Next!

So Christmas is only a few days away. I’m not working in the office today, which is great. While catching up on some Facebook this morning, I got a reminder that it’s been one year since we made our announcement to all our friends and family on social media that we were going to be adopting. One year. 

A lot has happened since then. I missed writing a post during Thanksgiving time, though I wanted to, but time got away from us. It wasn’t that we had a major update to send out or anything, but just to share some thoughts about how much God has blessed us over the past year - and He has - and we are so thankful! He has provided and is providing and has shown us over and over how He is clearly preparing for us to adopt.

I figure it’s time for another long-overdue post. As with most people, it’s a busy time of year for us, filled with Christmas musicals, end of the year events, parties, and of course shopping. Everyone is always in such a big hurry to go somewhere, meet someone, or buy that one last present. Patience is not something many have this time of year. I admit that I’m not always the most patient person either.

I was reminded of this fact when standing in line the other day waiting to buy a gift for someone. I hate lines. I hate waiting. People wait in lines all the time for various reasons - some good, some not so good. For example, no one likes waiting in line at the DMV, especially if you have to sit there for a couple hours. But waiting in line at a theme park in order to ride your favorite ride of all time, well that’s another story! The anticipation can be excruciating, knowing that what waits for you at the end is so good!

And then it hit me. Thinking about our adoption and the waiting. “God, when is this going to happen for us?” He reminded me that some of the best things in life are worth waiting for. That only the BEST things in life take time. He created the world in seven days. Why? He could have done it all in just an instance. Why take so long? Being Christmas, we’re reminded of and now celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Our long awaited Messiah! Why did His arrival on earth take so long? I think it’s because even from the beginning of the earth, God teaches us that His greatest gifts take time. We just need to be patient and trust in Him that He’s getting things ready. The Bible says in Lamentations 3:25, “The LORD is good to those who wait for him.”

Standing in that long line at the store the other day, I observed others in front of me stepping up to the registers as I heard each available cashier call out, “next.” It’s a great word to hear when waiting in line! God reminded me that “patience is a virtue” and that according to 1 Samuel, “lack of patience can cause you to miss blessings.” It caused me to stop and say a small prayer about our adoption. I thanked God for all the ways He’s been proving His love for us, and all the ways in which He’s shown that He is preparing a way for us to adopt. And then I prayed that our wait would not be much longer. I prayed that we would soon be called “NEXT!”

Waiting...

It was about this time a year ago that my wife and I came to the decision that God was calling us to adopt. We didn’t really know at that time what that might look like or how it would happen. We were pretty clueless back then and didn’t even know where to start, but we prayed, asked, and searched for answers.

We’ve looked into and prayed about medical treatments, fostering, fostering to adopt, international adoption, domestic adoption, private adoption, agencies, lawyers, etc. We’ve taken classes, gone through training, done our paperwork, questionnaires, and multiple pages of homework. We’ve done a ton of reading, listened to podcasts about adoption, and sought the advice of friends and family. We’ve gotten background checks, medical checks, taken care of our wills, had our home inspections, and thoroughly questioned during our home study. We’ve had new photos taken of us and created our profile book (my favorite part of this process). We’re still fundraising, and there will be other things to take care of before we’ll be able to bring our child home, but for now, EVERYTHING IS DONE!

So now we wait…

After a year since making this decision to adopt, this may be the hardest part of our journey. How much longer, God? Where is the money going to come from? How is this going to work? What about this? What about that?

We know this will change us. It already has. God is bringing Rachael and I closer together through this experience and teaching us more and more to trust Him. He’s teaching us to pray, to trust, to be patient, to love and depend on each other more and more, AND to wait patiently on Him!

Patience takes time. Not something our society accepts well. But it’s developed through life’s difficulties. So is trust in what God is doing. Our pastor at church as been preaching the last few weeks about prayer. Just yesterday, on a weekend in which most of Florida and the east coast were facing a Category 4 hurricane, he shared about God’s provision - that we don’t need to worry! God knows our needs! He will provide! Why worry about things you can’t control? Why worry about things when God has got our backs?

Sometimes, I write these updates because I know others want to know what’s going on in our adoption process. But sometimes, I find it therapeutic to write out these thoughts, which also give me a reminder of where we’ve been and how God has been bringing us through this journey all along. There is no need for us to worry so much! He’s got our back! We just need to trust Him!

I close this update by once again asking you all to continue to pray for us, for the strength to endure the wait knowing that every day that passes is another day He is preparing and putting all the pieces in place, to pray for our child who we’ve yet to meet, for the expectant mother carrying our child, and that all will work out in God’s timing and through His provision! Take care and God bless you all!

It's Official!

So today and this weekend, Rachael and I will be celebrating our birthdays! (We were born 2 days apart on the same year, so that's pretty awesome!) What makes this birthday for us truly special is that just a couple weeks ago we finished our home study visits, and today, we are able to share that...

WE ARE OFFICIALLY A "WAITING FAMILY!!"

Special thanks to Kerri Cutting Photography for donating
their time and talents to us and doing this awesome photo shoot!

This is a VERY big deal for us! It means that all the paperwork, the training, the reading/homework, and the visits are all done and we have been APPROVED for adoption by our agency!

So, you're saying, "Hey, that's great! So how long are you going to have to "wait"? Well, that's not so easy to answer. There are many scenarios and factors that play into it. Generally, we're told that the average wait time is about 12-18 months. It could come sooner, or it could take much longer. We'll have to leave that in God's hands.

Here's how it tends to work: Typically, the agency will try to "match" expectant mothers/couples who are choosing adoption for their child with couples like Rachael and I who are "waiting families." If we fit the profile that the expectant parent(s) are looking for, our profile book (which is a book that tells all about us, our family, where we live, why we want to adopt, etc.) is shown to them along with a few others and they will choose which family they want for their child. Since only one family gets chosen per showing, most couples (including ourselves) choose not to know whenever their book is shown, thereby eliminating any heartbreak that may occur whenever you are "rejected."

For this reason, things tend to settle down quite a bit during this time and their is little communication with our agency until we get "the call." If we are chosen by an expectant parent(s), then, because we are willing to have an open or semi-open adoption, a time and place will be set to meet each other. Think of it like a blind date, only they've had a little bit of a chance to check you out first, but you know almost nothing about them. Anyway, maybe I can share more about that in another post.

So, bottom line for today is, we are very happy and excited to be where we are now. Again, this might be a long wait for us, but we are hopeful it will not be. We do ask that you all continue to pray for us during this time. Your prayers and encouragements and support of what we are doing gives us strength and hope and helps us in times when we are emotionally tapped out (it happens far more than we care to share.)

One other piece of good news about where we are now, is that we can start applying for grants! Most grants (if not all - because I haven't found one that stated otherwise) require as part of the application a copy of our home study report. So we can work on that to help with additional fundraising, which we still very much need. We're just a bit past the halfway mark in our fundraising, and most of it is gone now due to recent payments. Let's just say that our most recent payment was the largest check I've ever written! What's truly awesome and absolutely AMAZING about that is that we were able to cover the full cost of that payment because of the extreme generosity of others who have donated to our fund or purchased shirts or necklaces over the last few months. We are SO grateful to you and wish we knew how to thank you all properly! Every gift, big or small, helps bring our child home!  I so wish we could express what it means to us.

I'll try to do posts more often, but honestly, our summer has been so extremely busy. Work has been crazy for both Rachael and I as we were preparing for the start of school and fall semester, not to mention the work we had to do for the adoption. Now our sites are on things leading up to and into the holidays. In addition, we have to start preparing for the reality that we could be called any time now about a possible match or "stork drop" and have to drop all we're doing. Our lives could change very quickly at this point, and that's a bit scary, but obviously exciting at the same time.

Keep us in your prayers! Love you all!

David & Rachael

Nursery Is Done!

Rachael and I finished our nursery this week! It's themed in a classic Winnie-the-Pooh decor. We started painting a couple weeks ago, got a Pooh lamp and crib set, and joked about nicknaming a corner of the room where we intend on placing dirty diapers "the house at Pooh Corner." We're very happy with the results!

We're not intending on doing any more at this point or getting any more baby items until we know more, but we wanted to do at least this much in order to add a photo to our adoption profile book.

If you're asking where are we now in the process, well, we're still waiting for our home study to be completed. Please pray for us about that as we were told it would be done by the end of July and haven't been given any updates on when that will be accomplished. It's very frustrating! Rachael started back at school this week full time, so scheduling another appointment is going to be much harder now and will likely result in her having to take time off.

We're also in the process of working on our profile book. Not an easy task when it's your one and only first introduction to the expectant parent(s) and there's so much you want to say. There's a bunch of back and forth also with our adoption agency through the revision process. Once completed, we'll need to provide our agency with 6 copies, 2 to each of their different office locations in Florida. So there is something else we could use some prayer about.

One Step Closer

So the last few weeks have been very crazy as the school year came to an end and we transitioned into summer. For some, things tend to calm down during the summer, but for me at church, it's been quite busy with preparing and doing Vacation Bible School, followed by patriotic services on July 3. Add to that new responsibilities at church, all the stuff we've had to do for our adoption, plus trying to prepare our home for a baby, and it's been quite a juggling act! I know I haven't done much in the way of updating this blog lately, so I asked Rachael if she would share with you all. Here it is: 

The last few weeks have been a roller coaster. We had our first home study visit on June 21^st. This visit was more of a “get to know you” with our caseworker.  She interviewed us together, and she did a walk-through of our home to make sure it was safe for a little one.  It went very well, and we eagerly anticipated our next visit.

On top of the Castillo de San Marcos

Between our first and second visits, David was very busy with Vacation Bible School at church, and I attended a teacher’s conference in Orlando that I have been wanting to attend for a couple years now.  When I came back home, David and I took a few days for a quick get-away in St. Augustine.  It was VERY hot, but we had a great time! It was perhaps the last vacation that we would have a chance to take before we bring our child home!  It was good to spend some time away just the two of us and reconnect with each other.  We are so grateful to David’s parents for helping us make that get-away happen! Thanks, Mom and Dad!

Our view of the fireworks in St. Augustine

While we were in St. Augustine, our caseworker called us to schedule our next home study visit.  It was scheduled for the day after we returned from vacation! Yikes! This visit was the second of three visits and also the LONGEST one, where she interviewed us separately for about 2 hours each.  If the first visit was a “get to know you” visit, this visit was a “REALLY get to know you” visit!  We knew that these questions could be very personal, and for two people who are very much introverts and who don’t like to talk about themselves or their personal lives much, this was very intimidating for us.

So, we had our second home study visit this past Thursday.  David and I couldn’t be in the same room as each other during these interviews, so I met with our caseworker first while David was at work.  David came home on his lunch break for his interview.  We both agreed that the questions were not nearly as invasive as we were told they would be.  Think of it more as telling your life story.  Where were you born?  What schools did you go to?  Who were some people who were influential in your life growing up?  What traditions did you have growing up? What were family vacations like? Where did you go to college and what did you study? How did the two of you meet?  How did David propose? (That was my favorite story to tell!)  What is the rest of your family like? What are your strengths and weaknesses as a couple? On and on it goes...

A lot of the questions asked gives insight into how we will parent our child.  How we were disciplined as children can influence how we will discipline our child.  The values and beliefs that we were raised with will influence the values and beliefs that we teach our child.  As nervous as we were leading up to this second visit, God gave us a lot of peace during the interviews, and we both felt that they went much better than we had anticipated! We know there were a lot of you all who were praying for us, and we really appreciated that during our interviews. 

We still have one more home study visit to go.  We were told that we should be done with the home study before the end of July.  In the meantime, David and I have several things that we still have to take care of.  We have some “homework” that needs to be completed, which includes some required reading and writing summaries of what we’ve learned – almost like short book reports!  We will also be taking a “Newborn Care” class at the hospital next Tuesday night.  This is also required by our adoption agency. 

David and I are also in the process of putting together our “profile book.”  This will be a book that our agency will have and share with expectant mothers/parents around the state (and possibly the country). It introduces the expectant mothers and fathers to us, and tells all about us, our families and friends, our home and community, and essentially shares why we think we would make good parents for their child in the hopes that they will choose us to parent their child. It’s kind of strange putting this together – like trying to market yourselves as parents.

It is so exciting to see how God is providing for us during this time!  Currently, we are less than $10,000 away from reaching our fundraising goal!  A large chunk of the adoption fees are due when our home study is completed.  The great thing is….we have EXACTLY what we need (and I mean down to the penny!) to make the next payment!  God is so good!  He provides everything we need in HIS timing!  The rest of the fees, which is another large chunk, will be due when we bring our child home.  We are continuing to raise funds through our blog (PayPal) and through GoFundMe.  Please consider sharing our story and those links with others through social media to help us spread the word about our adoption and to help us raise the remainder of our funds. Our GoFundMe address is gofundme.com/halladoption and our blog site is hallfamilyadoption.blogspot.com.

So many of you have allowed God to use you to be a blessing to us as we raise the necessary funds to bring our child home.  “Thank you” is not adequate to express how very grateful we are to each of you.  None of this would be possible without your generosity!  David and I so appreciate the love and support that we have received from you all.  Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!  We love you all!  Please continue to pray for us and encourage us as we anticipate bringing our child home!

Home Study & New Shirts Update

Exciting news! Yesterday we got word that our paperwork from DCF came back! BCS has cleared us to move on to the next phase in our adoption - our home study! Admittedly, it's a bit nerve-wracking to think about. We could really use some prayer from those of you reading this post that each meeting will go well and not be too stressful. We're told that once they are scheduled, we'll be assigned a case worker who will visit our home 3-4 times to inspect and interview us. As we understand it, they get VERY personal with you during that time!

The other piece of exciting news is that our shirts have come in! If you have ordered a shirt from us, we'll do our best to get it to you as quickly as possible. When you get yours, please be sure to take a photo of yourself (and any other family or friends) wearing your shirts and share those photos with us! We want to remember all of those who helped support us in our journey to adopt and to be able to show your picture our child one day! Again, we thank you so much for all your support and prayers!

Fun with Family & Friends

Not much to share on the adoption front at this time. We're still waiting from some paperwork to come back from DCF and clear us with Bethany so we can move forward with scheduling our home study. We were told this can take 3-4 weeks to come back. Hopefully we'll hear something this week or next.

In the meantime...

On Monday, we got to spend some time with family in Merritt Island for the Memorial Day holiday. Our nieces and nephews (7 of them) had fun swimming in the pool. Dad did burgers on the grill, while Mom cooked some super good corn on the cob, and my sister, Michelle, made an incredible cobbler from fresh picked blueberries they all picked at a farm in Mims! Rachael's parents also drove over for lunch, and some of us played our traditional game of Shanghai when it began to rain.

As part of this exciting occasion, we got a crib! My sister still had one from when her children were little and was willing to give it to us! Such a blessing! And because Rachael's parents have a van large enough to transport it, they were willing to take it with them and will bring it to us next weekend. So there's something to look forward to!

On Tuesday, we drove to Orlando and spent a bit of time visiting with my grandparents, before coming back home.

This evening, we had a pot luck dinner with our community group at church and had a fun time talking with everyone. Some of those in our group are pretty new parents and we had fun taking turns holding and feeding some of the babies present. I think it was my first time trying to eat and hold a baby at the same time! Good practice for me! We managed to snap a quick photo of the group as everyone was leaving, but missed a few members. Perhaps when we all come back from our summer hiatus we'll try to take a new photo.

Adopt(ed) Shirts Update

Our Adopt(ed) T-Shirt sale has ended! We sold just over 30 shirts! Just wanted to say THANK YOU to all who purchased a shirt to help support us! If you missed the chance to order, we may possibly do another sale at a latter date if there is enough interest. We are also still taking orders for the necklaces and accepting donations though Paypal and GoFundMe.

T-Shirt Sale Ends Today!

Just a friendly reminder... our Adopt(ed) T-Shirt sale ends TODAY! If you'd like to help us out and show your support, please place your orders before the end of the day (Friday, May 20th). Orders will be sent out on Monday and should be available for pickup or delivery by the first week of June. If you have questions, please let us know! Thanks so much for your support!

Completed Paperwork Mailed Today!

So exciting! Last night, Rachael and I FINALLY completed all of our paperwork needed before we can begin the Home Study! It was a lot of work, involving multiple background checks, drug screenings, blood work and doctor visits, insurance checks, our wills taken care of, questionnaires, and a host of other papers needing signatures requiring a witness or notary! Phew! So glad that is done!! It's now in the mail and on its way to Bethany in Winter Garden! After they've had a chance to go through it all, they'll contact us to schedule for our first of 3-4 home study visits. We're probably looking at mid-summer before all of that is complete, but once it is, we'll be a "waiting family!"

This Year Is Different!

Mother’s Day. It’s not always easy for us to celebrate this day. It comes with a number of mixed emotions. Certainly, Rachael and I can rejoice and be thankful for the women in our lives who birthed us, cared for us, helped us to grow and to learn, and to become the adults that we are today. They’ve been by our side guiding us along the way, year after precious year, nurturing us in only the way a mother can. We’ve laughed together, cried together, had a number of good times, and a few not so good. There have been times where we’ve argued and we were not the most obedient. But through it all, we had our mother’s love. 

I wouldn’t trade my upbringing for anything. It’s because of our parents and their love for us, that Rachael and I have come to desire so much to be parents ourselves. But after seven years of being married and praying for God’s blessing in our lives to become parents, we are still childless. 

This day, Mother’s Day, has not always been easy for us to be happy about or to look forward to. There is recognition and celebration everywhere for the mothers who are, the mothers that are not with us anymore, and even the expectant mothers who are pregnant. But this holiday rarely recognizes the women who haven’t crossed that line - the women who want to be a “mom” so badly, but haven’t had that opportunity yet for whatever reason. 

With this holiday comes cards that are given, special church services, and commercials on TV that talk all about how great being a mom is and how it’s all worth it. (Father’s Day can have a similar effect, even if not quite as intense.) But every little part of this day that stands to serve as a celebration of motherhood, is also reminder to my wife and I that we are not a part of “the club” - that we don’t know what it’s like to experience parenthood and there is a fear that we never will.

Yesterday, Rachael found a card in the mail. It was the first Mother’s Day card she’s ever gotten that actually referred to her as a “mom!” She loved it and it brought a joyful tear to her eye! It was so thoughtful, and I am so grateful that she was given this card in recognition of our status as soon to be parents! Here’s what Rachael had to say about it: 

Mother's Day is one of those days that is hard for me to express how I feel. I love celebrating my own mother, and honoring her for all she is to me, but it's always a reminder that so many have what I desperately want. But this year is different. This year, we have a hope that we will soon have a child of our own. And today, when I went out to the mailbox, I found my very first Mother's Day card, sent to me from my sweet brother and sister-in-love. Thank you, Nathan Hamler and Nicole Hamler! You have made my weekend! 

It’s not been an easy journey for us. But this year, we don’t have to fear! We just have to trust! We know God is working His plan for us, even if we didn’t always see it! Adoption was always the plan He was working for us to build and grow our family! It’s because of that, that we have hope that we’ll soon be parents! We are SO looking forward to it, and can’t wait to meet our child! We pray and hope that next Mother’s Day, we’ll be spending the day with our son or daughter!

Nest Egg Pendant Necklaces

Hey everyone! A very good and long-time friend of ours creates hand-made necklaces with a "nest" pendant. She wanted to help us in a very unique way by offering to take custom orders and give us the proceeds from the sales to help us offset the cost of our adoption! Details about the necklaces and how to order them can be found on the fundraising section of our website or by going to http://hallfamilyadoption.blogspot.com/p/necklaces.html! Of course, we've also begun selling our T-shirts, which will continue through the month of May.

New Shirts for Sale

Today, we made an official announcement of the launch of this site! In addition, we have designed and are now selling on this site our new Adopt(ed) T-Shirts! The organization we are going through is Fund the Nations. They will print and mail the shirts once we have all our orders. Our goal is to pre-sell over 75 shirts between now and May 20. By doing things in this manner, we'll be able to keep our costs down and more will go towards the funding of the adoption! Will you consider buying one today? Details on the shirts and how to order them are given on the Fundraising section of our site at hallfamilyadoption.blogspot.com/p/fundraising.html

Lack of Faith?

Two weeks ago, on a Wednesday morning, while I was at the doctor's office for what I thought would be a pretty routine visit, I was faced with a bit of a scary moment that caused me some fear and doubt and led me to have a temporary lack of faith in what God was doing in our lives.

As part of our requirements for adoption, both Rachael and I are required to have signed reports given by our doctors about our health. I'm pretty sure it boils down to the agency wanting to make sure we're not going to be dying anytime soon or that we might give some sort of disease to our child! Anyway, as part of that, we're required to have a test for TB (tuberculosis). I didn't think much of it. As far as I knew, I was perfectly healthy in that sense.

Long story short, when I went to the office for the results of the test, I expected for them to take one quick look at my arm, say, "Yep! No TB!" and sign the form I needed. Instead, my arm looked rather red and puffy in the location where they gave me the TB test and I was showing a POSITIVE! My doctor got a bit worked into a frenzy, which didn't put me at much ease. I was immediately ordered to go get a chest X-ray and have blood taken for further testing.

For the next few days, while waiting for the results to come in, I kept telling myself (and my wife) that everything was OK. It was probably just a mistake or that it was reading a false positive. That's what I was saying on the outside and what I wanted to believe, but if I were really being honest, I allowed myself to think the worst. I was worried that everything we had been working on toward adoption up to this point was going to come to a screeching halt! I was worried that maybe God's plan for us was different than I thought!

Jesus' disciples also had a moment of fear and doubt about God's plan. Jesus had been betrayed, arrested and beaten. The cheers from the crowed which days earlier were shouting, "Hosannah! Hosannah!" were now shouting, "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!" He was sentenced to death, nailed to a cross, and took the penalty for our sins. After all the miracles they witnessed and all the things that they had heard Him say and do, the disciples found themselves cowering in fear in a locked room, uncertain about the future. What did it all mean? How could He be dead?

Three days later, the tomb was empty! Jesus had risen! The problem for the disciples wasn't God's plan. It was their lack of faith and understanding in who God is and His greater plan. During my own moment of fear and doubt, I had the same problem as the disciples. It was my lack of faith and understanding in what God had already proven He was doing in our lives. In that moment of uncertainty, I lost sight of who God is and His faithfulness and love for us! Why should I have doubted Him? Why would He take us so far in this journey only to slam the door in our face? Why did I not trust Him more? It's moments like this that I realize how much He is stretching me and challenging me to trust Him throughout the journey.

I had a few days to think and pray about all of this, and I was praying hard! There were others I shared my story with who I asked to also pray with me for good results. Obviously, Rachael was praying! So were my parents and her parents as well. Never underestimate the power of prayer!

On Friday, I received a call from the doctor's office telling me that they had received my chest X-rays and that they were clear! It was a good call for sure, but I was still waiting on the blood tests. I finally got a call the following Tuesday (nearly a week after all this began) that confirmed the results of what we had been praying for! I did NOT have TB!

This was just a small moment in our journey that for me personally, caused me to stumble a bit. I now look back and think how foolish of me to think such a way! God is bigger than our greatest problems and His plans are perfect, way beyond our own understanding! We just have to trust Him to see them through!

Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your path straight."

New Shirts Coming!

Excited about the designs for our new adoption shirts! We'll be starting to sell them soon and during the month of May! Would you consider purchasing and wearing one to help support us?

There are 2 meanings behind the message. First, that we are called to adopt and do so by the grace of God. We are actively praying that God would bless us with a child, which is similar to when Hannah was praying for her son in 1 Samuel 1:27, and God granted her request. Secondly, as Christians, we are all adopted by God into His family through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ, according to Ephesians 1:5.

2 Day Training Completed!

Last month was VERY busy for us with both work and church leading up to Easter. We completed our mandatory 2 day training for adopting in Orlando, and made some new friends who are also in the same process with us. We're almost done with all our paperwork that has to be completed before we can continue with our home study. We just have a couple of doctor visits to take care of, drug screenings, and background checks. We're hoping to have all of those done in the next few weeks. We've also begun to reorganize our home and start preparing space for when baby comes. This weekend, Rachael and I even bought our first stuffed animals for our child: a Winnie-the-Pooh and Tigger too!

Overwhelmed With Gratitude

Had a pretty cool moment today that left me feeling humbled and overwhelmed with gratitude. It's hard to put such emotions into words. I went to deposit some checks generously given to us for our adoption over the past week or two, the total of which now basically allows us to be able to pay the next installment of our adoption and proceed to the next step of getting our home study taken care of!! This is very exciting for us and are so blessed by the gifts given! I have been absolutely amazed at how generous you all have been and the sacrifices you are making to help us. All of you are apart of this journey with us! Thank you so much for your love and support!! Please share with others who may want to help us get to the finish line. Whether it's $5 or $500, you are helping to bring our child home!

What Not to Say

Yep. I didn't read the whole article ("What Not to Say to Friends Without Kids"), but I've heard all these phrases and more. The ones that frustrate me most are the comments some parents give that make it sound so terrible being a parent, and "whoa is me" attitudes. It's not helpful or encouraging to hear and just makes you look ungrateful to someone who desperately wants the same opportunity as you to become a parent. At the opposite end of it, don't rub it in someone's face about how awesome parenting is. We get it. Some of us who don't have children can't change our situation and others may not want to. Don't keep reminding us of what we don't have thinking it will somehow make us feel better, because it usually doesn't. Whew! Ok, sorry! Thanks for letting me rant!

Upcoming Training

Hey everyone! Some of you have been asking for an update on where we are with our adoption process, so here it is...

We're currently 2 weeks away from having to go to a mandatory adoption training class with our agency, Bethany Christian Services. It will be a 2-day training that, as I understand it, will give us a lot of detailed training on parenting and what to expect (and how to overcome) situations that might be different when parenting an adopted child. It will also cover raising additional funds, give insight into what the birth parents are going through and what kind of relationship we'll have with them afterwards, how to build our adoption profile, and go over the remaining steps of adoption, including the next step, which will be the home study.

However, we will not be able to move forward with the home study without raising additional funds. Thanks to all of you who have shown your support, we have collected through GoFundMe or direct gifts, a total of $3780 in donations!!! We are so blessed by your giving and know that God will use those donations to help us reach our goal. 

We expect the total cost for this adoption to come to about $26k-$28k. In order for us to move forward with the next step and schedule our home study, we need to come up with an additional $7,000. So, if you feel compelled to help with that, or can spread the word and share our link, we would really appreciate it! Of course, we also covet your prayers for us in our journey! 

We continue to walk each day by faith, believing that God has a plan for us and will see it to the end. Thank you all for the many ways in which you have and continue to show your love for Rachael and me! 

God bless you all,

David & Rachael

Investing in His Kingdom

Last week in church, our Pastor shared a message about Jesus' parable of the talents. He talked about multiplying God's kingdom - using our time, talent, and treasure in order to make the biggest impact for the kingdom of God. The way we get the biggest return on our investment in the kingdom of God is by impacting the next generation. By impacting the life of a child, we change the trajectory of that child's life. God has called David and I to do just that - invest in His kingdom by adopting a child, and changing the course of that child's life. Would you prayerfully consider joining us in impacting God's kingdom by helping us raise the funds to bring our child home?

Mandatory Training for Adoption

4 Weeks from now in Orlando, on March 11-12, Rachael and I will be attending a mandatory 2 day training in order to adopt. Would you consider helping us to raise the funds necessary to bring home our future son or daughter?

Our First Adoption Payment

Yesterday Rachael and I received a bill for our first payment for our adoption. I'm so happy and grateful to share that because of the generous gifts of friends, family, and even some I've never met, we have enough to cover the cost of that payment!! We still have a ways to go in the grand scheme of things, but every gift big or small is helping us to reach our goal! We are so blessed because of you and are humbled by the generosity of others! Again, thank you all for your support!

Praying for Our Adoption

Thinking about our adoption this morning and praying for our future son or daughter. They may already be growing in the belly of their biological mommy. I'm also thinking about that expectant mother. People often don't think about the birth mom when it comes to adoption, but they need a lot of love and support and PRAYER in this process too! Whatever their reason for choosing adoption for their child, it cannot be easy on them, and it's perhaps the bravest and greatest thing they will ever do for their child. They choose to do this because they believe an adoptive family can give their child a better life than they can, but it may come at great personal cost to them, too. I'm trying to imagine what they must be going through both leading up to the decision and afterwards when their baby is now in the hands of someone else. I'm praying for their emotional state and a peace of mind that whatever decision they make is a good one. I'm praying that their own future will be a hopeful one and that God will bless them. I want to encourage you who may be reading this post and those of you who have been praying for Rachael and me during this time to please also pray for that expectant mother (and the expectant father). I'm sure they need all the prayer they can get and the love and support of friends, family, and even strangers around them.

Application Approved!

Rachael and I have good news to share! Our adoption application was approved today! This was the formal application. Next up is a TON of paperwork we have to get done before they can do a home study and includes drug tests, physicals, and background checks. Then, we'll have a two day training on March 11-12. We have a lot to do between now and then, but God is moving things along!

If you'd like to help support us in our adoption, you can either give at gofundme.com/halladoption, or if you feel more comfortable, you can give direct to Bethany Christian Services in our name. If you need more info, send us a private message. Thank you to everyone who has been praying for us, encouraging us, and contributing to our cause. Every little bit helps! It means so much, and we are so grateful to you all!

Adoption Information Meeting

Rachael and I are attending an information meeting tonight with another adoption agency. We've pretty much decided that this is the agency we're going to be working with throughout the process. Hoping to come out of it tonight with a peace of mind that God is indeed leading us to work with this agency. This meeting is the first step we need to take in order to begin on our journey to adopt! Exciting!