So that they will know that I am God...: October 2012

Well, we've done it...everything in our power toward Ty's adoption. Our profile has been completed and distributed and now we just wait on word of a match.

Click here to see our profile in its entirety.

Our agency has advised us to spread the word far and wide that we are adopting, because you never know where that baby will come from. So please keep us in mind if you ever hear mention of adoption. Our social worker's contact information is available on the last page of our profile. We also ask that you please pray with us as we wait out the remaining months and that God will clearly bring us to the path that leads to our son, Ty.

I had the opportunity to share pieces of our stories with some moms this morning, and I told one of them that as I look back over the last five years or so, I can clearly see building blocks. Each new thing God has asked us to do is a little bit bigger than the thing before. I feel like I can look back and see a pattern...we chose to be obedient, Abba came through bigger and better than we could have imagined, and our faith and trust in Him grew. So next time, if He asks us to do something even bigger, we can know without a shadow of a doubt that He's good for it. Not only has He not ever failed me, but Abba always blows my mind with the outpouring of His goodness. My Jesus never does anything "good enough" or "oh, that will do." No way, He gives greater than we can ask, think or imagine!

In that spirit, Abba knows that waiting is not something I'm very good at. Ok really...who honestly likes waiting in the unknown? Exactly, point proven. So anyway, when we were on our journey from Tennessee back to Alabama and I felt at the end of my rope, Jesus would always give me what I called "bread crumbs"...a little nugget to cling to, a reminder that He's working on things that I can not see, and that He never has and never will leave me. This journey has been no different. Over the last two weeks He's given us a few bread crumbs to cling to...

Last week I toted the kids back and forth to Office Depot with me while we were working to get our profiles printed. I told Haley that we were making some books to help us bring baby Ty home. She wasn't really interested in more detail, but was rather satisfied to climb up and down the boxes of paper and push the buttons on the calculators. (Yes, on that day, I was that mom.) So anyway, one night while I was working on dinner, Haley was playing with a toy phone and handed it to Toby, "Here Daddy, it's for you." Toby almost always plays along, "Who is it, Haley?" Without skipping a beat or even giving much thought she replied, "It's baby Ty's mommy." Toby and I froze and stared at each other, Haley had already moved on to the next thing. I thought to myself, why yes, Haley, we are in fact waiting on a phone call from baby Ty's mommy. I tell you, children have such a strong connection to the Spirit. Please encourage that in your children and pay attention to the "random ramblings" that come out of their mouths. They may unknowingly be the keepers of great secrets!

My second bread crumb came a few days ago at the grocery store. The kids and I were watching our cashier scan our items when a young family came up to the lane beside us. One little boy, maybe about 2 or 3, climbed out of the buggy without his parents noticing, came over to my lane and tried to be so helpful by handing my cashier an onion in a produce bag. He was so cute and so sweet and so confused as to why she wasn't taking it. We both said hello to him and commented to each other about how cute he was. Then I heard his father behind me in a strong, commanding voice, "Ty, Ty. Come here!" They apologized for him bothering us, but I was still in shock at what I'd just heard. I asked his mother, "I'm sorry, but what is his name?" She absentmindedly replied, "Tyrese" while she tried to wrangle her three small children. His dad called his name at least another 5 times before they pulled out of the line next to me to find a faster cashier. I couldn't take my eyes off of the sweet little boy, with my boy's name! I am amazed at the details that had to play out for me to experience those few, precious seconds. Another sweet gift from my Jesus...a reminder that He hasn't left us and He's still working, even though we can't see it.

From the very beginning of this process, Abba has impressed "Christmas" on my heart. Ty will be born and will come home around Christmas. Sometimes I walk in great confidence of that promise, and sometimes I feel like I'm way out in left field, but recently He has been reminding me of that detail...Christmas. Over and over and over, He's told me..."Christmas." And lately, He's gotten a bit pushy about it..."I told you Christmas. You might need to get his space ready for him!!" Oh, but, uh...that's going to require some movement behind my faith. To which He replied, "Exactly." Between you and me...I'm afraid of being wrong. What if I am way out in left field and Christmas comes and goes with no baby? What then? If all we've invested is paperwork and prayers then I can blow it off as, "Oh well, I was wrong, we'll just keep waiting." But if I have an entire nursery set up, waiting for my tiny son to come home in +/- 75 days and then he doesn't...I don't know if I can look at that space. Will be a painful reminder of a failure? SO, here's what we're going to do...we're going to be obedient. Toby and I have CHOSEN to be obedient, even if it seems ridiculous! I mean, how ridiculous did Noah look building a boat on dry land in a place that had never seen rain?!? Ok, so I will take a BIG step out there, risk looking totally ridiculous and wait patiently for my God, my King Jesus, to come through on His latest promise..."I will bring you Ty...this Christmas."