For years I’ve carried around an arsenal of Bible verses
that I memorized, verses that pertained to our situation: Ephesians 3:20, 1 Samuel 1:27, Psalm 113:9,
Matthew 8:17, Luke 1:13-15, Luke 1:36-37, Romans 10:17, Genesis 1:28, Genesis
20:17, Genesis 21:6-7, Jeremiah 29:11. These are just a few, but I memorized so
many of them and quoted them often. They were fuel for my soul. I
just kept believing that God was no respecter of persons, so what he did for
Sarah, Hannah, Rebekah, and Elizabeth, he would do for me. That doesn’t mean
that I didn’t have days where I was frustrated with God. I did, but I never lost hope. I never doubted that we would be
parents. I just didn’t know how God would
do it. What’s amazing is the way that he answered my prayer.
It’s no secret that I
was never a fan of adoption. I was never
comfortable with the astronomical cost of an adoption agency. Plus, I had heard
of so many horror stories. I prayed so
many times to God. I would tell him that
he would have to drop a baby in my lap if he wanted me to adopt because I just
didn’t feel comfortable with it. Well, God
definitely has a sense of humor, because he did just that. He literally dropped a baby in our laps. A week after the most devastating failed
fertility treatment, I got a message from a friend, a simple message that her
cousin was pregnant and couldn’t keep the baby.
She read my blog and said that it was no coincidence. It must be God orchestrated, and, indeed, it
was. So here we are three weeks
later.
I can’t express to you how much God’s hand has been all over
this. The cost was low. The process was easy. It was quick.
We had a relatively easy experience with no glitches. We’ve experienced an overflow of blessings
from the Lord. Every single need has been met.
We had three weeks to put a nursery together and get things situated
with work. Nursery furniture was given
to us. Nursery bedding was given to
us. Strollers, bassinets, swings, bouncy
seats, you name it. It was all given to us.
I had enough days for a maternity leave and easily found a sub. Richard is taking a paternity leave the last
month of school, and then I’m home all summer. The monetary gifts we’ve been
given are unbelievable. There is
absolutely no way that this isn’t God orchestrated. Even the hospital was amazed at the fact that
the birth mother had already met with the judge and signed away her rights and
we already had the power of attorney. They
weren’t accustomed to that. They were
used to the lawyer coming to the hospital and having the mother sign the papers
there. They even told us that the only
private adoption they had dealt with ended tragically with the mother changing
her mind at the last minute. That wasn’t
the case for us. The birth mother
physically placed the baby in my arms.
I knew this day would come.
I knew there would be a time when I would finally be a mother and could
sit back and look at how God performed a miracle in my life. It’s amazing to see how he operates. It may
not be what I envisioned, but his plan was ten times better than mine ever
could be. Sometimes it seems so surreal, like a dream. God is good. He loves his children. He hears our cries, and he answers our
prayers. If you don’t have a
relationship with him, now is the time to get to know him. My life would’ve been so hopeless without him
and his promises.
But, look at that perfect miracle. She is so worth it. Life will never be the same. Her adoption will be finalized by early
summer, and we can’t wait. We are so
thankful to her birth mother who was willing to make such an agonizing decision
in order to bless her child and to bless us with her child. Please pray for her
birth mother over these next few months.
I’m sure she is still hurting. I
can’t even imagine what she has gone through.
Pray for us as well.
There are many decisions we need to make. I want to make a career change but am seeking
God’s will in what to do. I don’t know
if I want to continue teaching at all or if I want to teach a different
subject. I don’t want Richard to continue working two jobs either. We don’t know if we are going to stay in
Tuscaloosa. It’s very hard raising an
infant with absolutely no family in town.
My family is four hours away in Dothan, and Richard’s family is in
Jasper. There is no one to help. Luckily, I’ve had family coming and going the
last three weeks, which has been a huge help.
But, I can’t afford babysitters every time I get ready to run an
errand. It would be nice to have family
around.
Please forgive me
these next few months as I blow up Facebook with photos. Just stop following me
if it gets to be too much. I’ve waited
nine years for this, so I won’t be stopping.
Thank you for all of your love, support, and prayers as we’ve
gone through this journey.
Love,
Shatisa
