What if your blessings come through raindrops?

 The song, "Blessings", by Laura Story has been one of my go-to songs when I feel overwhelmed. I listen and sing and cry and allow myself to just cry out to Jesus during that time. It's one of those songs that I instantly tear up to because I feel that it so accurately depicts how I want to view the hard things that have happened in my life.

That being said, we have some very exciting news! We have been selected by a birth mother, and, if everything continues to go smoothly, we will be having a baby in the not-too-distant future, as they are expecting to induce labor in less than two weeks! We met with the birth mother and her family last night, and it was truly a beautiful experience. They are loving and giving, and we have been so blessed to be chosen to become a part of their lives.

Though we are rejoicing and are excited, this is never a sure thing until after the baby is born and the legal side of the paperwork is done. From our meeting last night, it appears that things should work out, but we are still cautious as we go through this. That being said, there are a few things that I would like to let you all know.

First of all, we will not be putting up pictures on social media for quite awhile. This is for the protection for everyone involved. Also, if you have questions about the process, please don't hesitate to ask us! We do not mind sharing what we are going through with you all, but this is not something that we feel we should be sharing all over social media. Of course, we will be uploading pictures once the baby is a bit older, but for now, things on our social media pages will probably be a little quiet.

Because we have gotten rid of most of our baby stuff, we have made a registry on Amazon that I will include on Facebook, or you can search our names on the Amazon baby registry. Please do not feel that you have to get us something! I will also be sharing our GoFund me adoption page, since we still have about $4,000 that we will need to pay once we get this little baby. We are hoping that we can do some fundraising here in our town too since I will be without a job for awhile as we go through the bonding process after he's born.


The biggest thing that we ask for is for your prayers: prayers for the birth mother and her family as they go through this incredible difficult and emotional time, prayers for baby's health, prayers for baby's and birth mom's safety throughout the next few weeks and through labor and delivery, prayers for us as we move forward into welcoming this new life into our family, and prayers that God will use this opportunity to bless everyone that is affected by it.

None of this has been by accident, and we can see God's hand working in this process. There are still major unknowns for everyone involved, but we do know that God has had this come about for a reason!

Thank you for your continued love and support over the last four years. This has not been easy, but the best things in life rarely are. We are truly blessed, and we are thankful for God's love and blessings!

Love,

Joe, Shiloh, and (soon-to-be big sister!) Lydia