Against All Hope

We had our first face-to-face meeting today with the lady from the agency who is our representative with the agency we are adopting through. We met her at the home of one of her other families who have already adopted through her. This family has three children from E. Asia. This lady is a blessing! The Lord has truly blessed us by putting us with her. She is a great woman of faith. If any of you are ever is interested in adopting please let us know and we will get you connected with her! She is great!

Here is the latest:

When we first talked with her about how long it might take before we would be traveling to E. Asia to get our child we were looking at anywhere from 12-18 months (which is the norm for adopting special needs children from E. Asia). Shannon already had a plan worked out where in a year's time we could have most of the money saved up through what the Lord has already blessed us with through both our incomes. So we were feeling pretty secure in all of this - no pressure! Today she told us that we could very well be looking at anywhere from 4-8 months instead of 12-18 - pressure!!! 12 months we could do, but 4-8 will have to be a God thing! There is no way on our own we could have $24,000 that quick and a good bit of it we need up front as we begin the process (which we have begun). However, we know the Lord will provide a way for us to bring Mie home.

"Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed...being fully persuaded that God had power to do what He had promised" (Romans 4:18a&21).

What a great opportunity to stretch our faith and see the Lord work His will in a way that is far beyond what we could do ourselves. My God is such an awesome God! I can't wait to see how He pulls this off. Thank you for the prayers and support!

By the way - when the Lord blesses us with Mei we are going to give him the name Samuel. Samuel has Hebrew origins and carries the meanings, "Asked of God" and "God has heard." One definition is, "The son I prayed for."

James 1:27a says, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress"...

As we try to live out our faith and do our part to help look after the "least of these" we are praying and asking Father to allow us to bring Mei home. Like Abraham, against all hope we are hoping in our God who "is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine according to His power that is at work within us" (Eph.3:20).

Join us as we pray! Pray that our faith will be firm and that He will provide financially in ways we never imagined!

TD