God's leading, our response (part two)

The possibility of adoption began for me (Josh) nearly two years ago while Jaclyn was still pregnant with our youngest, Abigail.  Family and friends will recall that while all three pregnancies were physically hard on Jaclyn's body, the third pregnancy was the most difficult of all.

I'm not very good at remembering dates, but when we went for a routine ultrasound, somewhere around week 20, we learned that there was a problem.  The ultrasound showed a large problematic hematoma.  By all appearances, Abigail was healthy and safe, but the doctors could not be certain.  Jaclyn was immediately placed on modified bed rest and was not allowed to return to work until the doctor gave the all clear, and we were subsequently referred to a specialist in Grand Rapids for further consultation.

Jaclyn carried Abigail full term and I remember being exhausted by the time she came along - physically, emotionally, spiritually.  The hematoma...the bed rest...plus the disabling migraine headaches that Jaclyn was prone to took its toll on us, and I remember saying to myself: "That's all I can handle.  I have reached my limit."  After Abigail was born, I recall saying to Jaclyn that we'd have to pray hard and be absolutely certain before getting pregnant again because I wasn't sure I could endure all of that again.

Though I was pretty darn sure we were done having biological children, I was wide open to the possibility of adoption.  As Jaclyn shared earlier (see previous post from her), through a series of events - books we were reading, Sunday sermons, adoptive parents we met, and prayer - we were simultaneously sensing both a push and pull to adopt.  The push came through God's Spirit speaking to our spirits about taking greater risks for Him and the Kingdom.  All the while our heartstrings were being pulled as we learned more about the orphans our friends, Brian and Anita, were caring for in Lesotho, Africa.

Today is a "milestone" kind of day.  Today, Jaclyn and I have our first (of three) homestudy appointment.  For those who don't know, a homestudy is a detailed report made by an adoption agency submitted by an adoption social worker.  The details of the report will be submitted to our adoption agency - Americans for African Adoptions - to help make a final determination if we can, as a family, continue on in the adoption process.

Your prayers are greatly appreciated as we continue on this journey.  Peace.
Josh