Friday, February 28, 2014

NICK & KATIE WELCH

The other day I told someone that when you start the adoption process, it's almost like finding out you're pregnant! Maybe you've thought about adopting, maybe you had a plan about when you might start the process, but when you actually make that first call or sign that first piece of paper. It's real! It's miraculous! You become pregnant! And the timing or the way it happens might take you by surprise... just like taking a pregnancy test. There's a baby being formed, there's a child waiting for you and the timing couldn't be more perfect. 

I have been going crazy over here with excitement over the news that some of my dearest friends Katie and Nick have just found out that they are "pregnant"! After having one biological child and experiencing the pain and grief of two miscarriages, they will bring home a second child through adoption. Something they've wanted to do for a long time now! I've always admired Katie's honesty and bravery. She's never afraid to be vulnerable. She invites people in to walk through the hard places with her. She doesn't pretend that she's perfect! She doesn't pretend she's ok if she's not. She is so strong! Katie and Nick were our rocks when we were fighting to bring Arthur home. They rejoiced with us when we received good news, they wept with us when we were discouraged, and they continue to support and encourage us. I cannot wait to do the same for them as they begin this exciting journey!!! 

We couldn't be happier to share 20% of Love is Waiting sales with them for the next TWO weeks! Go shop!!


Read more below and follow along with the Welch family at welchpress.tumblr.com

"Nick and I have both wanted to adopt from a young age. I've always pictured my family being a large multi-racial family. It's my dream. My calling, I believe. I always hoped the man I married would feel the same way.
When Nick was young, he watched a family friend adopt 2 children from China. It inspired him, even at a young age, with the dream of someday adopting children. When we first got married, we decided we wanted to start a family through adoption. We watched a few of our closest friends start their families that way, and that made it seem less intimidating. When we began to pursue adoption, we found out we were pregnant with our first son, Judah. We were thrilled, and knew that adoption would be on our hearts forever, so we decided that maybe we'd have a couple biological kids, then adopt a few more. When Judah was 13 months old, we got pregnant again. Our plan was going just like we'd thought. When I was almost 15 weeks pregnant, I went into labor and delivered a tiny sweet baby that we named Emmanuel. This was confusing and extremely difficult for our family to walk through. Knowing that God had a perfect plan for our family, even if we didnt understand it, we marched on. We ended up pregnant again, and lost our little baby Hope at only 6 weeks. After that, a greiving process set in, but we took comfort in knowing that Emmanuel and Hope were with God, and that God knows what He is after. His plan is better than ours even when it feels horrible and out of control. The first thing that both Nick and I thought about when we lost Hope was adoption. Our heart has always been heavy for adoption. It's been a long time dream of both of ours and now felt like the time. We spend a month praying hard and seeking God's direction for our family. At the end of the month, we were both totally confident that He was leading us toward adoption now. We couldn't be more excited. Now the fun part, coming up with more money than I make in a year to pay for this crazy process. We trust that God's heart is for adoption and that He's bigger than $35,000, even thought it's SO scary. We trust Him. It was inspiring watching you and Aaron fight for Arthur. Watching you walk off the plane that December was one of the best moments of my life. The fact that we had invested in that process, and that our community had invested in it, makes the goodness in it even more beautiful. We all were fighting for Arthur. We fought for him in prayer and to raise awareness and support. We wanted him home with you guys so badly. The community aspect of adoption is glorious. I love it. I can't wait to walk into our home with our new son or daughter and be able to say that we couldn't have done it without the Lord putting a community of people around us, supporting this calling to care for the orphans of the world. Even if its just one."

Friday, February 14, 2014

LAUREN, GAVIN & ELIZA

How adorable is this family!? They have wanted to adopt for a long time, even before they met! They are well on their way to welcoming baby number 2, but with a big move to Southeast Asia next month, this family needs all the help they can get! Shop Love is Waiting this week and 20% of sales will go to the Pinkstons! Also, you have GOT to check out Lauren's blog 


You can read more about their story, but she also rights about Motherhood, Faith and Social Justice. Couldn't be more excited and proud to feature them!


Gavin and I both felt called to adopt before we ever met each other. After four years of marriage, it seemed like the right time to begin the process! We applied for domestic adoption in 2012, but were declined when I became pregnant with our now 7-month-old daughter, Eliza. As happy as Eliza made us as parents {she is just precious!}, we continued to feel the burden of the orphan crisis wordwide. We are moving to Southeast Asia in March, and I was just certain that no adoption agency would be comfortable matching us with a child to be raised in a third-world country. God is so much bigger than our fears, though! Almost immediately after beginning our research, we found Small World Adoption Agency which specializes in expat adoptions for missionary and military families. We are finishing the home study process now, and are looking forward to awaiting a referral of a 0-1 year old boy from Lesotho. Thank you for helping us welcome our second child into our family! You can learn more about our journey here: http://applesandbandaidsblog.com/2013/11/30/the-post-ive-waited-years-to-write/.

Friday, February 7, 2014

JT AND DANIELLE CARROLL

Please take some time to read about the Carrolls. They are in the most difficult part of their journey. They've seen their child's face, he has a name, they've heard his story. He IS their son, but laws, paperwork, money and distance still keep them from being together. Join me in showing them some love this week! 

Leave a comment here encouraging them. 

Visit their adoption blog and check out their puzzle fundraiser!
http://www.loveinmandarin.blogspot.com/?m=1

And as always... 20% of  Love is Waiting's sales will go to help the Carrolls. 
http://loveiswaiting.storenvy.com

Hey there! We're the Carrolls and we're adopting a little boy from Taiwan. He'll be just over 2 years old when he comes home and while we're excited to finally have him with us we're also nervous to go from being childless to suddenly having a toddler!

This journey hasn't been an easy one. It seemed easy at first, but then we dived headfirst into it. Our home study went by quickly, a record of two weeks, until the very end when three pieces of paper decided to get lost in the shuffle of busy offices. A much-needed update on our son wasn't coming which left us with more questions than answers. Financial hurdles have piled up against us and we're praying for God to tear down walls at this point.

I'm not gonna lie: we're scared. There are so many unknowns in adoption, especially international, that you'd be crazy not to have a little fear pop up somewhere along the road. I'm in full-blown mother/nesting mode for a little boy I've never met, whose only information and photos I have is outdated by almost a year. Will he like the color I'm painting his room? What words can he say? Does he have a sweet tooth? Such little things in the grand scheme of it all but they're absorbing all of my brain power.

But in the fear and wonder are moments of absolute joy of such magnitude I've never felt before. The moment when I saw his face for the first time. The moment when my best friend told me he looks like he belongs to us, that he looks LIKE us. The moment when we truly felt that he is ours, no matter what. Maybe I'm grasping at the straws of faith here but I can't help but believe that this deeply-rooted joy is coming from the Father of adoption, the Father who knows how hard this is but how worth it the journey is. 

Adoption is full of pain and uncertainty, incredibly hard on both ends for different reasons yet ends in what can only be considered the truest form of family. It makes you understand better what Jesus went through: fighting to bring sons and daughters into a family forever. And that is ultimately the most beautiful relationship I can imagine.