Well it started back in 2008 when we thought we would not be able to have any more children as the Lord had closed my womb for over 2 years, so we explored the idea of adoption. It was then that adoption was knit into our hearts and I knew one day we would adopt (maybe more than once!). Well in January of 2009 we found out we were expecting in August of that year! We were so excited , but realized at that point that adoption was going to have to be put on hold indefinitely. Well Bethany was born August 18th 2009 and we couldn't have been more excited. Our first baby girl!!
She was so sweet and as I sat nursing her at only a few weeks old I couldn't get out of my mind all those babies with no mommy or daddy. No one to sit with them in the wee hours of the morning while they filled their tummies. No one to know their likes and dislikes. No one to comfort them when they are scared. No one to dote over them and how precious they are. Well the tears came and came and came. It was at that point that I started asking the Lord why it was that I couldn't get this thought out of my mind. Why when I looked at my sweet baby I always thought of all of the orphans in the world? Well after a few weeks of this when the thought was still there (as were the tears) that I started to pray that if this was God's will in our lives that He would speak to Stephen. I knew that if I brought up the subject of adoption that Stephen would think I was crazy. After all we JUST had a baby. We don't have the money. We want to buy land since we are just renting. It seems like a really bad time to be thinking about doing this. But never the less I started praying on a Monday. Well little did I know but that day at work a man just HAPPENED to come up to Stephen and started talking about how his daughter works for this adoption agency. And Stephen talked about our heart towards adoption.
Then on his drive home he just HAPPENED to take my Steven Curtis Chapman CD and was listening to it on his way home. Well the CD got to the song, 'All I want for Christmas' and he teared up (which is not like Stephen). So he came home that night and came up to me and said, “Have you been praying for me about adoption?”!!! I was floored. But I held my composure and asked “why”?...He explained his day and at that point I answered yes I have. So after discussing how strange the happenings of that day were ...we kind of put it in the back of our minds and went on with life. Not long after that we were again discussing adoption ( which stephen brought up) when Stephen said “Christa now is just not the time” and then proceeded to give me all the reason I previously gave. I agreed but I also challenged him to trust God for big things. If He was calling us to adopt that He would provide the funds. I then gave him the story of our pastor Mark. He tells this story of how when he first became a Christian that he knew he needed to tithe but he didn't have the funds for it. Not didn't have enough for tithing and going out to eat and movies. He didn't have enough to eat or pay rent. But he knew it was God's will for him to tithe so in faith he started to tithe. Well the Lord (as He always does) answered by providing for Mark in supernatural ways. So after we talked about that I just dropped it and again committed to pray for Stephen if it was God's will He would speak independently to Stephen. Well the next day was Sunday so we headed off to church as we always do. I was in the back with Bethany but I could see Stephen through the glass.
So Mark started his teaching and you'll never guess what it was on. TRUSTING GOD WHEN HE CALLS YOU TO DO SOMETHING BIG!!! I looked through the glass and caught Stephen's eye and was like, you have to be kidding me!! Then to top it all of he used the exact same analogy that I had used the previous night. Well that drive home was very interesting. I know Stephen was a little freaked out. He was trying to process all the things that had happened. But once we got to talking we agreed that the Lord was leading us to start the adoption process!! I could tell Stephen knew the Lord had lead us but still felt a little unsure about it all. So I continued to pray for him that he would have a peace. Well the next morning he headed off to work and around 9 I get a text from him... “so...you need to listen to 'come to the table'..don't ask why just do it please”...so I jumped on the computer and stream it from Calvary's website. And once again my prayers were answered ASAP!! Mark was teaching on Jonathan and his armor bearer and the message was about being afraid when God has called you to do something. That we need to have faith to trust God for big things and be obedient to his call. So now Stephen knew that he knew that God was calling us. Again it goes against human wisdom to do this at this point in our lives...but praise be to God that we can trust His leading!!
We talked with the boys about all that was going on and they are so excited. They asked us if we could stop and pray right then for their soon-to-be little sister(s). Their prayers were so sweet. And as I rocked Bethany to sleep today I couldn't help but think how special a frienship they will have being so close in age.
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