We're expecting!

FROM BULGARIA!

Ha, ha!  We are adopting, folks!  It feels like this has been so real to us for SO long, but we have only told just a few people up until now about our plans.  Now, it feels REALLY real to be blogging about this and announcing this on Facebook.  

You may be asking: 

"Why are you adopting?" 

Well, I (Shelly) have thought about adoption really since I was a teenager.  I always joked that I had no desire to actually have a baby but would much rather adopt and give a home to a needy child already in the world.  After all, there are, sadly, millions of orphans on earth and God calls us to care for them.  After Jeremy and I had been married for a couple of years, we decided to try to start a family.  Two and a half years down the road and still, no baby Moorhouse.  Sure, we were both disappointed by this, but as each month passed by without pregnancy, I couldn't help but think of my dreams to adopt.  I kept wondering if this was God's way of saying to me "Yes, adoption is what I want for you!"  We did not and still do not want to spend tons of money on medical treatments and fertility drugs.  So, we are taking our difficulties as God's way of pushing us toward adoption at this point in our lives.  Adoption has always been a dream of mine and is in NO WAY a plan B.  

Jeremy, on the other hand, had not ever considered adoption as a way to build a family until about a year ago.  I began telling him what I already knew about the process.  At first, I really thought there was no way he would ever be on board about adopting.  I vowed that I would try my best not to bug him about the issue, but just pray and lift the need to God.  I wanted God to be the one to turn his heart toward adoption.  I knew if I was the one persuading him and bugging him all the time, then I would just be asserting my will, not God's will.  Slowly, through 2011, I saw changes in the way he talked about adoption.  He began to see it not just as a plan B for couples who can't get pregnant, but as a beautiful picture of God's love for us.  After all, we are not God's offspring, but He adopts us into His family as sons and daughters when we accept His love and forgiveness.  My prayers were answered in January of 2012, when we BOTH decided that adoption was what we both wanted for our family.  

"Why Bulgaria?"

We actually chose our agency before we chose a country.  We did not feel particularly pulled toward one country or another, so instead, I began researching agencies first.  Our agency had a great website, and every time I spoke with them on the phone, it further affirmed this was where God was leading us.  Also, I was already following several blogs about families who had adopted from our agency.  They all had positive experiences!  Once we had the agency narrowed down, we were limited to just the countries they serve.  Then amongst those countries, we only qualified for 2-3 different ones (because of things like age, income, length of marriage, etc.)  Bulgaria stood out to us, so we requested more info. about the country.  Our agency sent us a novel, a DVD, and lots of information.  After reading and viewing it all, we definitely felt a special tug toward this Eastern European country. On July 2, we were approved to adopt a child from Bulgaria.

"Isn't international adoption really expensive?"

The short answer is absolutely YES!  Adoption is expensive.  While we won't be paying for doctor's visits and ultrasounds and hospital stays, we will be paying for translator fees, airfare, social worker fees, and court costs.  We plan to fund our adoption through a combination of personal saving, fundraising, and later on, applying for adoption grants.  We expect our adoption to range anywhere between 30-35K.  Yes, this is a big number, and it is easy to get overwhelmed by it, but we are confident in God's ability to provide for our financial needs.  We knew adoption is near to His heart and we are putting our trust in Him.  

We are very excited for this next mission that God is sending us on.  We know it will be a crazy journey, and we hope you'll read along with our story.

So, we plan to begin fundraising immediately because our first round of fees will be due this summer!  Stay tuned for details about an awesome online raffle coming up soon!!