Adoption :: Putting God First Place

Adoption Update

By Ashley Wells, on January 25th, 2012

After doing weekly adoption updates before my blogging break, it seems so long since I’ve given an adoption update!

We are moving forward!!! Praise the Lord we had our home visit yesterday and have finished nearly every paper needing to be filled out.

We still have a couple of things to do at our house, then we will have another quick home visit. We need to get CPR and First Aid certified (which will happen next month) and we need to finish all of our homework from our training classes (which will be getting done very soon!).

Here’s the really good news:

We should be licensed sometime next month!

That means that anytime after that we may receive a placement!

Prayer points:

Wisdom for when to accept a placement.
Quickness in receiving a placement.
We would love a placement of 3-4 children that are close to or already have their parental rights terminated.
Willingness to take a “risky” placement (parental rights not terminated) if it seems like a good fit.
Grace for the “fostering” season.
Guidance from the Lord for every decision we need to make
That the medically fragile state-wide training will be in the next few months

Thank you all for continuing with us on this journey!!! You can read more about our adoption journey and my adoption posts here.

*I will not be posting weekly adoption updates. However, I will update you on milestones through the rest of our process!

You Can’t See It…But I’m Growing

By Ashley Wells, on November 18th, 2011

I love this weekly feature from The Gypsy Mama. For five minutes we write, unscripted, unedited. We just write. Then we link up and build community! Today’s topic is Grow.

Go.

Today as I read the topic of “Grow,” immediately I think about growth, physical growth. Not the getting taller part…The kind of growth that women experience as they are getting closer and closer to becoming a mother.

Most expectant mothers are experiencing growth as their womb expands and the life inside them is growing, therefore forcing their own body to grow and expand as well. It truly is a beautiful thing, the glowing of their face and the life being knit together within her frame.

Even though my stomach is not expanding as an expectant mother, my heart is growing more and more each day.

I’ve read this line, I think on jewelry, “Born in my Heart.” In terms of adoption, at least for me, this has been so true.

I don’t know my children’s names yet, I’m not sure how old they are, I’m not sure of the color of their skin, I don’t even know if I will have daughters or sons or both. However, none of that information is important for my heart to make space for them and for my love towards them to grow more each and every day.

Love is an interesting thing. They say distance makes the heart grow fonder. I’ve never met them, but yet the distance between us is making my heart ache for them, out of love.

My love is growing. My heart is expanding. You can’t see it, but it’s there.

Stop.

Preparing to Adopt :: Week 14

By Ashley Wells, on November 14th, 2011

So, the last week hasn’t shown much progress. I had a busy week planned before I knew that Michael would be getting a new job and I would start working on our paperwork.

Therefore, unfortunately I didn’t get anything done at all in terms of our progress.

However, I do have plans for this week:

Clean and organize our 3rd bedroom (Up to this point we have been using this room for storage since moving a few months ago). You already saw that we have one of our kid’s room put together.
Sort through paperwork, papers I need to fill out, papers Michael needs to fill out, paper that will need filled out at appointments.
Make a list of appointments I need to make.
Start working on my stack of papers.

Preparing to Adopt :: Week 8 – Week 13

By Ashley Wells, on November 8th, 2011

I am so excited to give an adoption update!!! The last time I gave an update was not my favorite post to write…here is an overview:

“Here is where we are. This is not where we expected to be, but yet this is where God has brought us…We are going to continue to make out house a home. We are going to pray that Michael gets a new job very soon. However, we are not going to push through this process any further until Michael’s job situation changes…Once Michael gets a new job (hopefully in the next couple of weeks) we will continue to move forward as quickly as possible. I still hope that will mean a placement by Christmas, but you just never really know.”

So, I do have some updates!!!

Last week, Michael got a job offer! He will be starting his new job next week. We are so thrilled and joyful and praising the Lord for providing!

It was a difficult few weeks when he was having interview after interview with no offer. However, we feel good about his new job and are so excited about moving forward with our adoption process.

So, we are going to do our best to get licensed by the end of the year (if not sooner).

Obviously, we would have loved to have children by Christmas. However, at this point, it seems that the Lord has some plans to unite our family early 2012!

When Waiting Leaves You Feeling Empty

By Ashley Wells, on October 12th, 2011

Just a few days before, Michael and I had put together a crib and added “child” touches to a kid table with excitement.

My sister and niece had come for a visit, so it was perfect timing to put together one of our children’s rooms for our expectant arrivals.

Here I am now, my sister and niece are gone. I have the beds made again. I’m putting the room back together.

I’m putting away laundry and I happen upon an old children’s t-shirt, although it isn’t old at all. We have had it for a few years now, however, it has never been worn. It’s been waiting, just like us. Waiting and never filled with life inside the seams.

I walk into the empty room, waiting and ready for children, just like us. I take one of the child-sized hangers and hang this shirt in the closet, the empty closet filled with hangers alone. I leave the room with tears streaming down my face.

That’s what waiting does to me some days. Not only does it leave the shirt empty, and the room empty, but I am left feeling empty too. I walk around waiting for my anticipation to be filled. Waiting for my dreams to come to life. Waiting…

Does waiting leave you feeling empty too? Has waiting emptied things out of your life, making you feel like you’ve got nothing left. Nothing to give.

The enemy is working in your life right now stealing from you. Stealing your joy. Stealing your dream. Stealing your life.

He has come to kill and destroy. Right now, you may feel like Exhibit A.

On these days when I’m left empty and the enemy has taken, taken, taken…there is a promise I hold, more like cling to, for dear life.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. (John 10:10 ESV)

These are not only God inspired words. These words are written in red in my Bible. These words came from the very lips of Jesus Christ. They rolled off his tongue and now they hide away in my heart.

Here’s truth.

When the enemy has stolen from you and leaves you feeling empty…

Jesus wants to fill you up again.

He wants to give you life.

He not only wants to give you life,

but life abundantly.

Grab this truth today, in the waiting, in the trial, in the suffering. Grab it and don’t let it go!

Question for you:

What has the enemy stolen from your life? In spite of that, can you hold on to this truth and trust that Jesus can truly give you life again, abundantly?

This post is part of my 31 Days of Waiting series. Read all the posts in the series here.