Guestbook

Hey everyone!
     I just wanted to take a minute to point out a few cool features of our blog! We have added a Guestbook to the blog! You can get to it by clicking on the "Guestbook" tab at the top of the page.  Feel free to leave us feedback!  You can also "Follow" our blog by clicking the Follow button on the right hand side of the page. For all of the Pinterest Fans, there is a "Pin It" button under each post along with a Twitter "Tweet" button, a Facebook "Share" button,  and a Google "+1" button.  You can also share a post via e-mail or on your own Blogger blog. Just a few handy little features I wanted to share.  :)  I'm always on the lookout for neat features to add to our blog, so let me know if you have any ideas!
Thank you all for your support!
Christy

Adoption Bug Fundraiser

We are currently holding a T-shirt fundraiser through Adoption Bug.
If you feel led to contribute to our journey in bringing a new baby into our home, we will and do greatly appreciate it. You can check out our store by going to:

http://www.adoptionbug.com/laramoreadoption/

There you will see the 6 different shirt designs that we are offering. Only these 6 shirts will count toward our fundraiser. A large portion of your purchase amount will come to us to help us in our adoption. The remainder will stay with Adoption Bug to help them cover their expenses and help them to continue to offer their services to other families looking to adopt. We appreciate your support and mostly your prayers! Thank you all and God bless!

Words of Encouragement...

AGAPE of Central Alabama posted this on their Facebook page on August 15th, and I wanted to share it with all of you:

"In the past few weeks, Agape has had the joy of telling 2 couples they are gonna be parents. We've supported 2 mothers as they've delivered their babies and chose to place their babies in the arms of another family forever. Our workers gladly offered their time and attention to a foster family who was going to court to hear a judge's verdict on the future of the children in their care. One of our workers got to watch a birth family and adoptive family meet for the first time! Another worker helped find a man's birth mom after a very long search. We've had 2 sibling groups be reunited with their birth parents after the parents spent time stabilizing their homes and personal lives. We've had foster parents who have welcomed newborns. Another family who has added a sibling group of 6. An adoptive family just heard a judge say that their adoption is 100% finalized! Another family will hopefully hear the same thing next week. We had a pregnant woman call today to ask for our help in choosing a future for her unborn child. And that's just what I had time to write at the moment. There is SO much that God is doing for these vulnerable children and hurt families. And YOU are a part of that. Please don't forget Agape at your church's Agape Sunday."

This just felt so encouraging to me. Please keep all of these families in your prayers. Also pray for the social workers and staff involved in these cases. It's not an easy job for sure! But God is definitely at work... so many wonderful blessings, and we feel so humbled to be a part of this! God truly blessed us with an amazing honor when he set us on the adoption path. He also gave us a wonderful agency when he led us to AGAPE. I pray that we will be forever changed by this experience, that we will grow in Christ through it! Thank you for your continued prayers and support! We love you all!

If you would also like to learn more about AGAPE, you can go to:

http://www.agapeforchildren.org/default.aspx

Or visit their Facebook page:

http://www.agapeforchildren.org/adoption/adoptions/

One Down...

Today we had our second meeting.  This marks the completion of our first workbook. We reviewed and discussed what we learned in Book 1.  We are definitely feeling more comfortable now that we see how things are going to go with the classes.  In all honesty, the classes are really effective.  They do make us examine ourselves on all levels.  We are learning and asking ourselves questions that we would not have asked otherwise. That IS the purpose of them after all; to show us all aspects and to familiarize us with all options so that when the time comes we can say without a doubt that we are certain of the decision we make. By the end of the process we will actually be qualified to foster or adopt.  Both are wonderful routes, but right now we are still all in on the "adoption option".  :)
We were also given Book 2 to start on.  The title of this workbook is "Understanding Separation and Loss".  Our prayer for ourselves during this book is that God will open our hearts and help us to fully receive the message and lesson that He intends us to learn, beyond what the workbook has to say.  These children really do go through so much more than any child (or adult) should ever have to experience.  Even the ones who are given up at birth will still ultimately have to face the feelings of separation and loss.  The question of "Why?" as well as the emotions that come with it.  That can be overwhelming to say the least.
I ask that you join us in prayer.  As mentioned earlier, please pray that we will hear God's message in the workbook, that He will guide us through this process and give us the answers we need.  Please also pray for the children.  There are so many out there that are already dealing with separation and loss and many many who are currently still dealing with the abuse and neglect. Pray that God will give them the strength to endure it, the courage to speak up and the peace to rise above it. Pray also for the unborn babies.  God already has a plan for them.  He already knows which baby will join our family one day.  We pray that each birth mother will make healthy decisions for herself and her unborn child. We pray that the child will be healthy no matter what.  And we pray that the birth mother will be able to find peace as she makes the hard decision to put her child up for adoption and as she goes through her own process of coping with separation and loss.  We also pray for all those currently caring for foster and adopted children, for their strength to guide and nurture the children and be what the children need them to be. We know all this is asking alot, but we also know that nothing is too big for our God!

"For with God, nothing is impossible."
- Luke 1:37

"The things which are impossible with men are possible with God."
- Luke 18:27

"Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for me?"
- Jeremiah 32:27

"But Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
- Matthew 19:26

"It is he who made the earth by his power, who established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding stretched out the heavens,"
- Jeremiah 10:12

"Now unto him that is able to do exceedingly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us."
- Ephesians 3:20