Here We Go

We just received word that the government in Tobi's country is accepting paperwork in just 2 short weeks! They are opening back up a month early to accept submission of dossiers! We had hoped for this, but with everything going on in Russia, were truly not sure that it would actually happen. Today the request was signed and registered to make it official! We are one month closer to rescuing our boy from hopelessness to bring him into our family! What does this mean? It means that in the next week we are scrambling to get the last piece of our dossier in Tobi's country to get translated and then ready to be submitted as soon as it is possible! There are no given dates at this point, there is no such thing as a true timeline. That said, we have watched the last several families and have somewhat of a pattern hat we can unofficially go on. If we are submitted when we hope to be, we will be granted a travel date by around mid February. Typically there is 1-2 weeks notice before our actual travel time. That given, we are planing to travel mid to end of February. That leaves us less than 2 months to get just under $20,000. Wow, that is scary!!! We have seen God move in amazing ways already. I have been amazed at the generosity that has been shown to us. Every bit has meant so much to us. It is not easy for us to ask for help. But we cannot do this on our own. This is for our boy. We need to raise his ransom and we do not have much time to do it. Would you donate to Tobi's grant? We receive 100% of all money given through the donate button on the right side of this blog. It is tax deductible. You have 1 more day to get it in for this tax year. Please consider what you might be able to give. I am not sure how God is going to meet this need, I just know that we must be faithful. If you have already given, please know that it means the world to our family. It means the world to a little boy that has NO idea what family means. It means a future and a hope that he would not have without a family. We have been blown away by the many people who have given already. It is strange to be on this side of the giving, but God has truly blessed us.


2 Corinthians 8:8-14

⁸ I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. ⁹ For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

¹⁰ And here is my judgment about what is best for you in this matter. Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. ¹¹ Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. ¹² For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have.

¹³ Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality.¹⁴ At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. 

Merry Christmas

As we celebrate our Christmas Eve and ready things for morning, I cannot help but think of our Tobi tonight. A lot. We sat behind a family with a baby boy that looked about Tobi's age and as everyone sang Christmas carols, it was all I could do to hold myself together. I looked at that sweet baby boy and wondered if anyone will hold our boy tomorrow. Will someone whisper in his ear, tell him that he is loved? Sadly, I think he will probably lay in the same crib as every other day. It is so hard to be happy knowing that he is spending his first Christmas alone. I am so thankful that we found him while he is so young. So many others have spent many Christmas' alone. My heart hurts for them. I am thankful that this time next year our Tobi will be home. He will be getting matching jammies and there will be another candle on Jesus' birthday cake. His stocking will hang with the others and there will be a few more gifts under our tree. Better yet, there will be a little boy in my arms to keep quiet in the Christmas Eve service. As you celebrate this joyous season surrounded by friends and loved ones, would you do me a favor? Will you think of our Tobi and the many other children all alone and say a prayer for them?

Joy to the World?

Christmas has always been my favorite time of year. The colors, the lights, the happiness, the cuddly jammies, giving gifts... I love it all. But this year has been very different. I am struggling. Badly. For a couple of reasons. I am torn. Torn between being present and active in our family, making memories, experiencing the magic of this season with my children and knowing that one of our children is a half a world away, unaware that we are out here, doing our best to get to him as quickly as possible. He is spending his very first Christmas in the same crib that he has spent everyday of his life. It is as if someone were to take one of my 5 and tell me they will keep them in a room and give them the minimum they need to survive for an undetermined amount of time, just go on with your life. I would not be expected to just be okay with that. I never understood how hard this part would be. I just did not understand the reality of the love felt for a child one has never met. I cannot explain it myself, I only know it is true. I am trying to trust God and find a balance. I have been blessed with 5 amazing children. They know genuine from fake, and so things are a little different this year. We are surrounded by pictures of orphans, we pray for them by name. We are focusing much less on the giving and getting of Christmas and much more on doing and caring. I cannot bring every one of these lost ones home. Oh how I wish we could. What we can do is make sure that they are prayed for and cared about. We will build the gingerbread house like we do every year. This year we will pray for those children that do not have homes as we do it. We decorate the tree, but along with all the regular ornaments, there are photos of children that we as a family are praying for. We will go Christmas caroling as we do each year. This time we will try harder to focus on those we visit, instead of just the fun we have with our friends. We will be together, our hearts broken for those that are alone. I think that might be what Christmas is supposed to be about. He came to seek and to save the lost. That IS the JOY.

It Is Finished...Almost

Here it is. THIS is our dossier (pronounced doss E ay).

 This is the paperwork that we have spent the last 2 months gathering, notarizing, and getting apostilled. I remember opening that first email from our stateside parent facilitator that contained the list of documents to complete this. By the time I opened the three attachments full of instructions and documents we would need, I was in shock. Truly, I closed the email and sat there stunned. We were sure that God had called us to do this. We were NOT sure that we could pull it off. I fell back on God's promise to give us the grace and peace that we need when we needed it. I will not lie, there were times I wanted to scream and cry and pull my hair out. But, even then, God was faithful. We did one thing at a time. Not long after we really dug our feet in, determined to get it done, we realized that it was not as bad as it looked. We were glad that our initial fears did not turn us away from our calling. I am so thankful that we had Tobi to work toward. God gave me a fierce love for our little boy almost immediately. I did not expect it nor did I understand it. Looking back, I think that love is what drove us on. So, this is it. The majority of it is headed to another family that will be traveling to Tobi's country to meet their own little one. A few pages had to be corrected but are ready to go to the next family that travels. So, what comes next? We are waiting for USCIS to issue an appointment for fingerprinting. As soon as the fingerprints clear, we should have our approval within 48 hours. That is all that we are waiting on at this point. It will be apostilled and will be on its way to Tobi's country as soon as we have it. Once the team there has the complete dossier, they will submit our request to adopt to Tobi's government. We will then wait to be given an appointment to meet with them ourselves. At that appointment, we will learn about our boy. His birth name, true birthdate, his birth story, his family history, his medical files. At that time, we will accept his file and be given permission to meet him in person. Once we meet him, we can officially accept him and begin the process of his adoption. We will stay in his country usually about 10 days (sometimes a bit longer) until we are granted a court date. He will remain in his orphanage during this process, but we will be given visitation. Typically 1 hour morning and night, although it is left to the director to set those times. We will be granted custody at the court date, but there is a 10 day wait before it takes effect. During that time, we will probably come home. We will take that time to get things ready for him and get ready to bring him home. One or both of us will go back at the end of the mandatory wait to chase paper. It will then FINALLY be gottcha day. We will get him out of there once and for all. It will take a few more days to gather what we need to bring him into the US, but he will remain with us during that time. 

It Is Time For an Update

Here we are, 7 weeks since we requested a homestudy and began the process of officially committing to Tobi (Fletcher on Reece's Rainbow). It has been an interesting journey so far, filled with many emotional highs and lows. Our homestudy has been almost done for several weeks, waiting on one child abuse and neglect clearance from the state of Michigan. Every other state came back, even those sent out much later. We were getting ready to send out a second request, assuming it had been lost somewhere along the way. We took a quick trip to Michigan to visit family for Thanksgiving. While we were there, we called a contact that we had in the local DHS office and asked if there was a way we could do it quickly while we were in town. They said to come down and fill out a new form and they would do their best. The next morning, we got a call that they were done and we could pick them up. We scanned a copy and sent it to our social worker and she was able to get everything final. We returned from our trip on Saturday and received our finalized homestudy on Monday! Just like that, it is done! One copy is being routed through the must stops, on its way to USCIS, where it will be united with our I600a application. That will grant us permission to bring Tobi into the country and will make him a citizen as soon as the airplane lands! Two more copies get put into our dossier (the official package of paperwork that will be presented to Tobi's government). It feels like we have been flying nonstop for weeks to get this set of paperwork finished. Suddenly we are finished. All the busy work is complete and I find myself obsessing about very silly things. We decorated for Christmas this week and the fact that there is an empty spot where Tobi's stocking belongs breaks my heart. I have been searching frantically to find him one that matches the other kids'. I have been in tears because I could not find it, after literally hours of scouring stores and the internet. If we were not saving every penny, I would replace them all so they can match. I know it is more important to get him home than for him to have a stocking that matches everyone else's right now. There will be time to figure that out next year. But that empty spot threatens to rip out my heart. It is a very visual reminder that he is missing. It is strange how a little person that we have never met can have such a definite, almost tangible place in our hearts and our family. I pray often through the day that he will somehow know that we are out here, working our hardest to get to him. That we love him dearly and that he has reason to hope, and to hang on.

Would you pray with us that his orphanage would be protected from illness during this season. Sickness in these children, so weak already, can get very bad very quickly.

"This is MY Hudson"

Would you watch this video?

And now would you act? Have you considered saving one that is precious but lost? You can see so many waiting children at http://reecesrainbow.org/new-family/thechildren. They wait for someone to be moved to act.

If that is not where you are being called, would you help us? This is OUR son. Would you please help us get to him? Would you help us spread the word? 

 Would you help us call the body of Christ to be His hands and His feet. We are doing everything that we can think of to get our boy home. Would you help us get to him?

Orphan Sunday

Today is the day. Orphan Sunday. The church's attempt to highlight the need of orphans. Our church joined with many others across the country and even the world to bring to light the plight of so many children without families. The ones that so often go forgotten. Now what? The day is over. Will we go on rushing through our busy lives choosing to forget? Can we see and not act? We are God's hands and feet. We have been given a great responsibility to care for the widows and the orphans. The most vulnerable. Orphan Sunday is a good start, but those children will still be orphans tomorrow. Those children need to be fed, held, and cared for more than once a year. Tobi and the many many like him will wake up tomorrow and stare at the same crib bars and drab walls as they have all their lives. Many of them have never experienced life outside of one room. They do not hope for a better life because they do not have any idea that any other exists. God has given us, as His followers, the responsibility to care for them. We are failing them. The question is, what are you going to do? Are you going to continue on with life tomorrow? Will you research ways to help? It may not look the same for everyone. Some of us are called to open our arms. Others are called to research and truly pray for the great needs. Others are given positions to advocate for the helpless. Others still have the means to support and encourage families like ours who are adopting or those that have already opened their arms. Each of us, with many different gifts, in so many areas need to do our part. One day a year is not enough. Orphan Sunday is over. What are you going to do tomorrow? 

PLEASE don't forget! 

I challenge you to look through the many faces of waiting children listed on Reece's Rainbow. Even if you cannot bring one home, you can pray over them. You can advocate for them. You can care about them. You can find them here. 

We have been so blessed to have a church family to come along side us. They are there to encourage and pray for us. It has meant so much to our family. To know that our church cares about and is praying for our boy and us as we go through this process to bring him home means so much. If you know a family going through adoption, would you encourage them? Would you pray for them and let them know that you support them. This is truly a spiritual battle. Would you hold them up as they fight? The support from our friends and family has made a world of difference for us.

If you'd like to give to help us meet the great financial cost of ransoming our son, you can press the donate button on the top right of this page. Every bit helps! If you do give,  please send me an email at bringmehometobi@gmail.com with your address so we can send you a wrist band and a big thank you!

Where Are We Now?

I remember the first time I ever drove in a real express lane. It was in San Bernardino, CA during rush hour. I was on my way to meet my husband in San Diego, still newlyweds, a whole country away from my family. I was all alone before the days of GPS and I was SO out of my element. I remember being so overwhelmed by the speed and the traffic (learning to drive in North Dakota did NOT prepare me for flying down the express lane at 90 miles an hour with no clue about where I was supposed to be!). I did not mean to be there, but there was no way out and I had no choice but to figure it out quickly and roll with it until I could exit. I made it out alive, but it was SCARY! Once I finally made my way off, I pulled into a rest area and totally lost it. I look back and laugh at my young, inexperienced self. But now, I kind of feel like we just pulled into an expressway. It has been 16 days since our official commitment to "Fletcher". SIXTEEN days!!!! We have almost completed our homestudy. It is waiting for 3 things to be checked off, which should all be complete by Friday. I sent our first package of documents off to the Secretary of State to be apostilled. I didn't even know what that meant just 16 days ago! By the way, it is a certification of the notary, used for international business. As soon as it comes back, which should be in under a week, I will begin finding another family traveling to Tobi's country soon to carry this set of documents over to our facilitation team. They will translate it and do whatever needs to be done on their end to make it legal there. Then they will submit our request for permission to submit our dossier (which are the documents officially requesting permission to adopt). While that is being done there, we are quickly gathering the documents for that dossier. We are about 75% done with that. Once our homestudy is done, we will go over it, send it to our facilitator and make sure it is worded right to make the US happy and to please Tobi's country as well. After that is done, the finalized copy will be written up and one copy will be sent to SC DSS for approval and then on to USCIS to be united with our I600a application. Hopefully attaining permission to bring our orphans to the US (after our fingerprinting). The other copy will be sent with the rest of our dossier to be apostilled and then off to Tobi's country. We will then wait for the official permission from them and a date given to travel for an official meeting. At that time, if Tobi is truly available (which we are fairly sure of since we have received an update since our commitment, but in Tobi's country, there are no certainties) we will see his complete file. We will then be granted permission to visit him. After that meeting with our son, we can make it official and wait for our court date. While we wait, we will have time to get to know our little guy and see some of his country. At that court date, he will officially be ours, but it takes 10 days for court orders to go into effect in his country. We are not sure if we will both go home for that wait or just Marvin. Either way, at the 10 day point, he will be ours and we can start gathering what we need to get him home. He'll get a new birth certificate and all the other stuff one needs to travel to the US. And then we will come home!!! Things are moving SO fast. I feel a lot like I did that day I found myself on the San Bernardino expressway. I am so thankful for the direction we have been given and will get from the absolute wonderful stateside facilitator for Tobi's country through Reece's Rainbow. She has walked us through every step and answered countless questions. I sometimes wonder if she ever sleeps :) It is hard to be flying so fast through the unfamiliar. I have very little control over this process. I have learned that there is SO much spiritual warfare that surrounds rescuing these lost  ones. Satan hates redemption and we have walked headfirst into a battle that we had no idea existed, at least not to this extent. We appreciate your prayers and support. This process is going much faster than we had expected it to. It has only been 2 weeks. We could be nearing the end within a few more months. As scary as that is, the faster the better! We are ready for our family to be together in one place!

Questions and Answers

I have gotten a lot of questions since we began telling people about our plans to adopt. Thankfully no one has asked if we are out of our minds...at least not to our faces:) So, I thought it would be good to answer a few of the ones we get most often here.

 Q. How much is this going to cost?

 A. This is by far the most asked question we have gotten. I will be breaking it down in a little more detail in an upcoming post. The short answer is that we have added up all that we have already spent and the estimated costs of what we will be spending. It comes out to $27,626. Wow, that still kinda takes my breath away and I have been looking at it for days now. I am so thankful to know that God will provide. His people have already begun to come alongside us and we are so thankful to see it. We have been blessed by so many people that care about our family and about this little boy that so badly needs saving.

 Q. How are your children accepting the news of adoption?

 A. We get this one a lot as well. I have a post planned about the response of each of them individually. That said, after some initial disappointment of another brother (can you guess whose concern this was?), it has been very positive. My boys have always wanted more siblings, which may be hard to believe unless you have a bigger family yourself. My kids are truly best friends and the thought of having more siblings to them means more friends:) As soon as we showed them a picture of Tobi, he became their little brother in their minds. The way they love him already makes me very proud. I am sure not everyday will be wonderful, we will guide each of them through the hard ones.

 Q. Will you have to travel? How long will you have to stay?

 A. Yes. We will be flying to Eastern Europe. How long is a little up in the air right now. It could be 2 trips, the first consisting of 2-3 weeks and then another of about 5 days. Marvin will come home after the first trip. I might stay or I might come home for the 10 day wait. If I come home, I will get back soon enough to get paperwork finished. He will get a new birth certificate and a passport and then we will be on our way HOME!!!

 Q. Who is Fletcher?

 A. If you have been over to Tobi's support page, you will know where this question comes from. Fletcher and Tobias are the same baby. We have very little information about our Tobi. We are given his birth month, and some of his health concerns. His country guards all other information, including birth names. When Reece's Rainbow lists new children, they are each assigned an alias. Tobi's alias is Fletcher. Tobias Asher is the name we have chosen to name him when we are issued his new birth certificate. We will learn his birth name when we get to his country.

 Q. How can I help?

 A. Well, the biggest way you can help us is to pray. Pray that Tobi is being loved while we are going through this process. It is my greatest sadness to think that, as we wait for paperwork to make its way slowly through this process, he is laying in a crib all alone. Please pray that he has someone in his little life that takes the time to hold him. The next way is to give. The amount of money that we are going to need to complete this is staggering to us. But if everyone gives a small amount, we can accomplish much. The next thing you can do is to share Tobi's story. Share the blog. You can also go to and like www.facebook/bringmehometobi (a link is at the top left of this page). Please share his story with those you know. The more people who know about him, the more people might also be willing to help. If you have other questions, please ask!

New Button for Tobi!

Tobi's button is done! I may be biased, but I think he is absolutely adorable! I would love if you would consider putting his button on your blog! This sweet boy, who has been tucked away in a special needs baby center because of his down syndrome, deserves to be seen and to be known! I pray that his story and the stories of so many like him that have been rescued will speak to those in his country that these sweet children deserve a life and to be loved! EVERY life has worth. Would you help? If you are willing but don't know how (where I was just a few weeks ago!), you can email me at bringmehometobi@gmail.com . I'd be happy to help :)

I Surrender All

I have always loved being at church on Sunday morning. No matter what is going on, it is the easiest place for me to get my perspective right. It is the easiest place for me to focus on the Savior. I find the world and my fears are much easier to drown out. This morning the pastor's sermon was about prayer. Answered prayer. There was so much that spoke to my heart, but I was convicted again. Is it faith if I continually give my anxieties about our adoption expenses to God and then finding myself again worrying about it? I find myself understanding the father that cried out, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" Today's sermon was another reminder from the Holy Spirit. As I thanked my Lord for His patience and for His constant persuit of my heart, we stood for the invitation. As the music began to play, I recognized the song immediately. I stood in my spot and let go as all around me the congregation began to sing I Surrender All. I wonder if God smiled as He watched me break down and surrender. I think He probably did.  Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Crazy? Maybe!

 Why are we traveling thousands of miles and paying thousands of dollars to redeem a child whose own people have discarded? When I think about it, this is exactly what my Savior has done for me. I was hopeless and stuck in sin. There was absolutely nothing I could do to free myself. But, Jesus, in complete selfless love, rescued me from the hopeless mire. He gave Himself to give me hope. Jesus asks me, as His follower, to become like Him. He wants me to feed the hungry, to give drink to the thirsty, to clothe the naked, and to love the unloved. Why does He command us to do these things? Because that is what He did. What a beautiful picture to those still hopeless. The Bible says that true religion is taking care of the widow and the orphan. Not so that we look better than everyone else, but because this is a picture of what Christ has done for His people. It is a very tangible picture of God's grace. It is the gospel alive. When we began to look into adopting a special needs child, we knew that a lot of people would support and encourage us in this. We also knew that a lot of people would think we were absolutely crazy. And I think we are, in a sense. I truly believe that God has called His people to be crazy. This is going to be a sacrifice, it is going to stretch us in every single way I can think. Financially, we are giving our all and having faith that the rest will come. Emotionally, not only is the adoption process filled with emotions, simply raising our son is going to stretch us to a whole new level. Physically, we are committing to caring for our baby's needs for the rest of his life. Spiritually, we are being asked to step out of our comfort with faith that I am not sure either one of us have at the moment. This is not easy, but the love God has given us for our little boy is beyond anything I ever thought possible. I already love him as my own. It gives me just the tiniest reflection of how He feels for me. Jesus has not called us to be comfortable, not on this earth anyway. He has called us to be His ambassadors here. He has called us to see worth where no one else does, because He saw worth in us, even though we were not worthy. We do not have any idea or expectation of what our little guy can and will accomplish once home, but I have no doubt that our sacrifices will bring joy. Am I saying that every Christian that is not adopting a child is not living according to His will? The answer to that is no, of course not. Not unless He is calling you to do that. There are unloved people that surround us each and every day. There are hurting people that need to know what undeserved love feels like. There are so many ways to follow His will in this, to be a living picture of what He has given us. That is the number one reason we are doing this. The fact that we are saving the life of a little boy that we see as a treasure brings peace to the rest. We are coming, sweet boy. Hang on just a little while, sweet one!

Storms

    I want to be real here. I could paint this process in beautiful colors and lines, and although I know without a doubt that the end result will be a beautiful picture, that beauty is enhanced by the sometimes not so pretty lines that it is made with. 

     At the same time our adoption became public, a whole new world opened up to us that we never knew existed. Full of resources and information and connections that I am so thankful to have. These things will surely be invaluable to us as we walk through the next months. I am so thankful to have it, and SO overwhelmed by it at the same time. When we were able to make our announcement, our decision became more real to us. The true weight of what we are doing has hit us head on. Not enough to scare us away, for our boy is worth every bit of all we have, but enough to give me panic attacks when I think about the magnitude of what we have done. I do believe this might be what Peter felt as He got out of the boat. It is a longing, we know it is right, it is amazing in fact. When our vision is locked on Jesus, a miracle does not seem impossible at all. Yesterday, before we made our announcement we were in the boat. We stepped out when we hit post. Today the waves threaten to over take us. I saw a figure of the amount of money another family is gathering to take on their trip today. I had seen the same one on paper on more than one occasion, just like Peter saw the storm before he got out of the boat. But this time, I was out of the boat. The waves seemed much scarier here. It threatened to swallow me. I am choosing to quit focusing on the waves, My God is much bigger than they are. He controls the waves. He called us out of the boat, no doubt He will hold us up in the storm. Our situation seems impossible when I focus on the number, but the Savior is standing there. He wants for our eyes to stay on Him alone. If this was possible for us, it would not be His story. It is a little bit scary out here, but we stand with the One who has called us out of the boat. He stands with us. He did not get in the boat and double dare Peter to step out. No, Jesus did not so much call him out of the boat, as He called him TO Himself. Moving to my Jesus is a lot less scary than moving out of my boat. 

      

Introducing Our Son!

This is our youngest son! His name will be Tobias Asher Quiambao. 

I am not sure exactly what I can share publicly, so for now I am going to keep his home country off of the Internet. If I find out I can share, I definitely will. He has Down Syndrome. We don't have much else, except the knowledge that God has given him for us. We are at the beginning stages of this, but we are daily moving closer! If you feel led to give toward our little boy's journey home, Reece's Rainbow has set up a page for us. Anything given through the link at right is tax deductible. If you cannot give, would you pray with us? Knowing that this sweet boy is so far from his family breaks my heart. I do not know exactly where he is and if there is someone who is teaching him what love looks like or even meeting his basic needs. I do know that he is in a baby house for special needs children. I also know that he is in a country that does not value these sweet little lives. All I can pray is that if there are not human hands willing to love my baby boy, that God would provide supernatural ones. And that God would cause this process to move forward quickly so that he can join our family in more than word and heart.

Waiting

The hardest part of this process at this stage is the waiting. Waiting on call backs. Waiting on email returns. Waiting on paperwork. It has been (and will be for a while) a whole lot of waiting. For a few days, this frustrated me like crazy. Doesn't everyone understand that my child is an ocean away, with no one to wipe his tears and hug him close. And then I realized that God is in control of this, He can bring peace when i do not understand, it is what I pray right now. For now, I feel peace. I am praying like crazy, but I serve a living God that knows where our child is and exactly what they need, exactly when they need it. It is hard to trust in this, to be so completely out of control of all things. He is not our child yet. He is God's child, however. We have been called to do all we are shown to do as soon as we can get it done, but God holds the timing and circumstances in His hand. I will choose to trust and praise Him even when my heart feels stretched between 2 continents. God brought him into our hearts at just the right time, He will bring him into our arms at just the right time. I will choose to trust Him who was and is and is to come. He has it covered, there are no holes. I cannot fathom staying sane through this without the knowledge that He's got this!

Adoption

This one word brings so many emotions! Excitement, fear, sadness, joy, more fear, love, frustration, and so many more! We have always had a heart and calling for adoption. We have especially had a heart for special needs adoption. We have had to sit on the side lines and cheer many friends as they traveled their own journeys. We would offer prayer, encouragement, and even some finances. Our hearts would overflow as we watched them bring home their special children. We felt so much joy for them, and at the same time our hearts longed for a journey of our own. We have had to put it off for so long because of Marvin's crazy deployment schedule and our many moves. As hard as it is to wait, we knew that God has perfect timing. He would make it clear when it was our turn. In the meantime, I would browse the waiting children lists on many different sites. I would cry and pray for these little ones that did not know the love of a family of their own. I would follow blogs of families going through their own adoptions. We would pray and give as much as we could manage. All the while, waiting for our turn. When we moved to our new station, we knew that we had 3 years of no deployments. We bought a house with extra space and a car with many empty seats. We had hoped to open our home to foster care, however that door seemed closed to our family at this time. That left us with extra space, empty seats, and open arms. As I was looking through the precious little ones at Reece's Rainbow, my heart fell in love. With one special picture, we both knew that we have a green light! God might as well have screamed it at us. We know that this is a long scary race. We know that there will be weariness and possibly heartbreak. We do not know exactly what our race will look like, but we know the one who holds the map. We trust Him enough to just keep stepping. He will give us the strength and the grace that we need as we need. He will teach us to glean from Him. That is both scary and exciting. I cannot wait to introduce you to the one who caught our heart. Please pray with us as we run this race. We are sure to get frustrated, I already have and we've only just begun. We need constant reminders that God is in control. We need to trust so that we can run!