Dear Friends and Family,
We are writing this note to let you know that we said yes! As you know, we’ve been in the midst of our third adoption journey. It was January 2012 when we both felt God’s call to pursue another adoption. By July we had started talking with an adoption consultant and found a local home study agency. We were home study ready at the end of Nov. and the first weekend of Dec. we prayed over and sent out our first round of applications to agencies.
Almost immediately possible situations started coming. It was heartbreaking to choose which birth mothers we wanted to be presented to, to turn some down, to say yes to others, only to find that we had not been chosen. It was a definite emotional roller coaster, not for the faint of heart.
A little over a month ago, while we were in the midst of Mark Batterson’s 40 Day Prayer Challenge, Eden came to me and said that she felt like we were to pray more specifically for a baby. She decided to choose a date and to ask God to either give us a child or a match by that date. April 20thwas chosen and a few days later she told me that she had added 5PM to her prayers. So, as I physically circled the block praying for birth mothers and our future child, she would join me, sometimes simply repeating, “Baby. April 20. 5PM.” I had a feeling God was going to honor the prayers of that child.
We waited expectantly for Saturday, April 20. That day we had a concert in the afternoon and arrived home at 4:00. I immediately checked my inbox and found three potential situations from an agency in Utah. Two were more typical scenarios with expectant mothers due in a month or two. The third situation was a baby boy who had been born April 13 at 25 weeks gestation, nicknamed The Little Fighter by the nurses. Noah, as his birth mother had named him, had been matched with a family, but when he arrived early, the family changed their minds. His birth mother was waiting in Utah, feeling hopeless for a family for this little boy. We presented our profiles to the other two situations but we just couldn’t close the door on the third. We continued to receive updates. We asked questions. We prayed. Oh, how we prayed. Several of our prayer warrior friends stormed Heaven’s gates with us, asking for clarity and direction. And the answers came, one after the other.
But it wasn’t without battle. The spiritual attack has been so strong, particularly to me (Cindy), physically, emotionally, and spiritually. When we could no longer lift our hands in the battle, our friends surrounded us, holding us up as Aaron and Hur lifted Moses’ hands. We can’t thank them enough. In the same day, two friends had the same idea, sending messages that said, “Noah must be a world changer. The fight to get him to you has been a big one!” and “He will amaze and God will use him in significant ways.” Redeeming a life never comes without battle and pain. Jesus suffered for me, I am willing to do the same for this little fighter.
Noah’s fight is far from over. Starting life at 1 lb. 13 oz., he’s currently around 1 lb. 10 oz. but tolerating small amounts of food and receiving some oxygen support. We’ve spoken to one of his NICU nurses who gave us every possible life-threatening situation common to premature infants. We’ve never walked this path before but we know those who have. We know the risk is great. We know that his future health is not secure. We know that we could come home with empty arms. But after a week of wrestling, we can’t say no.
We know this is crazy. We know that it makes no earthly sense. Like Noah building a boat on dry land, like David offering to slay a giant, like Peter stepping out onto the water, we're trusting the hand that's leading us onto the red carpet with a tiny, barely 2 pound baby boy on the other end.. Through the years we’ve been learning to put action to our faith and this is just another step of obedience, albeit a large step...
The past 365 days have taught us a lot more about stepping out of the boat. It's not easy. Some people won't understand. You can't take your eyes off Christ. One year later, I need to reread these words to remind myself of this truth.
It is our prayer that Victor's story has encouraged you to have a radical faith that's willing to take a radical step out of the boat. You won't sink if your eyes remain on the Author and Perfecter of your faith.
On this anniversary I want to thank all of you who have prayed for us and for Victor, all of you who helped out while I was gone, and all of you who continue to support our family. It's been quite some time since I've given a prayer update so here it is:
Praise God for Victor's good health! His suppressed immune system not only survived its first winter but thrived. He had only a few minor colds, fewer than any of his siblings' first winters! Go figure. His height and weight have caught up nicely and his reflux is much less severe.
Pray for the final funds to pay off our adoption debt. We are so close! You'll know when this is paid in full as we are planning a big King's Strings concert, inviting anyone who has been a part of this journey.
Pray that Victor's body would learn when it is full and would shut down on its own. For now, I regulate the amount he eats, finding that perfect balance between eating himself sick and being hungry. We did have a dietician visit the home and according to her calculations, my portions were within 20 calories of where they should be. She was pleased and said I shouldn't change a thing. Until the next growth spurt. :)
Pray for Victor's physical development. It's difficult to determine if his physical lags are due to his prematurity or his blindness. He is sitting on his own, rolling all over the floor, getting himself on all fours, and managing to scoot backward. We're praying that he crawls forward soon!
Pray for sensory issues. He is very resistant to touching certain things. This has probably been the most difficult aspect of his condition for me to accept. Please pray that he continues to mature in this area. As I spent some time in prayer over this yesterday, it was my sense that by his next birthday these issues will have passed. That's a long time to wait and it will be miraculous if it happens. Please join me in this prayer.
Victor's MRI of his optic nerves and pituitary will be on May 21. Please pray that the doctors are amazed by what they find.
And finally, pray for complete healing of Victor's blindness. Amen. So be it.
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