What a busy and amazing week this has been. Our week started off Sunday at church with sanctity of life Sunday. Our friends Benji and Gina Harmon gave their testimony of their adoption journey and our associate pastor's sermon was also about adoption and their adoption experience of five children. It is just so amazing how all this has unfolded from when we mailed our application December 18th. We went to church two days after our application had been in the mail to hear Pastor Steve preach on adoption . He based his sermon from scripture in Ephesians 1:5-6. It says, "In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will-to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves." He also referenced a book, Adopted for Life, by Russell D. Moore. It is a great book! I have never heard our relationship with God put this way. Wow! We are his Children! He loved us so much he adopted us! After we were in the car leaving church I asked Nat do you doubt this now? We were both speechless. Last Sunday the scripture was from the book of James. It says, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." It is our duty to look after orphans. Sometimes I ask myself, why me and Nat? But mom quickly put me in my place and said,"Why not you."

Nat and I are helping support Josephs Hope Foundation. Our friends, Benji and Gina, that I mentioned above have started this all on their own. It is named after their two adopted children from Korea. This foundation will support families with financial assistance to be able to adopt. The cost of adoption has continued to rise unfortunately. Many take out loans to adopt. Giving a child a home becomes a financial burden. I encourage you to go to the website and check it out. Unlike many foundations, 100% of the money brought in will go straight to families who are in the adoption process. Not only can you give but there are raffles to win awesome prizes and it is all tax deductible. There is also a benefit concert scheduled for February 6th on Western's campus and a golf tournament in the works this spring. You all will be hearing more about this in the near future. Nat and I will be helping put all this together. Please take a look! Go to Josephs-hope.org and be sure to click on the information site that is highlighted. The children in the video are all the children we have fell in love with and who have helped lead us to the adoption process.

This week has been filled with medical exams, our first home study meeting, CPR class, and applying for passports. After we left our 2 1/2 hour home study meeting I told Nat everyone should have to go through this before they have a child. Unfortunately it just does not work that way. I know the busyness of all this will soon come to a temporary halt and then the waiting begins. That is going to be the hard part. Those of you who know me well know that I am not a patient person. Although I have gotten better over the last 3 1/2 years. This is all in God's hands and we are willing to wait!