that, and the other thing. Getting the kids bundled up and in and out of the minivan in the winter is a chore that I'm not a fan of, so these past few weeks as we've had snow, ice, and more snow, I've been so thankful for some time to breathe and load up the minivan a few less times on snow days. (Oh yes, and there is also the 7-month-old Miss Zoe who hates sleeping; thus the lack of blog posts :-).)

As many of you know, this past Friday, we were forced into a time of rest we were not anticipating. Daniel was called into his boss's office and told his position was being eliminated immediately; he could spend the day how he wished and head home as soon as he wanted. I distinctly remember just a few months back sharing with some friends in my MOMS group at church how blessed we felt with his employment; a steady, secure job that was more than providing our family and allowing us to work financially toward our call to adopt. The Lord has provided nearly $11,000 toward our upcoming adoption costs, and we can't stop thanking Him for continuing to bring in funds when we had no physical ability to do the hard fundraising work (did I mention that sweet baby girl who hates sleeping?)

So when we heard the news of Daniel's immediate layoff, we were definitely surprised. We were disappointed in the loss of a job he enjoyed that was "providing" for us. But we also felt overwhelmed in our spirits with peace that ultimately the Lord is our Provider and has definitely been with us to this point and also knows what He has planned for us next! We have felt extremely blessed with a network of friends and family who've immediately set to work helping us find connections, and we've been relieved to have been working hard on Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace Baby Steps for the past five years (seriously--if you don't know who Dave Ramsey is or what the baby steps are, go here and start NOW!)

With this recent job loss combined with several snow days and cancelled events, we have had time to slow down, enjoy relationships in our lives, and seek the Lord more diligently. As we've prayed and sought direction, one thing continues to burn in our hearts--a clear call to pursue adoption and care of children in crisis. We started this blog nearly two years ago for the purpose of updating you on our adoption journey, and the Lord has reaffirmed that call in our hearts yet again over the past few weeks. In fact, last Sunday the Brookhaven missions month keynote speaker Dennis Wright spoke on the impending need to reach the unreached people around the world with the great truth of Christ. Miss Zoe was not cooperating that day, so I had to keep her with me in service and had to leave halfway through the message. While holding her in my arms in a side room and listening to Dennis speak, the Lord impressed upon my heart yet again, "Your family is to reach the unreached children--those with no one to love them, those who have no one to speak My name and My love into their lives. Welcome them into your home. Be their mommy and daddy as I am your Daddy. Teach them to know My name."

Since Zoe's birth we have wrestled with exhaustion and a feeling of "crazy" in our lives, stemming from sleepless nights, lots of activities, and a full work schedule. This month we've had time to enjoy the snow and rest. We are so thankful the Lord continues to speak truth and purpose into our hearts when we are quiet in His presence. We can't wait for the end of March when Zoe turns 9 months old and we will be allowed to update our home study again and see what the Lord has in mind for our family as we actively pursue adoption again! Please pray with us as we wait for employment to open up, and rejoice with us at the Lord's extreme blessings in both the calm AND the storms of life!