Final Post

This is going to be my final post.  We're gearing up for Todd to do a bit of travel for work soon and I honestly have no idea how I'm going to get both girls to bed at night (it's a juggling act when we're both here) never mind be able to download pictures and write a blog post.

We are SO thankful for all of you who have followed along, praying for us and checking in on us.  It has been a huge blessing to our whole family.  Thank you for sharing both our joy and our pain through these past several weeks. We have not felt alone and that has meant so much.

Every adoption story begins with pain and loss. And this is no exception.  Valerie has lost so much in her little life.  She lived with her first family for several months. When she was old enough to know who they were, for some reason that we will likely never know, they felt like they could not care for her.  They left her at the gates of the orphanage where a passerby found her and called the authorities.  Her world was turned upside down for the first time.

Then just after her second birthday, more upheaval when we came to adopt her - looking, sounding and even smelling so different. We truly believe that God chose us to be her forever family.  Psalm 68:6 says that "God gives families to the lonely."  Valerie, on the day she was adopted, gained equal status in our family with our other children. But it will take years of love and building trust to redeem the pain.

In the same way, our adoption as children of God began with pain and loss.  Our sin separated us from God.  He then sacrificed his Son, Jesus, on the cross to take the punishment for our sin and to redeem us.  When we repent of our sin and accept Christ as our Savior we are adopted into His family.  And he spends years teaching us about his love and how to trust him.

But oh what good news!  And now we have the amazing opportunity of  following Jesus' instructions in Mark 16:15 to "go into all the world and preach the good news to everyone."  Again, we are so thankful for everyone who has supported us in this.  One more child is going to hear the amazing good news of the gospel. Hallelujah!

Previous Photos that I hadn't shared yet. At least I don't think I had.