And so it begins...

We have BIG news....we are officially beginning the adoption process!! We have sent in our initial application to Lifeline, which is the agency we have decided to adopt through. (Side note: They are an amazing christian agency that is completely gospel centered and I would highly recommend them for anyone thinking of adopting or doing foster care or just looking for a great cause to support!) We have a long journey ahead of us but we are so excited to begin! We are planning to adopt a baby boy anywhere between 0-2 years old from Ethiopia. I plan to update the blog in the near future with more details on our decision to adopt, why we chose Ethiopia, and specific information on Ethiopia. We also plan to sell t-shirts on our blog and maybe do a few other fundraisers to help with the cost.

We are so blessed to have dear friends who are in the final stages of adopting their sweet little boy, Jeremiah, from Ethiopia and other friends who are beginning the process at the same time as us! God is so good! It is crazy how he works everything out. 

Dan and I firmly believe that Christians are called to care for the orphans. I don't mean to say that every Christian is to adopt, but we can all commit to some form of orphan care. Whether it be praying for the fatherless, supporting others who are adopting, doing foster care, adopting, or taking part in other orphan ministries. We have no doubt that adoption is something God wants for us and we are thrilled! We by no means think it will be an easy road and we know our family will be forever changed. However, we also know that we serve a great God and we are trusting Him to be by our side through it all! Here are two scriptures that we cling to: 

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.     James 1:27

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.       Romans 8:14-16

Favorite Things

Just wanted to share a few of my favorite things, in no particular order....
My husband Dan. He is the love of my life, a wonderful father to our children, and a godly man who is constantly striving to bring glory to God every day.

My three girls, Mary Claire, Lilly Jane, and Elsie. They bring so much joy and laughter to our home.

Photography. I am blessed to be second shooter to an amazing photographer, not to mention one of my best friends, Alyson Clemons with Eternal Reflections Photography. This picture is from the most recent wedding we shot.

Coffee. I am absolutely obsessed with coffee. I'm sure my teeth don't appreciate my coffee drinking habit.

Listening to my girls pray. There is something so pure and inocent about listening to a child pray. Childlike faith is such a beautiful thing.

Watching my girls play. Mary Claire and Lilly have become so independent. I love to watch and listen in on their play time. It is amazing the things they come up with! I also love watching Elsie develop; I am enjoying each stage of her life so much!

My journaling Bible. Spending time in God's word is one of the most important parts of my day. I am in love with my journaling Bible since I am a huge advocate of writing in Bibles and it gives me plenty of room to do so!

Music. It has always been and will always be a huge part of my life! I attribute this to my Dad. I particularly enjoy listening to vinyls.

Plants. I have to admit that these are fake plants, but they photographed better. I actually do have several live plants that I love as well.

Books, books, books. It is my opinion that you can never have too many books. Once again, I attribute my opinion on books to my Dad.

Cooking with the girls. They love to help in the kitchen!

Orphans. By this I don't meant to imply that I love that children are orphans, but that I have a heart for the orphans of the world. I believe as a Christian, God has made it clear throughout scripture that we are to care for the orphans. God has placed it on our hearts that for our family the way to do that is through adoption. We plan to begin the process of adopting a little boy, most likely from Ethiopia, in the near future.

Most of all, my Lord and savior Jesus Christ. Without Him I am nothing. It is impossible for me to articulate what my faith in Christ means to me. I pray every day that God will enable me to take up my cross and follow Him and to be a light in this dark world. I believe my sole purpose in this life is to bring glory to God by multiplying the gospel of Christ. I make many mistakes along the way, but praise God for his mercy and forgiveness!