Adoption is Bigger than the Universe - John Piper

On Our Way...

Today I made a deposit into Hadlee's account. It was pretty big for me. I put in $475. A little over $200 of that was JUST $5 that Jason and I, mostly Jason, has saved. We are saving fives....any time we get a five from using cash, we put it back to put in her account. I got the idea from my mom who got it from I don't know where, but that is how they saved over $1000 to use as spending money in Australia. Well, we need much more than $1000, and I don't think it will all come in fives, but it is what we are able to do right now and stay on the path of getting out of debt that we believe God is telling us to do. So, it makes for a much longer journey than I'd like, but I'd rather do what God wants and it take longer than try to hurry things and screw everything up.

So, I am very excited about this deposit. It is a HUGE thing because now we have enough to officially apply to the adoption agency. I don't think we are going to at this time, but we actually have enough money to do it. YIPPEEEEEEE!!!!!!

Our next big step is the Internation Adoption clinic coming up at the end of January. This is the next step Jason has said we will take. We will see how the process goes after that. I'm looking forward to it. Grandparents can come and I think both of Hadlee's grandmommas are planning to join us. I'm so excited.

Hadlee Ruth, I love you already. I don't know you. I look at pictures of beautiful little Chinese girls with special needs and wonder what you will look like and when I will get to hold you in my arms. I look forward to that day little girl.

MUST Watch!!!!

Where are the Mommies?

As I am pouring over photo after photo of orphaned children who need homes, my heart is broken, it feels like it is torn, ripped open, and raw. I want to bring them all home. I know I can't. I've seen site after site, and heard person after person, talking about HELPING orphans. That is great. It is a huge need. But I am wondering....WHERE ARE THE MOMMIES AND DADDIES? Where are the men and women who are ready to give up comfort to step onto the battlefield, and tell Satan, "WE WILL FIGHT FOR THESE KIDS?"

You see, this orphan crisis is not JUST about kids needing mommies and daddies. This is a spiritual battle for the very souls of children. Satan wants nothing more than for us to just send a few dollars, pat ourselves on the back, and go to our warm beds tonight feeling that we have done a good job. Don't get me wrong, this is something that needs to be done...the giving. But that is not IT!!!

I listened to a broadcast on Focus on the Family one day this week. Kay Warren (Rick Warren's wife) was talking about her own first steps into Orphan Ministry. She asked herself, "What is the church going to do? What am I going to do?" These questions have remained with me.

I am aching to hold them, to touch them, to physically be with them and know who they are. I am aching to be a mommy again to my little girl. Oh, that God would provide for us quickly. I know His timing is perfect, so we wait.

Who will fight with us? Who will step up and fight for these little ones? Who will say, "YOU ARE MINE?" Who will claim these lives from the grips of the enemy? More simply, who will wake in the night to comfort one who has no momma right now to do that? Who will give up your name so that a fatherless child may be part of a family?

We will fight, even if no one fights with us. But we sure want some company in this battle. This is God's heart. Oh, Father, make it mine as well.

Hadlee girl, momma's coming as soon as I can. I love you, Baby. I can't wait to hold you.

Until they ALL have a home,
Tori (Mommy)

How Far to Hadlee?

I just looked up the distance from our hometown to Beijing, China and the straight line distance is 7,140 miles or 11,491 kilometers. Of course, we do not know that Hadlee is going to be born in Beijing, but we do know she'll be born in China, so this gives me an idea.

I am SO ready to meet my new baby girl. I am just so ready.

I love you sweet girl.

Beautiful

Go here and read this story. This is where I want to go this summer. I'm praying God opens the doors for us if it is HIS will.

http://newdayfosterhome.blogspot.com/2009/04/uncle-adam.html

I never want to forget this post, so I am posting the link here so I can find it when I need to read it.

Oh, that God would use us to be His hands and feet and arms that wrap in hugs, the orphans of this world. Use us Father so that others may know You.


http://jacobandcarrie.blogspot.com/2009/05/glimmers-of-joy-and-signs-of-hope.html

Some of My Favorites

Recently I read some beautiful picture books about adoption. I wanted to share my favorite.

International Adoption

I Love You Like Crazy Cakes by Rose Lewis
Star of the Week by Darlene Friedman
The Red Thread by Grace Lin
Ten Days and Nine Nights by Yumi Heo
Made in China by Vanita Oelschlager

Domestic Adoption

Tell Me Again about the Night I Was Born by Jamie Lee Curtis

New Name

I renamed the blog....for two reasons. First, obviously...we have chosen a name for our sweet girl and I wanted the blog to reflect that. Second, because of something I learned today that I wanted to be a part of this blog as well.

I was browsing, as usual, on New Day's blog and noticed, not for the first time, that at the end of each post there is a picture of a red thread. I couldn't stand it anymore, I knew it had to mean something and I wanted to know what, so I emailed Carrie who answered back very speedily. Here is what I found out...

"The red cord is an allusion to the following red thread legend:
"An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet,
regardless of time, place, or circumstance.
The thread may stretch or tangle,
but it will never break."
- an ancient Chinese legend"

I thought this might be unique to New Day, thus the e-mail to Carrie. If I'd know its enormity I would have realized a Google search would have satisfied my wondering mind. As it turns out, after some research into it, I found that the Chinese Legend does refer to the red thread, however, it is really about soul mates meeting. The reference was connected to China and adoption by a waiting momma who was inspired by the legend and what it meant not only to man and woman, but people in general. Very appropriate, I think!!!

So, to all who are committed to following our journey to Hadlee, know that we are so thankful for the part you will play in our "Red Thread." We covet your prayers and value your friendship.

She has a Name!!!!

I am so excited to write this post. It has been a long time coming. Much thought has gone into choosing a name for our sweet little girl. Now, it is decided and I get to share it.

I am really big on the meaning of names. Both of our other children have a biblical name and a family name. So, I really wanted to do the same with this baby. So, here is the name we have chosen for our sweet baby girl. Explanation will follow.

Hadlee Ruth

I got up this morning and just prayed in frustration that God would give us the perfect name for our little girl. We'd chosen this name, but I was wavering. I liked what some other names meant as well. So, our BIG God, in His own loving way, cared about the relatively small detail in this world and in really short order (only one day) gave us the perfect name for the baby with great confirmation.

Hadlee came to me from 2 names. In the Bible, Esther's Hebrew name is Hadassah. Lee is J's mom and sister's middle name. He knew he wanted to name her after his mother and sister. Lee is also my mother's middle name, so it kinda works in a number of ways. Hadassah Lee was thrown around knowing that we would call her Hadlee anyway. Until the day I mentioned to J that her name would have a curse word in it. Maybe that is so silly to others, but either way, we decided against it, not to mention that teachers would always call her Hadassah before Hadlee, and what 13 year old girl really needs any more trouble with teasing?

So, Hadlee comes from Hadassah (Queen Esther) and Lee. J does not count this as naming her after his mom and sister since it is combined in another name, but I do. What clinched the deal for us tonight (confirmation from God) is that we looked over the meaning of the name one more time. I didn't catch it the first 100 times I looked at it, but J caught it immediately tonight and with a huge smile on his face, he proclaimed, "This is it, this is her name!" The inherent meaning of Hadlee is "From the Field of Heather." Heather is J's sister's name. So, Hadlee is named in more than one way, after her Aunt Heather, and also after her Grandmother, and her Nana.

Ruth is my grandmother's name. My Nanny has been the only really involved grandparent I've ever had until I married J and now have his wonderful grandparents as well. I've always wanted to name my first little girl after her, and J has honored me with this request.

So, Miss Hadlee Ruth, you have some BIG shoes to fill sweet girl. May you trust in God, our Father, the way Hadassah (Queen Esther)did. May you pray for your family the way Nanny did, may you love fiercly the way your Grandmother and Nana do, and may you be a strong, beautiful woman like your Aunt Heather. No matter what, I pray that you would be the most beautiful YOU and follow in Holy Father's footsteps NO MATTER WHAT all the days of your life. I already love you so, sweet girl. I can't wait to meet you.
Love,
YOUR MOMMA

Names

I titled this blog, "Ready for Ruthie" mostly because I had to think of something. I love Ruth in the Bible...this is the promise I made to J the day we wed, and how I hope our sweet baby girl will feel about being a part of our family until the day she makes those vows to her own beloved....

“ Entreat me not to leave you,
Or to turn back from following after you;
For wherever you go, I will go;
And wherever you lodge, I will lodge;
Your people shall be my people,
And your God, my God.

Where you die, I will die,
And there will I be buried.
The LORD do so to me, and more also,
If anything but death parts you and me.”

Ruth 1:16-17

Even as I read it now, I realize how very appropriate these beautiful words are for this season of our life as well.

So, I'm not promising that our little girl will be named Ruth, but for now, this blog is.

We've been throwing around names today, and of course we don't agree. We did agree on our first child, but none since then. They have all been a compromise. So far we have gone with a biblical name and a family name. I want to follow suit with this sweet baby as well. Our ideas about this differ.

We've come up with some good compromises, but I am having to let go of some things in order to compromise. This is good, I suppose. Man, I am looking forward to meeting her.

Until next time....

One excited momma.

Unofficially Official

Yesterday marks the unofficial beginning of our official decision to adopt. I am SO excited I can't contain myself. Obvious to those who facebook. My husband says I am WAY too open and should be more private. Well, if you are reading this you most likely know me well enough to know that that is not a word in my non-professional vocabulary.

So, for the information you are wanting to read about and I am dying to talk about. We are going to have a baby. Number 3 to be exact, and it will be a little girl from.....China!!!!

Okay, so that is the condensed version, and if that is all you want, stop here and read no more.



This journey begins so much longer ago than yesterday. In my heart Father God has placed the desire to adopt a little girl from China since I was probably a pre-teen, hearing in the news that baby girls were being aborted and given to orphanages due to the one child law in China. I have been there for quite a while, then when we went through everything we did with my cousin's kids, God just confirmed this again in my heart.

As for J, the idea has been in his heart for quite a while, if for no other reason than I talked about it from the time we knew we would marry and have children one day. He has not been so certain in this idea. That is...until last night. God showed up and showed out and answered many prayers I've been praying for some time now. That He would confirm in BOTH of our hearts the direction HE would have us to go, AND that He would let our hearts both be led to the same country. I'm ashamed to say, even as I sat in that meeting last night, praying that God would make it clear to J or change my heart (later I said, "God, I hope You are making it clear to J, because You are definitely not changing my heart."), I did not expect an answer from J LAST NIGHT. The usual answer I get from him is, I'll think about it and let you know. If you know me at all, you also know I am not a "let you know" kind of girl. That would require patience. :)

So, we watched the presentation and listened to all of the other families questions. We didn't ask many questions at this time because a lot being discussed was regarding domestic adoption. We KNEW that was not for us. So we listened. After everyone was done and the director closed in prayer, I looked at J and said, "Well, what do you think?" He said, "China...." then he said the words that surprised even me (but not Father God)...."special needs." My little girl is going to be born in China, and she is going to most likely be born with some type of special need. A little scary, but TOTALLY exciting!!!!!

We asked our one on one questions and got to talk a little with the lady who works the China Special Needs program. She gave us lots of good information. It is amazing to know, that as of right now, until God takes us a different direction, this is the path we believe He has put us on....to China...and our daughter.

So, that is SOME of the long of it. Please pray with us. We do not know the WHEN at this time. The reason it is unofficially official is that we KNOW God is leading us, but He has not shown us the time yet. Money is going to be a HUGE issue (for us, not God). We are standing on the truth that God is in control, He know who our little girl is and the exact time she will be born. So we are trusting in His time frame. Y'all can remind me of that down the road when I'm fretting over it. :)

So, I'm excited to say....thank you so much for taking this journey with us. We will need all the support and prayers that we can get.