He Chose Us
Okay. About two or so months have passed since our last entry. And we have loads to update you on, so buckle up!
We attended that training we shared about in February: again, definitely a God thing. We attended with four other families and heard the heart behind the mission of this home. Because we already had our home study and documentation completed, we were able to leave a copy of our profile book with the social worker before we left. It felt good to know that another agency had our book!
During this time, we had our t-shirt fundraiser. We put Ephesians 1: 4–5 on the shirt:
“He chose us, in love, for adoption…”
YOU GUYS. There are no words for what this means to our family (and yes, I’m still working on thank you cards — but SO MANY OF YOU ordered and donated and it is just unfathomable to us, so thank you thank you thank you from the bottom of our hearts). We had to open the fundraiser a second time because so many people were still wanting to order!
Through this fundraiser, we were able to raise close to $2,400 to go towards our adoption. MIND BLOWING. Look at all of these beautiful faces. Family. Friends. People we have never even met before. Like I said, we have no words for this. We will be assembling photos of people who ordered shirts to create a collage for the baby’s nursery: we can’t WAIT!
This is where the exciting part comes in. Get ready.
On Saturday, March 18th, 2017, Nathan and I were getting ready to attend a wedding, and I received a phone call from our social worker. She asked me two simple questions:
- Would you like to be present at the birth of the baby you will adopt?
- Would you like to attend any prenatal visits that may occur before the baby’s delivery?
We thought these were standard questions that she was just wanting to verify, so we said OF COURSE to both. Then…
She goes on to share that an expectant mother (EM) has reviewed our book and is interested in us. IN US!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You guys. I was mouthing “OH MY GOSSSHHHHH” to Nathan while he was trying to listen. It was pretty funny.
She continued and shared that this EM has been having a difficult time choosing, and wants to be sure that her baby is going to a loving home. We completely understand, and at the same time cannot even comprehend what kind of decision this must be for her.
Our social worker needed a couple of more forms from us, so she sent them to us the following week and we immediately filled them out and e-mailed them back.
And then…
On Friday, March 24th, 2017, she calls back. She shares that this EM would like to meet us (MEET US!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) in two weeks. We said yes and yes and YES. She went on to explain how the visit would go: it would be in their offices (which is a house) and would last about an hour. The social worker and EM would both meet with us, just a casual “get-to-know-you” meeting where we can learn more about one another. Mainly, she wants to see us in person and get to know us more.
We will have more information after this meeting, but we felt that we needed to share this with all of you, our amazing family and friends, so you can be in prayer for all involved.
///Prayer for the EM, that she feels the Lord’s peace as she chooses who will parent her child (even if it isn’t us). That her heart, though grieving, would feel strong and courageous for this selfless act of love she is making for her baby. This is an act that many of us cannot even imagine.
///Prayers for Nathan and I as we mentally, physically, and emotionally prepare to receive a baby in our home. If this ends up being a match, we will have a baby by this summer. We are joyous and excited, but know that God could redirect our path at any moment.
///Prayers for the agency, as they minister to this precious mom, and work out the details within the adoption.
We know that we couldn’t have made it this far without the Lord’s guiding hand, leading us to our baby (whether it is this baby or another). Your prayers and support have meant the world to us, and like I’ve said (twice already), there are no words we could say that would express our gratitude.
If this does end up working out, we will need some baby items in a timely manner: due to the nature of an adoption, we will not be having a baby shower or any type of event until after the baby is in our home. For now, if you feel so inclined (no pressure at ALL), we have created an online baby registry that will ship straight to our house (thank you, good ol’ Amazon).
Nathan Johnson’s Baby Registry
Link: http://a.co/8rj5LJr
We look forward to meeting with this EM in the coming days, and will (of COURSE) update you all as events unfold (regarding if it’s a match, due date, gender, all of that fun stuff).
Thank you. Love you guys.
