BIG WEEK!!! CONSULTANT + HOME STUDY = US GRATEFUL

After just a few weeks Jason and I are getting more excited as the weeks go by, we both have days where we get a little discouraged when we see in the news about scamming adoptive parents, or failed adoptions, or the many fears that come with the process. But we trust that we have picked to very known and trusted companies to be our biggest foundation in the process.

1. A Step Ahead Consultant: YAY for them who will be the ones helping put our profile and book (scrapbooking, pictures about us, "my specialty") together, along with finding many cases throughout many agencies in the nation to find our little baby. our amazing consultant's name is Teri and she will be doing a lot of handwork and will make us work jut as hard, there's classes to take (online), page after page to read about adoption, but at the end it will all be worth it.
2. Nathanson HOME Study: we have a social worker now YAY!! (Sarah) , and already have a meeting set up in just a couple of days, 1st- of 3 meetings.
SO FOREVER GRATEFUL WITH OUR CHURCH Forest Hill and our family and friends who have made this big steps possible with your contributions. our amazing Church gave us a grant to get us started.  We don't know where we would be if it wasn't for the Forest Hill Church Family and our family and friends who are supporting us every step of the way.
It has been such an amazing journey so far, everyday that goes by I find and Jason does do a new strength in us that we did not know we had, we meet couples everywhere that are also in the process of growing their family through adoption, HOW AMAZING IS THAT? giving little ones the chance of a loving home that they would not have other wise. God is doing some work around here!

When we get a little discouraged God reminds us that He is in control of it all, after all He created the heavens and the earth in just 6 days, how can we doubt Him with something so little in His grey might and Power?

These two verses gave my heart some ease the past couple of weeks:
" God is my strength and power, and He makes my way perfect" 2 Samuel 22:23
"The Lords is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me" Psalm 28:7a

Please continue to be in prayer for us as we begin to take yet the biggest steps of our journey thus far!

love,
L & J

http://www.youcaring.com/adoption-fundraiser/bring-home-baby-mcdowell-we-re-adopting/214735

Baby Steps-

Today was a great day!!!!
Jason and I met with one of the pastors from our church, Forest Hill, whom has adopted two children also, and we were given a grant (YAY GOD) and along with some other funding that we have gotten from friends and family we will be able to start the fun part, Home Study, and signing contract with Steps Ahead Adoption Consultants, whom we have heard amazing testimonies on baby placements.
This means we are one step closer to meeting our baby, and this is so overwhelming and exciting that I cannot put it in words. The thought that we may be a family sooner that later fills my heart with so much joy that it may burst.
Today the Lord reminded me not to worry about tomorrow because each day has a worry of its own, I am trying not to worry and not think about the large sum of money that we have to come up with, but I know God will provide a way, he will show Himself to us through others, who ever that may be. lastly pastor Mike reminded us today what a bumpy road this may be but oh how worthy is, when you get to hold your baby in your arms and look at him/her in the eyes and know that God chose that little human being for us, and he left us with this verse that I will carry in my heart:
"God sets the lonely in families"- Psalm 68:6

NEW FUNDRAISING PAGE!!

https://www.youcaring.com/adoption-fundraiser/bring-home-baby-mcdowell-we-re-adopting/214735

Praying for our Little Miracle as we Begin our Journey of Adoption

And the work begins,  the past couple of weeks have been busy work, trying to determine what agency we are going to chose if any, what company to do our home study. But God has found a way to put someone in our path that went through the same, and was able to give me advice in some of the different avenues that we can take that we never thought of. So here's the plan "at least our plan"- Jason and I are choosing a consultant that is able to work with many many genies throughout the nation that will facilitate the placement of a baby sooner, and an separate agency to do our home study, Please pray for us to be making the right decision. 

In other news, we have our FUNDRAISING page up and running as of today, and hope and pray that our family and friends can become part of us becoming parents, and would be willing to help us in any way possible. 

I once heard that god will not put you through something unless He can get you through it, well this is true now more than ever, He surely has His hands all over adoption, and we know and believe that if he made us take this big step, he has paved the way for it and will get us through it. He is our guide, our stronghold, that cannot be shaken, and in Him we trust alone to make something beautiful out of our circumstances.

Below is our fundraising page:

https://www.youcaring.com/adoption-fundraiser/bring-home-baby-mcdowell-we-re-adopting/214735

WE'RE ADOPTING!!!!!

This is by far the most exciting news we have to share!! after some years of infertility we have decided and hope that it is the will of God for us to adopt our “missing piece.” This will be a long journey that awaits ahead of us, but this is the main reason we started this blog to share our every step of the way with friends, family, and anyone out there who is going through something similar. We want to have all of the prayers and support we can get from everyone in our lives, since we know it will be a long difficult bumpy road. 

Never in our life did we imagine taking this step, I never thought I would adopt a baby since I always dreamt of carrying a baby in me, and neither did Jason, but God can surely do it all, including changing both of our hearts in such way that we are so overfilled with Joy with this new season that’s ahead.

The Journey to finding our “missing piece” and making this family of 2, a family of 3 (or more). 

Next step.. finding the agency… and start the fundraising for our family and baby McDowell

In case you did not know or where wondering Adopting is extremely expensive Domestic and international and after many phone calls, emails, and extensive research we found that domestic adoption is the best fit for our marriage, because of our ages and length of marriage. 

We hope we can count on your prayers, and support since without those around us we can’t do it. We are tired of doing it alone, and trust that God will provide a way for that little one to be in our family and arms soon! 

EXCITING PICTURES TO COME!!!! 

Laura on A Mission Trip, DR

Fast-forward a year, we are in a new season, still waiting for our miracle. But have decided that we will not stop praying we will just pray a different prayer, that the Lord our God will give a baby even if its not from us, we are letting His grace work in our lives in a different way. We have decided to follow Gods foot steps, and make disciples. 

Laura decides to go on a mission trip to Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, and who would of thought as if we could ever doubt his provision, the fundraising for her trip was finalized in less than a month!!! 

June 14 she’s off to the DR> 

June 21 She’s back changed and so is our marriage!

In my heart I knew i would be okay with adopting but never felt strongly about it, until I returned from the DR, and Jason never thought about it only if it was our very last resort. but now!!! More to come! 

A Lesson Learned

A lesson learned! 

Laura goes to a women’s retreat with Forest Hill Church - Little that I know that on the retreat the Lord was going to speak loud and clear to me, He opened a door in my heart and a light to understand His mercy better. i learned that God uses our struggles to let His light shine in the world, for those around us to see Him in us and His love. I understood that longing for a child more than for Him was idolatry, and as Christ followers we are called to love Him above all things, including something as good and pure as a baby. 

We then realized that we needed to fill that whole with God and Him alone, and there I found peace and knew that somehow God will provide and will give us a baby one day.

We have days that are harder than others, when a good friend tells us their joy of getting pregnant, and over and over and over, its hard but we love them and are happy for them, just hope that joy can be ours sooner than later. 

in other News, we are Homeowners of a beautiful home! 

“Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives and the one who seeks dins , and to the one who knocks it will be opened” - Matthew 7:7-8

 

In The Weighting Room!

Living with infertility.. This season in our lives has been so far the most difficult struggle I have ever imagined having, and doing it by ourselves was not the smartest thing we could have chosen to do. So we decided to share it with some friends and even went to a healing service at Forest Hill Church (where we are members), and both Pastor David Chadwick and Jonathan Scott where both there, and prayed for our future children. 

Along with our life groups from church and our families we had great support system, but still felt like there was a big whole in our hearts that longs for a baby. So we didn’t just pray we started to give thanks because as the bible teaches us, in Samuel 1:27 when a woman prays for a child the Lord our God who is always faithful will grant what we asked. 

On this promise alone we continue to pray without ceasing, remembering Sarah and Abraham who at their old age were barren, and God fulfilled His promise. 

“By faith Sarah herself when she was unable to have children, received the power to convene offsprings even though she was past the age, since she considered the ONE who had promised was faithful”- Hebrews 11:1