The adoption of our son was finalized in November 2012. At that time I remember thinking that the judge’s stamp of approval meant that we had reached the end of our adoption journey. I have since discovered it was really just the beginning.
Our finalization actually opened countless doors of interaction with families considering adoption, set the stage for the birth of this blog, increased my awareness and compassion for impoverished children, and led to the publication of this ebook called Adopted For Daily Life: A Devotional For Adopting Moms.
It’s quite possible that the story behind this book could become its own book! It really all started when I was searching for a place to live during our adoption in Nicaragua.
This particular stage of our family’s adoption journey was a whirlwind. Two weeks after our paperwork arrived in country I received a call on a Wednesday night announcing that a 40 day old baby boy needed to be placed with a family, and if I could arrive by Sunday, he would be our son.
So for the next three days I quickly packed. And before I could blink, I boarded a plane for Nicaragua without the rest of my family, had my precious son in my arms a day later, and found out that the apartment I thought I’d be staying in for 3-4 months was only available for 2 weeks.
It was hard, but in my experience, hard times lead to fall on my face times of prayer. And every time I have fallen on my face in complete dependence upon the Lord, God has shown up and answered my earnest pleas in amazing ways.
My 2 week apartment stay was like 2 week old milk…ABOUT TO EXPIRE
At this point, my 2 week apartment stay was like a gallon of 2 week old milk — about to expire. I was scheduled to leave the apartment in less than 24 hours, and still had no where to go. The ultra condensed version of this story is that within those 24 hours a missionary friend made a few calls, and found out about a home that was available for at least a month.
I moved into the home feeling completely overwhelmed. But the house turned out to be ideal for my entire family who arrived a few weeks after I moved in. One of the best parts about that home was actually a “who”. Four “who”s to be exact. Namely, our next door neighbors.
Never underestimate what God can do when he puts a Wendy Willard in your life. Wendy showed up on my doorstep right after I moved to see if I needed any help. She had only been in Nicaragua a couple weeks herself. It turned out we actually arrived in Nicaragua on the very same day.
Wendy And Laura Living Life In Nicaragua Together
Wendy and I went from strangers to friends in about five minutes. In a crazy sequence of events Wendy and I ended up coaching her daughter’s soccer team together. Then we went on weekly trips to the grocery store together, ate blueberry muffins together, and finally, experienced the unpleasant trauma of watching my son suffer from seizures together. Basically we lived life in Nicaragua together. It was a powerful together.
It was so powerful that God called her family to begin FIT, a ministry in Nicaragua serving adoptive families, so that they could experience “together” with more families who came to adopt children. And as those “togethers” multiplied, this book was born.
This ebook, Adopted For Daily Life: A Devotional For Adopting Moms, is available now on Amazon, and will soon be released in print form. The book is a devotional divided into weekly chapters, designed to encourage moms who are embarking on an adoption journey.
Wendy wrote some of those weeks. Then she asked “moms who have been there” to select a topic and share their story of what God taught them through their adoption(s). I wrote the chapter on Joy. The rest of these gluttons for punishment beautiful women are:
- Caroline Bailey (“Barrenness”)
- Amy Bultemeier (“Endurance”)
- Amie Cooper (“Worry”)
- Melissa Corkum (“Self-care”)
- Jessie Crabtree (“Trust”)
- Allison Cunningham (“Peace”)
- Alisha Forrest, Copy Editor
- Anne Marie Gosnell (“Purpose”)
- Stacey Hare (“Disappointment”)
- Rachel Harrison (“His Presence”)
- Tonja Ihlenfeldt (“Fear”)
- Glorya Jordan (“Spiritual Warfare”)
- Wendy Lankford (“My Shepherd”)
- Carrie Leister (“Faith”)
- Mary Osteen (“Providence”)
- Laura Pheneger (“Joy”)
- Melissa Sands (“Remembering”)
- Jessica Satterfield (“Love”)
- Allison Schumm (“Loss”)
- Michelle Simpson (“Humility”)
- Melissa Stanek (“Waiting”)
- Julie Swain (“Beholding Christ” and “Anger”)
- Lisa Williams (“His Faithfulness”)
- Tammy Wondra (“Hope”)
The resulting book is hugely encouraging, no matter who you’re parenting. And, the book is available for FREE if you subscribe to Amazon Monthly Kindle Unlimited plan. Double bonus!
To find out more about Wendy check out her amazing blog [Still] Not There Yet.
This post is linked up over at… Smart Schoolhouse , Sincerely Paula , With A Blast ,Cornerstone Confessions , Social Media Saturdays , Laugh & Learn Link Up , Castleview Academy, All Things With Purpose , Creative Kids Culture Blog Hop, Bowl Full Of Lemons, Jennifer Dawn, Strangers & Pilgrims On Earth , Mom Resource, Three Kids And A Fish