Elizabeth's Story

As I sit here and type this update, the sweetest answer to the prayers of MANY people is laying here beside me napping away. The whole story still brings tears to my eyes and overwhelms me! Our last update was in August of 2016 when we announced that we had finally completed all the paperwork and home study. We had been approved to go on the waiting list, and that began the “official” waiting period.… Read More

We're Approved

In case you missed our Facebook post last Friday, we’ve received the green light from our adoption agency. For the last sixteen months, we’ve worked on raising the first half of the funds ($13,000), filling out the paperwork, taking required parenting and CPR classes, reading the required books, created a family photo album profile, and done a home study. It’s been quite a process so far, but it’s far from over.… Read More

Where Are We Now?

We formally started the adoption process in late January, 2015 when we turned in our pre-application to Christian Homes and Family Services. In March, we were invited to orientation, which was held in April, 2015. We learned about the process, the paperwork and the prices for each step. It was overwhelming, to say the least. We set a goal for ourselves to have the first half ($13,000) raised and the paperwork, classes, and background checks completed within a year of orientation.… Read More

One Baby Step at a Time

It has been a while since we last wrote an update on our adoption. In the past few months, we’ve continued to see God move as we’ve taken baby steps toward the adoption goal. Last May, when we did our first update here is what we said: Where are we now? We picked Christian Homes and Family Services in Abilene as our agency and have begun the process of filling out papers.… Read More

Unexpected Gifts and T-Shirts

Throughout December, we said to each other some combination of these two sentences: “God must know something we don’t,” and “He’s telling us to get in gear.” In December, we received several unexpected gifts that added up to $4,045 ($3,150 of that was since our last post). With each gift, we were so overwhelmed by the unexpected acts of generosity, and it was encouraging because we knew that each gift was given due to the prompting of the Lord.… Read More

Mary Did You Know?

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,     and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” 15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.… Read More

Bunco for Babies and Beyond

In January of this year, after at least a year of praying and exploring options, we began this adoption journey. In April, we went to orientation and were overwhelmed with all that would be required of us. We were given a mountain of paperwork to complete and a price sheet that was more daunting than the paperwork. Knowing that God directed us down this path, we knew that somehow He would provide.… Read More

Faith Like a Child

There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven— A time to give birth and a time to die; A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted. A time to kill and a time to heal; A time to tear down and a time to build up. A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time to dance.… Read More

Ask and ye shall receive . . . garage sale items!

On July 6, when we first put out the plea for items to sell in a garage sale, we never imagined how big of a response that would bring. Up until the Tuesday before the garage sale, we had only planned on doing a one-day sale. That Tuesday, when we began sorting what had already come in, knowing there was still more to come, we realized that there was enough there for a two-day sale instead.… Read More

Surprise, Surprise, Surprise!

Earlier this summer, I announced that I would be leaving the HSU Alumni Office this August because I had accepted a teaching position at Baird HS, which would allow for a more family-friendly work schedule. A few weeks later, the HSU Board of Young Associates held their summer meeting. At the end of their business session, they surprised me with a going-away gift, which consisted of a very sweet card and $500 that they had collected on the sly for our adoption fund.… Read More