This was an email we recieved this morning! Made my day! I love that this sweet Nana pointed out that the God of Crestion joined this family together! He absolutely did! I am so thankful that the God of Crestion would allow me to play a small role in His formation of this beautiful new family! He is such a good GOD!

Thankful for the impact this family had on me! This precious family waited a long time even before coming to FAC! They never for one minute doubted God’s prefect plan or His sovereignty! Thankful for the love and prayers they always extended to me, my family and every single FAC client and agency!

Thankful for the blessing of wonderful, faithful clients! God you are so, so good!

We just had 2 new matches in the past week or so, so hopefully we will be updating this again very soon!

Here are a few of 2012′s newest additions.  The ones I had pictures of on my computer, I think I’m missing a couple, so I will add the few I am missing as I collect more pictures of them!!  Love all these sweet babies!!!

I love this quote.  I posted it on our FAC  facebook page this morning as well.  I know I have read it somewhere before, but as I read it this morning, it was like God was reminding me of my purpose.

Motherhood is certainly not a hobby, it is most definitely a calling.  I am so thankful for the calling on my life to be a mother to my 6 beautiful children.  I am also thankful that He has called me to walk alongside other families, as they obey His call to be mothers for the first time or the fourth.  God is so good.

I am thankful for every moment I get to spend teaching, loving, squeezing and kissing my babies.  I am thankful for this calling on my life.

Recently while at the gym, I noticed I was being followed.  When I’m done exercising I pick the kids up from the child care area and I let them go play in one of several indoor play areas, and I noticed another mom with small children who seemed to end up wherever I was.  After a bit she approached me and asked about my kids, more specifically Emmaline.  She was interested in adoption and had some questions.

You often hear the negatives of adopting outside your own race, I certainly heard plenty.  But I’m here to tell you there are some wonderful parts as well.  I love that just by living my life I am sharing my beliefs with others.  Had Emmaline’s skin been the color of mine, this lady likely would never have approached me.  She would have had no way of knowing I had any adopted children.

I’ve never been one to like being in the center of attention, I don’t particularly care for people to look at me.  Since adopting Emmaline however, I get a lot more attention than I used to when out in public.  Usually when I go out I completely forget that our family looks different from most, but it only takes a few people looking our way to quickly remind me that we do.  God has definitely used the attention my child receives to make me less of an introvert, and more of a people person.  And so even though I don’t personally care for the attention, when we’re out and about at a store, a restaurant, or soccer practice… and people look our way, I am grateful that they can clearly see where my family stands on certain issues.  They see that we are in favor of adoption.  They see that we draw no racial lines.  We’re a walking advertisement, and we bring awareness to certain subjects without trying.  I am so very grateful for God placing a child in our home that looks different from us, even if it does mean people are looking our direction!

In our household, this is an all-time favorite!  The kids absolutely love this song, and sing it year round!  And of course couldn’t be any more appropriate than on Easter Sunday!  In my opinion, Easter should be THE MOST celebrated holiday.  Granted, celebrating the birth of Christ is quite important.  However, what makes our Lord and Savior who He is, is that after He died, He rose from the dead and lives today!

Because of His death on the cross here on earth, we may live eternally in heaven with Him!  I hope everyone has a great day celebrating our Living Lord!  May we bring Jesus Christ praise and glory on this Easter Sunday!

Low in the grave He lay—

Jesus my Savior!

Waiting the coming day—

Jesus my Lord!

Up from the grave He arose,

With a mighty triumph o’er His foes

He arose a Victor from the dark domain,

And He lives forever with His saints to reign.

He arose! He arose!

Hallelujah! Christ arose!

Vainly they watch His bed—

Jesus, my Savior!

Vainly they seal the dead—

Jesus my Lord!

Up from the grave He arose,

With a mighty triumph o’er His foes

He arose a Victor from the dark domain,

And He lives forever with His saints to reign.

He arose! He arose!

Hallelujah! Christ arose!

Death cannot keep his prey—

Jesus, my Savior!

He tore the bars away—

Jesus my Lord!

Up from the grave He arose,

With a mighty triumph o’er His foes

He arose a Victor from the dark domain,

And He lives forever with His saints to reign.

He arose! He arose!

Hallelujah! Christ arose!

Here is Kara’s story:

Adoption was not our plan for our lives. In fact, we didn’t know anyone else personally who had done it. We had never considered it until we began to struggle with infertility. Finally, we conceived our son and I was given what I had always wanted, a beautiful baby who would call me “Mama”. A few years later, it was time to think about baby number two. My husband Jerimy and I were talking about it, when he mentioned adoption. Whoa. Neither of us had any clue what it would look like, how to start, the cost, the risk- it was very uncertain territory. We agreed to pray about it separately, and come back together when we received some answers. A few months later, when a friend mentioned Faithful Adoption Consultants, our answers came- very clearly. I looked at their website and wept. That night, Jerimy and I talked and it was settled. Over the next few months we saved, had multiple yard sales, and I cut a lot of hair to save for the initial expenses and be ready to sign our contract with Courtney and Emory. We knew from talking with Courtney, that she was the “missing link” in adoption- FAC was the fastest and safest way to our baby. Once we signed and finished our home study, we started presenting our profiles to birth mothers. Wow! That is when our little world expanded, when we realized how many children really needed homes, love, hope! We presented to several birth mothers, but none of them worked out. Though we were disappointed, we now know why. After only 2 months, we were chosen by God to be the parents of the sweetest, little curly headed baby- our Kylie. Kylie had lots of reasons why most families would not present on her, and even we were a little nervous. She is not what we expected, she is more. And she is ours. She was made, by God, to be in our family and we would not have her any other way! If we had not trusted in God’s plan, if we had only presented on “paper perfect” babies, we would have missed out on God’s perfect baby for us. And she is perfect.

Through Kylie, God has opened our eyes to the orphan crisis. I now know the responsibility I carry to bring awareness, to show that adoption is not second best, and that it shouldn’t be a last resort. God brought us to adoption through circumstances that he carefully placed in our lives, and we made a choice. Through that choice, we have learned things we never would have, about God and ourselves. I have trusted like I never knew I was capable of. Again, it was never my life “plan”, but God sees the bigger picture, and for once, he has given me a glimpse. How can I be silent, sit back and let other people do what I was made for? I can’t. That is why I am thrilled to be working with Faithful Adoption Consultants, with people whose heart breaks for what breaks His. I am so blessed and excited about bringing families to their babies and living out my passion while glorifying Jesus.

PICS TO COME SOON, HAVING TROUBLE UPLOADING RIGHT NOW!  UGH, TECHNOLOGY!

Emory and I met in 2002!  Emory was a youth pastor at the church my best friend and I were visiting.  We were looking for a church with a great singles ministry, and boy did we find it!  Stacey and I both ended up meeting our husbands there.  Emory and I dated for 1 year before we were married!  Fast, I know!!  Emory says, “When ya know, ya know!”  So, I guess we just knew!!  Emory and I were married in October of 2003.  Shortly after, in December to be exact, we found out that we were expecting!  Quite the shock!  Thrilled, but nervous, because we barely knew each other!  Unfortunately, we miscarried in February of 2004.  Ten days later, I was pregnant again!!  TALK ABOUT SHOCK!!  GEEZ, apparently I was fertile myrtle!  So, in November 2004, we welcomed “A” into the world.  Emory and I had talked about kids when we dated, but we never agreed on exactly how many.  While we were dating I wanted 4, Emory wanted NONE, ZIP, ZILCH!  LOL!  Can you believe that?  So, after “A”, he decided he would compromise, he agreed we would have “A” and no more! HA, see, told you we didn’t know each other well, otherwise he would have known me well enough to know that just wasn’t going to be possible.

So, jumping 18 months or so ahead….”A” is now 18 months and we are happy as can be.  Pretty sure life doesn’t get much better, until we get the call that changes our little family forever.  We received a call from a family friend (also an adoption consultant) that knew of a situation with a sibling group of 4 girls, ages ranging from 8 years-5 months.  Talk about instant family!  We didn’t have all the details, but we were told they needed a home, and we had one, so without hesitation Emory and I said YES!!  We knew nothing about these girls, no social/medical background, no family history, nothing!  We just knew that they needed a family, and we knew we could provide that. Emory was still in school, so I was supposed to go alone to pick up this new brood of ours.

When I arrived, there had been somewhat of a misunderstanding, the oldest was already adopted by the woman caring for all 4 girls, the next oldest had been turned over to the state (apparently, there were many issues, I am not comfortable sharing those), then there was a “M”, she was 3 almost 4 years old, she needed a family.  WE SAID YES!!  She also had a baby sister who was 5 months old, but another family had already committed to taking her!  So, we went for 4, and left with 1.  I remember the first time I met her like it was yesterday!  So small, so scared. She had been passed around a lot, and wasn’t very trusting at all.  She was hurt and broken.  Breaks my heart to remember her like that, that is not who she is today at all.  Praise God for that.

I picked up sweet “M” and we headed to meet her new daddy, Emory.  She was use to eating hamburgers and drinking coke, so against my better judgment, we went to Steak and Shake for our first meal as a family of 4.  She was in heaven!  She was shy, scared of men it seemed, and very unsure of why we were falling all over her.  As I look back now, I am amazed at how she handled everything, true to her personality, she was tough!  She had a quiet strength about her that a 3 year old shouldn’t know.  It was heartbreaking and encouraging all at the same time.  This first meal took place in September of 2005; we did a gradual transition, having “M” every week Thursday to Monday until December 5th, her 4th birthday!  At that point, we took her full time with the hopes that her birth mother would agree to sign papers and give her to us forever.

It wasn’t until 2008 that “M’s” Bm finally decided to give “M” to us forever.  It was the longest 2.5 years of my life!  We officially adopted “M” in July of 2008!  This was one of those situations where the risk of losing “M” was great, but the opportunity to love on her and be her family for however long God wanted was so much greater.  We were terrified of losing her, but we were more terrified of not having the chance to love her, and show her the love of Jesus, even if only for a season.  We learned so much over those 2 years.  We learned that we were not in control, and that we were 110% dependent on the Lord.  So thankful for that season.

Part 2 coming next…

I love this quote.  I saw it on a past clients FB wall this morning.  I love it, it reminds me of the Starfish Story, which you can read here.  It is such a true statement, if you allow the number 163,000,000 orphans frighten you, you may never act on the ONE God has planned for you.  We can’t save them all, that is just a fact.  A fact that breaks my heart, a fact that makes me want to try harder to save as many as possible, but the truth is, I can’t save them all.  I CAN, HOWEVER, SAVE ONE, OR IN MY CASE 4 SO FAR.  I can save 4.  One by one, we can make a dent in that huge, daunting number.  One by one, we can rescue these sweet children.  One by one, we can show them the love of Jesus.

Will you stop finding excuses?  Will you help save ONE?  You can do that by adopting, by fostering, by donating financially to someone that is adopting!  Email me at courtney@faithfuladoptionconsultants.com if you would like to donate to one of our families.  We have a not for profit grant set-up for FAC families, this money will go straight to their adoption!!  Help us help ONE!!

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

I think this verse is perfect for the adoption process. Has He not commanded us to care for the orphans and the widows? Yes, He has. So, He wants us to be strong and courageous throughout the process. He wants us not to be scared of the process, scared of failed matches, or whatever else terrifies us in this journey. He tells us He is with us wherever we go. I am so thankful for that promise.

Beth Moore said, “The world is not looking at us to see how we act when we have it all together. Their looking to see when we don’t.”

What a true statement. Don’t be terrified, trust in Him who has the bigger picture, trust in Him who commanded you in the first place. You have a wonderful opportunity to share the gospel just through the process of adoption, but you better believe all eyes are on you…everyone is waiting to see how you will handle it when everything doesn’t go according to plan. Will you still be living out the gospel, or will your whole testimony go out the window?

We have been blessed with amazing clients. We have had many clients with perfect adoption stories, ones that it is easy to live out the gospel, but we have also had clients whose situations weren’t as ideal from a secular perspective. Those families had the opportunity to walk through the process glorifying the Lord, or they could be frightened and lose sight of the Lord’s plan and His rewards through the hard times. Thankfully, most of our families have chosen to trust the Lord, trust in His plan and continue walking through the process with amazing attitudes and the light of Christ shining through them.

Watching how someone reacts in the storms of life tells you a lot about them! I pray that people would see Jesus in me whether I am on the mountain top or in the valley. I pray that I will not become disheartened or frightened in the midst of a storm.

Lord, I pray that you would give our clients renewed hope today! I pray that they would not be frightened, or dismayed through this process! I pray that they would be a light for you whether everything is going according to their plan or not. Lord, I pray that we will shine for Jesus no matter what our circumstances are, that we would not lose our witness through the storms of life. Amen.

So, here’s a bullet list of a few clients that God showed up for BIG in the finance department:  (Last name letters have been changed for privacy for our families and those who donated to their adoptions!)

• The “M” family received many grants and raised lots of money through fundraiser and family support…started with $0 and ended with $32k in less than 5 months!  WOW!!  GOD IS GOOD!!!
• The “Z” family raised over $29k in grants and interest free loans, not one penny out of their pocket will go toward adoption expenses.  God provided every penny!
• The “K” family had over $15k in grants and gifts from friends and family.  Just in the nick of time, GOD’s perfect timing, of course.
• The “T” family was given over $5k before the adoption process even started.  Friends and family blessed them with the cost of their home study, as well as to hire us as their consultant.
• Many families have had travel expenses completely covered by friends and family.
• An agency paid all of the travel expenses for one of our precious families that had failed matches.  PEOPLE, THAT IS GOD MOVING, THIS ACT IS UNHEARD OF FROM AN AGENCY.  GOD ALONE IS TO BE PRAISED FOR THAT.
• We had one family that had a failed match, and was set to lose $3k of at-risk money.  GOD MOVED, and we were able to have every penny refunded.  AGAIN, NOTHING SHORT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT MOVING, AGENCIES DON’T JUST GIVE MONEY BACK WHEN THEY CONTRACTUALLY DON’T HAVE TO.  GOD IS FAITHFUL.