Silent no longer!

When we first put in our adoption application with our agency, way back in the spring of 2006, Kevin and I thought "healthy baby girl." We held onto that thought for awhile. Around December of that same year, I began to follow different family adoption websites - ok no not really began to follow, but began to be obsessed with different family adoption websites! I poured over them daily from that time on! Sometime in the spring of 2007 or a little later I stumbled upon some websites where families were adopting children with special needs, usually minor and correctable needs.

That summer we took a vacation to one of the most beautiful places on earth- in our minds anyway, to the shores of Lake Michigan. We were doing laundry one night in a laundry mat in Traverse City. They had a computer in there, so of course I decided to check up on my adoptive families. One of my favorite websites was about a little boy named Jude who was at that moment being united with his forever family in China. It captured my heart! And it captured Kevin and Ted's heart, too! From that moment on we began to open our hearts to little boys with special needs. On that very vacation in a Christmas shop in the heart of Traverse City, we bought three little snow baby ornaments. One of them said "Sophie", the name we had chosen for a little girl. The other two were for Ted and maybe a little boy in our future?? Philip became a glimmer then!

Later in the summer another family posted about their trip to their new little boy in China, Isaiah Samuel. That family's blogspot also caught our eye. Both families had a deep faith in our Lord, and they believed that through God's leading, they had found their little boys. We called our agency and got on the "Waiting Children's List" and began to look at files of precious little children, all who had some kind of special need - big or small.

Those two websites eventually led to our little boy, Philip. What joy overflowing we have experienced since bringing him home last summer! You can view our journey to him by clicking on Journey to Philip under Blogs and Websites I Follow.

Even though we opened our hearts to adopting again near the end of this past summer, Kevin and I were still struggling with some worries well into October. We had prayed about it repeatedly but God seemed to be silent. Then one night I was reading Linn and DW's website (parents to Isaiah Samuel). I had already e-mailed Linn once about how Isaiah's story had inspired us to adopt Philip. Linn and DW were having a wonderful visit from another family who had also adopted from China. They were all sitting around a campfire looking at their two China miracles when DW asked, "Can you imagine where these two would be without adoption?" Linn's reply pierced our hearts. She said, "My only thoughts now are - if you are debating doing it again - end the debate - DO IT. If you have wondered about adoption - GO FOR IT! If you think you are too old - ICK SCHNAY - they will keep you feeling young!"

We immediately felt God speaking to us through this post. We had wondered and debated for about a month and a half if we should pursue another adoption, and now here was his leading. I immediately e-mailed Linn to tell her that whether she knew it or not, God had spoken to us through her words! She wrote back saying that she had originally planned to write about something cute the kids had done, but then she felt driven to write those words instead! God was silent no longer. The message kept hitting home with us time after time after that in sermons, Bible verses, and people. This was just how it was with Philip, too. We now had a clear direction.