Happy Birthday Jacob

Our dossier is on a jet plane to Beijing today, on Jacob’s birthday! In the adoption world we are officially DTC (dossier to China)! No turning back now. :)

What a HUGE praise that we wanted to share with you all. Now, our agency says to expect 4-6 months before travel. Jeremy and I are praying, begging really, that we travel as quick as we can. I can go on and on for the reasons we should and want to travel soon, but this morning as I prayed about the timing I was convicted… God has not called our family to adopt only to give this sweet boy a family. He’s called our family to share Jesus with everyone along our journey. This means, adoption agencies, other families, our friends, and guides and other people we will be in contact with while in China. Our calling and purpose here is much bigger than bringing home Jacob, although that is HUGE! I was extremely humbled as God reminded me of this. This doesn’t mean that we won’t still pray for speedy processing, but we will try harder to live out the full calling God has placed on our family! As you pray, definitely pray for speedy paperwork and no bumps or hiccups, but also for us, as the next few months will be a roller coaster that includes many, many preparations in all areas of our life. We thank God for each of you. We feel your prayers. Your encouraging emails and text messages always come at the perfect times. 

Here are the final steps in case you want to pray over them: DTC (today!), LID (7-14 days from DTC), LOA (this step is BIG and can vary from 30-60 days), I800 (immigration-takes a few weeks), NVC (visa), GUZ # and DS260 (these are important numbers we will be given…and right now there are some hiccups with the DS260 system so we are already praying for that part of our process), Article 5 drop off/pick up, TA (travel approval) and then we go to China! Seems like a lot but once we are LOA, everything else goes pretty quickly. 

Jeremy & Nacole 

16 weeks and counting

I started a countdown last week, as I have used lots of estimates from others who are currently in the process of adopting from China. Based on our documents being sent out last week, we should be somewhere around 16 weeks before travel. Unfortunately, our documents did not get sent out as we had anticipated. We experienced a range of emotions from frustration and anger to well, mostly frustration and anger! For whatever reason our documents did not get sent out last week. BUT, I'm still holding on to 16 weeks before travel because I know just what God can do! Praying our documents are on a plane to China tomorrow or Tuesday at the latest! 

One other great thing about last week was summer camp for Austin! He had an amazing time and really experienced Jesus on a deeper level. For those of you who don't know, Austin accepted Christ when he was only 5 1/2. Jeremy and I talked with him and prayed with him for over 6 months before letting him ask Jesus in his heart. You may ask why in the world we'd want him to wait... We wanted Austin to be 100% sure he was hearing from God so that he would never question his decision. Last week at camp Austin heard God speak to him and called him to the next step in his faith. A deeper, closer relationship with Him! It was wonderful to be able to talk with him after camp about hearing from the Lord and what the process of growing closer to Him looks like. God is so faithful and Jeremy and I couldn't be more blessed that Austin is living out his own faith! We look forward to the big plans God has for you Austin! 

It's been a while...

Wow! Every time I update our blog I say that I'm going to keep up with it and not let too much time go by. Since that last post, there has been a LOT that has happened. For the next few months, most of my posts will be adoption related. I expect (and plan) to post fairly often as lots will start happening soon. Most of you know that our family started the adoption process in September 2012 in Bulgaria (Eastern Europe). We chose that country for several reasons but one was the long wait time. Sounds crazy right?! We knew God wanted us to complete this adoption debt free so we intentionally chose a country with a long wait time... We know God had Yin Di picked for our family long before he was born and he knew asking us to adopt debt free would lead us to this sweet boy in His perfect timing. Fast forward to February 2015 and the day before we were to mail out our yearly immigration update, Jeremy and I found this precious little boy on our agency's Facebook. We knew immediately he was our son! So, without hesitation we switched countries (literally overnight) and were on our way to adopting Yin Di from China. It's been a roller coaster ride for sure! Ups and downs, frustrations and miracles. As of yesterday our documents cleared the Chinese consulate and will hopefully be DTC (documents to China) next week! Here is a picture of our little guy. This is an outdated picture and we are hoping for an official update soon. :) He's precious and we KNOW without a doubt he is a perfect fit for our family!

Meet Jacob Yin Di Morgan. More about this sweet boy in the next blog!

A look back at 2012

Wow, I've really, REALLY slacked at the whole blogging thing this past year. Here is the newsletter that we sent out with our Christmas cards this year! Lots of good stuff going on in our family!

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

2012 has been a great year for our family! We went to Disney World this past summer on vacation. We all had a wonderful time. It’s been a busy school year for our family. Nacole started teaching 5^th grade at Keene Elementary, Austin is half-way through 3^rd grade, and Carson began going to pre-school a few days a week! Jeremy also took a part-time position with Stonewater, our home church, this past summer.

Our family has made some big decisions this past year, the most exciting of which was to begin the international adoption process in Bulgaria! Adoption is something our family has been praying about for quite some time.  In the next few weeks we will be on Bulgaria’s official waiting list for a child. We expect our wait to be a couple years, but we are so excited to be on this journey. Due to the wait time we have been given, it is very possible that our child has just been born and is only a few weeks old.

 As our family began to talk about Christmas and the gifts we would buy, we have decided to make a donation in honor of you. We are donating to Love’s Hope International, which is an organization that supports orphanages in Bulgaria. The gift will provide food, clothing, and education to orphans all across the country. This gift will very likely impact our child, who is waiting to come home.

We ask that you keep our family in your prayers as we go through this process and that our child will be able to come home soon!

Love,

Jeremy, Nacole, Austin, & Carson Morgan   

Our Journey to Tithing

I've been debating on whether or not to share this story...but after today's message at church I have decided to go ahead!

It was four years ago almost to the date that I finally convinced Jeremy to attend a financial class at our church. We still lived in Ponder and were attending Crosstimbers in Argyle. We signed up for Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University and it changed our lives forever. We signed up for FPU because we wanted to learn how to invest, save for college, and manage our finances in general. I was almost finished with college and about to have a career and we were ready to get in fit financial shape! I had been convicted of tithing for quite some time before we enrolled in FPU and that was definitely a driving force for me to get our finances in order... See, we weren't able to tithe because we wouldn't have been able to pay our bills because we were in debt. We didn't have much credit card debt but we did have car payments, student loan payments, and had more month at the end of the money EVERY month. I was sick of it...I was sick of not tithing...We needed help to know what to do. So we went to FPU class faithfully for 12 weeks and began the process that has lasted us just over 4 years. I won't go into specific detail about how we got out of debt but I want to share the story of how we began giving our "first fruits".

Since we couldn't financially give a full tithe due to our debt we decided to start with what we could give. I looked the other day and I believe the amount we started with was $30 a month. Jeremy and I vowed to give consistently until we had eliminated our debt and was tithing a full 10%. From the day we wrote that first check my hearts desire was to give more, to get to the full 10%. After a few months of consistent giving (from the heart not out of obligation) we re-evaluated our finances and decided we were able to give more. The preachers always say "give and you shall receive" and we know that statement to be true! The more we gave it seemed the more debt we were able to pay off. As of this January I'm SO blessed to say that we have reached our full tithe! We hope to be completely debt free (other than our mortgage) by March! We have been blessed beyond measure and we can take NO credit for any of it. It was all from God and when we realized that and started giving and making an effort to obey Him, He blessed us.

I would like to encourage those of you who think of tithing and feel like you'll never be able to do it. Have faith...you will get there! My advice is to start giving something today. Be consistent with your giving and work toward a debt free life making sacrifices that will seem so hard at times. It will pay off and before you know it, you'll be tithing and praising God for all the blessings!

One last look at 2011

Has it really been almost 3 months since my last blog? Wow... Well, I won't try to play catch up since my last blog in October because there isn't enough time to write about all that has been going on! Instead I'll highlight some of what 2011 brought to our family. 

Austin & Carson with Santa

December 2011

Family Picture

November 2011

2011 was really a great year for our family. I was able to go to Africa on a mission trip and meet some amazing people. The people in Zambia, Africa forever changed my life and I think about them daily. Austin turned 7 and Carson turned 2 (and will soon be 3) and are the best kids in the world! Austin is a great big brother and Carson adores his big brother so much. Jeremy has a job that he enjoys and started working in a different department (same company) back in March and that change was a huge blessing to him and our family. The new job allowed him to be more available for our family and less stressed! I was hired at Glen Rose Elementary as a Teacher's Assistant in October (which accounts for the lack of blog posts)! I decided to go back to work after staying home for a few years and couldn't be happier to be working in the same district where Austin goes to school. Our whole family is very involved in our church and have grown closer as a family as well as in our relationship with Christ last year. We are so fortunate to be surrounded with wonderful, godly friends! Our family is truly blessed!

Ice 2011 at the Gaylord Texan

Our family also had a great Christmas break. Jeremy and I were off work for two full weeks and we were able to go snow skiing in Durango, CO. Austin is officially a better skier than Jeremy and I! He can ski greens and blues very well, while I can sort of ski some easy blues! Carson enjoyed a few days with Nana and Papa while we were in Colorado. We had a nice quiet Christmas, just the four of us. We all went to the movies on Christmas Day and saw Tin-tin! We went to the Gaylord Texan and saw Ice. The boys both loved that. For New Years Eve, we went to some friends house for dinner and games. Poor Austin burned his finger roasting marmallows on the fire and didn't come inside to tell us because he was afraid we'd make him come in... It looks pretty bad today and I still don't know how he didn't cry (I know I would have). Tomorrow it's back to work for me and while I'm not ready to go back I had a wonderful Christmas break with the family and I'm so excited to see what 2012 holds for the Morgan household!

A lesson in patience and faith!

Back in August, the 16th to be exact, Glen Rose ISD posted an open position for an elementary teacher's assistant. I heard through the grapevine it was for a PE assistant, which would be right up my alley so I applied. I did all the "right" things after applying...making contact with the principal, and then following up after my interview. As the weeks went by, I assumed I hadn't got the position and re-focused my attention and efforts on studying for a certification exam. I even emailed my "prayer force" and told them I hadn't got the job... Then, two weeks ago on Friday October 23rd one of my references contacted me saying the principal from Glen Rose elementary had contacted them! And this morning at 10:35 I received a call from the HR department offering me the job. This has not been an easy 6 or 7 weeks for me. See I began the journey to becoming a classroom teacher and/or getting in the schools in any way possible 8 months ago. I did all the "right" things with every job I applied for and got no where with each application/open position. God seemed to be closing every door that opened so when the Glen Rose position came open I went into it expecting the same results. Little did I know what God had in store. :)

Cute story:
The day of my interview Austin told me he was going to pray for my "meeting" to go well before jumping out of the car for school. This is our conversation after school.
Me: Austin, did you pray for me today?
Austin: Yes mom, I did.
Me: What did you pray?
Austin: I asked God for you to do well and answer all the questions right. I also prayed that I'd see you when you came in the school.
Me: And, did you see me?
Austin: No, but it's okay because God doesn't always answer our prayers right away. And I didn't see you today, but maybe He'll answer my prayer by letting me see you everyday if you get the job!
I'd say Austin is wise beyond his years. :)

A few scriptures that I proclaimed throughout this test of faith and patience!
Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Psalm 37:7
No human wisdom or understanding or plan can stand against the Lord. Proverbs 21:30

Tomorrow begins a new and exciting journey!