Whirlwind

What a whirlwind these past 6 months have been.

I have neglected our blog. It has almost been a year since my last post. It seems I'm not very good at keeping this updated. I will be working harder to do so in the future.

I was looking through some posts I never published. I'm not sure what held me back from pressing that publish button. Anyhow here's one from May 2014 for you to read...


Road Block...Detour Ahead (written in May 2014)

It's interesting how easily we can get on autopilot in our daily drive to work.  There have been days where I pull into the parking lot at work and wonder how I got there.  I drive the same route to and from school.  Recently my road was blocked due to construction and I was forced to take the detour route.  Even though it is very clear to me that the road is closed, I still find myself about to take that turn leading to the road block.  It's as if my car and brain are on autopilot.

It seems Okey and I were on autopilot during this waiting game.  I don't really know how else to put it. We didn't have any leads, didn't progress much on fundraising, and I guess just "taking it easy".  Though I can tell you it hasn't been easy waiting.  So much uncertainty and anticipation.  We were are torn up on the inside.  We might look calm outwardly, but we are screaming inside.  I've had rough days. The kind where I don't want to see or talk to anyone.  It was the same day after day...So I'll call it on autopilot.

Then about a month ago, BAM! Up goes a road block...and another...and yet more.  We start on one detour and there's another to follow.  Like a maze of roads and we have to try our best to navigate.  Home studies must be updated 18 months into the process.  More paperwork, drug tests, and other fun things had to be redone.  It seems that this can't be done without tons of complications.  We seriously have been hit with so many things.  It is delaying our paperwork from being completed, which means our profile will not be shown until completion.  Road blocks stink!

Even though it was frustrating to take a route to work, I allowed myself to enjoy the countryside.  I was able to soak in God's beautiful creation.  I'm trying so hard to apply this to our adoption process.  I pray to see God in these difficult times.  As I was dealing with a particularly bad day, I found out that I won a ticket to the Choose Joy Event in Laguna Hills, CA.  This event is a "faith-based conference event geared toward people experiencing infertility and/or desiring to build their family through adoption" (choosejoyevent.com).  Okey and I made plans to go there for the weekend.  We are so excited and have something to look forward to.

Sometimes there are bumps, potholes, and even road blocks in our journey.  We just have to learn to look around and find beauty in what's around us.  It might not be what we are used to or what we want to see, but there's something to learn from it all.

Blooms for Baby

Every Bloomin Thing of Cary, NC will generously donate a portion of their profits to our adoption when you order through February 14th and mention the WILSON ADOPTION!

This is a great chance to do your Valentine's Day flower shopping and support our adoption!  They deliver!

Please pass this along to your friends and family.

Here is the contact information for the flower shop. 

Every Bloomin Thing

118 Kilmayne Drive

 Cary NC 27511

(919) 469-5026

http://www.everybloominthinginc.com

Don't forget to mention our name or the adoption and order by February 14th!

Why?

Why Adoption?

Adoption wasn't our second choice.  It isn't a backup plan. It was always a part of our plan. It is God's plan. It's about the two of us being obedient to God.

Adoption means to choose or take as one's own. As we choose to accept Jesus as our savior, God adopts us as sons and daughters.

"But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.  And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.”  Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir." Galatians 4:4-7 NLT


It amazes me that God loves us so much, that not only does he want to redeem us but adopt us as his child. We are part of His family now and call Him father. 
"Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure." Ephesians 1:4-5 NLT 
We are royalty, sons and daughters of the King!

God set the idea of adoption separately in our hearts which seemed to spread when we met.  I am honored that God would choose adoption for our family.  A strange excitement comes to Okey and I when we think of how God chose us to adopt!  We love looking back to see how far we have come and how we have got to this point.  There is so much spiritual and personal growth that we have experienced individually and as a couple that we would have never been able to experience without embarking on an adoption journey.

Waiting...but worth it!

WOW! 2014!
How can this be? Where has the time gone?

As we welcomed another new year, I had some time to reflect on this adoption journey.
We have been waiting now for over a year.  I never have had to wait like this before.  Usually if I waited long for something new that I wanted, soon it didn't matter to me.  I don't know about you, but I can really tell if I want something if I make myself wait.

Not once has my desire lessened in these years of waiting for a family.  It seems to keep growing and getting deeper.  I want children and I know we are on the right path, despite the long and hard trail.  I dream of the day of bringing home our precious child (or children).  The craziest part is that I can see us doing this all over again afterwards and that excites me!

We keep working hard to raise money and bring awareness to our adoption journey and adoption in general.  It seems to keep us busy and keeps our minds off the waiting.

I've had a few inquiries about how much money we have raised and/or what is left.  I usually just respond we are about halfway.  Honestly I was afraid to look.  I had a pretty good idea of what our fund looked like, but it just wasn't something I wanted to look at.  Money can serve as a road block.  I can't take our baby home if the money isn't there.  Frightening!

Adoption is expensive!  Our cost was just increased a few months ago to $25,000 (but could be more due to other circumstances)! Yikes!  Terrifying but not when you know and trust that God is bringing you through.

So I sucked it up today and checked out our fund to get the exact amount.  As of today we have raised and saved $13,269.92!  WOW! When I finished adding it all up, my first response was "Thank you Lord!" and I did a little happy dance.  Thank you to everyone who has supported us in one way or another!  We are blessed to be part of the Church Alive family and have so many family members, friends, and even strangers supporting us!

We are over the halfway mark! We still have $11,730.08 left to raise.

Sooo I will NOT be scared to look again. I need to keep trusting that God will get us there.  He is the one that wanted us to go on this journey anyhow!

Here is a list of our current fundraising options... 

1.  Click the PayPal Donate button on this page.

2.  Order some coffee or hot chocolate at 
      https://justlovecoffee.com/wilsonadoption
     Their story is awesome and they have "Fair Trade" and "Organic" options!

This is a sampler we ordered.  It all smells soooo delicious.
We tasted "African Skies" and it was amazing!
www.justlovecoffee.com/wilsonadoption

3.  Purchase one of our t-shirts for $10

This is a close up of the design.
The colors are light gray shirt with blue and green writing.

4.  Participate in our Baby Bottle Bonanza! Just fill one of our baby bottles with your loose change, cash, or checks.  This will be ongoing so feel free to get as many bottles as you want and keep refilling!

Last trip to the bank I deposited $300.90
from some of the returned bottles!
Cha-Ching!

5.  PUZZLE fundraiser!  This is brand new!

      You can purchase one or more puzzle pieces.  Each piece costs $10.  For each piece that is purchased, the donor's name (or one they choose) will be written on the back of the piece(s).  I will update the blog with the puzzle progress.  When it is all put together, we will frame it and put it in the nursery.  This will be a great keepsake for Baby Wilson to see everyone involved in bringing him/her home.

      You can donate using the PayPal button and put a note about the puzzle through the site.  You could also email me after your donation to let me know the names that should be listed on the piece.  

    

Here's the puzzle!
1 piece = $10

QUESTIONS about any of these fundraisers...
email  wilsonadoption(at)gmail(dot)com