Watch the Puzzle!

Here we go with fundraising efforts!!

Please check out the website below and become an intricate part of our family's history.

http://vadanielwowens.weebly.com/index.html

Check us out! Movin' right along . . .

Daniel and I have done a gift registry at http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/registry.html?ie=UTF8&type=baby.

Most of what we put on the registry, you can probably find at stores like Babies R Us, Target, Wal-Mart, etc. Since we're doing cloth diapers and opting out of certain types of toys, we just wanted to give you a better idea of our intended 'parenting style'.
To be honest - and it's perfectly ok - some people seem a little intimidated by the idea of cloth diapers. And, again with the honesty, I am extremely nervous about it myself. But I know that the overall benefits for our child and for our finances will be worth it.

Please,please keep us in your prayers as we work on grant applications and continue to wait on the Lord's timing!!

Also - be on the lookout for a new website from us!!

It's currently under construction (and prayer) and *hopefully* the site will be ready before January 29th - which is National Puzzle Day!

(Yes, a silly holiday but a great launch day for this website!)

Nesting . . .

As a family, we all got together to celebrate Papa's 88th birthday yesterday. It is such a blessing to be a part of this family. We get together with no agenda and just be. While we were there, Papa wanted us to update the family on our adoption process. And we did. And afterwards, Papa prayed for us and for the rest of the family. It really touched my heart.

It's an interesting dynamic to think that we could get a call any day now about a birth mother who is pregnant or even a call saying that there's a baby for us. Or, we could be here this time next year still waiting. I don't know which one I am more nervous about to tell you the truth.

Well, these past few weeks have been a sort of purging and reorganizing of the house. Daniel says that I am nesting and upon talking to my mom-friends I think that I can agree. It just seems strange to be nesting and NOT be pregnant. Although, I don't know what that's like either :-)

I have gotten a lot of the big stuff done but there is quite a bit of little things that have been procrastinated on over the years that I am either letting go of or mounting an attack on. A lot of this is coming down to details and the focus is starting to narrow some. And frankly, I just can't live without lists, so I am working on a better way to organize my tasks and my time.

This nesting has been therapeutic in many ways. I haven't purchased anything for organizing as of yet. I have been trying to see how creative on can be in doing the best I can with what I have. Once I dig more into the details, I will probably be buying some items for filing, shelf and drawer organizers , etc. I have also let go of a lot of junk and time-wasters so maybe I can do better managing time? Two truck loads have gone to Good Will. (No, I am not ready for another yard sale!)

I thank the Lord for this inspiration and motivation.

Please remember Daniel, me our birth mother and our baby in your prayers.

And thank you for all of your love and support.

Paperwork

Well, the week of Thanksgiving, that final piece of paperwork made it into the Bethany office. We are waiting to have everything approved and then they will post our profile on their website and start presenting us to birth mothers. I wish I could genuinely say 'YAY!' but I am just lacking enthusiasm lately - to be perfectly honest.

I think that working out these feelings in writing for public view would be grossly inappropriate.

Thank you for your prayer support, and please continue to pray.

Who's on first. What's on second. I don't know is on third.

Yes, we are still waiting for the same piece of paperwork.

After speaking with all the abbreviated government (and related) peoples (GAPS, GBI, DHR), I still feel like I've gotten nowhere.

The issue seems to be a new disclaimer that they have added to the paperwork. I am waiting to get more information about this disclaimer. Apparently they have been meeting about this and are in meetings about it today.

It boggles my mind that I have taken a one week class for substitute teacher training and went on interviews for jobs who required background checks and everything seems to be fine with that. So, this must be a horse of a different color.

Please keep us in your prayers. . .

Two weeks ago . . .

. . . I was at the OB/GYN office hearing all the pregnant chatter and looking at all the round bellies with babies inside of them. I admit that tears began to swell over the dam. The grief swept over me as quick as death. I was able to maintain my composure until I got into the car - although I'd have rather saved the crying until I got home, I just couldn't make it that far!!

What a precious gift - for a baby to grow inside of you. Sometimes I ache and long to know what it's like - even the many potential miseries of pregnancy dim at the loss of fertility. But I can't let this ache surpass and shadow my need for Jesus.

There are things that we will carry all of our lives, some may even call it their cross. And I guess that this will be one of mine. What a precious gift I have been given! That, in Jesus, I would find peace and contentment in this journey and in giving up this control. I truly can't wait to see what the Father has in store with each new day.

Blessed be the name of the Lord!!

well. . .

Here we are still waiting on the GBI. Not that it's been this huge amount of time that has passed since my last update. I have, however, visited the blog of the first agency we were going to choose and found that many people who signed on with them earlier this year already had that deer-in-the-headlights smile on their face as they held their baby. But I constantly remind have to clothe myself in patience and trust in the Lord's timing and His plan for our lives.

I'm sure that sounds a little silly to some people and that's truly ok and understandable, but I hope that you will read on.

I am quite assured that if it were up to me, I'd have have lost my head through this entire infertility and adoption journey. Every time I work at trying to work things out in my own strength, power and timing, I fall back on a bed of nails. Where as, when I just surrender and trust, I fall back into the loving arms of Jesus. Not to say that it has been easy - it's been difficult giving up control, comfort and security - and He is still working that out in my life. And I pray He continues this work that He is doing, even if I have to land out of my comfort zone. Surrendering everything is the only thing that matters and although I haven't mastered it (and won't in this world) - I have a Father who is lovingly teaching me.

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8 (NIV)

or as Eugene Peterson puts it in The Message:

" Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It's God's gift from start to finish! We don't play the major role. If we did, we'd probably go around bragging that we'd done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing. " Ephesians 2:7-10

Grace is sufficient. In fact, it's all we need.

Thank you for your prayers and support for us as we plod along in this journey.