But now, this is what the LORD says— he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine."
Isaiah 43:1
Jackson Dillyn Rowan
We were waiting outside our court room, and Jackson decided to mug for his pictures! Ham doesn't even describe him!
Quick,., I am only going to sit here for a second!
We were so excited to have our judge. She was such a great Christian women who told us she "expected" us to raise Jackson with spiritual morals. I almost started to cry. It was as if God placed her here for us to see that He carried us from start to finish. Not all judges are like this, not all judges demand this of their parents. She was such a ray of sunshine!
In the forest... Isn't is amazing that our little guy came from The Forest?
So this was how the Rowan children finished the day.... (Don't worry.. the M took her meds to enjoy this yummy treat!)
It was really big.... and had a LOT of chocolate in it!
Every bear got some!
But these two bears had the Lion's share!
as evidenced by all the continued spoons dipping into the bowl! Notice... it is the same two hands on multiple occasions!
The damage was done.... the 2 oldest children were not feeling so well at this point! I think chocolate overload would be the culprit!
But after dinner they were still all smiles! It was a great day! Jasper could not go this morning because of a practice conflict, but he was at home waiting when we pulled in the driveway!
Derek picked Outback! It turned out to be a great choice! Our waitress just had her two grandbabies move back in with her, so she loved all 4 of our kids!On June 26th, our lives changed forever. We picked up our son, this wonderfully amazing bundle of joy that was just bursting with energy. God sent Jackson home with us that day fully ready to embrace his new family. Jackson talked and played with us the entire way home, and never once cried or showed us any signs of fear of being with his new family. There was no adjustment period, and it feels as if, he was never not with us. When God created Jackson in December of 2006 He knew that He was creating a perfect child for us. He knew Jackson's birth and first two years of life would be a struggle, but that His hand would protect him. God allowed Jackson to overcome many challenges and suffer no long-term consequences. God allowed him to develop and grow so that he would be ready for us. He even knew the exact date we would meet our son, and He knew the exact date that he would reveal his plans to us. All of this, was a perfect plan, a perfect gift from God to us.
God had blessed us so much through Jackson. Really, with each of our children, including Jasper, God has shown us an amazing gift of love. He has allowed us to open our hearts and love these children unconditionally as if they have always been a part of us. He has allowed our children to experience love that knows no boundaries. He has given us a perfect family that we could not have made if we tried. God has great plans for us, he knows our desires, and he knows our hearts. He sustains us through his unfailing love. He has shown us how great HE is, and how wonderful his plan for us will be. He has been so present, that we have relied on him in all decisions regarding our family. I sometimes joke that we still are not in sync on time lines, but really he has that... I have learned how to acknowledge that and give that back to him.
We have stumbled during this process. It can have the tendency to make you a little crazy. Remember, you are "technically" co-parenting with the State for 90 days. And the State is not your average parent, nor do they think like the average parent. In fact, they are like a disobedient child who is quite contrary. We have struggled with Jackson's brothers. We do not understand the process, we do not understand the spitefulness of their caseworker. We really do not UNDERSTAND why they have different caseworkers. But God has given us comfort. God will take care of those boys, and he will place them where they need to be at exactly the right time. The road is not always easy, but God has never loved us less. He has not let us down, he has allowed US to love him more, to turn to him more, and to trust him more. He is finally carrying all of our burdens, and we are living each day knowing he has us!
When we look back over the last 17 years, we see how God has opened doors for us that led to this adoption. The roads we traveled were carefully laid to bring us to the point we are at today. Without the trials of the past, our hearts would have never grown to fully understand or even begin to imagine the depth of God's love for us. We have been blessed time and time again - through jobs, college degrees, healthy children, and wonderful church families. To imagine ever walking this road without God, just seems so unimaginable, and yet we see many families everyday walking without Christ.
God knew both of our hearts. He knew we were ready. He knew that we were made to be parents, and He knew that we were more than willing to raise the village without question. When you think of gifts you are given, do you really have the right to say no to God? When God put upon our heart the need for adoptive families to step forward, it was never a question that we would not. We knew that if God opened those doors, that we would walk through and gladly accept what he had to offer. We knew that his plans for us would be great, we just never fully understood how great. When you let go, God has no problem taking over for you. His joy is more than you will ever experience alone.
The process of adopting Jackson allowed our family to grow closer to God, and to see really that the little song we sang as children (He's Got the Whole World in His Hands) is so true. Everyday we were blessed by kinds words, good deeds, and love from our family and friends. Not once did anyone ever question our hearts or minds in this process. God showed us time and time again that his plan is so much bigger than systems. And that really, if we were still and went into prayer he would take over. He would gladly carry our burdens, frustrations, and fears through this process. Not only did he carry us, but each of our caseworkers (Adeline and Stephanie) were Christians, our Guardian Ad Litems (Jan and Sue) were Christians, our foster care worker (Lydia) was a Christian. And each one of them MANY times during this process prayed with us, explained processes to us, and carried us in prayer as we waited for Jackson's adoption to be finalized. God also placed us in a church that was supportive. That prayed with us and for us. He allowed us to connect with other adoptive parents (that we had no idea about prior to our adoption) that walked with us and prayed with us. God's hand was so evident, that at times I felt like whatever the situation He would simply take care of it. That is an awesome feeling.
We finalized Jackson's adoption today, but God finalized that adoption long before. We feel so honored to be Jackson's parents. We know that God still hears our desires, he still knows our hearts, and he still desires to.
From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.
John 1:16
Thank you to all of our friends and family who have been on this journey with us!
Holy is the Lord
We stand and lift up our hands
For the joy of the Lord is our strength
We bow down and worship Him now
How great, how awesome is He
And together we sing
Holy is the Lord God Almighty
The earth is filled with His glory
Holy is the Lord God Almighty
The earth is filled with His glory
The earth is filled with His glory
We stand and lift up our hands
For the joy of the Lord is our strength
We bow down and worship Him now
How great, how awesome is He
And together we singEveryone sing
Holy is the Lord God Almighty
The earth is filled with His glory
Holy is the Lord God Almighty
The earth is filled with His glory
The earth is filled with His glory
It's rising up all around
It's the anthem of the Lord's renown
And together we sing,
Everyone sing
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