It's been awhile since my last post. We have been busy lately, and we finished our first semester of our new school year with lots of excitement and many activities. We enjoyed all of the festivities that come with the Christmas season, including class parties, elementary Christmas programs, gift exchanges, and community gatherings. It truly has been a joyful time to celebrate our Savior's birth, and we have enjoyed relaxing with family and friends. Tomorrow we leave for a 10-day trip to Thailand! We are are excited about getting some time alone to relax and recharge for the new year.
As a family, we resolved to use our first semester back at PICS as a time to pray about how God wants us to begin growing our family, and after much prayer and thoughtful consideration, we have started the process of international ADOPTION!
God has placed us in a wonderful church with many families who have adopted or are in the process of adopting. After talking with some friends of ours, we have decided to work with Small World Adoption Agency. They have a program specifically for Americans living abroad, and we are very excited to be working with them. You can check out their website at www.smallworldadoption.com.
There are still lots of questions to answer, lots of work to be done, and many decisions to be made. We are excited about every step of the process, and we are resting in the fact that even amidst our unanswered questions, in His infinite wisdom, our Lord knows what the future holds.
As Christians, God calls us to walk in step with Him, trusting that He will make the path clear in His timing. We are often tempted to walk ahead of Him and try to take control or to lag behind Him out of fear or uncertainty, but God calls us to trust in His plans and timing.
As Christians, I think it's easy to recite an often-quoted verse like Proverbs 3:5-6, but to thoughtfully consider and apply it is another thing. This verse has been coming back to us again and again as we begin this process of adoption.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.
How exciting to think that each step that we take leads us closer to our little one, and how amazing to remember that God already has it all figured out!
We will keep you posted as we continue on this wonderful journey.
God bless you in the new year!
~Laura~
