Mailed with love.

We are mailing ALL of our paperwork this week. Phew! Talk about a LOT of work. We did all our FBI work, local police reports, medical exams (Dave said that at the Dr. Office they took at least 3 pints of blood! He's kidding of course it was more like 2 pints *wink, wink), autobiographies, foster to adopt application for the state, work stuff, tax reports, references, and answered many questions that we had NEVER been asked before. It was worth it!

Dear baby Powers,

We mail these papers in with love. 

You are worth it,

Daddy, Mommy & Hunter

Money.

We started out needing this much....

$21,585.00

We now need this much...

$18,130.00

God is providing for our every need. He is allowing us to put a little bit of money in savings every month toward adoption which is a miracle!

Thank you so much to our friends and family for giving out of obedience to Jesus! Thank you for loving our family and the little one which will be in our life VERY soon!

God has provided $3,455.00 in one month!  Aren't you excited to see what He will do next?

On the road again. (update about insurance)

A lot of people have been asking me about what happened with the insurance. Thank you to everyone who is praying for us through all of this! It isn't completely worked out yet but some cool stuff has transpired. I called, Emily (our caseworker from Hope's Promise) to discuss our options. She definitely calmed me down and said they weren't going to stop our process because of this issue and we would go ahead and move forward. This was such a relief because this means we can continue onto our interviews after our paperwork gets turned in to the agency this next week.

Also, Hunter has insurance with CHP+ an organization in Colorado that covers health insurance for kids and families that make only a certain amount of money a year. They say that if one child is eligible your other children are eligible. Now I'm working on getting a signature or something from them that might state that our future child would in fact be covered by them just like Hunter. See? God IS at work. He even cares about the insurance. 

The road block has cleared! On the road again and loving it!

Treasure.

In our story, there is a little boy. His name is Hunter and he is six years old. He is extremely smart, hysterically funny, and uncommonly logical. He loves to wrestle, could watch Star Wars everyday, and doesn't like most foods. (mostly veggies, of course) He will try anything as long as there is no pain involved. He may tickle you non-stop if you allow him to and he still wants mommy to cuddle with him every night before bed. He feels things deeply. When he laughs, he laughs hard and when he cries, he cries hard. He copies everything his daddy does because he wants to be just like him. When he prays, God listens. He is my son. He is our baby's big brother. 

Hunter has been praying with us for 4 years for a baby sister or brother. He has seen me cry and his prayers have comforted me. When we started the adoption process he was so excited. We heard things like, "Can we go pick them up today?" "Can I please have a 4 or 5 year old brother?" Then he would try to barter (he's good at TRYING to get what he wants.) "How about a 3 year old brother?" 

Dave and I have been open to adopting a child 3 years of age and under but with the adoption agency we have chosen it will more than likely be an infant. I've been trying to warm Hunter up to the fact that he will have a baby. It's been working. We were in Target the other day buying a baby gift for a friend and he stood in the baby toy aisle, playing. After awhile he said, "Mommy, I think I do want a baby." My heart beamed. I've also tried telling him that he will get to change ALL of the poopy diapers. I don't know if that helped or not? =) 

We went to the library a few days ago and got a book about becoming an older brother and a DVD too. The DVD was kinda hilarious but I think it got the point across. The children acting in the movie were acting "angry" because their younger sibling was getting all the attention. Hunter turned to me and said, "I won't get angry about that, Mom."  God is preparing my little boy's heart to be a brother.

Hunter and I took some paper and taped it on the wall in the baby's room to write prayers on and draw pictures for him/her. He started writing, and here is what it said: "the babis lic treasure" *translation: "The baby is like a treasure." (I helped to spell treasure) I cried. 

The BaBIs Lic treasure written on the wall in the nursery.

Writing on the wall.

Hunter writing and drawing on the wall.

Hunter is going to be a great big brother to our little treasure. 

 By wisdom a house is built,
   and through understanding it is established;
 through knowledge its rooms are filled
   with rare and beautiful treasures. 

Proverbs 24:3-4

I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name. Isaiah 45:3

The house of the righteous contains great treasure Proverbs 15:6a

 

Secret Place.

 ¹³ For you created my inmost being;
   you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
   your works are wonderful,
   I know that full well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
   when I was made in the secret place,
   when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed body;
   all the days ordained for me were written in your book
   before one of them came to be. 

My cousin, Melissa and her hubby, Luke.

 I was in Missouri this past weekend and I got to see my lovely cousin, Melissa and her hubby, Luke for an hour or so. (such a bummer it wasn't longer) Melissa has been following our adoption and was praying for us on Sunday morning and prayed Psalm 139:13-16 over us.  She said that the "secret place" stuck out to her because our child is TRULY being formed in a secret place. A couple of people told me this weekend to view this time as pregnancy and really spoke into my life about how the adoption process really is like being pregnant. I'm beginning to see that it truly is. 

• We are preparing our home and a space for this child. (fire extinguishers, smoke alarms, bedroom, crib, safety regulations, etc.)
• We are praying daily for our child.
• We are prepping our son to be a big brother.
• We are financially involved.
• There are physical, emotional, and spiritual complications.
• We are dreaming of how they will look and what their personality will be like.
• We are looking up baby names.
• Some days it feels like forever and other days it feels like it needs to slow down.

My baby is being formed in a secret place that Jesus knows about. 

Thank you, Melissa for praying and sharing from your heart. Thank you to everyone who is praying!

Love, Tara

Roadblock #1

Road Block #1

 I had no idea that we would already be running into road blocks. I wanted to be sure to write this down BEFORE God does something. I want to be able to bring Him glory when He shines through like He always does. We have been frantically filling out paperwork. We have had our fingerprints done, medical exams scheduled, in the process of writing an autobiography (Yes, a VERY long autobiography) My brain has been full of papers and signing and a little scattered because of it. One of the papers we have to fill out is a proof of health insurance and that if we have it the insurance company will cover our adopted child. Dave and I have not had health insurance for 6 years because we are missionaries and it just never fit into the budget so well. Well, I called today about getting insurance and found out that Dave and I are INeligible for health insurance because they look at the adoption sort of like a PRE-existing condition. (A Condition?!) I have to tell you that I have cried and that this is definitely looking like a mountain to me right now. I have calls in to specialized brokers, insurance agencies, etc. Will you pray with us about this situation specifically? 

I knew this adoption road would have road blocks I just wasn't expecting any so soon. 

This is a long journey over many mountains. I can't wait to see what God will do through our story. 

Dear Baby Powers, I dedicate this song to you today:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xz-UvQYAmbg

My Friend, Ellie.

My friend, Ellie Pickett.

My friend Ellie is doing the coolest thing for us! I was astonished when she said to me that she would help us out with our adoption and the honkin huge cost of it!! ;) (Little Dave Powers verbiage there!) She owns two businesses and she offered to help us out with our adoption through her business. The first business is a photography business called, Lilac Photography and she takes portraits, senior pictures, and family photos. (Which are AMAZING, by the way!!) www.lilacphotography.com Check some of our family pics out below.

Her other business is called, Photo Card Chef. She makes wedding invitations, Christmas cards, graduation announcements, etc. www.photocardchef.com

Here is how it helps us with our adoption: If you get your photographs done with Lilac Photography she will give us $100 toward our adoption. If you get your cards or invitations printed through Photo Card Chef she will give us %20 of the order toward our adoption. Isn't this the sweetest, coolest, most wonderful and generous thing for her to do? 

If you do decide to print cards or get photographs just go to the website and contact Ellie. Tell her that you heard about her through my blog to make sure the donations can help our adoption. 

www.lilacphotography.com

www.photocardchef.com

Love,

Dave, Tara and Hunter Powers

Lilac Photography-My Family

Lilac Photography-Hunter Powers

Lilac Photography-Me, Hunter and Dave.

Confirmed.

Remember how I told you that I was so emotionally involved when it came to my desire for another child? Remember how I said that I needed God to speak to me in a VERY different way than normal? Well, He did. He originally spoke through Makyla and then confirmed it through a perfect stranger. (I hope to tell her this story in full one day. She is a BIG part in releasing us to choose this agency) I had read all about Hope's Promise online and loved it but still wasn't sure. We had gone to the informational meeting with Emily and we still weren't sure. As we pulled away from Hope's Promise on that Thursday morning, my heart was a little heavy because I still didn't know. I expected to hear an angel choir singing from Heaven or hear a thunderous voice say, "This is the way, walk in it." I heard nothing. The worst part was that Dave didn't necessarily have peace either. I was bummed. I just wanted to KNOW this was the right step at the right place.  

That evening we went to see my son, Hunter perform with his dance class. (Yes, he was in dance and NO, I'm not sorry!) He got to be Jesus in one of the dances and it was so cool! He lights up the room with his energy, smile and his amazing dance moves. Anyway, we went to drop him off before the show began and I happened to be dropping my plate of cookies off at the cookie table for a reception after the show. This lovely woman who I had seen dropping her daughter off at dance class was there at the same time. I had said three words to her before this day and I just happened to ask her about her pregnancy.  As we started talking I found out that this pregnancy was a surprise and that her and her husband were actually going to adopt and had gone through most of the process when they found out they were pregnant. I told her we were just trying to start the process. She asked if we had chosen an agency. I kinda paused and said that we had a meeting that morning with Hope's Promise but we still weren't sure. She looked at me with wide eyes and said, "That's who WE went through and they are the best! I would definitely go with them again if we start the process after this pregnancy!" I think my mouth was hanging open at this moment and my heart was beating with gladness. Do you know how many adoption agencies there are....... I don't either! =)I just KNOW there are a lot! I think I walked out of that place beaming because I felt that God had answered right then and there on the same day. He answered in a way that confirmed it in my heart. I told Dave the story and all he could do was laugh. He laughed because he knew, just like I knew that God answered. Our God is a fantastic communicator and He speaks. Simple and beautiful confirmation.

The next step was to fill out the application and send in our $250 with it. I was so anxious to get it done that I even forgot a few things. We mailed it in and we heard back on Friday, August 19th that our application had been accepted by Hope's Promise. I was one happy girl and my family and I rejoiced.

Me filling out part of the application.

Welcome to my joy.

I missed three phone calls from my husband last night who was frantically trying to get a hold of me with some tremendous news. I finally called him back and he asked if I was sitting down. I KNEW at that moment that it was good news. I took a deep breath in and he said, "We just had $2500 donated to us for adoption!" I screamed. Then he told me he wouldn't be able to hear out of his left ear for awhile.(oops) You see, we needed $2000 to begin the Home Study and we were saving up for it. We then proceeded to have a little praising God moment on the telephone until he walked in and all we could do was hug! I'm pretty sure the rest of the evening I was smiling and I KNOW the rest of the evening I was praising God. 

We have our first of many appointments on Monday morning (WAY faster than I anticipated) to begin the home study process. I can't wait to share with you all that God does through this whole process. I hope you learn a lot with us and I hope your trust in God sky rockets!

Dave and I hugging because we love each other AND because of the awesome news that we have the go ahead to start the Home Study process!!

The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.

                                                  Psalm 28:7

The first meeting.

The name I remembered from my talk with Kim was the adoption agency called, "Hope's Promise". As I looked and researched their website I just loved what I saw so I wasted no time and contacted the Ft. Collins office to see when we could schedule an informational meeting. I scheduled the meeting for 3 days later on Thursday. I can't explain the anticipation that I felt. I think I imagined floating into the office and saying, "I want to adopt a baby!" and everyone in the office throwing a party for me. Not so. It was a normal meeting full of information. (It's okay to laugh at me!) 

We met with Emily that day. She was wonderful and answered all of our questions thoroughly. That day finally felt like something was beginning but we still hadn't heard a definitive answer from the Lord.

I was so excited when we saw this sign!

 

This was us directly after our meeting with Emily from Hope's Promise. Just being us.