Beginning the journey.

We are so excited to share this exciting news with you!

To many of you this may seem like new news, but our adoption journey actually began about 3 years ago in Glorieta, NM. Ben had gone to College Week with our college students and was blessed to sit under the teaching of David Platt of Brook Hills Church in Birmingham, AL. There's much to say about this young pastor, but we'll let you check him out for yourselves at the Brook Hills website. Ben came home with a passion to answer God's call of obedience to the Gospel. He'd had a new vision of what that obedience looks like and he couldn't wait to share it with me. We had some tough and very frank conversations when Ben returned home, and decided to begin praying that the Lord would bring us both to the same page.

We've had the opportunity to attend College Week together the past two years and sit under David Platt's teaching as well as another young pastor named Tony Merida. Both David and Tony shared their recent adoption experiences, and that really sparked something in us. We were intensely challenged by the Word both years, and we spent a lot of time praying and seeking the Lord on how to apply the things He was revealing to us. We've honestly come back from College Week each year CHANGED. Radically changed. If you ever have the opportunity to go - GO!

We came back this past year knowing that we were going to pursue adoption. We spent much time in prayer together and individually about the when and where, and the Lord brought us to a point of decision just this July 5th. We knew we'd waited long enough, it was time to ACT. So, we spent the day discussing, researching, and praying through where we would adopt. We filled out paperwork that night for an Ethiopian Adoption through Love Basket in Hillsboro, MO. We mailed everything the next day, and heard just this week that we are approved! PRAISE THE LORD! We will begin our Home Study soon, and are in the process of gathering information and documents.

Many of you have asked to be kept in the loop as we continue along this journey, so we hope this blog will provide you with lots of info and updates. We are beginning some fundraising, so we'll also be communicating how you can be a physical part of our adoption journey through those opportunities. You can click on the Just Love Coffee ad to the right and check out one of the opportunities we're making available. Feel free to spread the word! We'll have some t-shirts available soon, so be watching for those!

We love and appreciate each one of you! Thank you for your prayers and encouraging words! We can't wait to bring home our baby!