In the Beginning...

It all starts with hope.  This confident expectation that there is a child in China who is supposed to be a Martin.  Although we haven't seen them, they are just as real to us as a picture on a sonogram.  Hope.  God has given us a vision for something that is way bigger than us.

"The Martins go to China"  I feel like that could be the name of a really cool sitcom.  Where mom, dad and daughter have all kids of adventures and trials, and twists and turns that lead us to this precious gift that is waiting for us on the other side of the world.

We are hopeful.  Although we haven't always been.  This has been a journey for us that didn't start out as planned.  Don't get me wrong, we always felt like adoption was part of our story.  We talked about it even before we got married (almost 15 years ago...can you believe it?).

We were sure we would have another child first.  Adoption was part of our future.  Having another baby was first.  I can't even explain the pain of secondary infertility.  Every month being hopeful...every month being disappointed.  It was such a difficult time.  There was nothing biologically wrong, it just wasn't happening for us.

But just like a tree that seems barren in the winter, spring was just around the corner.  The leaves started to grow.  Hope started to grow.  God was moving us in a completely different direction.  Adoption wasn't part of our distant future.  Adoption was now.  The time was now.

This journey hasn't just started for us.  The hope of a child has been very real to us for quite awhile.

The process of international adoption is not an easy one.  We didn't just stumble upon the idea & decide it was right for us.  We knew that we knew that we knew that China was the place.  And we believe wholeheartedly that our child is waiting for us.

Now getting from here to there requires much patience, trust in God and mounds and mounds of paperwork.  We are in the process - knee deep in the process of paperwork.  Our Home Study is finished and we are working on our Dossier (this is the paperwork that will go to China).  We've been fundraising along the way to help us get there.  Yes, international adoption is expensive but we don't feel like we can let something silly like money stand in the way of us getting to our child.

And that is where we need your help.  Bet you thought I was going to add a shameless plug here for money, didn't you?  haha..not just yet.  What we need from you more than anything is PRAYER!  Please pray for us on our journey of hope.  Pray for the money to come in, pray for peace, pray for patience, pray for strength, pray for our sweet little one that is in China just waiting for us to come and get them.  But please pray! (and then send us money) ;)

God is writing an amazing story.  Come & be a part of it.