So, I wrote this letter to my family about the adoption process and wanted to have the letter out for any and all to see.
Would you consider lifting us up in prayer as we work through this process? We thank you in advance and are excited to see the Spirit move through all of this!
I don’t know if I’ve fully shared the entire story with anyone but it’s
pretty amazing and inspiring, the majesty of God, the illogical ways sometimes
he works and of course his perfect, flawless and impeccable timing.
So here is a snapshot of the last year and a half:
November 2015
Fully intent on cultivating, nurturing and growing our 3 little ones,
Kristen had told me on several occasions through the year that she was “good”
with our family size. (I was up for anything that might happen)
Then a word from God and the Spirit moving through during a quiet morning
spent with him on a cold November morning had her replying to Him: “Don’t tell
me that!”
The word she got?
“Be open to more children.”
At the time, she didn’t even know, but was about 2 weeks along in
pregnancy. You are all aware, that we miscarried the baby in
February. We listened. Followed Through. He told her. Now
this? Going through that loss for us was very difficult and I found out
later, even more difficult for Kristen than losing Kate, for number of
reasons. Have you heard “Thy Will Be Done” by Hillary Scott?
If not, google it. Listen to it. It might have meaning for all of
us, but it definitely spoke to our thoughts about what happened.
June 2016
Father’s Day morning I’m talking with Kristen as she is getting her hair and
makeup on in the bathroom, recovering from the bacon coma I was sliding into
from my Father’s Day Breakfast. Out of the blue she says “What do you
think of our family size?” kind of nonchalant and I was caught off guard
because since February we hadn’t really talked much about it. “Uhhh … I
dunno. Why?” was my response. “It just came to my mind.” she
said. Our conversation drifted to something a bit simpler or I had to
break up an argument between the kids, so our conversation ended there and
didn’t resume…until a bit later.
So we head into church that morning with the expectations of any other
Sunday, but I was looking forward to the Fathers being honored in the
service! Well, there very well may have been some mention of fathers in
the message, but I do not recall. What I do recall is the Spirit moving
through both Kristen and I and laying upon our hearts the openness and call to
adoption. The entirety of the sermon focused on us showing radical love,
the radical love of Jesus to orphans throughout the area, the community, the
state and the world. The a couple of verses we saw that day:
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look
after orphans and widows in their distress…” - James 1:27:
“Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me.”
– Matthew 18:5
To look after orphans is “Pure and faultless” in the eyes of God. Let
that sink in … Pure and faultless in the eyes of God. The
purist of all, sees purity in looking after orphans! It’s clear in that
it has to be faultless, because we are all orphans and His purpose is to
save us. He sent His son after us! An endless pursuit!
We were in tears throughout that hour of service and both knew without
words, as we looked at each other, what the past months and even the words that
morning in the bedroom were preparing us for. We didn’t say much on the
ride home that day as we processed what we both knew or thought we knew
what lay in store for us. Neither of us felt that we should be supporting an
international fund or working through the foster care system or any other
mission that was presented on the screen that day. However important each
of those missions in its own right, it was written on our hearts what we should
do. We were in awe and wonder and scared and anxious and excited and in
disbelief. Adoption.
We are reminded everyday how blessed we are to have our biological children.
How loved are we by God to have these majestic and precious gifts presented to
us? Agape love is the only explanation. And now we have a call to
pursue one of His orphans; to make an immeasurable difference in the life of a
child. Agape, in action.
God spoke to us. Now it is time for us to speak. Proverbs 31:8:
"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all
who are destitute".
We have spent the last few months filling out paperwork, going through
educational materials, seminars as well as getting thoroughly vetted through
the background check system. The good news is we were cleared! (they
obviously have flaws in their system if I got through)
February 16th, 2017
So this Thursday is our first of four homestudy meetings with the adoption agency
we are going through. These meetings are supposed to give a chance for
our agency appointed social worker to get to know us better, personally, so
that the needs of the child to be placed, as well as our “needs” are looked at
and hopefully met. There will be two meetings at the agency and two
meetings at our home. These meetings will take place within the next few
weeks.
We have been led through prayer and peace to pursue this adoption through
the country of India. You are required to adopt in birth order, so that
will be a child younger than Cullen. We don’t know when or how this will
happen. Only by the unlimited power and resources of God.
Kristen and I humbly ask you to be part of this story, to help us imitate
what God has done for us in Christ. We covet your prayers and
support as we bring another soul into this family.
As fathers (and mom!) I hope you can appreciate the burden I bear upon my
heart, that God sees another child in my future and already knows them by
name. If you were missing a child, would you stop at nothing to get them
back? When I close my eyes and envision a child, on the other side of the
world … it ignites my soul and I can feel the love God has already placed in
me, growing for this child. I know we were both initially slow to fully
embrace and accept this calling, but we are both in endless pursuit of God’s
will in this. Just as His pursuit for us doesn’t end.
On an even more personal note: We are starting a sermon series next
week at church and it’s about loving the unlovable. It’s easy to love the
easy to love. I’ll write that again. It’s easy to love the easy to
love. But what does it look like to love those who have turned their
hearts from you? Those who have turned their hearts from God. The
hard to love. The prodigals.
I have a very personal connection to turning my back from God. The
words of Ezekiel have been echoing my mind the last few weeks as we just
concluded a sermon series on prayer. How powerful the prayers of the
righteous – they brought those dry bones back to life. I was those dry
bones. You, along with others, stood in the gap between me and
Jesus. You kept the faith. You ran the race. You breathed the
breathe of Jesus and brought these dry bones back to life. You loved the
unlovable. You loved the hard to love. You. Did. It.
I write the following words with extreme humility and with an eternal
gratitude that I don’t think any of you will ever fully comprehend. I
don’t know what words I can even use to express the amount of love I have for
each and every one of you.
How can I say “Thank You” for always loving me. Through the
innumerable lies, excuses, pain and immeasurable heartache I have caused our
family and my wife. You all stuck with me. You loved the
unlovable. You loved the sinner. You loved the thief. You
loved the liar. You loved the prodigal. The Agape you have shown
me, it’s the same I have for you.
Because of your relentless prayer and your imitation of the Love of Jesus …
the prodigal returned. Praise the Lord!
With the love of Jesus I can exclaim that I AM RIGHTEOUS! Hallelujah!
Our love words will never be enough, but “We love you!” and we thank you in
advance for all your prayers!
I sent a video of “I got saved” by Selah, earlier today. If you didn’t
listen to it, I would encourage it or listen again. It is part of their
newest release.
https://youtu.be/Z9UdI0CXbm0
Love you all,
Jon and Kristen
p.s. I hope you share this with your wives and feel free to share our story
or this email with any and every one. We’ll send out more info as we get
further along, but we’re happy for more prayers as we move through the various
stages of it all.
+Selahonline
No comments:
Post a Comment