Quick Update

I know I have not updated everyone on where we are in this adoption process. We are sending in our contracts tomorrow and hopefully starting our homestudy soon. I am very excited about this process. The girls still tell everyone that we are adopting a baby from Ethiopia. I wonder how long until they get tired of waiting. Gabbie seems to think that our little one will be here soon. We have had some wonder why we wouldn't consider hurrying the process along and adopting a child from Haiti. I guess my answer would be that I stil have a nine month old and am not ready to to have two of them. I honestly do not feel God leading us that way.

Jason and I will be sending in our fingerprints soon. We were told this can be a long process. Please pray this process goes quickly and all is well. I might have a few outstanding Calvin College parking tickets. Do you think those will come up? Ron, if you are reading this, please have mercy on me.

He Knows My Name

Today in our church service we sang the song "He Knows My Name". These are the lyrics:

I have a Maker
He formed my heart
Before even time began
My life was in his hands

I have a Father
He calls me His own
He'll never leave me
No matter where I go

He knows my name
He knows my every thought
He sees each tear that falls
And He hears me when I call

This song carried a different meaning for me than it had before we started the adoption process. I love the fact that even though our child may not exist yet, he is in God's hands. Even though we may not meet him until he is a bit older, God will never leave him. God already knows his name. I love this. What a peace this brings to a mother's heart. I am so thankful to belong to a God that knows our every thought, and sees each tear that falls. I would pray the parents of our child will know our Lord. I pray they too can have the peace that their child is forever in His hands.

We have had an interesting couple days in the Boersma house. It has been very quiet. My mom took Alexa and Maia home with her for a couple days because I was totally out of commission. I went to bed on Tuesday night with some pain in my neck and upper back. During the night I woke up and nudged Jason to let him know he had to put Maia's pacifier in. I was unable to move without extreme pain shooting through those areas. Jason ended up writing lesson plans and dropping them off at school at 4:00 am. I tried to sleep sitting straight up on the couch. Needless to say neither of us slept well. In the morning I was only able move in small increments, or my muscles would spasm. To make a long story short, after two trips to the chiropractor and one more tomorrow I am told my spine is messed up and needs major help. I guess I should have done my back physical therapy when I was told. I am feeling much better today. I had never been to a chiropractor, but they might have become my best friends. This did short stop to anything getting done for the adoption this week. I think we can finally get back on track.
Please pray for those families who have traveled to Haiti to pick up their children. Praise God that the government is trying to make the process go quickly in order to get these orphans a home.

Fairytopia or Ethiopia?

Yesterday Alexa was trying to choose which movie she wanted to watch. One of those was Fairytopia. She said, "I want Fairytopia because that is where my baby brother will come from." I realized that she was getting Fairytopia and Ethiopia mixed up. I will admit Fairytopia sounds like a much more glamorous place to travel to.

There is not much to update you about with our process. We are at a stand still until we receive our paperwork for the homestudy. I am spending most of my time talking with other families about thier adoption process. I am learning so much. I also spend much of my time watching You Tube videos about Ethiopia adoptions. Of course I am usually crying at the end of them.

Please continue to pray for the mother of our child. She may or may not be pregnant at this time. Pray for health, strength, and that she will know the God that is so present and powerful in our life. God is showing himself faithful in this process everyday. I am amazed at the support and encouragement we have already received.

Joys and Sorrows

I was so excited yesterday to find out that someone I had met through this process just received her referral. They had been waiting for a year. It's basically like having a baby but not being able to see, hold, hug, and take care of that baby. You receive a picture and some information about your child. This is their first child. He is only 4 weeks old. She said this is the youngest baby they have ever had. GOD IS SO GOOD! I couldn't stop thinking about their family the rest of the day. I asked her what her next steps were, and it sounded like more paper work (ugh), and then wait until they are given a travel date. Please pray that everything goes smoothly and they are able to bring their precious boy home soon.
Amid this excitement Jason and I were reminded of the devastation in Haiti. On 20/20 last night they were saying some people who have been in the adoption process for 3 years and were about to receive their children will maybe have to wait another two. There were so many documents lost in the rubble. This means there will be thousands more orphans, and the orphans who were going to have a family will need to wait. We need to pray for the orphans of Haiti. We need to pray that lost documents are found and children can be placed in families quickly. I know God is present in that country and he can turn around the corruption and devastation even in the midst of this awful tragedy. Why not pray big. Who are we to put limits on the power of God?

Our Conference Call

We had a 1/2 hour conference call with AGCI today. It's definitely a lot of material all thrown at you at once. Jason and I were a bit overwhelmed but realize this will not be the last time we feel this way. I am so thankful for a Christian organization and for the support and encouragement they have already given us. Our next step is to start some paperwork and then into the homestudy. They told us right now it is about a 12 month wait for a boy from Ethiopia. We thought that meant from the time our paperwork was finished, but she informed us it was from the time you start the process. Obviously there are many things that could cause it to be longer, but that definitely got my heart beating quickly. I am excited for that and a bit nervous at the same time.
Today I was on an African Name website, and started reading a few names to Jason. Alexa gave us her list of names she liked for a baby brother: Julie and Sally. I guess she has been surrounded by too many girls in her life, she can't even come up with boy names.

God's Peace

There are so many people adopting from Ethiopia in Grand Rapids! When people find out we are adopting from Ethiopia they all know someone else who is doing the same thing. This gives me such peace to know that there is such a great support system right here in Grand Rapids. If you know someone who has a similar blog, I would love to get their names and blog address. You can also pass our blog on to anyone who would benefit. I thank God for a peace that is beyond understanding in this process. He continually brings to mind Philippians 4:6-7, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."

We have been accepted

I received a call yesterday that our application was accepted and we are able to begin the full process. I am not sure what that means. I do know that Jason and I have to have a 1/2 hour conference call with AGCI next week.
The girls have been very excited about this process. A few weeks ago I heard Gabbie in the monitor praying for God to give her a baby brother. Alexa asked, "Are we going to get a brother?"
Gabbie responds, "Yes mom and dad are going to adopt a baby brother for us." Alexa then asks, " Will we adopt him from church?" Gabbie says, "No he will come from a place far away."
Alexa says, "Oh."
I wish I could have pressed record on the monitor. Who wants to be the one to invent that cool baby gadget?

We have decided

We just sent in our application. We have decided to go with AGCI. I love the fact that when we accept a referral our child will live at the Hannah's Hope Home. The philosophy of Hannah's Hope Home is that a child's development goes beyond just basic needs. Children at Hannah's Hope receive stimulus on all sensory levels along with the very best shelter, medical care, education, food, clothing, spiritual guidance, and love. The best part is that the home is run by AGCI employees.

Deciding on an agency

I thought I would give you an update on our adoption process. I will say I still feel a strong sense of God's calling; however we really need your prayers. As of now we are deciding between two agencies. Our two options are fantastic and either one would do a great job. Our choice probably will come down to price. Our options are Bethany Christian Services, and All God's Children. We have great connections with both agencies.

While this process is very exciting is also is still very scary. I am not doing a very good job at believing Philippians 4:19 "And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus." Jason will testify that I have become an extreme penny pincher in the last week. It is definitely causing friction between him and I, and above all giving Satan exactly what he wants. I remember when we first told people about this decision I said that the finances did not scare me. Well I am finding out that the finances scare me to death. My biggest fear is that if people donate money they may be looking at every cent we spend. It may seem silly, but it is a true fear of mine. Please pray for God to give me his peace. The peace that transcends all understanding.

While I know there are so many uncertainties in this process the one thing I know for sure is that God is with us and will never leave us. In one of the pamphlets for AGCI it says, " If God has called you to adoption, he has chosen a child for your family. God already knows your child by name and will guide you on your journey to find them." If that does not bring me peace I don't know what does. I am so thankful for a God who is in control. As I cried myself to sleep last night all I prayed was for God to take this anxiety from me. Please pray that I let him take this burden and that I surrender this entire process to him. Thanks for your prayers and support. Hopefully the next update will not be so heavy.

From the beginning

If you are not aware, Jason and I have decided to start the adoption process. We have felt several pokes and prods from God in the last few months. We have been praying for God's leading and voice. This Sunday God hit us over the head. It was National Adoption week, and Renee spoke in church and showed a short video. I was crying and feeling chills throughout the video. Jason and I both came home and knew that was God's clear answer that we need to at least explore this option. I am sending you all this email to explain my recent journey and to please be prayer warriors for us in this matter. I apologize ahead of time for my poor grammar and punctuation. I am writing this quickly because I only have short time before children wake up.

Although I had a naughty child last night, much of my night was spent stressing over our decision for adoption. All night long the devil was working on my thought process. My thoughts ranged from "Why do I would I want to risk my "happy life"?, What if this affects my three beautiful girls negatively?, What if we adopt this child and God takes him/her home early?, What do I do with a boy? What if it is hard and Jason regrets adopting?, What do I do if I struggle to bond with this child?, Will this child be accepted into an all white community?, Will we not be approved because of our finances?, Why us?, Will he/she ever feel apart of our family? and so on and so on. Now you can see why I was not sleeping well last night. During all of this anxiety I prayed and asked God to reveal his plan for us. What is HIS will for us in this adoption process. Why wouldn't God want us to adopt? We would be bringing another child to know Christ. At coffee break this morning Delores started off the devotions by reading Phillippians 4:6-7 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." THANK YOU LORD!!!!!! Why am I always amazed at how He works in my life. The devil thought he could win, but God always prevails. I know God will lead us down the path he wants. I know this journey means there will be hard times and good times. I know I was put on earth to serve God, not to live this easy comfortable life. After all Jesus came to earth and lived a life of pure sacrifice. Why should I do different? I know God will see us through this. I am willing and ready to surrender this to God and his will. He has to be in the drivers seat, because only he knows the direction we are going. we are just along for the ride. This may all sound like a jumbled mess, but I am so thankful for a God who never leaves us and always answers our prayers. Please keep praying for us as we determine what God's will is in this process. I admit I am still scared, but I know that God calls us to do things that are difficult in His name. I am so excited to see what God has in store for our lives. I know if we follow His guidance he will bless us.
I love all of you and covet your prayers and encouragement,