And In This Corner......

We drove to Albion, IN, near Fort Wayne, this weekend. We met with Vickie, our caseworker (just glad her name isn't "Juno"). She was wonderful. We liked her because she was real and honest about everything, she didn't try to candy coat anything. The next step will be to schedule our home study and then after that all of the paperwork goes to the Philippine government and we wait...and wait...and wait...
For those of you who don't know this process can take anywhere from 12-24 months so bear with us. However, we do have the Creator of the Universe in our corner....we will take whatever His timing is because it is always perfect. I would rather be in His corner, than hanging out on the edge. (remind me of that in 12 months, will you?)

The Journey Begins

The first step...(after many other steps) we have to mail in our application. After pouring over it with a fine tooth comb you would think the mailing process would be the simple step. The kids and I took the camera and the application to the post office. After finally convincing Connor, our oldest, that it is totally normal to take pictures in the post office, we proceeded to the counter. Now lets see, do we do over night, certified, registered, insurance? The lady was so patient.....we get home....call Nathan at work to tell him "Mission Accomplished". He says, "And the agency fee was...this much, right?" Ummm...long pause...I realized I forgot to put the check in with the application. My reply "ummmhumm, yep, that is how much it cost" Not a lie...he asked if that was how much it cost...not if I put the check in. So I piled, now 5 kids ( I was babysitting) back into the car, rushed back to the post office, begged the lady at the counter to take what was now the property of the USPO and give it back to me so I could include the money for the application. Very typical Trish. Of course, that evening Nathan told me he knew my "ummmhuummm, yep" meant "Oh NO!!!!! I forgot that part" I guess we are off to a great start! :-) LOL!

You Didn't Say No....

I was dumbfounded. My mouth was agape, my eyes were wide, as I stared at the man I have known for 17 years, (and loved probably just as long) like he was someone new! Everything stopped around me. The noisy restaurant we were in on Sanibel Island, ceased to exist. The ocean, the bikes rides, the walks on the beach...poof...all gone for a moments time. I stammered. "You didn't say No! This is the first time you didn't say No! God's going to do something!"
So, backing up...I have had adoption on my heart for about three years now. No big revelation from God, no audible voice, just a sense of knowing, I have enough love in my heart to give to children who aren't from my womb! God just planted that little seed in me.
Nathan's seed was a study on justice and mercy and what that looks like in God's kingdom. Adoption was not a seed he was watering...especially in me. His typical answers to my adoption thoughts were...."No, We can barely handle the three we have" "No, I am gone a lot, I don't want to put that burden on you" "No, I don't want to have kids in the house when I am 50" "Look around you, where are we going to put another kid?" And when our kids were really acting nuts he would give me this look of.."And you want to add another child to this? NO!"
But Nathan is a man of God and believes His Word. He just couldn't get away from the fact that God told His followers to take care of widows and orphans...the fatherless...the poor. That commandment may take on a different form for many people; For the Nathan LaGrange family it meant adoption.
You all know the story is alot longer than this, God's stories always are, but I want this to be the longest entry you ever had to read on this blog....and it is getting too long.....
In August 07 we were blessed by God to go to Sanibel Island. I bought Nathan Tony Dungy's book Quiet Strength, (GO COLTS!) not knowing it had anything about adoption in it, to read while we were on vacation...and that was it. We were sitting at lunch, and I teasingly said something about, "Well, when we adopt a baby..." his reply was not "NO" It was "When the Lord tells me to adopt, that is what we will do." That was the first time he didn't say "NO"
God began to move on Nathan's heart...and here I sit today with my first appointment with our Adoption Agency pending this weekend.
I never nagged Nathan about adopting, I think that is important to know. It shows God moved, not my mouth ;-)
The Lord didn't say "No" either.