Here's what is on my heart!

You know I was thinking today how through this process, this journey we will probably be asked this question a million times…

“Why did you decide to adopt instead of keep trying and/or why africa and not domestic or foster or another country?”

Here is what my response would be if I had a lot of time to answer it each time someone asked…

I believe that from the beginning of my life (well really before I was even formed in my mothers womb and Jim in his mothers womb.) God had a plan for us (jer. 29:11, Psalm 139) and even years before I knew what that plan was, He was already starting to get me ready. Just today I was talking with my mom and we were discussing how when I was a little girl instead of the white dolls, I had this set of black quintuplet dolls that I loved. Even then I think He was preparing me! Then fast forward many years later, to when I met Jim. I believe God knew exactly who I needed and who Jim needed and He knew the plan He had for both us as a couple. I believe He took us through those four years of waiting and trying and losing four precious babies because it was all part of His plan for us. Of course those years were hard, but now looking back…those were the years He was changing us, molding us and helping us to focus and rely on Him and realize more and more that He is ALL that matters. When He finally got me to the point where I was willing to give up MY desire of being a natural (birth born children) mom or even a mom at all if it was His will, that is when He really began to show me more of His plan and change my heart even more! I think the circumstances, the people, the events in my life all happened and added up to help mold me to be the person He was preparing me to be for what He has now called us to do! Since asking Him to put His desires in my heart and to take away my desires that were not in His plan…my desires, my heart is in a totally different place than before. He did something I could have NEVER done on my own so I hope and pray no one would ever think Jim and I just decided to do this because we were tired of trying to conceive. Quite the opposite, we had a great treatment option that would have allowed us to carry to full term and not miscarry again and we never even thought we would adopt internationally, but through this I felt Him asking me to give that up, to give up “OUR” plans for His plans for us which were far better. So I did, I surrendered it all, I gave it all to Him and asked that even if I was never to be a mother or for us to be poor, that He would change me, put His desires in my heart and use me for His kingdom.

That my friends is when He started calling us to adoption. Before adoption was on my mind, He started whispering and stirring within me Uganda. I had never thought about Uganda before and all of a sudden it was popping up everywhere and I could not get that country out of my head or heart. After more fervant prayer and time with Him and Jim and I praying…He gave us both peace about adopting and one night as I just sat and said “here I am Lord”, I am listening. He whispered to my soul very clearly…”Go to Uganda” and then He said that His spirit would guide us! I knew for sure from that point on Uganda was where our little girl was.

Something that was not in our hearts before, something so drastic from OUR plans but something that has ALWAYS been in God’s plans!

See we didn’t choose adoption, we didn’t choose africa. God chose it for us and laid it on our hearts and told us what to do! That’s why we will not be pursing foster care, domestic adoption or trying to conceive right now because God has called us to adopt our first child from Uganda.

There are 147 million orphans in the world! There are over 2 billion people professing to be christians. If just 8 percent of us adopted 1 child, there would be NO orphans! God has put us on this earth to glorify Him and spread His gospel and for a reason, for a purpose and I believe He is just starting to reveal to Jim and I our true purpose He has us on this earth for! We are excited…we are waiting, trusting and following Him realizing MORE and MORE that He is ALL that matters, NONE of these worldly things or possessions matter! Thanks for hearing my heart!

Love,

Adoption books I bought last night!

Hey everyone!

Thanks for all the suggestions I have received so far on books to get! I got one of the ones that EVERYONE has recommended and said is the best adoption book, which is "Adopted for Life" by Russell Moore. Ok...so check out the list below to see the books I ordered!




If you all have more suggestions on adoption books/adoption parenting books/adoption childrens book...PLEASE let me know! This is just a start...i bought all three of these books on amazon for only $25!

Counting down the days until we send in our application! We are exciting and already I am praying for our little girl over in Africa because she might already be in her birth mothers womb!

How cool is this, I found a couple who is adopting from Uganda also and they also live in Ohio and we are going to try and get together after Christmas for her to take Jim and I's family photo that we need to send in with our application! Here's her blog http://sisterhaiti.wordpress.com/ she does amazing photography work and they are going to be leaving soon to go get their boy! :0) how exciting!

Have a great day!

love,

Happy 100th post to me! :0)

I just realized that this is my 100th post! How fun! Oh the difference of change from the beginning of this blog until now! This blog will soon end as we start our adoption blog but it has been fun!

Can you believe there is only 11 days until Christmas! That is crazy! We have been so busy researching/seeking/praying about adoption that get this…we have not even put up our tree, decorations or nativity set this year. I usually am one to put it up before or right after Thanksgiving. That goes to show you where our minds have been lately…AFRICA AND ADOPTION!

Hopefully I’ll get it up sometime this week! :0)

It’s so nice to talk with Jim about our new journey we are about to start. Since God has given us both peace about it now, its so nice to just sit and talk about it! Jim even told one of his friends about it last night! Its great seeing him get more into it and excited!

Last night we were sitting in our living room talking about names, travel to Uganda, fundraising and all sorts of stuff related to adopting and bringing home our baby girl! Oh yes, one of the topics was how we want to start praying for our little girl since she might be in the womb already or very soon and also pray God would help us to parent her the way He would want us to. We were talking about how going through four years of waiting and four miscarriages will hopefully help us appreciate our daughter more and not take her for granted and help us through the rough days of parenting! We want to be great parents, we want to love her and rescue her from being an orphan but most of all we want to teach her every single day by our words, our actions and everything that we do that Christ is the most important thing that matters in life. We want that to be the center of our raising her!

It’s looking like we’ll send in the application after Christmas. Hopefully around that same time we can figure out how to make the DVD’s to send out to our closests friends & family and then also start the new adoption blog and put the video on there too! The link is www.starkeyadoption.blogspot.com but its not up and running yet since one of my christmas presents is a make-over for it! I’ll let ya know when its up!

I have found quite a few blogs of couples adopting from Uganda but if you know of any that are not on my blog reading list, please let me know! I would love to follow and get to know more and more couples adopting from Uganda!

Great news btw…I had been having heart palpitations and the doc said 99% of them are usually harmless but to make for sure we did an echocardiogram and I found out today the results are good, I have a normal/healthy heart! Thank you God! You are SO good!

I think that’s all for today! Have a great one!

Love,

Do you LOVE Coffee? You can help us then! :0)

Well, I can only post this on our xanga and this site so far because I cannot tell everyone yet or put on facebook since we have not announced to everyone yet! We do not want to do that until we put in our application and make the informational/story/support DVD's to send out! As one of my christmas presents, Jim is going to give me the money to get our new adoption blog (that is not up and running yet and will not be until we are officially adopting) made over and completely designed and such by www.customblogdesigns.blogspot.com

Anyways getting back on track here....here is what I can post here but not on facebook yet...that we have our Just Love Coffee store up and running! So if you LOVE coffee or know someone who loves coffee....buy your coffee or get it as a gift for someone and help us out! We want to start this right away to help us with the beginning costs of our first initial payment of $1,600 ish and the $1,500ish for the homestudy.

We get $5 from every bag sold! How awesome! The prices are cheaper than caraboo coffee, which my husband loves but I'm guessing a little bit more than folgers just because its better and going for a better cause. I have heard nothing but great things about how great it tastes! They have TONS of variety from all around the world! I just bought my husband a bag and once he tries it, I'll let ya know how he likes it!

TELL EVERYONE YOU KNOW ABOUT OUR ONLINE STORE!!! THANKS SO MUCH!

here is the link...

http://www.justlovecoffee.com/starkeyadoption

Peace & Uganda!

Thanks so much everyone for your prayers that you have been praying for us! I know many of you have been praying for Jim and I and for God to give Jim peace about it and know this is what He wants us to do. Well, good news...great news...i knew in God's perfect timing this would come and so I waited and God is so great, I didn't have to wait long! Jim let me know today he has peace about adopting. He is still worried about raising the money. I wish I could just tell him not to worry and leave it in God's hands because since God has called and chosen us to adopt, He will provide but I know I cant and so now I just ask that you would pray God would help Jim not to worry about where the money is coming from and instead of choose to trust and follow Him and know He will provide! I just dont want Jim to have to worry about it because worrying does nothing! I want him to enjoy this journey! I mean, I know there are going to be bumps as there is with every international adoption but I truly feel that with God changing our desires and telling us so strongly that this is His plan for us right now, that He will guide us through every step of this journey! May He get the glory for what He is doing in our lives and whats about to happen!

I know there are MANY and probably most of you out there who adopted or are adopting are in the same boat as Jim and I, which is trusting God for the money needed to bring home our child. I believe God wants us in a position where we have to rely on Him and not ourselves because its because of Him that we are even on this journey and called to do this. He has know from before time began and before our child was or will be created in their birth mothers womb that they are to be with us. Since He is God and He alone is in control of it all, I know without a doubt He will provide for this! So for those of you who have had to trust Him also with the money and maybe in the beginning you were like my husband and trying to hard to figure out the money part on your own or just worrying, if you could write anything that might be of encouragement to him or if there was anything or any specific quote/scripture/anything that helped you through it, please feel free to share!

I am so excited knowing Jim is at peace about adoption! God's peace is so beautiful!


I told Jim that the application is filled out and ready and that whenever he gives me the ok, i will send it in and we start our journey! I'm guessing it will probably be after Christmas! The first couple steps are going to look something like this:

• Submit application with $250 to our adoption agency http://www.lifelineadoption.org/



• Get approved and started with them! Make DVD's of our story/support to send out to friends & family and make new adoption blog and put video on blog.



• Hopefully raise money within the first month to cover the first payment of $1,600ish to Lifeline and the $1500ish for the homestudy!

Here is a pic/map of what Uganda looks like on the map and where its located in Africa!

Here is a pic of the necklace I have asked for Christmas from my hubby! A pregnant women has the child in her tummy the whole 9 months as a reminder of whats to come and so this necklace will be a reminder for me that part of my heart is in Africa and will be a reminder for me until we go to pick up our daughter! Whats even cooler is proceeds from this necklace go to an adopting couple!



I bought our daughter her first item today! I know we have a long ways to go but I know this little momento will be something for me to cherish and think about the day she will be with us until I can put it on her head! We were at Amish country today and I saw these stretchy head bands with bows so I bought both and attached the bow to the head band! I have seen many of your photos of your little african girls and the bows/bands on their heads are so precious especially with the chocolate colored skin!

Speaking of amish country. Adoption/africa was all over amish country today, which you would not think it would be. First my sister comes rushing to show me a whole corner of the store devoted to african items that they have made over there and the proceeds goes to african christian missions to help orphans. I bought this beautiful card they made! Then when we were in another store, this sweet american/caucasian couple came by with their 1-2 year old asian daughter and she had a pair of fake colorful fairy wings on and she was bumping in all around us and we all just smiled and laughed and then a few minutes later in another part of the store, she came walking past me again saying outloud for us to hear..."fairy coming through" in her oh so cute voice! It was sweet to see this family that adopted so happy and in love with their daughter!

Love,

Two things I heard...

So if you read my last post you already know that yesterday God gave me His peace and assurance that Uganda is where He wants us to adopt from. It was such a wonderful feeling to feel His peace over me concerning this journey!

Well, last night, late last night I decided I had been doing enough of talking to God, asking things to God etc...and that I needed to just sit, be quiet, and listen to Him. So I told Him that I was there to listen and as I begin to clear my thoughts and just "be". He spoke two things to my heart. So clearly!

1. Go to Uganda

and as I heard that in my heart and felt His peace and was thinking about adopting from there He spoke to me a second time saying...

2. my spirit will guide you!

What a wonderful feeling to be told by our wonderful heavenly Father that His holy spirit will guide us in this journey, we will not be alone!

Oh what a joy it is to hear from the God of the universe...who loves each of us SO MUCH, who loves the orphans so much and just as we hurt when we hear of all they have to go through, His heart hurts too!

I love what Katie wrote in her blog a few months back. Here are her words... "I DO NOT BELIEVE that the God of the universe created too many children in His image and not enough love or food or care to go around. In fact I believe that He created the Body of Christ for just that, to help these little ones, the least of these. And I believe that except for a handful, the Body of Christ is failing." "That is 168.8 million needy children like Michael and Patricia. Seems like a big number, huh? It shouldn't, because there are 2.1 BILLION people on this earth who profess to be Christians. Jesus followers. Servants. Gospel live-ers. And if only 8 percent of those Christians would care for just ONE of these needy children, they would all be taken care of."

I believe we, the body of Christ have so much more that we are meant to do in this world than we are doing! My prayer is that God would continue to show Jim and I how we can love and serve more and have our hearts broken for what breaks God's heart and do things that matter for His kingdom and eternity!

Oh, He's just starting His work in me and I LOVE it and I pray He just continues doing so!

I know where my little girl will be from...

Yep thats right ... you heard it... i feel like our first will be a girl! At first I felt selfish knowing I wanted a girl first and prayed about it but more and more I really do feel like its ok to ask for a girl and a girl is what we will have first!

So you know I have been praying so much that God would not only give Jim the stirring and peace that we should adopt but also where we would adopt. I had it narrowed down to two countries in Africa because from the get go God has laid Africa STRONGLY on my heart! Uganda has been in my heart before I even heard from God that He wanted us to adopt. However, the travel for Uganda really threw me off and made me question adopting there and looking into other programs and countries.

After making a list of pros and cons and information for each country Ethiopia and Uganda tonight and continual prayer...I felt God give me a peace, a comfort that Uganda is where our little one will be from! The travel, yes, will be long...however, God helped me realize that really thats nothing compared to so much more and through that time we will get to fall in love with our daughters country and hopefully help out some and most of all start bonding with her in her birth country! My prayer would be to also go and see Katie from www.kissesfromkatie.blogspot and maybe say hi and see if we could help at all for a day or so. I don't know if this is possible but its on my heart!

What's funny is God is doing all this talking to me and in my heart and yet Jim and I have not even fully decided to adopt yet...i guess I am feeling this way and praying so much about which country because I truly felt this is what God has called us to do and in His time He will give Jim the stir, the peace and let Him know this is it! So I ask that you continue to pray for God's hand on this journey, His desires for us to be put in our hearts and for a peace for Jim and for Jim to know without a doubt this is God's plans for us! Of course, if this is truly what God wants! :0)

So...even though Jim and I haven't as a couple made a final decision of adopting or which country...i feel my heart is in Uganda, thats where our daughter will be from and thats where I really feel God's peace and assurance of adopting from!

Please continue to pray! I want God to guide every single step of this journey...He's the one who first put it in my heart and I want Him to be the one to continue to direct and guide my steps, my hands and my heart always!

Love, april