Thanking God for Our Blessings

A dear friend from high school told me she had read our entire adoption blog the other day. We have just gotten back in touch and learned that she too has an adopted daughter. So, tonight, with nothing much to do (after babies are in bed of course) I decided to go back and read the blog myself. Wow! We have been so blessed over the last 19 mos--it is almost unbelievable. We have had our share of suffering as well, but overall the blessings far out weigh any suffering we have done.

It was only November of 2006 when we started the adoption process. At that point we had been married three years and were still dreaming of being parents someday. We had no idea how we would pay for one adoption and no way to imagine where God would lead us in the years to come. God blessed us with many friends who helped us raise funds, as well as, our families. In less than six months we had been matched for the first time. Of course, that didn't work out and as devastating as that loss was we continued to believe God had something greater in store for us. Then in August 2007 Olivia Grace was born and life will never be the same.

For many people, more women than men I imagine, having children is something you dream about all of your life. When that dream does not come true you begin to wonder what you have done wrong, is God punishing you, and you start to believe that maybe you are just unfit or unworthy to be parents. Opening our hearts to adoption and choosing to focus our financial efforts in that area, as opposed to fertility treatments, we felt we would also be helping a child who needed a home. We were amazed that not once, but twice our adoption social workers found us fit to be parents. That is an honorable achievement and we strive to meet that achievement everyday.

Now that we have Ian Nolan as well we feel as if God has blessed us more than we could have ever imagined, and certainly more than we ever deserved. Two years ago we were happy in Florida with our three dogs, but longing for a family. Now we are settled, happy, and assured as we start our lives in New Zealand with our two children. We have endured some hardship through two failed adoptions and the loss of one child (Olivia's half-sibling), but we have learned so much. Being parents is learning to be patient, to think about your children before yourselves, and to allow your heart to expand in many new ways.

So, we thank God for our blessings...Olivia and Ian, our families, our friends, and our church home. It is our sincerest hope that we can continue to serve God in the days ahead in our new community as we enjoy our blessings. More hard days will surely come, they always do, but we know that God will see us through. Thank you to all of you for your prayers, encouragement, and support. Please continue to pray for our immigration applications (Bonnie, Olivia, and Ian) as we settle in our new home, lift up our families are we are separated one from another, and please continue to pray for our children's birth mothers as they struggle with life.

Bonnie, Andy, Olivia & Ian