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Sunday, November 28, 2010

A Double Portion....




So how did we get here? 17 years ago Mike asked me to marry him. I said YES! In the months that followed during our engagement I asked the most important question to me, "How many kids do you want and if we can't have them biologically are you open to adoption?" To which Mike answered, "Two biological kids and as many adopted kids as we can handle!" I knew it, he was the ONE for me!

So we did have our two kids, and then a third, a shocking miscarriage at 17 weeks, then healthy baby #4, next came #5, then a string of 4 more very difficult miscarriages. It was much more complicated than that, but I am simplifying so we can get to the twins!  In between pregnancies #3 and #10 we talked about adoption. We knew that someday the timing would be right and we would move forward, but weren't sure when.

Two months ago, September 22, 2010, we were in labor and delivery holding our stillborn son Levi (he was 18 weeks) and we both knew it was time to seek a new path.  As I was recovering in the maternity ward I actually started searching for agencies and state requirements.  I thought I must be crazy, hormonal, or just plain nuts!  I emailed an agency for more information and before I left the hospital they replied back and I had an appointment.  I thought, "Uh oh, I better tell my husband what I just did!"

He was so excited.  He came home from work the next day and told me he couldn't stop thinking about it and he was researching countries for us to check into.  We were both ready to walk a new path, the path to adoption.

Have you ever heard, "Be Careful what you pray for"? Oct 14th we had our dear friends Dejan and Michelle, Bosnian Missionaries visit us overnight on their stateside trip. We shared with them that we were ready to move forward and seek out an adoption.  Dejan offered to pray over us and ask for God's blessing. He prayed for God to open and close the doors, reveal to us the path to take, confirm it clearly by two or three, and bless us with a double portion. We agreed in prayer with all of it...YES LORD, let it be!!!

One week later our appointment with an adoption agency arrived. We went with open hearts and received all the information we needed to take the next step. I was overwhelmed by the paperwork that had to be done, the online courses, well-water testing, doggie shot records, background checks, fingerprinting, CPR course, references, and on and on. They told us to expect it to take 3-6 months to complete a home study and then 2-3 years to be placed with a child, most likely from Ethiopia since we already had five kids. That is perfect, we thought, we will have PLENTY of time to get ready and save up the $$$. 

The next day I was sitting at Burger King play area letting my 5 kids run off some energy giving me time to start filling out the first form when an old friend called. "Whatcha been up to?", she asked. "Filling out adoption applications" I said. I went on to tell her what we had decided and asked her to keep us in prayer. She asked me a question that will forever change our lives, "Would you take twins?" I quickly answered, "Of COURSE we would!" She knew of a pregnant woman that had been praying for a family to come along and adopt her twins. She wanted a family that loved the Lord and children with all their hearts. She had been crying out to God for 2 months to send her a family that would take care of them and keep them together for she was unable. My friend called her and told her about our family.  She gave her our information and she called me.   I asked her to friend me on facebook so she could look at our pictures of our family, our church, our holidays, our daily lives and homeschool.  I asked her to be sure this is what she wanted for her babies.  Twelve hours later she messaged me that she knew we were the family she was praying for. So we scheduled a meeting, we cried, we hugged, we prayed, and we discussed the future for both of our families.

There were some mountains to climb and fast.  We only had only a few weeks until the doctors thought the babies would be born and we hadn't even begun the legal process at all. To make things more complicated she lived out of state and that meant we had 2 states to comply with, we needed 2 lawyers, 2 agencies and 2 social workers all working together......and we needed the whole process to be expedited to avoid the twins being placed in foster care until completion.  

Oh yeah, and we needed the money to be paid for all these procedures in full before the babies would be placed with us.  God jump started a miracle that only He could accomplish. We saw a mountain of paperwork and requirements.  I decided to make it my full time job as I made lists everyday and checked them off one by one.   I would spend 12-15 hours a day running around town, counties, and to fax machines.   Some nights I would pace the hallway and have moments of "What if she changes her mind, how are we going to cover the check we just wrote, how are we going to afford formula and diapers, what if the babies are too early and can't breathe, what if....what if.....what if..... 

My awesome husband would calm me down and remind me to take one step at a time.  He would smile and say there was no turning back now, we were already invested in these little babies and had to walk by faith.  Everyday we were supplied with a fresh miracle.  Everyday we were given the strength to carry on.  Everyday we were one step closer to meeting our new babies. 

The money needed still plagued us.  We were writing retainer checks for thousands of dollars, not quite sure how they were all going to clear.  (I call them faith payments :)   We were thinking of it as one adoption, but quickly found out it was two and that meant double payments and fees, too.  I asked my best friend to pray for a financial miracle and one day we got it.  Mike had figured out a way to pay for the adoptions by taking a loan from our IRA account.  We would make payments with interest to ourselves allowing us to avoid any outside debt and to pay it back over a few years.  We withdrew the money in one day and had the money we needed to move forward.  A few days later we learned about the adoption tax credit and realized that by keeping good records and following the tax code we would receive most to all the money back through our taxes.  We had just received a financial miracle, a double portion of finances.

In just 3 short (although it felt long) weeks we had officially completed all of our requirements and were licensed to adopt!  It was truly a miracle.  Three days later I received THE phone call, they were going to induce her at 35 weeks.  I was to go up to the hospital immediately.  I was devastated.  Mike had just left to go to his cousin's funeral.   This is not how I envisioned our journey.  I jumped into my car, dropped off the kids at grandma and grandpa's and headed North crying the entire way.  I sat in the waiting room and prayed like a mad woman.  I was getting updates by text and was quickly forwarding them to Mike and  my prayer warriors around the country.  We were praying for a safe delivery for the babies, and also for the birth mom and her family's hearts.  It as becoming all too real that our joyful day was going to be very painful for the birth family. 

After a couple of hours I saw two rolling cribs go down the hallway.  I instantly leap for joy and tears ran down my cheeks.  A few moments later one baby rolled past me and into the NICU.  I was thinking, "Oh my goodness was that one of them?"  Within seconds a nurse came out and said, "Mrs. Chinlund, would you like to come in and meet your son?"  I followed her into the room, washed my hands and put on the sterile gloves.  I walked over to his incubator and put my hands in to touch him. 

In that moment the world stood still. 

I felt a rush of emotion and energy from my head to my toes.  It was like God bonded us together in an instant.  I had never experienced something quite like that in all my life.  Fifteen minutes later another crib rolled in, it was our daughter.  I walked over and placed my hands in her incubator and it happened again, a rush of energy and emotion that bonded us forever.  A few days later our entire family was able to come up and visit.  It all seemed so surreal, our new reality, a double portion from heaven. 

Micah and Mariah were born 1 month and 5 days after Mike and I took our first step on the path of adoption. It blows my mind that I was pregnant with Levi at the same time as their birth mom. It was as if he was a place holder in our hearts for the two souls to come.  They are so precious and I tear up every time I think about this amazing opportunity our family has been given. I cannot wait to share with them how they were created by a Great God that loves them and knew them from the foundations of the earth. I want them to always know they have a beautiful and loving birth mother that chose to give them life.  Our family has been entrusted with a very precious gift, one we will never take for granted.
Make no mistake, adoption is a very beautiful thing. There are parts that are stressful, sticky or painful, but overall it is an act of love. Adoption stories are wonderful reminders that we are all adopted by our Father in Heaven. 

If I can convince you of anything let it be this: God has a plan...His timing is incredible...He hears you....He can move mountains...and He is Faithful! Nothing is impossible with our God!!! 
Trust the LORD with all your heart and then hold on...it is one WILD ride!   Pray with expectancy.  To Him be all the glory, honor, and praise!

2 comments:

  1. God is soo soo good, what an amazing testimony.

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  2. Dearest Shelli, Congrats to you all with your new precious babies to love and hold. What an amazing miracle, to be sure. We are very happy for all of you. We (Stephanie and I) especially appreciated your last words of wisdom on the Lord's timing, His plan and faithfulness. God Bless you, Love, Cindy and Stephanie A.

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