This year, Michael and I spent Christmas in Gilroy.  The Smasham family opens presents in a traditional fashion...youngest to oldest.  As our turn comes around according to age, members of the family may "suggest" which presents to open first and which to save for later.  There was one present that Michael insisted that I save for last consisting of two packages...which made me a little suspicious.  The first was a book titled, "Kisses from Katie," which was written by a young women who moved to Africa at the age of 18 and adopted 13 girls in need of a home.  You can follow her blog at Kisses From Katie.  The second was a symbol of God's amazing grace despite the struggles with fertility that we have experienced  over the past couple of years. 

That second package contained a journal.  The journal is more than just a leather book embossed with a beautiful floral emblem.  This book is the beginning of a new journey that Michael and I are going to be starting this year...this journal is for our baby.  Tears began to flow down my face as I read the dedication that Michael wrote to our baby, a baby who is going to be born halfway across the world.  This journal is going to be a way for us to record the story of how God brings our precious baby to us as we embark in our adoption journey this year. 

There were times when I thought that I would never experience the joy that I currently feel as I think about the journey ahead.  There was too much pain associated with my inability to get pregnant to see beyond the hurt.  However, God was preparing us for HIS plans...plans much better than anything that we could plan for ourselves.  My fears about never feeling a baby move inside of me and never bringing a baby home from the hospital have been replaced with dreams about the moment that we receive our referral and get to see the first picture of the child that God has chosen for us.  I spend countless hours daydreaming about the moment that we finally get to hold our baby in our arms before boarding a plane to come home.  There are going to be moments of our adoption journey that are different from giving birth to a child, but they will be no less special to me.  This baby is the child that I have been praying for all along...

Our friends Justin and Stephanie Nunes are preparing to adopt a baby boy from Ethiopia.  You can follow their blog at Nunes Party of Three.   Recently we all spent the evening together watching "Gotcha Day" videos on YouTube (the day that you get your baby) and talking about the amazing blessing that we feel because God is leading us to adoption around the same time.  It was as if God was physically healing every hurt that I have felt in regards to starting a family  up until this point...just as His word promised all along. 

Please pray with us as we move forward...specifically...

1. That God will reveal the country where He wants us to adopt...we have it down to two at this time. 

2. That we will be diligent to pay off a few existing bills, and that God will provide the funds that we will need to move forward with the adoption.

3. That we trust in Him through the inevitable struggles that we will experience during our journey and for patience as we wait to be matched with a child.