I feel like in today’s society the word “wait” is foreign. We have little patience and want what we want immediately. We live in an “instant society.” We hate waiting in lines, fast food sometimes isn’t fast enough for us, we are impatient at red lights, and we can retrieve almost any information we desire at the tip of our fingertips. We don’t hear “wait” too often. And when we do, we don’t like it very much.
Justin and I have become all too familiar with the word, “wait.” But that’s okay… because I believe there is joy in the waiting. And I believe, with every ounce of my being, that in our waiting, God is working… mightily!
How do we know?!
From the very beginning of our adoption journey, God has continually said “Yes,” and opened doors for us. (Of course He has! For He called us to adopt!) With every turn, we have been approved. With every amount of money due, He has provided exactly what is needed. (Almost to the dollar amount! All Glory to Him!) When we have been weary, He has sent reminders that He is alive and working on our behalf. Throughout our adoption, I can see God working in our waiting.
Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean that waiting is easy. It’s not. It’s hard. It’s frustrating. It’s sad and joyful all at the same time. It’s exhausting. But…
In our waiting, God is working.
Since we have become a “waiting family,” not much has happened. Many people ask, “How’s it going?” or “Do you have any news?” or “Have you heard anything?” We can only smile and say, “Not yet!” or “It could happen anytime!” or “We’re just waiting!” And all of those things are true. But when we think not much is happening, we are so wrong. God is working on our behalf!
- Recently we received some very exciting news! Justin and I are the recipients of an ADOPTION GRANT from the JSC Foundation. When we received the email, my jaw dropped. I was shocked! I just couldn’t believe it! The subject line on the email read, “Congratulations Bullock Family!” My heart skipped a beat as I opened the email and began reading. I was stunned and immediately began crying and thanking God. You see, grants are hard to get. Thousands of amazing couples apply. Thousands! Grants also take a lot of time and effort to write. They ask for everything from essays to your home study to references to tax returns and much, much more. So, it truly is a gift from God to receive such a blessing. While Justin and I thought nothing was happening in our adoption journey, people were talking about us, people were praying for us, people were reading and learning about our story, and God was alive and working! I’m not sure why us. I’m not sure why we were chosen for such an honor. But I do know that adoption was and has always been the plan for us. God continues to show us that. Our adoption agency, Bethany Christian Services, will directly receive our grant money once we have been placed with our sweet, little one. Because JSC Foundation is a private foundation, they ask that anyone receiving a grant not disclose the amount of the grant. But I can say that the amount was very generous and we are extremely blessed beyond words. All Glory to God!
- We also just concluded our Egg My Yard adoption fundraiser! It was a great success and we are so thankful to everyone who liked and shared our posts, donated eggs, stuffed eggs, drove all over to hide eggs, prayed for us, and let us egg their yard! This has been one of my most favorite fundraisers so far! As of Good Friday we had stuffed 975 eggs. I jokingly made the comment to several people that I wish we had made it to 1000 eggs, and that afternoon we received a last minute order. I think God was just showing off! 😉 Our final total: 1050 eggs! Praise be to Him!
Those are just two examples of how we can see how God has been working on our behalf lately. I believe we are so close to meeting our baby! I can feel God alive!
When I googled the definition of adoption, this popped up:
To be adopted is to know that your parents waited and worked and hoped for you for a long time. To be adopted is to be surrounded by family — both birth and adoptive — who love you beyond words. Adoption terms seem fairly straightforward when they’re defined in one sentence, but adoption is a complicated process.
It is complicated. But I wouldn’t change a thing.
And we will continue to wait! And in our waiting, God is working!
And we know that every month, every week, every day, every hour, every second… it will all be worth the wait.
Please continue to pray for us and our journey. Pray for our baby and our baby’s birth family. Pray for our fundraising and grant writing efforts. The Lord has blessed us immensely, and our HOPE is in HIM. He is making a way. He will provide. (HE IS PROVIDING!) He knows our birth family. He has chosen our perfect baby. And He knows the moment we will all become a family. What a happy thought!
Love & Blessings Always,
Justin & Kristen
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
-James 1:17
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You Are Our Happy Thought 