The Starting Line-

I remember running track in middle school and high school.  I would walk up to the starting line and would get so nervous. Adrenaline would pump through my body, anxious for the gun to fire.  Then the gun would go off to indicate the start of the race and I would run the race that I was signed up for.

While running this race, I didnt look to the left or right. I looked straight ahead. I had my eye on the finish line.  However, in order to get to the finish line, I had to start the race. There was alot of preparation that went into the starting the race. I had to train before the race began, I had to put on the uniform, I had to literally walk up to the finish line.  Then I had to faithfully run the race to complete. 

I'll never forget being asked to run the 4x800 meter relay. I was a sprinter. I enjoyed a short race. I wanted to start and finish all in 20 seconds.  The 800 meter was 2 LAPS around the track or half a mile. I was not excited; however, in a longer race, I realized that it similar to a sprint, it just required endurance and patience. It was in this race that I learned a race is not ONLY about the finish line, but about how you run each leg of the race.  I found myself excited at the beginning of the 800.  Then as I'd see people ahead of me or pass me, I'd get discouraged.  However, in the end, I was running "my race" and I had completed.

Our adoption journey has been much like the sport of track.  Sometimes it's a sprint to get all of the paper work completed by a certain date; other times, it's a 800 meter run; and even sometimes a marathon.  However, our adoption process is unlike anyone elses. I have to remember to "run my race."  It's easy to look left and right and get discouraged with different parts; however, I am CHOOSING to focus on the race the Lord has called us to. 

Scripture talks many times about the life of a believer being like a race. (Hebrews 12:1-2) We must fix our eyes on Jesus.  My prayer is that we wont get so caught up in the finish line that we take our eyes off Jesus. 

The finish line is not the ONLY reward. It's the little milemarkers along the way.  And yesterday, February 28th, we received the first news of our Dossier being in Ethiopia and our names being on a wait list.  THIS IS OUR STARTING LINE.   We are officially on the wait list and we are so excited about this! 

Hopperton number is:

We are at the starting line - #102. We are reminded to enjoy every leg of this race.  Today we will celebrate #102 and we will pray for our little man in Ethiopia.  Please join us as we wait.

Just like any race, the sweetest part to me is the people in the stands (the supporters).  We cannot thank you all enough for your prayers, financial support and encouragement.  We have the best friends and cheerleaders around.

LOVE YOU ALL!
Derek and Whitney

Refreshing-

One word to describe my weekend- REFRESHING.

There have been so many things going on our with our adoption, I just cant keep up with posting it.  Over the past few weeks we have:

1. Received AMAZING news that we have a matching grant through Lifesong for Orphans! PRAISE THE LORD!!! We are so excited. More info on this soon :) Thankful for these blessings.

2. Received word that my medical form for our Dossier was not completed correctly the first time.  I'm not sure how this happened, since it was reviewed by our agency prior to sending it to be authenticated, but the Lord knows.  So I had to rush to the doctor to get another physical and mail off the form to complete our dossier for a "second" time.

3. We realized that we had misunderstood that timeline for our adoption.  We still have 20-24 months from now until we have our little man home.  That's different than what we were expecting from that start of the process.

So-- with all of this news, I have been overwhelmed. My heart has been heavy and filled with anxiousness.

This weekend, my work, Crossings, went to a Children's Ministry Conference to display and talk about our summer camp ministry.  Little did I know that while at this conference, the Lord would minister to my HEART.

When I walked in, I saw a table with all of these cute monogrammed cups, hair bows, clip boards, etc.  I thought, "What a great idea for an adoption fundraiser!?"  I looked up and there was a sign that said "Maggie's Hope."  Not too long after a sweet lady walked up and was selling items.  I went over to her. Her name was Fran. She was so bubbly and I enjoyed being with her from the first moment. She had recently adopted a little girl from Ethiopia who was 3 years old. As I began to share our story with her, she had tears as we realized we were with the same agency!! She began to offer me advice and encouragement about the process and went on to pray with me and give me some things from her table to remind me of the Lords Faithfulness to her and how he will be faithful to us. As I walked away from her table, tear filled my eyes.

"Lord, thank you for this small confirmation of how you are at work. Even when I have setbacks, you know what's in front of me and you go before me."  

REFRESHED

So then I went back to the Crossings Booth to talk about camp and a sweet dear friend, Reagan, came up.  Her and her husband had recently adopted a little boy from Ethiopia.  She came over and we began to chat like old times. She asked about the adoption. I told her where we were and the Lord used her to encourage and challenge me.  As I shared about the long wait time and me longing for a son, she teared up and comforted me with these words - "when your little one gets here, he will fit right into your family.  Until then- live in the now.  Dont live for the number, the updates on where you stand on the list. Enjoy your time with Derek.  Up and go to a concert. Up and drive to the Grand Canyon. ENJOY NOW. Because this time will fly by and you will have your son before you know it."  

As Reagan walked away, I prayed "thank you Lord for Reagan and how you used her words to comfort and quiet my anxious heart. May I rest in you now, enjoying everyday you give me."

REFRESHED

Finally, as we were packing up to leave the conference, I went over to browse at Lifeway. I met the store manager. Out of no where he said something to me about adoption. I found out he and his wife, Ashley, were almost finished with their adoption process from Haiti.  The PURE JOY on his face when he showed me pictures of his son and his excitement reinforced everything the Lord was teaching me this weekend.  When I asked him how long they had been in the process, he said 2 years.  He said, "When we first started the process and heard how long, we could never imagine how we could wait that long. However, here we are getting ready to go pick up our son. And it was just like yesterday we found out it would be 2 years."

WOW- can you believe this?? I stood there and apologized for my tears and just briefly stated what was going on with our situation.  He said he didnt really know why he was spilling about his adoption to some random stranger, but after hearing my story, he realized it was the Lord prompting him to tell me so he could be an encouragment.

I walked away, got in the car to drive back to Louisville and I was reminded of what I have been reading in Psalm 43- 

"Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God." (Ps 43:5- NASB)

REFRESHED

PRAISE BE TO THE LORD-

Whitney

Big Things in the Hopperton House!

Big things have been happening in the Hopperton House concerning our adoption. As we continue to pray, the Lord reveals his continual faithfulness to us.  

Here is what has happened in the last 2 weeks:

1. Our paper work came back from the USCIS and we received the "GOLDEN TICKET."  What is the Golden Ticket?  We have been approved to bring home a child from Ethiopia!! 

2. This piece of paper for USCIS was all we need to complete our Dossier. (which is the BIG BOOK of documents that are required for US and Ethiopia government for review)

3. DOSSIER IS COMPLETE!!!!!

4. Dossier was mailed on Tuesday, January 22nd.

5. Dossier made a stop in Utah for Review on Wednesday, January 23rd.

6. Received notification that our Dossier was authenticated on Monday, January 28 and would be in route to Ethiopia!!!

7. Now we are waiting until we receive our number on the waiting list.

8. Then we count down from that number each month until we get to 1!!!

9. When we get to 1, we will receive a "Referral"- this is a picture of OUR BABY, the age, health, any information they have on our son!! 

During this time, we also have been planning a large Silent Auction fundraiser.  We have been in search of a venue for a few weeks.  Today we were approved to have our fundraiser at Christian Academy of Louisville, English Station campus.  I could not have been more excited!!! 

Also, we received a call from Lifesong for Orphans with a preliminary interview for grants. They said they would notify us sometime this week with our results and if we are approved for grants. 

I am continually reminded that God is SOOOO good and He continues to confirm our decision to adopt every single day! We are blessed and thankful. All praise belong to the Lord.

Who Am I?

God seems to love calling his followers to do things that simply do not make sense—at least to the outside world. Our adoption has (naturally) been a big topic of conversation in our lives recently. Almost every time I talk to family or run into someone at work or church they ask about our adoption. The vast majority of these conversations are positive and encouraging.

But there are many folks to simply don’t understand. Why would you want to adopt? Can you not have children “of your own?” Why would you want to adopt before having “your own” children? Why Africa? Why not adopt an American? Why adopt someone from a different race?

Most of these questions are not asked with ill intent, but it is clear that to many, our calling to adopt a child from Africa simply does not make sense.

I’m often reminded of the exchange between God and Moses in Exodus 3, when God calls Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt:

“But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?’” And God said, “I will be with you.” (Exodus 3:11-12)

God comes to Moses and directly calls him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. This is no small task. In fact, God is calling Moses to lead one of the most important events in human history.  

The people of Israel had multiplied greatly in Egypt but had become enslaved by Pharaoh. Exodus 1:11 says, “They put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor.” In Exodus 3:10 we see God beginning to enact His plan to liberate His people. He says to Moses, “So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”

Think about how outrageous that sounds. God is sending one man—an Israelite—to the king of Egypt to demand freedom for the Israelites. Here is how Moses responds:

But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

To Moses, God’s command simply did not make sense. If God wanted to liberate the Israelites from Egypt, wouldn’t an army of angels be the best means? But God sends Moses, a man unconfident in himself and admits he cannot even speak well (Ex. 4:10).

His questioning of God’s command is exactly how I would have reacted in the same situation: “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh? Why on earth would the king of Egypt listen to me and do what I say? He’ll kill me!”

I love God’s response in 3:12: “I will be with you.”

God doesn’t respond by reassuring Moses of all of his strengths and gifts. God doesn’t try to explain His plan to Moses and reason with Him as to why the plan “makes sense.”

God simply says, “I will be with you.”

In other words, Moses is a nobody. Moses has no business getting in Pharaoh’s face, demanding the release of the Israelites. But it’s not about Moses. It’s about God.

Moses’ question is Moses-centered: Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh?

God’s response is God-centered: I will be with you.

I sometimes wonder why God has called Whitney and me to adopt a child from another continent. My thoughts, like Moses, are Derek-centered. Who am I, that I should be a father to this child? What qualifications do I have? Will I be a good father? Do I have what it takes?

These questions are all Derek-centered. God’s response, as always, is God-centered: I will be with you.

In your walk with Christ, God will inevitably call you to do something that does not “make sense.” You will not be able to see where the path leads, but if you trust God’s leading, you can be assured that He will be with you. It may be a difficult path (as Moses’ was!), but it will be the good path. It may not be the safe path, but it will be the righteous path. It will certainly not be a path heavily traveled, but we can be assured that God has already walked it before us.

 
And remember, it’s not about what you bring to the table. It’s about God. He will be with you, and that’s all that really matters.