Plan C: The Unexpected

So remember when I wrote about Plan A and Plan B?  Well, here comes Plan C.  We're pregnant.  Yes, after almost two years of trying, seeking God as He led us to pursue adoption, He shocked us with a positive pregnancy test.  Even now it's hard for me to find words to express our emotions.  I've told some friends that while I am thrilled that God not only is blessing us with an adopted child (yes we are still adopting :)  More on that below) but another child through birth, my heart still breaks for my sweet friends who have reached out to me sharing their stories of how they have been trying to start a family for years now with no such ending as ours.  And while I know that times like these deserve a celebration because if any of my friends who had been trying for a while shared such news with me I would be thrilled, I know that sometimes another pregnancy post can be hard to hear when you are in the waiting.

As I have been reading through my journals over the past two years, I can truly say looking back that I wouldn't change anything- and I pray that as an encouragement to some of you.  God has taught me so so much and I trust Him more having experienced the waiting that we did.  I can honestly say that although I am SO grateful for this growing baby inside of me, I am even more grateful for the new joy and hope that I have in Him that I wouldn't have had before our season of waiting.  So to those of you who are struggling through a season of infertility, please know I am still praying for you.  Not only that God gives you a little baby- whether it be by birth or through adoption, but also that God deepens your faith in Him- that you lean into Him even when you don't understand His timing, and that God will show you that hoping in Him and His timing is better than anything you had planned:  "I am still confident I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.  Wait for the Lord, be strong, and take heart, and wait on the Lord."  Psalm 27:13-14

Adoption updates:

Yes, we are definitely, 100% still planning on adopting.  We are very excited to adopt and feel strongly that God called us to start the adoption process when we did, even though we are pregnant now!  This new baby is obviously no surprise to Him.  And one of the many reasons we chose the agency that we did is because they don't stop the process when you are pregnant, because we knew that could always be a possibility.  The biggest waiting we are doing right now is to update our home study.  Since we moved, that needs to be updated, and after that we can finish our Dossier (which we were almost done with before we moved) and hopefully get on the waiting list as soon as possible!  Lifeline does have a policy that our youngest child needs to be at least 6 months for us to accept a referral- and because the wait times have increased in Ethiopia, the likelihood of us even receiving a referral before this baby is 6 months is very unlikely. So for our situation, the timing of this baby won't affect our wait times at all.  However, we are continuing to pray for Ethiopia and the increased wait times because there are so many families who are ready to accept a child and have been for months and years now!  If you could join us in praying for Ethiopia we would SO greatly appreciate it :)

So, as we enter a season of pregnancy, adoption, and a new job, I can't hep but read this verse and hold it ever so tightly:

"When God brings you into a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, houses filled with all kinds of good things you did provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant- then when you eat and you are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery." Deuteronomy 6:10-12

This is where God has us.  After a difficult season He has brought us to a place of abundance.  We know that this too is a season, but I know how easy it can be for me in the "high" seasons of life to easily forget all that God has done for me and where He has taken us.  So our prayer is that we would honor Him and give Him glory during this time in our lives.  I love Mary's song of praise which I find being mine these days: "He who is mighty has done great things for me!" Luke 1:49