And We're Off!!

Well Dear Family and Friends,

We are SOOO happy to report that we have "officially" started the process! :-D After years of waiting we took our first "GIANT" step toward parenthood and mailed our application to Mugisha Ministries (www.mugishaministries.com) yesterday! HOORAY! We cannot begin to tell you how very excited we are!!

When we are PRAYERFULLY accepted into their program we will begin to gather ALL of our vital paperwork and seek out a locally licensed Social Services office that has experience with International Adoptions. When we have found a suitable one for us we will go through the process of completing a "home-study". We're a bit nervous with all of this, but then again what do we have to worry about when the Lord is there to walk us the entire way through?!

I must admit I now find myself walking through stores with my head held a bit higher knowing that "finally" I'm well on my way to becoming a "MOMMY"!! Yeah!!!

Please keep checking back with our blog as I have a feeling we'll be having LOTS to post in the coming months!!! HOORAY!!!

Blessings,

Kevin and Marissa :-)

GOD'S AMAZING GRACE!

My dear Family and Friends,

My heart is overflowing with joy and heartfelt gratitude. Allow me to explain!

We had a very unexpected blessing/miracle happen to us last night at church! After we had gotten all of our bus children onto their buses at the end of the night we came back into Kevin's office to "unwind" for a few minutes before journeying home. As Kevin was straightening up his desk he noticed an envelope laying upside down. When he turned it over on the front was written "Baby Coke". We opened it up and there was a check from an anonymous giver. We have NO clue who came and blessed us and our "baby"...but whoever you are...may God richly bless you for not only your sincere kindness but your willingness and obedience to listen to His leading! We humbly THANK YOU! I don't know if we can EVER truly express HOW MUCH this has BLESSED us and MEANS to us! We honestly were speechless (which if you know me at all...that doesn't happen very often)! HA HA HA! Our hearts are SO full of joy! I cannot begin to tell you what it felt like to go to bed and wake up feeling like my heart was going to burst out of my chest with joy and anticipation to know that we are on our way to our BABY in Rwanda!!!

Along the lines of blessings I feel I must share that I received (through a very precious friend) a "word" from the Lord concerning our baby! He said for her to share with us that our little Baby has not even been born yet!! Isn't God SO amazing! He knows our hearts and knows that we want as close to infant as possible and to think that for us He's just as concerned about the details! Wow, God you NEVER cease to amaze and surprise us!!

So it is with JOY that we ask you to continue to pray for us as we continue walking on this journey and draw nearer to our little baby boy!!

Blessings!

Marissa (and Kevin)!

IN LIKE A LION....

Well my friends and family,

March has FINALLY arrived!! The promise that yes indeed, Spring is on it's way! We've made it through the long grueling months of January and February (here in snowy PA) and we're on the uphill swing to SUMMER!! Yeah!! As you can tell this is my most favorite season!

But you know, Spring is probably a close second that. It is during this time of year that things begin to awake from their winter slumber and "rise" to greet the warm weather! Isn't God's handy work amazing? It is during those times when I see things growing and blossoming all around me and think, Wow, how can people say there is No God? I guess for me, growing up in a Christian home and witnessing all of the great things He has done in not only my life but those around me I just can't keep quiet! Isn't that after all exactly what we're NOT to do...keep quiet? The Bible says if we don't cry out the rocks will in our place! And I know for me I'm not letting rocks declare the goodness of God in my life...I am gonna shout it out loud!!!

I said to Kevin the other night as we were driving down the road, that I felt as if we're not doing enough to get toward our goal of adopting our little one from Rwanda. And he said to me, we are, it's just taking a bit longer than either of us would like it to. We're waiting for a few things to fall into place and we know God's timing if "Perfect"...after all, we've been waiting 7 1/2 years to get to this point and we firmly believe that He's going to be faithful and continue to lead us! If you all would like to pray and believe with us the two things we're mainly "praying in" right now are Health Insurance and Financial Support. As you can imagine it is not "free" to go through the adoption process. The Lord has answered a prayer in one way in that Rwanda does NOT charge for their adoptions. Some countries charge an astronomical fee for just the "privilege" of adopting a child from their country, but thankfully Rwanda just wants to see their children go to loving homes! But all of the other expenses come from the "legal stuff" so to speak and travel! In my life I always worried about "money"and just plain "worried" about things...but you know what, I would say within the past year the Lord has taught me so much about allowing "Him" to be the provider for my family! And instead of saying...Oh Lord, we just don't know how you are going to provide for us to be able to adopt, we are saying and believing (with confidence) that the Lord WILL provide! To quote my most favorite scripture from Jeremiah 29:11... "For I KNOW the plans I have for declares the Lord, plans to PROSPER and NOT HARM you, plans to give you a HOPE and a FUTURE!! God is SO amazing and His word NEVER fails!! So if you are with us and going through something right now, I just want to personally say to you...remember what the Lord has promised you! Keep your eye on that PROMISE and His word WILL NOT return VOID!! Thank you Jesus!!

So we say as Kevin and Marissa (and baby "Rwanda Coke")...."By FAITH He's already provided everything we need for this adoption"!!!

We love ALL of you who have been following us and please continue to pray with us as we continue to seek His will for our "future family"!!!

Marissa (and Kevin) ;-)

LOVE IS IN THE AIR

Greetings Everyone!

Well, January has come and gone and we are quickly accelerating through February on our way toward Spring! But next stop is Valentine's Day! Boy do I LOVE this holiday, with the exception of Christmas I think Valentine's Day is my 2nd favorite holiday! It is a time where we focus so much more, (more so than we usually do) on our loved ones (or ones we love in our hearts and haven't gotten a chance to meet yet...as in our case)!!

We just wanted to write a little update and let you know that we are still chugging along toward our heart's desire! The Lord is continually laying before us and placing people in our paths to give us information and help us take one more step closer! I have recently been in touch with a dear family from Michigan who just returned from Home Of Hope in Rwanda (the orphanage we'll most likely be going through) with two precious gifts of their own (two of the most adorable little boys)!! She has provided me with a WEALTH of information and guidance as to where to even begin! God is SOOO awesome! In light of the fact that we will be completing this independently we've also been directed to a Christian ministry called Mugisha (means "blessing" in Kinyarwanda) Ministries (www.mugishaministries.com) who helps families that are going about this independently! So know that when I say the Lord is directing us I truly mean ALL steps!!

We are SO anxious to get the ball rolling but there are just a few "minor" (to Him) details that need to be worked out and then we'll be ready to go FULL STEAM AHEAD!!

So please keep praying and standing in agreement with us and we'll keep being led by Him on our way to our "Heart-Born Child"!!!

Blessings,

Kevin and Marissa :-)

Cold Days...Warm Hearts

This is SO much fun, here I sit in Starbucks in State College, Pa updating our blog! Sipping on some DELICIOUS hot chocolate and listening to this really WEIRD music! But fun none-the-less!

I just wanted to again write and say THANK YOU to all of our family and friends who have agreed to stand in the gap and pray with us for our little one! We cannot begin to express our deepest gratitude and appreciation for you all! I was talking with a customer/dear friend yesterday and she gave me the greatest idea! I'm going to keep a journal of our journey from beginning to end and perhaps MAYBE...one day it might just turn into a book! Who knows! But be on the look-out! Also, as I was perusing down the isles of Target today I saw the cutest thing and got a "great idea"! I purchased our little one's first piggy bank and have decided it will sit in our kitchen as a reminder of "great things" to come! And so if you come to visit and cannot find a use for that "spare change" feel free to deposit it into our little "piggy"! "All proceeds will go to our future trip to Rwanda"!! Ha ha ha!

I hope I provided you all with a little laugh today...just something to warm your hearts on this VERY COLD Pennsylvania winter day!!!!!

Blessings,

Marissa (and Kevin)!

Looking Ahead

Wow! I cannot believe 2009 is coming to a close in just a short week! How time does fly when you get older! But oh what joy we have to look forward to in 2010!!!!

Thank you all so much for the warm wishes and encouragement on the announcement of our forthcoming adoption from Rwanda! We are overjoyed to say the least! There have been times in the past few weeks that I stop and think to myself, "wow, this time next year we (prayerfully) will have a new little one to celebrate with)"! A dear friend told me that this adoption will be like a pregnancy, except on paper. I will experience all of the same emotions of being pregnant, except I luck out and don't have to deal with the dreaded "morning sickness"! I have to say, I am REALLY looking forward to that part! But there is also the anxious part...which I'm experiencing now. It's hard to have to take the time to get "our ducks in a row" but we wouldn't have it any other way. We know that the Lord in HIS perfect time will open all of the doors and allow us to walk through them! But in the meantime we will just have to be patient and "wait on Him"! Sometimes that is SO much easier said than done, but if there is one thing that I have learned through this whole starting a family ordeal is that it is SO worth the waiting! I honestly cannot imagine our lives w/out this new little one that will be coming to us and we do not even know that little one's identity yet (whether it be boy OR girl)! For all we know that precious little gift may be but a twinkle in God' eye...waiting to be created just for his heart-born Mommy and Daddy here in Central Pennsylvania! Oh I just want to squeal with glee when I think about it! I honestly get tingles when I think of our precious little one! :-D (I'm grinning ear to ear at the moment)!!!

But as we do celebrate this special time of year let us all stop and thank God for sending his One and only Son to die for us that one day we might all live again with Him!

Blessings to you all our dear friends and family! Kevin and Marissa :-)

Walking By Faith!

Well, here we are setting up our very own blog! I never imagined in a million years that this would be the direction that the Lord would be taking us, but here we are! After a few months of praying and pondering we have decided to listen to the Lord's leading & pulling on our hearts and pursue our dream of becoming first time parents! Only, we are not going about it the "normal way"...then again, for all of you who know us...we like to be a little different! Allow me to share our story with you...so grab a hot cup of your favorite tea or coffee, settle in and prepare to take a journey with us!

Our "BACK" story...We have been married for over 8 years now, but have known each other practically all of our lives! We met a very long time ago in church and have been family friends ever since! It was about a year after we were married that we began to talk about starting a family. After a few months of trying with no success we decided to look into the matter further with our Doctor. After many tests, pokes and prods it was discovered that I had PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome). What blow to us as all I (Marissa) had ever wanted was to be a Mom. But you know it is in those dark times that you really find out what you are made of and where your grounding/faith comes from. In those dark times the Lord truly spoke to my heart and gave me the story of Abraham and Sarah. After years of trying to have children they were getting up in age and actually out of the child-bearing stage of their lives. But the Lord knew their hearts and decided to send an Angel to them to tell them that because of their faithfulness he was going to bless them with a child. At first they actually laughed and said what are you thinking Lord (paraphrasing here), but the Lord asked them the very question He spoke to MY heart. He said, "Is there ANYTHING too difficult for Me"? After somewhat of a shock to them both, He blessed them with a son, whom they called Isaac! And so the Lord gave me the promise of having the two children that we have been praying for (he just didn't say WHEN or HOW). In the book of Psalms there is a favorite scripture of mine that says "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart". (Psalms 37:4). Let me tell you , (if you've never had to wait on God "PATIENTLY" for anything)...it's HARD! But God is SO faithful and He always gives you the strength and grace to make it!

Well, after many years of sorrow, tears and countless Doctor visits, surgery and infertility treatments we came to a standstill in our pursuit to have a family. In fact, for about a year we had really just given up hope to be honest. But yet, in our hearts we still held onto the promise that God had given us.

Enter..Africa Connection..

My parents (Marissa) have been traveling back and forth to Africa for a number of years (my Dad is a minister) and have went to share the gospel of Jesus with a few different Nations there. And although I have never been able to go with them I've always had a heart for the people of Africa. The only way I can describe it is a God given connection! It was in August of this year ('09) that the Lord opened our eyes to "His" plan for our lives. I (Marissa) had for a few weeks been feeling a burden/pull on my heart for Rwanda and the orphaned children there and wasn't quite sure what to do with that. You see I wasn't sure that Kevin and I would be on the same page but little did I know that the Lord was also preparing his heart as well! Isn't God SOOOO neat??!! So I had emailed my Mom and asked her to begin praying with us and explained our thoughts. Well, the interesting part is that just two short weeks after writing this email she and a few other ladies were headed to Rwanda! She of course agreed to pray. While they were on their trip half way across the world while riding in the car the topic of Rwandan adoption came up with their Driver, Morris. As they were riding in that car my Mom said she asked the Lord, "Wow, Lord, is this what you have planned for Kevin and Marissa? Here I am sitting in a car in Rwanda talking with this christian man about adoption! Little did Kevin and I know this was going on. Well, when she arrived home she begun telling me this and I just couldn't believe it. She said that He had promised to investigate how to go about adoption and send us information. To be honest I had my doubts that we would see any information but I kept praying. Well, wouldn't you know it, not even a week after her return we received word from Morris the information about adopting from Rwanda! WOW! I must say I was shaking as I read over the email and information over and over, soaking it in like it was my very life and breath! All the while thinking, Lord I never would have thought, but okay, we're willing to step into the water and trust you!!

Present Time...

Well, here we are with Thanksgiving just past and we have SO much to be thankful for. We have first of all a hope in a Savior named Jesus Christ. That He will come again one day for all of those that invite Him into their hearts. Secondly, that for the *first time* in a very long time that Kevin and I have a strong hope that we WILL be parents after all and that there is some little precious baby in Rwanda (who may even just be a twinkle in the eye of Jesus and not born yet) who has always been meant to be ours!

We have not been very open with this information to many folks yet as we were still sifting and sorting through the information and trying to process things for ourselves. But as we've felt the Lord confirming and moving us toward this direction we've felt more comfortable talking openly about it! As far as a timetable goes we're not sure. We have a few things that we're personally waiting on to fall into place, but we know that in God's *PERFECT* timing we'll know! The neat thing about Rwandan Adoptions is that Kevin and I can work on most of this process ourselves and not have to go via an adoption agency. We will of course have to work with a Certified Social Worker who has experience in International Adoption, but in the long run this will save us a TON of money and time. In fact, the people of Rwanda do prefer to work directly with the adoptive family directly.

So with that, this is how we've come to the conclusion that God has already ordained and laid all of this out for us in *HIS* plan for our lives! I was recently at a Women's conference and one of the speakers spoke to my heart when she said this.... (God says He will give us the desires of our heart, but we need to ask Him to line up our desires with His will and plan for our lives)! I LOVE IT! We have already had a lot of folks asking how they can help monetarily donate to our Rwandan Adoption so we have placed a link on this blog in the right hand column. You must have a PayPal account (which is SO easy and secure to set up) and may donate through that. But you are more than welcome to also donate directly to us if the Lord (and only if the Lord) leads you!

We are so HAPPY to share this part of our lives with all of you, our precious family and friends, and cannot wait to continue to update you!!

Blessings!