Welcome to our adoption blog! Well, I say "our" but I'll probably do all the writing :-)! I like to write and so I thought this would be a perfect thing to do...share our adoption story with you, our family and friends.

The seed to our journey probably was planted well before I was aware of it. I believe it was planted somewhere at the beginning of time and that it was God whom planted it. I remember the seed beginning to grow about 6 years ago, somewhere inside my own heart. I really believe LG thought the idea was, well, a little crazy! He always knew I was a horse of a different color (isn't that what they say?) and I think he just took it as that. Well that seed continued to grow and drive me quite crazy literally! It was there all the time, tugging me, stretching me...and then I realized that what was stretching me was my daughter! I was pregnant for the second time! This was as exciting the second time as it was the first time with Troy. Elizabeth was a New Year's baby! Time passed and that seed began to grow again. I found myself searching everywhere on the internet finding info. about adoption. I also began to really pray and explore both international and domestic adoptions. I ordered adoption packets and read a fabulous book by Jan Beazley called The Strength of Mercy. This book brought joy to my spirit and I knew I was going to have to talk more to LG about adopting. I wanted to adopt from Romania! God's timing is perfect and he saw fit that our third-born came just about 3 years after Elizabeth. Boo was born quickly and safely and is alot of fun! And so here we are in the year 2006 and it is time. It is time for the seed to take shape and begin to blossom, though it won't fully blossom until we bring our daughter home through International adoption! LG and I signed our contract with All God's Children, Internation on Monday, September 18, 2006! We received our dossier packet (all the paperwork to be done for an international adoption) to begin an adoption of a toddler girl from Guatemala. I could not believe I was hanging on to the very thing we needed to do to make this process a reality! This is going to be a long journey. One in which LG is fully on board. One in which I believe we are not yet fully prepared. A journey that will require faith...God-sized faith! A trip in which we will not go alone. God is leading the way and He has provided family and friends to give encouragement, support and prayer! Journey with us! Pray with us and for us! Ask away all the questions you need too so that you can fully see our hearts and begin to believe with us!

Do you ever listen to the lyrics of a song and they talk to you? I heard this song by MercyMe called Hold Fast and I heard it as if sung to an orphan. Hence, the name of this blog. I know what your thinking. Did I get permission to use the name? no. Here are just a few verses that I imagine singing to the orphan children:

To everyone who's hurting
To those who've had enough
To all the undeserving
(that should cover all of us)
Please do not let go
I promise there is hope

Hold Fast
Help is on the way
Hold Fast
He's come to save the day

You may think you're all alone
And there's no way that anyone could know
What you're going through
But...

Hold Fast
Help is on the way

Preparing to follow His lead,
J and Dh