Update

I was going to wait until we were completely done with our home study for my next post, but we are almost completely done with it. Our last step is to write our profile letter that will be shown to potential birth mothers. At first I was really kind of freaked out about writing this letter but as I sat down today to start it, I realized not only is it there to be shown so we can be "chosen" but when I started writing about my walk with the Lord and how important He is to me. I realized I could use this letter as a testimony to my Faith. So not only will she see it but other birth mothers my see it to who do not choose us to parent their child but it could be used as a tool to maybe one day to win them to Christ.  Because I want to make it known that Christ is at the top of our priorities and without Him we truly have nothing. I want her to know that her baby will be raised not only in a loving home filled with our love but also Christ's love. This child will be a gift from Him that he has used her as a tool to bring him/her to us and I want to be the tool to potentially bring her to Christ. How amazing would that be!!!

 I long for a close relationship with our birth mother. I know not a lot of people understand that. Trust me I didn't either before I started this journey. I realized with an adoption our son or daughter will have questions about their birth families and I want them to have answers to those questions. With an open adoption relationship the birth mother will be there to answer those questions I cannot answer.

We have had 4 of our 5 meetings with our Social Worker who is an amazing person BTW. Our last meeting is on September 24th. After that I think we just need to get our profile letter approved and wait for the fingerprints and backgrounds checks to be approved. Than we are in the next chapter of the process the waiting game and only the Lord can answer how long that process is going to be it could be 12 weeks or a couple of years only He knows.

More to follow in the next couple of weeks.

What a great giveaway

I know the chances of me winning this awesome stroller is really slim but I have to try all avenues.
http://www.combicorner.com/promotionscontest.html. Click the link for your chance to win too.

My Testimony

I got woken up at 3:00 with a heavy heart to truly start living for Christ. I have been living the luke warm Christian life. I prayed and read my Bible but I just went through the emotions of it. Although I know I am a born again believer and I love the Lord with all my heart and soul. I have a hard time talking about it because I hate rejection but the Bible says in John 15:20 "Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also." So I know I will get made fun of and persecuted for sharing my faith and not everyone will like me for it but it has been on my heart lately so let me start off by writing how I came to know the Lord as my personal Savior.

I don't have one of those testimonies where the Lord saved me from Alcohol and drugs but he saved me from those things before I had a chance of getting involved with those things. I was blessed enough to be born in a family the truly loves the Lord and my parents had me in church 9 months before I was born. But as we all know just because we are born in a Christian home does not make us a Christian. We all have to come to that point where we realize we are sinners in our lives and need Christ to change us. (Romans 3:23- "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God;). For me it was one Easter morning when I was in 1st grade so I was around 6 years old. In children's church at the Anchorage Baptist Temple. Being Easter they talked about the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. (Romans 6:23- For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.) Because of the fall of man in Genesis the punishment of sin is death but God loved us so so much he sent his one and only Son Jesus Christ to come and take that punishment for us so that we can go to Heaven instead of Hell when we die. (Romans 5:23- But God commandeth his love towards us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.) I believed at just even 6 years old of age that if I prayed to him he could and would change me forever. (Romans 10:13-For whosover shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.) So that day I chose to say the prayer and have my name written in the Lambs book of life. My story doesn't end there though because even when you accept Christ as your personal savior we are still sinners and yes the Lord does forgive us for our sins we shouldn't use that as a crutch to do wrong. Although I believed Christ saved me that day.

I went on my life to live like a normal 6 year old would. I grew up mostly in Anchorage Alaska but my dad was in the military and we got transferred to New Jersey when I was about 13 or 14 years old. I was so angry with the world and God for making me move away from my friends in Alaska. I completely rebelled. Not in the since where I went out and did bad stuff but in my heart. I was always a people pleaser and did not want anyone to think bad of me. But I had no interest in going to church (than God for parents who forced me to.) I just hated like that 13 months in New Jersey and I wanted my parents to know it too. I acted out with tantrums yes tantrums at 13 years old. I can honestly say I am sorry for that year I acted like that. But we needed that year in New Jersey so my dad could finish his schooling and he had the opportunity to meet with our pastor from Anchorage and was offered a position back at our home church as one of the assistant pastors there. So if we never went to New Jersey I would have missed out on so much on my life now. We did move back to Alaska in September of 1999. Where I started High School at Anchorage Christian Schools.

I was so happy to be at a Christian School. Even though I was in a Christian School I continued to act out at home. It was only at home though because I couldn't let anyone see me acting like this I had to let everyone on the outside believe I was perfect. But right before my 16th birthday my church a revival with Jamie Ragel and he talked about living for Christ all  the  time and not just to say the sinner's prayer as a Fire Insurance. I realized that night that is exactly what I did back in the first grade is I said a life insurance prayer. So that night I went up to the alter which was extremely hard because I led everyone believe I was perfect all the time and this showed them I am not. But I realized I loved the Lord and I didn't care what others think. So on October 31, 2000. I truly rededicated my life to the Lord and was baptized a week later which is the first step of obedience after we are saved. I know this is long but I had to share it because it was on my heart.

I shared it not to boast on me but to boast on the Lord and what He has done for me if he can save me he can save you from anything you are going through. Just read over the verses I have in bold and call on Him and I promise He will come into your life and change you too. This is the one and only way we can be saved and go to Heaven and we never know when we are done here. God can call us home at anytime and we need to be ready. Are you ready?