The Big Announcement

The Boy and the Starfish:

One day an old man was walking along the beach in the early morning and noticed the tide had washed thousands of starfish up on the shore. Up ahead in the distance he spotted a boy who appeared to be gathering up the starfish and one by one tossing them back into the ocean. He approached the boy and asked him why he spent so much energy doing what seemed to be a waste of time. The boy replied, "If these starfish are left out here like this they will bake in the sun, and by this afternoon they will all be dead." The old man gazed out as far as he could see and responded, "But, there must be hundreds of miles of beach and thousands of starfish. You can't possibly rescue all of them. What difference is throwing a few back going to make anyway?" The boy then held up the starfish he had in his hand and replied, "It's sure going to make a lot of difference to this one!"

I'm guessing about every church-goer has heard this story above. It's a classic sermon illustration that can may only be trumped by Footprints in the Sand. But it hits the heart of what this is all about.

The 5 Major Themes of 2009:

#5 Love people. Use things. Never get the two mixed up.

The "things" we've (Janelle and I) been blessed with in our life are there so we can invite people into our life that we love. There are a lot of people in my life that I love dearly. I think there's room for one more.

#4 Gain Awareness. Give Sacrificially. Live Differently.

As NMC Student Ministries takes a year to seriously address Kids In Need, Janelle and I have been asking what this means for us.

• In the April 2007, I gained awareness as I watched a disturbing story on Dateline NBC where children in an African Nation were being kidnapped and forced to become soldiers. These boys were being forcefully addicted to drugs and brainwashed into becoming killers. My heart was ripped apart as I watched, and I remember saying to myself, "I have to do something."
• On a Sunday Morning, May 2007, Bill and Melodie Dearmann were interviewed by Pastor Dave at NMC. They shared about the AIDS crisis in Africa. They specifically talked about the AGC Baby Center in Kenya. As the message ended, and the closing worship began, Janelle grabbed my hand and we walked into the Gym kitchen. She looked me in the eyes and said, "We have to do something."

We have done a lot of somethings pertaining to these two moments where we gained awareness. We have decided to do the biggest something yet, and it will require sacrificial giving, and different living.

#3 The mountain is about perspective. The valley is about growth.
Two of the biggest valley's I've walked though are...

• My Dad's Death. It's still fresh. It's only been 7 1/2 months. Yet, as I've walked through this valley, I've learned so much about life, death, integrity, identity, and purpose. It's been huge. And this valley has only made me more certain that I want my life to count for something more than being a pastor at a big church.
  
• Our inability to be parents through natural childbirth. As we walked through that valley before adopting Katylynn, we learned so much about ourselves, our God, and our calling. Even after adopting Katylynn, there is a valley that remains. We have no definitive reason to explain why Janelle has not become pregnant. We continue to grow. When Katylynn came along though, we had and still experience a mountaintop experience. The perspective we've gained through this experience is unbelievable. We love her. She is our daughter. God's plan for us is a little different than the "normal" plan.

#2 Life is a series of events that prepare us for the next event.

• Janelle and my international travels which have developed in us a heart for the nations have been preparation for this moment.
• That Dateline NBC story was preparation for this moment.
• That Sunday Morning at NMC was preparation for this moment.
• Those multiple moments where we saw God provide financially were preparation for this moment.
• The adoption of Katylynn, and the ease with which that all came together was an incredible moment in and of itself, but it was also preparation for this moment.

#1 A Dad Makes a difference.
When we brought Katylynn home from the hospital, we brought a ton of paperwork with us. In that paperwork, there was a set of questions that Emily (Katylynn's birth mother) had filled out. Under the question, "Why are you placing this child in adoptive care" were 7 words that sank deep, "I want her to have a father."

Today in Africa, there are 15 million + fatherless (and motherless) children. We have decided to do something about this.


So, here's the big announcement:

God willing, there is going to be an addition to our family. After Katylynn woke up from her nap yesterday, Janelle went to the post office and sent out or official application for international adoption.

We are confident God is all over this. As we've shared this possibility with friends and family, there have been 3 common questions:

What country? We can't say with total confidence yet. We do know this, the baby won't have the same skin color as we do.
How long will it take? This is only the beginning of the journey. It could quite possibly be 2 years (12 months at the very least) before Katlylynn has a little brother or sister at home with her.
How much will it cost? A lot. We are overwhelmed by the cost. but we are ready to give sacrificially of our time, talents and treasures to see this happen. We also know this to be true... Where God Calls, God Provides.

All that said, there is not a guarantee this will all work out. The process is classically filled with surprises and delays, and at times finishes with no adoption.

My two specific prayers at this time:

• First, is a prayer of confidence, God, I believe you will lead us to the son/daughter you have for us.
• Second, is a prayer request, God, would you lead us to a child that through joining our family, he/she will be rescued from a life of hell.

To friends and family who read this, would you join us in these two prayers?