I often marvel at the intricate ways that God weaves His plan in our lives and as I ponder the details I am always amazed at His precision, especially in the timing of events. Let me elaborate. The day before my last post was the Feast of the Assumption of Mary, August 15th. This was a very important day for our family as we had spent the previous 40 days preparing to make our family consecration to Jesus through Mary, which we began on July 13th. At Mass that evening of the Assumption we fulfilled the prayer requirements for making the consecration after we received the Eucharist and went home very elated and sure that this act of devotion would bring great graces into our family this year.
Two days later we learned that all of our home study papers and our photo books had been turned into the adoption agency and we were now fully qualified as adoptive parents to receive the child God had planned for us. We had also learned with much gratitude to God that an adoption assistance agency had agreed to pay the remaining cost of our adoption fees at the time of placement. It had been a summer of intense prayer and preparation and now it was all wrapped up, every item crossed off the list, all provided for; now just the wait to be chosen. Waiting for the conception of this special child was what we were praying for grace to do well. Little did we know but that very week the next child that God had planned for our family had already been conceived, and most likely on the Feast of the Assumption. That precious child was already growing inside it's birth mother's womb.
About 2 weeks later I was in prayer asking the Lord what I should intercede for and as clear as a bell came the words - "Pray for your son." It caught me a little by surprise but I had no doubt that the Lord had just spoken and so I immediately started to pray for this little baby boy - wherever he was, for the comfort of his birth mother, that he would be safe and protected in her womb, that he would be loved and be born and experience the wonder of God's creation and be a blessing to our family.
"So," I hear you ask, "When did you receive the call that a birth mother had chosen you to adopt her son?" Well, we didn't receive that call in the traditional way but a few days later it became clear that GOD had CALLED me to be THE birth mother as we realized for the second time this year He was blessing us with another pregnancy!!
We rejoice in His tremendous faithfulness and goodness to us as we approach week 16 of pregnancy. In the last 3 years we have not made it past 9 weeks and although it can be tempting to fear and doubt, we feel our consecration to Jesus through Mary has given us a wonderful grace in this dedicated 'Year of Faith' to trust in God's kindness and His mercy and despite some of the hormonal difficulties we are experiencing with this pregnancy that this child will join our family and faith community next May!!! Praise God - He is good - all the time!!!
So what about our plans to adopt? Well we have not closed that door yet. We felt God lead us this way and want to make sure that we are still listening to what He wants. In prayer we feel we should leave the door open at least until our home study is due for renewal which would be August, 2013. If the Lord has not brought a child to us through adoption by then, then we will assume that the child I now carry is the one He had planned for us to receive.
We ask that you please carry this little babe in prayer as we proceed into the second trimester, that he will be protected from all potential harm in my womb and live to see the light of day. St Gerard Majella, pray for us.
