I can not express enough how God has shown himself through this whole adoption process. Up to this point He has provided, through different ways, for every penny of our adoption costs. The financial aspect of the adoption was probably the biggest question in our minds as we started the process. We had NO IDEA where the money was going to come from; however, we couldn't deny God calling us to move forward...so we obeyed, trusting that God would provide.
This past Sunday at church I was calmly sitting in the pew when our pastor called Daniel and I to the front. Surprise! I about choked. We had no idea what we were being called up for so we were 100% surprised when our pastor presented us with a puzzle.
A little background info: A few different people had approached us with the idea of "selling" puzzle pieces to help raise funds for our adoption. People can "buy" a puzzle piece, sign it, and then give it back to us. Once all the pieces are signed, we'll put the puzzle together and frame it, always having a reminder of how God provided in bringing our baby home. We had mentioned this idea to a few people, but hadn't started it on our own.
So...Pastor Joe presented us with a puzzle, along with $700 to get our fundraiser underway! I. Was. Floored.
I will never understand why God has chosen us to follow this road. From the beginning of our relationship, Daniel and I have wanted to honor the Lord in all our decisions. Of course, we had our "plan" mapped out, but knew that at any time, God could change that! To say the least, God has changed our plan. We have both always had a heart for adoption and knew that "one day" we would like to adopt. That "one day" came a lot sooner and a lot differently than either of us thought! I have heard all my life that "sometimes God's plan is not what we would have wanted, but if we will allow Him to work, we will see that it is the best that could have happened." If you're anything like I was, you hear this and think, "yeah that's true, but I sure hope I don't have to go through that." God has mercifully done a work on my heart, revealing to me that I certainly didn't trust Him if that is the attitude I had. God has completely changed the heart and mind of both Daniel and myself. He has drawn us closer to Him in a way that never would have happened, had we not followed in obedience down this road that He chose for us.
He has provided in every way, for this adoption. The biggest thing that held us back in the beginning was the cost. As we prayed and trusted the Lord, He let us know that if we would just be obedient, He would provide. Since July of 2010, I have seen God move in a way I have never seen before. Daniel and I are humbled and amazed to see what God has done. This fundraiser is another example of how God is the one calling the shots in this adoption! On Sunday alone, we raised over $1000.00. Completely unexpected. Completely amazing. Completely God. "For GREAT is the Lord and MOST worthy of all praise."
We have been so humbled in that God has chosen us to take this road with Him. I urge you to search your heart, asking what God might be calling you to do in our world's orphan crisis. So many of you have approached us saying you have always wanted to adopt but one thing or another has held you back. If God is calling you to do it, He. Will. Provide.
If you would like to help us on our adoption journey, first and foremost, we ask for your prayers.
1. Pray that our house in Swainsboro sells, as this will allow Megan to be a stay-at-home mom.
2. Pray for the birth mother/family of our unborn baby... That they will be obedient to what God is calling them to do and that through the process, God will give them peace and joy that can only come from Him.
3. Pray for our baby...that he/she is healthy and cared for.
4. Pray that we are led to the birth mother quickly and that there will be ZERO doubts through the whole process.
5. Pray that the money, as well as all the details, are provided for.
If you would like to help us financially, we are selling puzzle pieces! They are $10.00 a piece. If you don't live near us, we would be happy to send them to you through the mail for you to sign. You can contact us through email: megelcammi@hotmail.com OR dap4gsus@hotmail.com and we will get back to you with whatever you need!
We will keep you updated. "For GREAT is the Lord and MOST worthy of all praise!"
Daniel and Megan
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Classes
So we were told today that our classes won't start til March, so...bummer. I am ready to get this show on the road! But...we know that God's timing is perfect. He is certainly the one who led us to do this, so we are happy to let Him stay in control! We will finish the classes in mid-April, so now we have a little bit more time to get the paperwork and everything else finished.
A lot of you have asked about different details about our adoption. We are adopting through the Domestic Infant Program through Bethany Christian Services. We chose Bethany for a number of reasons, but ultimately because we felt that God led us to them. We will be adopting a newborn(infant) within the US (domestic). There are a lot of misconceptions that newborns are rare to adopt. However, it's actually more rare to adopt a 1 or 2 year old just because by that age, a child is usually in foster care, not necessarily adoptable. The program that we are adopting through is designed for couples to adopt newborns. Birth moms contact Bethany in different ways, are counseled by Bethany, and then matched with adoptive couple profiles by Bethany. The birth mom/family selects couples they connect with somehow and typically meet the couple(s) they are interested in. The birth mom/family chooses the couple, and then the adoptive couple decides if they feel it is a match for them, as well. Sometimes, adoptions are completed without the families meeting each other but in most cases the two parties meet.
There are different degrees of "openness" in adoptions. They can be closed, semi-open, or open. Closed adoptions are very rare in the U.S. today. These are adoptions that the birth mom/family has no idea where her child is placed, or who the parents are and vice versa. Years ago, that was the most common way adoptions were completed. Today, most are semi-open or open. Open adoptions are very open. The birth mom/family knows the adoptive families full names, phone number, address, etc and vice versa. The two families interact without an agency to mediate between the two. We are going to do a semi-open adoption. We will share first names and all of our interaction will be through Bethany. We will send pictures of the baby through Bethany for the birth mom/family to pick up. We will send emails to the family through Bethany. Any visits will be done at Bethany. We are excited about this option because it will allow us to raise our child, but will also allow the birth mom/family to stay in touch with the child.
This might seem scary to some, but it really doesn't have to be. It allows the child to know where he/she came from, as well as allowing the birth mom/family to see the child grow. Another misconception is that birth moms give up their children because they don't "want" them or don't "love" them. Typically, this is not the case. The reason they are choosing adoption for their baby is because they want them and love them. They are just not able to do that in a way they feel is best. When a birth mom knows that she will be able to keep in touch with her baby, she is able to make the decision easier knowing that it won't necessarily be the last time she ever sees him or her. There doesn't have to be any fear that just because there is some contact between the families, that the birth mom will return one day, wanting to raise her child.
Georgia is a very pro-adoption state, meaning that they support adoptive family laws. In the state of GA, depending on the type of birth, the birth mother has 24-48 hours to sign her rights over to the adoptive couple. Typically, she is not allowed to sign the paperwork until this time. At that point, the birth certificate is changed to having our names as the birth parents. The birth mother has 10 days to change her mind from this point. By law, Daniel and I are the parents of the child, but she can revoke her decision up to 10 days after she signs over her rights. Once the 10 days are over, we are home free! We will go to court 3-6 months later to finalize the adoption!
We are working on our Home Study now. This will take until mid-April. At that point, we are able to be matched with a birth mother. Because we are open to many different options, we have been told that our process could go fairly quickly. We could get a phone call telling us to pick up our baby that day, or we could get a phone call saying a birth mother would like to meet us who is not due for quite a few months. It all depends. We will see what God has planned!
Prayer requests at this time are:
1. Our house in Swainsboro sells!!
2. The money is provided to complete the adoption.
3. We are able to get the Home Study process completed smoothly.
4. God leads us to our birth mom / family
5. That God is glorified through the whole process
I can NOT wait til the day we know our baby is on the way!
A lot of you have asked about different details about our adoption. We are adopting through the Domestic Infant Program through Bethany Christian Services. We chose Bethany for a number of reasons, but ultimately because we felt that God led us to them. We will be adopting a newborn(infant) within the US (domestic). There are a lot of misconceptions that newborns are rare to adopt. However, it's actually more rare to adopt a 1 or 2 year old just because by that age, a child is usually in foster care, not necessarily adoptable. The program that we are adopting through is designed for couples to adopt newborns. Birth moms contact Bethany in different ways, are counseled by Bethany, and then matched with adoptive couple profiles by Bethany. The birth mom/family selects couples they connect with somehow and typically meet the couple(s) they are interested in. The birth mom/family chooses the couple, and then the adoptive couple decides if they feel it is a match for them, as well. Sometimes, adoptions are completed without the families meeting each other but in most cases the two parties meet.
There are different degrees of "openness" in adoptions. They can be closed, semi-open, or open. Closed adoptions are very rare in the U.S. today. These are adoptions that the birth mom/family has no idea where her child is placed, or who the parents are and vice versa. Years ago, that was the most common way adoptions were completed. Today, most are semi-open or open. Open adoptions are very open. The birth mom/family knows the adoptive families full names, phone number, address, etc and vice versa. The two families interact without an agency to mediate between the two. We are going to do a semi-open adoption. We will share first names and all of our interaction will be through Bethany. We will send pictures of the baby through Bethany for the birth mom/family to pick up. We will send emails to the family through Bethany. Any visits will be done at Bethany. We are excited about this option because it will allow us to raise our child, but will also allow the birth mom/family to stay in touch with the child.
This might seem scary to some, but it really doesn't have to be. It allows the child to know where he/she came from, as well as allowing the birth mom/family to see the child grow. Another misconception is that birth moms give up their children because they don't "want" them or don't "love" them. Typically, this is not the case. The reason they are choosing adoption for their baby is because they want them and love them. They are just not able to do that in a way they feel is best. When a birth mom knows that she will be able to keep in touch with her baby, she is able to make the decision easier knowing that it won't necessarily be the last time she ever sees him or her. There doesn't have to be any fear that just because there is some contact between the families, that the birth mom will return one day, wanting to raise her child.
Georgia is a very pro-adoption state, meaning that they support adoptive family laws. In the state of GA, depending on the type of birth, the birth mother has 24-48 hours to sign her rights over to the adoptive couple. Typically, she is not allowed to sign the paperwork until this time. At that point, the birth certificate is changed to having our names as the birth parents. The birth mother has 10 days to change her mind from this point. By law, Daniel and I are the parents of the child, but she can revoke her decision up to 10 days after she signs over her rights. Once the 10 days are over, we are home free! We will go to court 3-6 months later to finalize the adoption!
We are working on our Home Study now. This will take until mid-April. At that point, we are able to be matched with a birth mother. Because we are open to many different options, we have been told that our process could go fairly quickly. We could get a phone call telling us to pick up our baby that day, or we could get a phone call saying a birth mother would like to meet us who is not due for quite a few months. It all depends. We will see what God has planned!
Prayer requests at this time are:
1. Our house in Swainsboro sells!!
2. The money is provided to complete the adoption.
3. We are able to get the Home Study process completed smoothly.
4. God leads us to our birth mom / family
5. That God is glorified through the whole process
I can NOT wait til the day we know our baby is on the way!
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Paperwork, Paperwork, and MORE Paperwork!
As you read in the title, the paperwork has arrived! I had always heard rumors of the mounds of paperwork associated with adopting. Let me just ease your mind. The rumors are TRUE.
Daniel and I went to a trans-racial potluck at Bethany's office last week...I think I have failed to mention that we are adopting through Bethany Christian Services. Anyway, we attended this meeting and were able to meet our case worker, which was very exciting! She informed us that our Home Study training sessions will begin the week of February 20th and asked if we had received our Home Study packet. We hadn't...come to find out the woman in charge of all those logistics had recently transferred to a different office so the Atlanta office has been behind and trying to catch up! She assured us that she would send us the packet right away. I have been checking my email multiple times a day to see if we had received it yet! We finally got it last night and I am SO excited!! I am getting closer and closer to my precious baby!
Well, yes, this packet is a blessing to receive...however...yikes...it is huge! Daniel and I both have to answer multiple questions about each of our upbringings, families, schooling, marriage, likes/dislikes, hobbies, careers, future plans, and LOTS more. Honestly, I am looking at it as a way to get to know myself, and Daniel, better. Every step is a step closer to our son or daughter!
There are all sorts of other things in the packet as well...Dr. visits, insurance info, adoption preferences (open/semi-open, health issues, multiples, etc.), and many other items! Needless to say, we have our work cut out for us!
My goal is to finish it all ASAP. Our training sessions will last until just before Easter. Our understanding is at that point we'll be put on the waiting list! Well, as long as everything else is complete! That is why my goal is to get the packet finished ASAP!
We thank everyone for all your prayers up to this point. God has revealed himself to us in a way we never imagined through this whole process. We are so grateful to Him and all that He is doing!
If you have any fundraising ideas, feel free to let us know! We will gladly welcome any ideas!
Oh, and I am extremely excited about the little adoption ticker doodad thing I put on the top right corner of our blog. I have been waiting to put one of those up for so long!
AND....We have names! ...but we're keeping them a secret!
Daniel and I went to a trans-racial potluck at Bethany's office last week...I think I have failed to mention that we are adopting through Bethany Christian Services. Anyway, we attended this meeting and were able to meet our case worker, which was very exciting! She informed us that our Home Study training sessions will begin the week of February 20th and asked if we had received our Home Study packet. We hadn't...come to find out the woman in charge of all those logistics had recently transferred to a different office so the Atlanta office has been behind and trying to catch up! She assured us that she would send us the packet right away. I have been checking my email multiple times a day to see if we had received it yet! We finally got it last night and I am SO excited!! I am getting closer and closer to my precious baby!
Well, yes, this packet is a blessing to receive...however...yikes...it is huge! Daniel and I both have to answer multiple questions about each of our upbringings, families, schooling, marriage, likes/dislikes, hobbies, careers, future plans, and LOTS more. Honestly, I am looking at it as a way to get to know myself, and Daniel, better. Every step is a step closer to our son or daughter!
There are all sorts of other things in the packet as well...Dr. visits, insurance info, adoption preferences (open/semi-open, health issues, multiples, etc.), and many other items! Needless to say, we have our work cut out for us!
My goal is to finish it all ASAP. Our training sessions will last until just before Easter. Our understanding is at that point we'll be put on the waiting list! Well, as long as everything else is complete! That is why my goal is to get the packet finished ASAP!
We thank everyone for all your prayers up to this point. God has revealed himself to us in a way we never imagined through this whole process. We are so grateful to Him and all that He is doing!
If you have any fundraising ideas, feel free to let us know! We will gladly welcome any ideas!
Oh, and I am extremely excited about the little adoption ticker doodad thing I put on the top right corner of our blog. I have been waiting to put one of those up for so long!
AND....We have names! ...but we're keeping them a secret!
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