Give1Save1 Africa

It's our turn!! This week we are being featured on Give1Save1Africa!!

Give1Save1 is a really great blog that advocates an adoptive family a week, and asks it's readers to donate $1 to the family of the week. They also promote different fair trade goods and other fun stuff for good causes. I love this idea and support, and I plan on continuing to support other adoptive families in this simple yet powerful way.

If you haven't already, go to Give1Save1 and watch our video! I had a hard time deciding what to do because there are so many great ideas out there, but we chose to make our video for our future child. We hope he/she will cherish it one day. I wanted to make something that showed our life before our child joins the Klen clan and how excited we all are. I've carried babies physically and now I carry this child in my heart, and the same excitement, fears, anticipation, and love are inside me...ready to burst! We cannot wait to meet our newest little Klein!

If you've made it to our blog today because you saw us on Give1Save1, thanks for stopping by! Please read our Our Family  page to find out more about who we are and our Adoption Journey page to learn more about how God has led us to adopt from the Congo. We anticipate receiving a referral and taking our first trip to the Congo in the next couple months. We lack about $7,000 to make our adoption happen, and the majority of that will be needed when it's time to accept our referral. So thank you for considering us for your $1 donation!

Thank you Give1Save1 and their contributors!! For all you do to help families bring home their children and for the lives you are forever changing!

Adoption Is...

Adoption is...

Exciting

Work

Waiting

Painful

Grieving

Thankfulness

Hopeful

Sacrificial

Giving

Refining

Humbling

Patience

Trusting 

Anticipation

Dreaming

Receiving

BEAUTIFUL!

It amazes me how God has created us with such complex minds and souls that we can feel so many emotions all at one time. This list is sort of chronological, but also cyclical of what I've felt and know I'll feel throughout this process. When we say "we're adopting", so many people respond something to the effect of "wow! That is such a good thing of you to do" (it's particularly uncommon in India). But the truth is, adoption is about Receiving, more than giving. The birth family is giving us their child. God has given us and is giving us the financial means to adopt. Our agency and their staff in Congo are giving so much of their lives to serve orphans. God is giving us the awesome responsibility to parent another one of His precious children. We are being given a huge opportunity for refining our character, not only in the waiting, but in the future parenting of our child. We are Receivers more than Givers. But isn't that how it always is with the Lord? We can never give enough of ourselves to out-do Him. He is always the best GIVER. The perfect Father who lavishes us with all we need. It's humbling, as reflection on His love always is. All we can do is be faithful, hopeful, trusting, and grateful to the One who has adopted us. 

Believing God... while we wait on Him

Today I finished a 9 week study (which took me more than 3 months to do :) ) called Believing God (Beth Moore). It was really timely in my life and even though it took me a few months to complete, it's imparted truths in my life that have forever changed my thinking.

This season of our life has been characterized by a whole lot of waiting, foremost through our adoption process. Waiting is hard ya'll! I know you all know this to be true, from your own personal experiences. I'm finding that the hardest way to wait, is when you don't see the end in sight and you are so out of control of the circumstances. That is the most challenging for me, because I'm a go-getter and a do-er. Not a 'sit around and let things happen to me' kind of person. Sometimes that's a strength, and sometimes it's a weakness because it inhibits my need to slow down and wait upon the Lord. I want this whole adoption process to be "of the Lord" because He set the desire in our hearts in the first place. I want Him to be glorified and honored through the whole process; by our attitudes, our faith, and our praise over His provision.

We've been in the adoption process for a year now. Specifically, 10 months of waiting for a 'referral'. We're really right on track for our agency & country's program but I've been thinking this whole time, "Surely we won't have to wait that long. They say 3-12 months, so maybe 6 max." But I'm learning, it's best to expect things to go longer then projected and for bumps to come up along the way. And not to view them as "bumps" but rather, curve balls. And while we were surprised, God wasn't. He knew long before we were born: how many days we would wait to become parents of this child, what challenges we'd go through along the way, and He knew His divine purposes in allowing us to go through those challenges. Namely, to form our character.

I'm choosing to Believe God in the present-active-participle way, which means daily, (sometimes hourly) choosing to believe He will bring to completion that which He's called us to.

I'm choosing to believe James 1:4 that says to let steadfastness have it's full effect that we will be complete, lacking in nothing. I know God has a million purposes in calling our family to adopt. And it will be an adventure learning of some of them along the way. I'm seeing already that part of His purpose is to grow our belief, faith, and trust in Him. His timing, His ways, His sovereignty  and His provision. Having children (no matter how they come into your family) is far from easy but it provides endless  opportunities to shape us into who God wants us to be. That's my prayer today, that God will continue to shape our characters so we can be grateful for the "waiting" which is not without purpose or effect. Will you stop for a moment and please pray for us to live this out while we wait and for the well-being our child.

How do I love thee?

I usually do not do much for Valentines Day, other than getting my hubs something small. My birthday happens to be the same day, so I guess that usually becomes the focus of the day. But having kids is making me want to do more for them. Not because I have to, but because I want to take the opportunity to focus on making them feel loved and special.

This year, one of my favorite blogs (see below) gave me this great idea for extending Valentine's day from Feb.1-14.  You basically cut out these cute hearts and write something you love about that person on the heart. There is one for each day leading up to Valentines day.

I started it tonight and the boys both seemed really happy. Giving "cards" is Jackson's love language. Just the act of handing him a heart shaped card (that he saw me make earlier) and saying it was for him, put a huge smile on his face. Every time his dad or I go out of town, he promises to make us a card while we are gone. And making cards and scanning and emailing them to family is his favorite way to show someone he misses and loves them.

I made little envelopes out of construction paper (nothing fancy at all) and put their names on them. We hung them up on their wardrobe before bed and I explained that I'll put one in their everyday until Valentines day. Hudson's reaction was "Oh thanks for the mail-time mommy!" (his favorite show is Blues Clues)

Here is the link to the blog if you want to check it out. She always has cute and free printables to offer.

Jones Design Company- How do I love thee