The Unexpected Mountain Top

         

            It's been a long journey to where Matt and I are, and I've been promised an adventure ahead. When Matt and I first began trying to get pregnant back in February of 2012, we recognized that my body was not working in a regular rhythm.  I went to the doctor, and they determined I had polycystic ovarian syndrome, which is a reproductive disorder that does not have a cure, and no one knows what causes it. I was hesitant to believe that I had PCOS because several of my symptoms didn't align with the diagnosis, but I was reassured by the doctor that if I followed her course of action I would soon be pregnant. At the time, we weren't ready to stick our toes into the sea of fertility treatment, so we took our time and waited to see if things would sort themselves out. 

             For the next few months, I felt wracked with feelings of the unknown. Why was this happening? Why couldn't we just get pregnant without any major drama like other couples? It was during this time that God spoke to me clearly in a dream. 

             I'm not sure what your theological beliefs are, but I am confident God spoke to me in that dream. Some parts of it are too precious for me to share, but I will share about one key part.

            The most tangible part of my dream was sitting on a high, green mountain top with God. I couldn't see what he looked like but I was leaning up against Him like a child sitting in someone's lap on the ground. I felt completely calm. I can't stress the word calm enough! We were looking silently over at another mountain in close range, and I could just make out someone running straight up a cliff face chasing something. I knew that was me. It was me chasing what I wanted, trying my hardest to catch what alluded me. I heard the message from God, "You can either live your life over there or here with me. It's your choice." 

             It might sound crazy to some, but I've clung to this dream like my life depends on it for almost two years now. Have I completely lived by it? No. Ask my husband. Ask my mom. Ask my best friends. I've spent time running up the cliff face, and I've had to learn what it means to be still, and know that He is God (Psalm 46:10).
           I've struggled with this desire for control even this week as we continue to search for the right agency for our adoption. How do we feel about drug exposure? Different races? Family history of mental illness? I've wanted to just stop and say, after everything we've been through, can't we just have an easy adoption? I am reminded again, I'm not in control. God is, and he is bringing us the child that is meant for our home. We must trust God wholeheartedly, keeping our hands open to receive from a good God.
       If you follow us on facebook, you might have noticed someone decided to anonymously give to our adoption fund. We are so overwhelmed by that person's generosity, and the card they chose to mail with their gift might as well have been hand picked by God himself. The front cover had an illustration of a mountain with the sun peeking over the top! It says,"Sometimes life is hard to understand. We face challenges and obstacles that were never in our plans. Yet we can trust nothing is a surprise to God. He's there to walk with us each step, hold our hands, and guide us to all the good He has for our lives. His love will be with us wherever we go." Amen!

            

Being still and holding His hand,

Kristin

God Is At Work

Matt and I have been so encouraged by everyone's prayers, and have already received an answer. We have been blessed financially and feel that the money hurdle has been lowered! That could only have taken place through the power of our Lord, and we are so grateful. We are still praying and determining which way to go, but we feel God steering us in the direction of domestic adoption, so that has helped narrow the field some. In light of all of the information Matt has uncovered about abortion recently, we feel a fire has been lit under us to save a life from this terrible tragedy. We ask that you begin to pray for our child’s birth parents, and that God will lead them to just the right place so that we can find them! 

More to come,

Kristin

One of Thirty-Six

       

       
          One of the major barriers to Kristin and me starting the adoption process is cost. The cost of infant adoption ranges from $20,000 to 50,000. We simply don't have that kind of cash right now. But what troubles me more than the high cost of adoption is the reason for the high cost.
          Unfortunately, the reason is seldom discussed. Like anything else, supply and demand influences the price; yes, this is true even of adoption. You are probably thinking, "but there are thousands of kids waiting to be adopted. Surely, there is plenty of supply." This couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, 36 couples are waiting to adopt every child who is put up for adoption. Plenty of children who need families are in the foster care system but the foster system is completely different. These children need temporary homes: very few of them are available to adopt and many of them have behavioral issues that require parents with specialized skills and experience.
          So what accounts for such a shortage in children available for adoption? Several factors contribute, but the most significant one is almost never discussed: abortion. The vast majority of women with unwanted pregnancies choose abortion, greatly reducing the supply. In fact, twenty-two percent of pregnancies in the U.S. end in abortion. Obviously, the real tragedy is not the low supply and resulting high cost of adoption but the lives of the millions of babies who are aborted. To put it bluntly, the lack of babies available to be adopted is due to the fact that most of them do not survive to birth. This is an incomprehensible tragedy.
          But what if this tragedy were largely avoidable by simply dispelling the myth that a surplus of babies is waiting to be adopted? Many pregnant mothers wrongly assume that if they put their baby up for adoption, their baby will not find a loving home, not realizing that a waiting list of loving couples is ready to adopt their child. Because of this misunderstanding, they conclude that abortion is a better choice for their baby.
          But what if these pregnant mothers understood that 36 couples have paid thousands of dollars and are waiting to adopt and love their baby and fulfill their dreams? What if they understood that the adoptive family would cover their expenses while they were pregnant? What if they understood that the adoptive family would love them and their babies and would care for them during their pregnancy?
          Together, we can make a difference and save lives just by spreading the word that thousands of couples like Kristin and I would adopt, love and care for the babies who face abortion. Just as importantly, we would love the birth mothers and honor them for their bravery. We would show them that God can turn their mistakes into immense blessings and dreams come true for the adoptive families.
          So spread the word, not just for Kristin and me and the thousands of couples waiting to adopt, but more importantly, for the lives of the thousands of babies who face abortion every day. Perhaps we can influence their mothers to choose life and one day, there will be 36 babies for every 36 couples waiting to adopt.