“But as we wait, as we
journey, we find ourselves clinging to God as never before, and listening for
his voice as if our life depended on it!
That in itself makes the waiting worth the while” (Patterson, 75).
Every day I am reminded that we are waiting. Whether it’s in the morning when I am
preparing breakfast and the baby outlet covers prevent me from plugging in the
griddle or I see a glimpse of our wait list number on our dry erase board from
the corner of my eye. We are expectant
parents in what some may joke as a very long pregnancy.
Sure, there are the obvious ways it looks different. I am not harboring this child in my body so
therefore my stomach isn’t growing horizontally (other than from poor dietary
choices) , I am not making monthly visits to the OBGYN, and my diet hasn’t
changed as it would if I were pregnant.
Honestly, in many ways it is the normal for me because I have no
comparison since I have never been pregnant and adoption was always at the forefront
of my mind.
Needless to say, all the other preparation looks similar
from what I can comprehend. Our baby
consumes my thoughts. What will he/she
look like? Has our child already been
conceived? What about the birth
mama? What is going through her
mind? Praising God for her choosing of
life for this sweet child that we will someday raise. I am utterly in awe that we will be entrusted
to this child’s life that I have yet to meet.
What else do expectant parents do, you ask? We have started collecting a few items for
what will someday be a nursery for baby Schwoch. We have attended classes on raising adoptive
kiddos and kids from hard places, talked to loved ones about what to expect on
the road ahead, prayed like crazy & waited some more. There is no doubt the road ahead is long and
will get hard, but we are waiting with hope & humility.
I just finished a book from a dear friend titled
“Waiting. Finding hope when God seems
silent” by Ben Patterson. The truths in
this book could not have come at a more perfect time. I would highly recommend it because really
aren’t we all waiting for something in life?
It reminded me and put me in the place of our forefathers in faith such
as Job, Abram & Sarai as they waited and suffered. Did they ever cry out in their suffering and
wonder when God would show up on the scene?
Absolutely. Did they wait
perfectly and with patience always?
Hardly. My point being that even
in their lowest, God was up to something greater. “That finally, is all God himself assures us
of in the here and now of our suffering.
He nowhere promises healing in the here and now. He nowhere promises understanding or
comprehension of it all in the here and now.
He nowhere promises that if you do everything right and keep your nose
clean he will shield you from all evil.
What he does promise you is the presence of his Spirit to uphold and
comfort us” (Patterson, 43).
I have studied the book of Genesis in the past and have
specifically focused on the story of Abram and his wife Sarai. If you are unfamiliar with it, this couple is
promised by God himself, specifically Abram, a great nation (Genesis 12:2). They long for a child and have given up hope
when they hear they will become parents at the ripe ages of 90 and 100 years
old. In the meantime something is
happening far greater than they could fathom, “The wait has been purifying and
shaping Abram and Sarai into Abraham and Sarah.
Remember: from God’s reckoning at
least as important as the thing we wait for is what we become as we wait”
(Patterson, 122). Isaac was born as
promised. I am able to sympathize with
Sarah and Abraham on a much different level than before as I wait to grow our
family and put my tiny self and my waiting into perspective of God’s greater purpose. “As it turns out, the creation is waiting for
the same thing Abram and Sarai are waiting for!
To their immense surprise, they discover that their waiting for a child
is linked to a much greater Waiting-the Waiting of the world and its
redemption. And the fulfillment of Abram
and Sarai’s waiting will set in motion God’s campaign to restore his fallen
creation. The birth of a child, their
child, will be the vehicle for redemption” (Patterson, 64).
There are days when I get so impatient and the wait seems
treacherous. With international
adoptions one thing that is extremely difficult is not knowing what is going
on. You hear something one day and
something extremely different the next.
In this book Patterson points on something spot on “Modern Christians
are afflicted with a “zap mentality.”
It’s the idea that unless God “zaps” us immediately in response to our
prayers, unless he does something that is immediately accessible to our five
senses, then nothing has happened (144).
Well that sure wasn’t one easy pill of truth to follow. But as a child of God I must remind myself
that no loving parent would hand their child just anything at an instant. “If we wait it is because God is waiting for
us to become the people he wants us to be” (Patterson, 112). In our obedience he is equipping us and
molding us into the parents He desires us to be along the way.
I’ve had people shy away from conversations with me because
they don’t know what to ask, or think the idea of growing a family through
adoption is such an alien idea, or just want to let me know “it will be so
hard”, but heed not. I am a soon-to-be
mama just like all the other mamas out there; their tummies may just scream
“I’m pregnant.” If my heart could scream
it, it would :). With that being said, ask away people, walk
alongside of us on our journey, give us parenting tips (which we may or may not
take), but most of all just be real with us and share in our excitement, joy
and obedience to this call. This past
mother’s day was the first mother’s day celebrated as I was considered a
mom-to-be. Inside I thought “Oh, no one
will think of the fact that I am celebrating this day in a new way” or “Oh
people wouldn’t consider me as an expectant mother.” Boy, was I wrong. Your cards, gifts and sweet texts meant more
to me than you can ever imagine.
Specifics in our
adoption
We have been waiting for three months now and get monthly
updates from our agency. Ethiopia just
recently passed a new step in the process which requires an orphan to be up for
domestic adoption in country for two months.
In a sense, they are exhausting all measures to keep the child in
his/her home country with any living relatives which is good! All this to say, we thought things would be
at a standstill for a few months, but we got some news fairly recently that
orphans already in the process did not have to go through this step so there
has been some movement. It is difficult
to estimate a time frame, but we most likely have a year or two head of us in
the waiting before we receive a referral.
At this rate it is moving much slower than it has in the past which is
difficult, but also good to make sure adoptions are taking place ethically and
orphans are considered true orphans.
Yes, this is what we signed up for, but it does not mean it is always a
walk in the park.
On a side note, I have mentioned an organization I am
head-over-heels for before on our blog called Noonday Collection. Noonday Collection was started by an orphan
advocate and world changing woman here in Austin, Texas in 2011. It uses a fashion marketplace to ethically
create opportunities and a job market among the vulnerable and oppressed among
many other things and is currently working with over ten countries and even
more artisan groups. I just recently
said “yes” to becoming an ambassador and a voice for Noonday and would love to
share more of the heart behind this company, give you a catalog or have you
host a trunk show in your home to share these stories of hope from around the
world. Check out my website at http://jenniferschwoch.noondaycollection.com
.
Take care
people. All our love.
Jen &
Luke Schwoch
“He who did
not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not also,
graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32)
