To Michigan with Love

Today I've been finishing the final bits of our paperwork and profile. Tomorrow, Lord willing, everything will begin making it's way to Michigan. My stomach churns at the thought. The act of letting go and putting all or hopes into a box and sending it off to begin the official wait is well... gut wrenching.

Don't get me wrong I'm so excited, but there is still that part of me that won't believe it until we have our little boy or girl in our arms. I still wait to hear the punchline, the caveat, the we're sorry but... I know though, that the Lord has offered up confirmation after confirmation. He has provided provision after provision. He has spoke to our hearts.

The feeling isn't even one of anxiousness, it's more of letting go and simply waiting. Be still and know that I am God... I hear Him whispering to me. So as I attach each photo to our profiles, I say a prayer; for God's will, for our baby, our mama, and for every selfless woman who looks at our profile and makes an incredible difficult choice.

Somehow, it feels like we're packaging up years worth of hopes and tears praying that in the end they will have all been worth it. Lord, bless this journey, keep us in Your will.

Yard Sale!

We had our yard sale to help raise money for our adoption this weekend. We had so many incredible people donate items, and God once again showed that He would provide.

We were so crazy busy that I was unable to take all the photos I had hoped to, but here are a few. At the end of the day we were blown away when we counted up the money.

 Our total for the day? An incredible $832.35!

Happy Mother's Day

Birth mom

Adoptive mom

Grandmother

Surrogate Mother

Step-mother

Mother to those around you

Empty nest mother

New Mom

Mom-to-be

Empty Arms Mom 

Mom to many

Mom to one

The mom who stepped in....

.... whatever type of mom you are....

Happy Mother's Day. 

May you be blessed today and always. 

They're Here! Unto One Wristbands

In Matthew 25:40 Jesus said:

Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done [it] unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done [it] unto me.

We love that Jesus made it simple. Even if we do it UNTO ONE we have done it to Him. There are so many hurting people in the world, for us we have chosen adoption as well as sponsoring a child through Compassion International.

To help with our adoption costs and to as a reminder of our commission to go love and serve one another we have had wristbands made up. These are like the Live Strong wristbands and say Unto One on the front and Matthew 25:40 on back. We are asking $5 each. We will gladly ship these also!

Our hope is that these will be a conversation piece for you to share our journey, as well as the things that are close to your heart that the Lord has called you to do to serve the "least of these."

For payment information email us at daneandjessharvey@gmail.com or leave a comment.

He Is With Us...

I'm writing this post not so much because I want to, but rather because in faith I need to. I know that someday I will look back and this post I probably will have forgotten the details. I'll look back knowing the everything worked out just right, and being able to see the hand of God in every detail of this adoption. Right now though, I am wrestling with fretting, and fear, and disappointment. I've been so excited as we are ready to submit our home study and our profile (for birthmom's to look at) and I just found out that we may need to be fingerprinted before we can proceed, AND that there is a significant wait for that. I've already been wrestling with fears of being disappointed after a rude and tactless comment was made to me a few days ago. This just was the last thing I needed to here. Last night I felt like someone had kicked me in the stomach. I know for those of you just watching the adoption part of our story you think we've only been waiting for a few months. However, we've been waiting for a baby for years and this just seems like one more no (I know it's not... but it feels that way.)

So after taking a shower... and sobbing... I stepped out of the shower and read a quote I had wrote on our chalkboard wall:

To want to serve God in some conditions, but not others, is to serve Him in your own way. But to put no limits on your submission to God is truly dying to yourself. This is how to worship God. Open yourself to God without measure. Let His life flow through you like a torrent. Fear NOTHING on the road you are walking. God will lead you by the hand. Let your love for Him cast out the fear you feel for yourself.  (Dangerous Surrender – Quote Francois Fenelon.)

I read it at My Crazy Adoption a month or so ago, and loved it. The end of it struck me last night... I can't just pull out my submitting to God's will because I don't like what's happening. I have to surrender to what He wants to do. The end of the quote is truly incredible : fear NOTHING on the road you are walking. God will lead you by the hand. Let your love for Him cast out the fear you feel for yourself. It was just the reminder I needed.

When I went up to bed I remembered the verse the Lord had gave me at the beginning of this journey. I held to it, but hated it because it pointed to troubles along the way, and quite frankly I don't want to think about that. I want to believe this adoption will be straight out of a Hallmark commercial. The verse? Isaiah 43:2:

When you pass through the waters, I [will be] with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. 

I decide to keep reading:

"Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will gather you and your children from east and west. I will say to the north and south, "Bring my sons and daughters back to Israel from the distant corners of the earth.

So obviously there is the context of God speaking to Israel, but hello?! They are the nation that wasn't. If God could bring them together, I have no doubt He will bring our family together. So for now, it looks like we are headed to New Hampshire to get digital fingerprints and then submit them to the FBI. Please, please, please be praying that this goes smoothly and that the FBI would process everything in a timely manner. And please, pray for my heart. I know God has already written this story, but it's easy to become inpatient and so fragile and sensitive to negativity. God's timing is perfect, and I know He will work this out and this will all be a reflection of His glory.

And to the future me, when you reread this while holding your sweet baby, remember His faithfulness.


Update: Praise God! We won't need fingerprinting after all. This whole thing makes me frustrated with myself and my lack of faith. I truly pray that I would keep my focus on God through this whole thing, and not get caught up in the ups and downs. 

Home Study Update

We received our home study to look over and approve! Final home study check for $942.74 sent out today. Praise God! Total spend to date for adoption costs is $3000 and God has provided every penny.

Wristband Update--- Pre-Order Special

Yay!! We got the shipping notice on our wristbands! It looks like they should be here this Thursday. You can read all about them here. And from now, til we get them we are offering a pre-order special. The normal price is going to be $5 each, but if you order now we'll do 2/$8.