IT’S A …… GIRL!!!!!

No, Tegan is not a girl.

But his baby sister is!!!

Now slap that look of shocked amazement and uncontrollable curiosity off your face and get ready for a serious story.  I know, I have quite a bit to catch you up on.

It all started with God’s plan, we said yes to adoption and no to further fertility treatment and we found ourselves in the middle of a three year process of bringing home our son.  The wait times kept extending and we kept saying yes, we kept trusting that this was his plan for us and our little boy was out there somewhere, someday to be united with us.  But it took us a lot longer than we would have ever expected.  God seemed distant year after year of waiting and no change, no children, not even a name or a little face to look forward to.  Just blah.  We were worn by this wait.  We thought we wanted to adopt from Ethiopia again, but when it came to signing the paperwork we had absolutely no peace or clarity about moving forward.  We selfishly felt that it might break us if we had to wait 5… 6 … maybe 7 years (??) for a second adoption.  We lost sight of faith and began to stress about building our family.  We wanted peace on the next step, assurance that we could do this again, that it would turn out alright, that we would have at least ONE sibling for Tegan!  But where would we go, what would we do??

In the middle of this, God gave us a referral.  We had a son, a name, a face, an age… an estimated timeline for bringing him HOME!

He was and is beautiful, he was a miracle – we were overjoyed to say the least!

But in the back of our minds we thought, could we really endure this again?

God convicted my heart as we flew to Ethiopia that first time to meet Tegan.  I could do this again, a million times over if HE wanted me to.  I had lapsed into a faithless spiral of planning out my own life and forgotten that it was GOD’S PLAN that brought us here – to this very child – in the first place.  (In fact, had I not listened to Him, Tegan would not be sleeping in the room next to me as I type.  Convicted? yeah, just a little).  God was no where to be found in my stress and worry, and I knew I needed to let go and fall headlong into the trust I had in Him in the beginning, (maybe even more trust than that!).  Eddie and I prayed on the rooftop of our guesthouse in Ethiopia that God we would be able to enjoy this time with JUST Tegan, that we could be at peace with where He had us in these moments and we prayed that God would make it clear to us when and where to go next.  We prayed for the trust we didn’t have that He would open the door to our next adoption in His timing, not our own.

fast forward to just 5 weeks ago, (3 weeks exactly after we brought Tegan home), we got a phone call from Sean and Erin Traynor, good friends of ours.

‘We know a couple that we’ve been good friends with for a very long time, they know a woman who is pregnant, due in early October and can’t keep her baby.  Do you think you would be interested?’

When Ed got off the phone our conversation was mostly made up of stares of amazement.  I MEAN, THIS DOESN’T HAPPEN TO PEOPLE!!!  Who are we to EVER question God, this was so clearly a miracle that we almost couldn’t help but laugh.  It was ridiculous, really.  Crazy, completely out of the blue, totally unexpected and totally knocking us off our feet in bewilderment over the kindness of God.  Yeah, our lives would be crazy, yeah our son just got here – but can you imagine an adoption where someone basically just drops an invitation to take their NEWBORN baby arriving in just two months and raise her from DAY ONE!?  Ok, enough exclamation marks and capitol letters.  Or wait……

DID I MENTION IT’S A GIRL!!!?!?

Ok. done now.

We decided to take the next step and meet with Sean and Erin’s friends – and after that meet with the birthmother – and after that the birthmother’s parents.  I actually got the call on August 7th (my 30th birthday) that the birthmother was so excited to have finally found the couple that would take her baby, US!!  We’ve started our new home-study and boatloads of new paperwork and every step of the way we’ve been met with one open door after another.  This is really happening!!

And God has been so clear in all of this.  The birthmother has had a rough past.  But as I told her on the day we met, adoption is always born out of something hard, but it turns into such a beautiful thing!   The most beautiful part her of this story is her faith.  She knows Jesus, and she wanted to be sure we did too!  She could have cared less about the fact that Ed was a “pastor”, she wanted to hear straight from his mouth and mine that our faith was in God alone, that we knew we were sinners and trusted in Jesus who died for our sins and rose again to pay the penalty for us as our Lord and our Savior!  Her gift to her child is not only a stable family but the message of the cross.  She knows that she can’t spend this life with her precious daughter, but she can spend eternity with her in heaven.  (and this is where I turn into a puddle on the floor, I cannot believe this woman’s faith!).  God is good.

So here we are in the middle of adoption number 2 just months after bringing home our first.  I still have my doubts (rationally/reasonably speaking the mom could back out at any moment, and still will have 30 days after the baby is born – if she would like to take them – to change her mind).  But even in my doubts, I am learning to trust that what God wants to accomplish, He will.  I am wrapping myself in faith that He has this one in His hands -and I would be foolish to doubt that He isn’t capable of giving us what is best.  So, right now I feel like Job at the end of his long and torturous journey of loosing everything… to be doubly blessed in the end.

“Behold we consider those blessed who remain steadfast.  You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful“. {James 5:11}

We praise you God for your kindness in this life, and we thank you for all that you give us, good and bad, as it points us back to you; your greatness and your Love for us.

Bring on the crazy, we’re having a baby girl in October!!!

 

 

 

 

davi - August 21, 2013 - 10:55 pm

This is a WILD miracle!!! You are right! THIS DOES NOT just happen to anyone! God’s hand is on you in a super natural way. What splendid news. I just can’t handle it! WOWOWOWOW. Congratulations. SUCH BLESSINGS!

davi - August 21, 2013 - 11:00 pm

Oh Ellie! What a super natural act of God! Such a wild miracle. I am absolutely giddy with joy for you!!!!! You are gonna be the best parents!

and I spotted that sweater at target a few weeks ago and thought it was perfect!

Sara - August 22, 2013 - 12:06 am

This is CRAZY, AMAZING, WONDERFUL!! SO very happy for you all. God sure knows what He’s doing! :) … Ah… I can’t believe it!!!

Jenny - August 22, 2013 - 6:09 am

Congratulations!!!!!! Amazing!!!!!!

Ashley Campbell - August 22, 2013 - 6:37 am

Ahhhhhhaaahaha!! I’m so excited for you! You guys are such an amazing couple, and now amazing parents. I’m so happy that you’ll have the privilege of seeing Eddie with a sweet little newborn…a GIRL…and to fall deeper in love with your son as he shows his love to his sister. You are so abundantly blessed and I’m sobbing the happiest of tears for you this morning.

Amy Lashelle - August 22, 2013 - 6:38 am

Wow. Ellie, I’m so so excited for you guys. Like beyond impressed with your faith, and in love with how God is blessing you because of it. :) congrats!!!

Traci - August 22, 2013 - 6:48 am

So happy for your family! God is good!

Ashley - August 22, 2013 - 7:12 am

I know you don’t know me but I started following you threw lorie :0) I have been reading your story since the beginning and I’m so insanely over joyed for you and your husband and you boy! God knows our hearts and knows what’s right for us! I have to remind my self of this all the time but your story it’s such an awesome example of that! I will be praying for you guys! Congrats and best wishes to your family ☺ you will have a son and a daughter!

Lindsey Finn - August 22, 2013 - 7:13 am

Crazy!! I have goosebumps all over right now!! How amazing is our God?? I don’t know why I am surprised, He shows me this in life, time and time again…He is so GOOD! Congratulations Ed, Ellie, & Tegan!!!

Pam Cullen - August 22, 2013 - 9:20 am

Wow! God is good indeed! Much love for your beautiful ever expanding family!

Tasha - August 22, 2013 - 3:27 pm

Hoooraaaay! I’m thrilled to the core to read this! We’ll be continuing to pray for you friends!!!

Dianna Lubeck - August 22, 2013 - 5:07 pm

amazing. that’s all I’ve got

Kristi Andersen - August 22, 2013 - 8:50 pm

God is so good and you are such a blessing to share your joyful faith! We will be praying with joy!

Bobbie McCasland - August 22, 2013 - 10:14 pm

Oh Ellie!!!! I am so happy for all of you….every adoption story is full of big and small miracles!!! Both our daughters (Heather and Christina) were adopted and your story has some similarities to ours….We have always told the girls that it is God who puts families together…some biologically, some by adoption but regardless…it is He who makes it happen….
What a magnificent story you will have to share over the years with your little ones! And what a wonderful and faithful God we serve and love….
Blessings and more blessings on all of you!!!!
Love,
Bobbie

Heidi Johnson - August 23, 2013 - 9:16 am

I know the story and I still cried when I read your eloquent review of the process. At the same time you were praying for answers on how to grow your family we were praying for God to bring us a family for this beautiful child. God is Good!

Nicole Parker - August 26, 2013 - 12:34 pm

Congrats Eddie and Ellie! What a miracle! I am so happy for you!

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