Whirlwind

Hello, all!

It's been awhile since we've last updated, and there's a lot to share. Let's goooo!

This past Thanksgiving was especially meaningful to us - the Wednesday before, we became certified to foster and adopt! This puts us one step closer to bringing a child into our home. 

After Thanksgiving, things got tough. The theme song from "Friends" comes to mind - "When it hasn't been your day, your week, your month, or even your year." *clap clap clap clap*

                                    

• Our precious big hunk of love dog, Oliver, unexpectedly got so sick that we had to put him down. That was absolutely devastating. He was only eight, he never showed any signs of being sick, and he was such a comfort; during our miscarriages, he and Bailey rested their heads on my belly while nestled up closely. We're thankful that he did not have prolonged suffering.
• I (Emily) was hit by another vehicle on 77S the Wednesday before Christmas. My car sustained almost $10k worth of damage, and I'm still feeling the effects of whiplash and a concussion. The other driver was okay, but his car was not - his airbags deployed, the front of his car was crumpled. But we thank God because it could have been so. much. worse.
• On January 4th, Dan found out that he'd been laid off with many others. He'd recently started his second career doing something he loved - cyber security. Alas, the tech industry is seeing a lot of layoffs. It was a hard pill to swallow for him.

And yet, God is faithful. We've seen him work in some pretty incredible ways, too:

• We found a new buddy for Bailey, a Bernese Mountain Dog named Murphy who is an absolute joy. 
• The waiting list for infant adoption has been moving MUCH more quickly than anyone expected.
• Due to the layoff, we had a pretty significant setback: if we couldn't pay our current adoption invoice at the time, we would be moved to the back of the waiting list. We totally understood this and put our trust in God.
• On January 23rd, we received some incredible, humbling, ugly-cry-worthy-news: after a lengthy application process, our church provided us with an amazing blessing - an adoption grant!! Not only were we able to keep our place in line, but we now no longer face the two largest still-to-come payments alone.

God is providing in ways we hadn't ever even imagined! He is perfect and good. Our church truly exemplifies being the hands and feet of God, caring for families so that we can provide homes to children who don't have them. 

And here's the thing. God's not a genie. His provision won't always look the way we hope or want it to. He won't give you what you want, but he'll always provide what you need. Sometimes that looks like what we want, and sometimes it doesn't. I've often asked God to make sure to speak loudly so that I can hear it through all the noise. I worry that I won't hear him (which, looking back now, could be insulting - He can do anything, with me or DESPITE me)! And during this time of uncertainty and so many life changes, He's fulfilled me with something I absolutely can't take credit for or do on my own - he provided me with peace. Truly. I never truly stressed about where the money for the adoption would come from, because I know that if we're supposed to adopt, doors will open for us. This peace has been not of this world. It's a rare occasion when my anxiety doesn't rear its ugly head. But we have trusted. And we will continue to do so. 

So, you might ask, what next? Well...

We're in a bit of a hold for the adoption because I'm getting surgery soon. I've spent 6 months physically preparing for this, and a year preparing mentally and spiritually. It's under insurance review right now, but (hopefully) once approved, we can get that scheduled in March or April. There's a 4 to 6 week recovery, and then we'll be presented to bio parents in hopes of matching!

Your prayers, your love, your support, your donations... we continue to be humbled by how well you've cared for us. We thank you. We love you. We couldn't do this without you.