FRIENDS! Where do I EVEN begin…The pre-process to this whole ordeal is a beautiful story of God moving in our hearts quicker than we could have even imagined. I’ll start there.
This is the family picture now in our adoption file!
Jay & I have talked about adoption off and on over the last 5 years or so. Sometimes because we needed to seriously consider it due to circumstances around us, sometimes because it seemed a romantic idea, sometimes just because we LOVE the adopted children around us. But we never felt the Lord moving us to act…or we were just too scared to act…which, in the end, just means it was not God’s timing…until now.
I know, right? Crazy? Yes! SO CRAZY….SO CRAZY AWESOME!
See! I’m already getting ahead of myself! I’m just so excited about all this!
For the last year I have personally been battling discomfort in my spiritual walk. Jesus has done a lot the last 2 years to shake things up for me spiritually, which has ALL been good & painful & good. I kept feeling as if there had to be more to my walk with Jesus than church, Christian schooling, home groups, bible studies…repeat. As I’ve meditated on what living like Jesus really looks like I saw that He lived very differently than I do…in one area in particular…loving the least. I have massively failed in this area. And this coming from the daughter & granddaughter of men & women who have given their lives to love the homeless through the Union Gospel Mission Ministry, is rather embarrassing. I realized that I love what my family does for the lost, from a distance, but I wasn’t really willing to do it myself.
About this time I started reading…which USUALLY means things are a changin’. God seems to speak through and direct me most through His word and the words of His people who have gone before me (bless them all!). So as I started focusing on what God’s word says about loving the widow, the orphan and the sojourner…something happened….yep…I could. not. read anything on this subject without crying. You know…the kind of crying where you are looking around (even though no one is around) as if you can’t actually figure out WHY you are crying…yeah, that kind. And then it happened. I started reading Jen Hatmaker books. First was “7”…inspiring, amazing and thought provoking. But the whole time I was reading it she kept mentioning another book she wrote called Interrupted so of course as soon as I finished 7 I picked up Interrupted and well, that was it folks. I SOBBED through the entire thing (along with mass amounts of laughter, because she might be the funniest person I’ve ever read).
I’m not even half way through the book and God just kept saying “Adopt”.
What?
Really?
I’ll just keep reading…OK, I won’t keep reading…I’ll go tell Jay.
So…I’m pretty sure our versions of this moment are different, shocking right?(insert major eye roll) I remember it as a beautiful moment where I share my heart and soul and reveal to him that I think we are supposed to adopt. Reality may have looked like this: A snot nosed, weeping woman blabbering about how we are pathetic and we must adopt pronto! Oh and Jay says I may have said something like “IF you love me, you will read this book”….I remember being much nicer than this but whatever.
Because he does love me, lots, he did read the book. So while he was reading I was praying. “Jesus either unite us or take this passion away, RIGHT NOW!” Cause I was already imagining the little black kids I was going to love and that was going to need more prayer to change my passion than to move Jay in the same direction. Jesus moved him…swiftly…and if you know my husband at all you know this is a miracle in itself! A true working of the Spirit! Yay for us!!!
We talked with Jaxon, Kenna, Hudson & Ty before we made any final moves forward and I so wish I could have recorded the conversation for later in life. It was the sweetest thing. Not one of them was opposed. Not in the least. This solidified it for us. We were going to be a family that didn’t remain the Partyof6…our party was about to get bigger! At the time we didn’t know if it would be one or two…but after much discussion we strongly believe we are to adopt siblings…Lord willing.
During this whole whirlwind I started conversing with an adoption agency just to get some questions answered. We originally thought we would look into adopting from Haiti but we were introduced to a country in Africa called Burundi. It is a small country that shares its borders with Rwanda & Tanzania. It is the most impoverished country in Africa and after researching for days our hearts were bleeding for the children there. We didn’t need any more convincing that we had been led this direction. And, yes, I cry at EVERY. SINGLE. picture of Burundi kids…every single one.
On September 14, 2014 we filled out the adoption papers online. I can’t even express the feelings!!! It was like finding out you were pregnant but different…and the same…and different. So, yeah, I really can’t explain it! Before we hit send, Jay and I spent some time in prayer in which I cried…again. BUT, so did Jay so it’s all good!
Getting ready to hit “Enter” and submit our application to the adoption agency!
The very next day the adoption agency called and told us we needed a note from the doctor regarding some meds that Jay has to be on for his hips. No problem! I’ll get right on that…so I jumped in the car and took the request to the doctor’s office. They said it shouldn’t take long.
Nine (read: 9!) days later we finally got the letter. I’m thinking “seriously, that took forever!” I send the letter to the agency and the sweet gal’s response when she got it: “wow that was fast!”
Nine (read: 9!) days later we finally got the letter. I’m thinking “seriously, that took forever!” I send the letter to the agency and the sweet gal’s response when she got it: “wow that was fast!”
WHAT? Are you kidding?
Dear Jesus, Please give me patience or I might not live to see these kids come to us.
I thought I was being patient.
I tend to be a bit dramatic but I’m pretty sure it’s how I’m going to survive the journey…drama, sarcasm and a whole lota Jesus!
So the agency has approved our application and we start our home study and dossier process soon.
Yes, we CAN count.
We know we already have 4 kids.
4 pretty great kids too!
But there’s always room for more. Seriously, once you have 4 what’s a few more!?!!
We are adopting because Jesus calls us to love those in need. We want to be more like Him. We want to live out the gospel in our everyday lives and this is the way God has called us, the Hughes Family, to do that very thing. Jesus died on the cross so that we could be adopted into HIS family and we want to love the way He loves…we may do it imperfectly but in His Spirit we will love.
We would SO appreciate your prayers as we embark on this journey of paper work, doctors’ appointments, phone calls, emails, more paper work and then w.a.i.t.i.n.g. All in the midst of living life as usual. If you would like to pray specifically here are some prayer requests from our family:
Jay & Heather
· Pray for our children in Burundi. For their safety from harm, disease, hunger and hopelessness.
· Pray for Patience…with a capital P! (Probably more for Heather than for Jay but he might need a bit too!)
· That God would continue to provide financially. As of today we don’t have all the mullah it takes to adopt so we will be going about different ways to raise money, applying for grants & believing that God will continue to bring more work Jay’s way.
· Pray that ALL 6 of us would be able to fly to Africa when the time comes so that our 4 American kids can experience the culture, poverty, being the minority & to meet their siblings on day one! I really believe this will help them with being compassionate during our African kid’s adjustment to the US.
Kenna
· That she would get a sister.
Boys
· That they would get a brother.
We have a long road ahead of us so I may use this blog spot to update, vent, beg for prayers and share good news! Hope you will follow along!
Much love,
Hughes Party of soon to be 8! (Lord willing) J
So so neat to read about this journey. Thank you for sharing how God has changed your hearts and moved you towards this. I'll be praying for you all.
I'm so excited for your family! I was very touched as I read your story and will love watching it all unfold. I'll be praying for all of you!
We are All praying for your babies! I can't wait to hear about all that God will do for this walk of faith.