More on the Big Reveal

Vanessa Brown is our sweet friend that nominated us for our makeover.  She recently blogged here about the experience and included some more pictures and a fun video of the big reveal when the boys were shown their new room.  I hope you take the time to check it out and leave her some comment love.  She is amazing and we are so thankful for all she did to make it happen for us.  She is a busy mom of three little ones and a pastor's wife so she sacrificed so much time and energy on our behalf and we are blessed!

The Big Reveal

We are so amazed and blown away about what God did in our home through our incredible friends this week.  They so selflessly and tirelessly served us and the result is beautiful:) Lauren Mendenhall is the talented and wonderful designer that gave her time and talents to this project.  She posted some of her thoughts and pictures of the before and after on her blog.  So check out Amen Life + Style Inspired Design blog.

**I do have to add a slight addendum to Lauren's blog post.  We do NOT have our referral yet.  We have requested two children with the younger hopefully being a girl.  The babies home from which we are adopting normally only takes children up to 3 years of age.  So in planning the room Lauren did plan for an infant girl and a toddler boy.  We do pray that we will have our referral by the end of the year but the timing is certainly the Lord's!  But praise Jesus we are now ready, ready, ready for both of them:)**

I will post a link to Leading and Loving It when Vanessa posts about her perspective as well.  And soon I will post more on our thoughts.  I am pretty consumed with trying to move back into the two rooms.  It is requiring lots of organizing, shifting, dumping and rearranging.  It will be a process!  I am also packing because while Mark is away in California for training, Mom, Dad and I are headed to Atlanta on Wednesday for Catalyst!  I am super excited:)  God is heaping some extra special blessings on my plate these days and I am thankful!

Is it Christmas?

I have SO much to say but I must keep it short...I am afraid I won't be able to sleep tonight because tomorrow may be one of the most exciting nights of my year!  The past week has been big for us. Mark traveled to Atlanta for the week for training for his new job, praise the Lord! We are thankful:)  Eli and Haig have been battling pneumonia, which meant 7 doctor visits in 12 days and one chest x-ray.  McCall was sick too but not as badly. They are all on their second round of antibiotics. but we seem to be on the upswing.

Well, in the midst, of that semi-normal chaos....came an amazing blessing:)  On Wed. Sept 21st, Vanessa Brown (our pastor's wife and dear friend) left me a message saying she had some exciting news.
When I finally talked to her she told me that she had nominated us on the website www.leadingandlovingit.com for an extreme home mini-makover...and WE WON!!!  You can read the post here that announced we won and her wonderful nomination letter.  Can you say oh my goodness?!?

So we were awarded $2,500 to prepare for the arrival of our new little ones.  The plan is to make our playroom into a room for Haig and Eli, and make the current upstairs, boys room into a nursery.  God has so beautifully orchestrated an amazing team of volunteers and so many little details to make this happen.  Vanessa put on her foreman's hat and took the lead.  She asked Lauren Mendenhall a designer from Charleston if she would help and we are so thankful she said yes!  She came last Saturday and spent some time with us and the boys at the house talking about things we like and dislike and getting a feel for our needs and what we envision.

Vanessa asked if I would be willing to give them my preferences and then just let them go with it.  I willingly agreed:)  I'm a simple girl. I go naturally for function and comfort.  I love pretty, and artistic and design but that doesn't come naturally to me.  So decorating and the thought of ME having to make decisions like that makes my blood pressure go WAY up!  What an amazing gift to have someone gifted and talented like Lauren come in and hear my heart and decorate based on that!!  And then Vanessa with her incredible gifts of organization and leadership come in and organize my space and rally the troops!  And as much as we are preparing for the little ones that will eventually come into our home...decorating for them and spending the money needed to truly redecorate or add on to a room...the funds for that just weren't available, honestly, nor the energy or vision.  So this makeover is providing a miracle.  It is turning what we have, water ....into wine!

Yesterday the heavy duty hard work started and volunteers were at our house from 7:30 a.m. until probably 1 a.m. the next day.  They were back again at 7:45 a.m. this morning!  We spent the night at our wonderful friends, the Franks house last night and this weekend we are bedding down with Grandma Pat.  They want to surprise us as much as possible with the final product:)

Today when I would drive down Edisto Drive there were cars in every spot possible in the driveway and yard. There were anywhere between 15-20 volunteers at the house at any given time.  People made lunch and snacks and brought food for the volunteers.   I was planning to do that today but before I could finish the plan I was told it was taken care of.  What amazes me is how God is preparing the way for Hope and whoever else He brings into our family.  He is already writing their story through the sacrificial efforts and love of people...our friends, our church community....and we don't even have a picture of Hope yet!  I get to share with our little ones some day that Mommy and Daddy didn't just pray for, work for, sacrifice for and prepare for them...a whole community made the way for them.

We are the recipients of unmerited favor...we are so thankful and overwhelmed at God's grace and goodness.  Yesterday we also received the wonderful news that the first two families to apply for adoption from the Tender Hearts Babies Home, which is the home from which we are adopting, received a positive verdict from the judge.  That means they are in Uganda now with their children and will be allowed to bring them home to the US next week.  This is huge!  Our process could not move past the paperwork and referral stage until these families came home.  We are SO thankful!

So the mini-makeover plan is to be done sometime tomorrow so they can do the "reveal" to the family.  We are truly thrilled.  I just can't stop smiling:)  Seriously!!  So check back here tomorrow night or at the latest hopefully Monday for pics of before and AFTER!!!  OH MY GOODNESS I CAN HARDLY WAIT!!!  I feel like it is Christmas!!!  Thank you Leading and Loving It!! Thank you Vanessa!! Thank you Jesus!!

Where we're at...growing...

This song has really been ministering to me over the past couple of weeks. It just speaks to where my heart is at right now. We are resting in the peace that Mark is about to start his new job and the after glow of God's amazing goodness and provision through friends and anonymous friends loving us through this time. Yet we still feel ourselves stretching and growing as a result of all He has shown us over the last few months.

Isaiah 61 is a chapter I have been and continue to pray over and through as we seek the Lord's daily calling for our family. We want this to be true of us:

"They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor." Is. 61:3b

And the chapter seems to say that this result comes from the Lord doing a mighty work IN us..."to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.." v. 3a  When He does a work in us it is not usually comfortable or fun but certainly necessary and worth it!  We are in process:)

The beginning of the chapter also says, "The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn." V1-2

I have been brokenhearted, poor, captive and in need of comfort. He was there. We want to be there for other captives and walk them into the light. We want our family to be about His business.

And check out verse 7: "Instead of their shame my people will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace they will rejoice in their inheritance: and so they will inherit a double portion in their land, and everlasting joy will be theirs."

How about that? Whoo hoo!! We feel like the Lord has truly poured out a double portion in our lives through this season. A double portion of provision financially, in friendship, in favor and in growth. He is so, so good! We are expectantly watching and waiting for ways the Lord might allow us to bless others and walk in obedience.

The thing is though, to be honest, those first few verses that speak of the brokenhearted and captives and all. That's messy, tiring, hard work y'all. Just keeping it real:) We have been through those seasons and it ain't easy! But you know what He rescued me and He rescued us!!! So when you see me getting tired or whiny remind me to look at my wrists....the scars from the shackles that used to bind me...that'll be enough to shut me up and set me on my feet again:)  Thanks for walking with us!!

And an adoption update:  We do have to make a few addendums to our home study so we are in the process of filling out that paperwork.  It will then be sent back through our agency, DSS and then USCIS for approval.  During this process we will also finish up our dossier and send that in to our agency as well.  Prayerfully once all that is complete we will be next in line for a referral.  I know that really just sounds like: "oh they still have to fill out more paperwork and wait!."  You're right:)  So keep praying for our little ones, wherever they are!!!

I Got it!!!!

"I Got It" were the 3 words I sent to Erika when I was offered my new job.


Hello Everyone, I wanted to give you all a quick update on my job status. I was able to secure an offer from Depomed Pharma earlier this week. I will officially begin on September 19, 2011. This was not a quick process, but in the end very well worth it. Thank you so much to each of you for your help during this season of our lives. You gave career help/direction, provided meals and helped with everyday household expenses. We have been taught so much during this season, but the big takeaway at this time was learning to be a gracious receiver. Selfishly I would prefer to be on the giving side, but that was not my role. You stepped in and played that role in our lives.

Being a gracious receiver was a hard, but good lesson to learn. Thank you for being selfless givers. The Chapmans are thankful for your generosity!

The Waiting Room

Mark is sitting in a waiting room.  He just finished an interview and is waiting to hear if he got the job or not.  I am sitting on our couch waiting to hear from him.  We've been doing a lot of waiting these days...

I'm still not very good at it.  I realized recently that waiting is less stressful when we have confidence in Who we are waiting on.  It really goes back to trust.  If I am waiting in line at Burger King I don't have a lot of patience because I always have to wait a really long time there and I don't usually have a positive experience.  On the other hand when I wait at Chick-fil-a I expect a short wait, with good service and a pleasant "My pleasure" at the end.  That is because of my history of great experiences at that wonderful chicken place!

I traveled this summer with our youth group at Newspring Church to their week long youth camp, the Gauntlet,  in Daytona, Florida.  When it was time to travel home the leaders had to get 2000 people onto buses to travel home to five different cities.  That involved lots of "hurry and wait."  We worked hard to get downstairs to the lobby and then had to just wait..and wait...and wait some more.  We knew eventually there would be a bus and we would get on it and drive home.  We couldn't see the bus or hear the bus and we couldn't even see the door outside to the bus.  We simply knew we were promised by our leaders a return journey on a bus. Our leaders had faithfully done everything they promised over the last five days.  We chose to trust them because they had a history of following through.  We were moved from one room to another and the wait was long and frustrating, but we never really doubted that we would actually finally get on the bus!  We had no control over the journey to the bus.  I did, however, have a choice as to my attitude during the wait.  And that significantly affected my journey.  My attitude affected the people around me and my experience.  Although my physical surroundings and circumstances were uncomfortable and did not guarantee a positive outcome...I trusted that what was promised would come about and it would be for my eventual good.  I could have complained and fretted and tried to speed things up...but in reality it simply would have made the waiting more difficult for me and the people around me...and not sped up the end result one bit.

Trust comes as a result of relationship.  I trust more and more deeply the stronger my relationship is with someone.  Relationship takes time and experience and sometimes difficulty.  I believe that as I wait the Lord doesn't simply want my surrender and/or obedience, He also wants my trust.  He doesn't want me to throw my hands up in the air in surrender out of defeat....He wants me to place my hand in His and follow Him because I trust Him!  When I trust Him in that way I am recognizing His heart and that His intentions for me are good!

Just as I waited for that bus...I am waiting now.  I am choosing to trust that He sees ahead.  That the process and what it is doing in us/me is just as significant...maybe more so than what the actual outcome of all this is.  He is faithful and as I press in and draw close and get to know Him better...I trust more.  He's always after the heart and that is where trust rests.  My heart trusts His heart.  No matter what...

Would you please pray?

Some of you may get this and others, not so much, but that's okay:)

The past few weeks have been a little nutty!  It started with Eli having a slight fever for a few days, sore throat and generally feeling icky so we laid low.  Now I realize that was probably strep but it was mild.  After that I came down with a horrible case of strep.  I was out of commission for four days.  It was so bad that I went to the doctor and had to try two different prescriptions and Mark and the boys left town without me:)  During this three week period McCall had two ear infections and swimmer's ear and Haig came down with swimmer's ear.  Then Mark came down with a horrible case of strep and I'm pretty sure some kind of stomach bug at the same time. He was out of commission for about five days.  McCall was the next victim of strep and once on an antibiotic was still sick for four days.  Then I somehow hurt my back and began dealing with crazy, awkward back pain. Then Mark somehow scratches his cornea, which is mucho painful and tries to let it heal on his own but ends up going to the doctor as well because it started getting infected.

Finally McCall once again begins running a high fever and having major headaches, neck pain and GI issues.  I was terrified it was meningitis so we took him to the doctor but after 3 visits to the doctor and lots of lab tests we are still waiting to figure out what is wrong.  We are trying to keep him from getting dehydrated. Tomorrow will be day 5 of liquids only and MAJOR GI issues.

Sigh...sorry for the long drama...but I'm worn out!!  I'm not gonna lie that I'm a wee bit tired and discouraged.  This is the part where some of you will roll your eyes and tune me out- I feel like we are under some significant spiritual attack.  As of Monday we have all been fingerprinted. That was our next significant step in the adoption process.  It seems like every time we take a big step toward bringing our little ones home... our physical world begins to fall apart.  I do believe that the enemy of our souls has a hand in this!  I'm not trying to sound super spiritual because I do realize that we live in a fallen world and bad things happen.  But so many things at once?  It would be very easy for me to get overwhelmed and stay focused on survival and trying to make it through all the physical discomforts and neediness around me.  I definitely need to be present and helping here but also keeping my eyes forward and diligent in prayer and asking God for BIG faith!!

Because something the Lord has been pressing into me recently is that when we adopt a child and bring her into our family...we are establishing a heritage for her and a future filled with hope.  We are releasing her from whatever bondage or legacy of sin that she may be coming out from under.  We are establishing her identity as a beloved child and as one chosen by Christ to become His daughter.  We are aligning her to answer His call on her heart and her life and providing opportunities for her to heal and then step into the future He has planned for her.

He is going to rewrite what could have been....just as He did for me!  There is no reason beyond the grace of God that I did not end up on the streets or as a young, unwed mother.  This year the Lord really seems to want me to realize that although I responded to His call to become His daughter, at 6 years of age...He still saved me from the life of self-destruction that I would have chosen without His intervention.  He rescued me from me!!  And each year I become more thankful!!

So the enemy does not want these children to be released from their spiritual captivity because that would mean a whole line of children blessed by a heritage rooted in Christ's salvation and relationship with Him.  It amazes me how that works:)  The enemy wants to stop this process.  I am learning so much about the power of prayer and the power of praise.  They push back the darkness.

So would you please pray for us?  Pray for a hedge of spiritual protection over our family, that we remain focused on Christ and His Word, that we will not become distracted or discouraged by our physical circumstances and that we return to good health!  Thank you for the prayer cover!!