Adoption Auction

I know what some of you are thinking...where in the world have the updates been?  Well, there just hasn't been a lot to update until now.  In the last few weeks we have seen God do some truly wonderful things.

In an effort to raise more funds we have decided to hold an auction which will be held on December 17 from 7:00-9:00 pm (doors open at 6:30) at First Baptist Church of Charlestown, IN where Scott is one of the pastors.  In order to hold an auction you must have items to auction off and boy do we ever have items to auction off!  In recent weeks we have received tickets to Holiday World, homemade items, artwork, exercise equipment, gym memberships, and so much more.  What a blessing!!!

On Thanksgiving evening Scott received a phone call from a couple in our orphan care group.  They had raffled off a 50" plasma tv (to raise support for their adoption).  The couple that won the tv said they did not need it and  to do with it what they wanted.  The couple from our group was calling to donate the tv to us so that we could raffle it off!  What an amazing gift and demonstration of God's family supporting one another in fulfilling our calling to care for widows and orphans.  We will begin the raffle at the auction.

There is more to tell, but that will have to do for now.  We are truly excited as we await God's continued blessings in our efforts to bring home more McDowell's.

God bless,

Scott and Jessie

Activated!!

Today, October 4, 2011, we are officially on our agencies site and our profile is going out to birth mothers.  What an exciting step in our adoption journey!  As we celebrated over the phone we also began to think about what this means for us in the process of bringing home "more McDowell's."

This step means that we could potentially receive a phone call at anytime.  The average wait time for a couple in our program is 4-6 months, however the key word here is average.  To obtain an average requires that some numbers are higher and some are lower.  In addition, we are on a short call list in the event that our agency receives a phone call from the hospital.

Our activation also means that we need to be prepared financially.  To this point we are paid in full, however there is still a long way to go.  The adoption costs can be upwards of $29,000.  We have greatly enjoyed putting together our puzzle and writing in the names of those who have so generously supported God's calling on our lives to adopt.  Having said that, we have a lot more puzzle pieces that need names.  Please feel free to  pass along our information and story to anyone you feel may be willing to help.

As always we are truly grateful for your constant prayers and support.  We are so excited to someday introduce baby McDowell to all of our friends and family who played such an important role in bringing them into our family.

Riding in Style

Last weekend we got our first baby item…a car seat!  The agency we are working with has advised us to wait on purchasing all of the other baby related items until we have our baby and are bringing him or her home.  They did, however, explain that we would need a car seat and should look into purchasing one.

So, last weekend we went to a shop in Lexington with Scott’s mom Sandi, that is wall to wall baby related items.  We knew that there would be options, but there seemed to be hundreds of car seats, strollers, and car seat/stroller combos to choose from!  Each stroller and car seat had unique features and gadgets.  We had a lot of fun looking at them and settled on the perfect one.

We then spent some time wandering about the store looking at the many things now available for parents to purchase for their children.  Scott saw a cup that is impossible for kids to spill and thought that the same technology should be applied to the strollers.  There was also lots of furniture, clothes, diaper bags, and everything else a child could ever need.

We left the store excited for having purchased the very first item for our child.  We look forward to the day when we get a phone call from our agency telling us to put this car seat in and head to the hospital.  The whole process was truly exciting as it made the reality of “more McDowell’s” seem that much closer.

Home Study

One week ago today we were wrapping up our home study.  If you do not know, a home study is when an case worker comes into your home to ensure that it is safe for an adoptive child to be raised in and ask prospective adoptive parents about their family, values, aspirations, methods of discipline, etc...  This is a big step because it is typically the last step before adoptive couples become "active", meaning their profile becomes available for birth mothers to see.

Like every other adoptive couple we spent a lot of time cleaning.  This was not because our home was so dirty but because it gives you something to do.  It makes you feel like you are doing something to help the process rather than just waiting.  While cleaning Jessie and I had lot's of conversations about the process thus far and how great it has been to see God provide in such unexpected ways.  In the last year or two God has surrounded us with adoptive couples who have patiently answered our questions, prayed with us, and journeyed alongside us.

Back to the home study.  Our interview went well and we received lot's of positive feedback so while we are still awaiting approval (this takes 4-6 weeks) it seems that everything went well.

Please continue to pray that God provides us with patience and peace as we await our approval.  Please also feel free to circulate the information concerning our adoption.  At this time, other than your prayers, our biggest need is financial.  While we know this is a big task, our God is bigger than any financial obstacle and we rest in the knowledge that He can and will provide.

Puzzle Fundraiser

Scott and I have decided to do a puzzle fundraiser.  We do need help to bring our baby home.  Located on the right side of our page is a picture of an elephant collage jigsaw puzzle.  We are suggesting that our friends and family buy a piece of the puzzle for $10 (if you would like to give more, please feel free to do that!  We have been asked about accepting checks or cash or even anonymous donations and those can be mailed to us or dropped off at Scott's office. )  We will in turn write your name on the back of a puzzle piece and will  hang the puzzle in the baby's room.  A wonderful keepsake for our child, and also a reminder for us, of those who helped us bring our child home.  We appreciate your support and are so thankful for the amazing people God has placed in our lives to encourage us.

Our Latest Agency Class

So we attended our last agency class this past Friday.  It was a very encouraging, exciting and humbling experience.
Encouraging, as we were able to meet some new couples who are just as eager to become parents and it always helps to spend time with people in similar life situations.
Exciting, as we were able to hear many adoption stories and see pictures of some of the children who have found their forever home through the agency.
I am not sure if I have ever sat through a more humbling experience.  A poem was read aloud that was written by a birth mother.  It really hit home how I am asking a woman to do something that I know I could never do myself.  I was able to fully understand how each of these women desire that their life circumstance were different so they could take their baby home.  Women who are being asked to put faith in a couple when they receive only glimpses into their life at most.  I admire and appreciate these women more than I can ever put into words and almost feel ashamed that I know I could never be that self sacrificing.  Any woman who is able to give a couple like us such a precious gift will forever hold a special place in my heart.
We have scheduled our home study and cannot wait for the day when we will get a phone call that a birth mom has chosen our profile or that there is a baby waiting to be picked up at the hospital.
Please join Scott and I in praying for this precious woman who will allow us to become parents.

Beginning our Journey

Early in their dating relationship Jessie looked at Scott and said, "I have something I need to tell you.  I have always wanted to adopt and if you are serious about me you need to know that now."  From that point forward we have always talked about how God would grow our family by means of adoption.  God has adopted us into His family and we are so excited to mirror that image in our family.

Almost 10 years into our relationship (6 years married) we are ready to start our adoption journey:

After much prayer and many conversations with our friends we began our journey in May of this year.  We attended an all day class detailing the adoption process at our agency.  We each left that class excited about taking our first major steps toward bringing our first child home.  Recently we attended an office interview which entailed sharing about our families, our childhood, and one another.

Over the last several days we have spent much time filling out papers, getting fingerprinted, running background checks, and preparing ourselves for the next step.  We will go back to the agency in a few short weeks for a second class which will soon be followed by our home study.  Each day the excitement grows as we check one more thing off the to do list.

We ask for your prayers and support as we continue our journey toward adding...more McDowells.