Melted Like Wax

Once again, thank you, Lord, for the opportunity to give you all the glory!

One week ago, I wrote that we had decided to use another homestudy agency, a change that would save us $1000 and be less restrictive as we move through this adoption process.  There were actually two agencies, both with similar fees, and we were unable to decide which to move forward with.  It was a very difficult decision to try to make.

Yesterday, I wrote the blog post $937, asking for prayer as we faced a small mountain getting in the way of us moving forward with our homestudy.

I left a message with the Assistant Director of the homestudy agency we were leaning toward last week, but due to their office moving and training classes, she was not available at all last week, and very little this week.  I received a message from her yesterday afternoon, and I emailed her back this morning with several questions.  

Two hours after sending that email, Scott called me to tell me our mountain had "melt[ed] like wax before the Lord" (Psalm 97:5) in the form of a bonus he didn't know was coming.  And it's coming tomorrow!  We can't ignore God's timing in this, waiting until we spoke with just the person we needed to before having the money to move forward.

I've spoken again with the homestudy agency and with the placing agency, and we are THRILLED that we were shown the correct path to take, after much prayer over this decision.

To everyone who has covered us in prayer, thank you!  To everyone who contributed toward this fundraising goal, thank you!  We have enough to pay our homestudy fees, post-placement fees, criminal/background checks, and my passport fees!  PRAISE GOD, FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW!

 

Faith

I went to bed last night, feeling very convicted about whether I had truly given up control regarding financing this adoption.  When we send these forms, we are also agreeing to send the $7,000 due to our agency within 7 days of our referral being received and accepted in country. 

My Bible was on my nightstand, so I picked it up to read for those few minutes between lying down and closing my eyes.  I wasn't looking for anything in particular, I just enjoy spending my last quiet moment of the day with God.

I had notes from a sermon tucked into a page, most likely shoved there as I rushed to get from my seat to the nursery, where I know Sadie will be upset if she's the last little one picked up.  I opened to that page, James 1.

If you're feeling convicted about giving up control, this is what you need to read.

"But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." James 1:6-8

With that, I closed my Bible and gave up that last bit of control.  Take it, Lord, this is too big for me.