God has a plan, Are you part of His plan to help us??

              Today I made a box to keep money in at our yard sale  adoption fundraiser tomorrow. Its nothing special, but its special to me. I think I will keep it even after our baby is home. As a reminder that God keeps His promises. I can look back at it and remember when we didnt have a dime in it, and how at just the right time God touched peoples hearts and the money arrived right on time.
      Right now we need $1400 to finish our home study. We are having a yard sale tomorrow. we are unsure how much we will make or how we will reach the amount needed, but we are sure of one thing Our God is big enough!! God has a plan and we are putting our trust in Him.

   Is God tugging at your heart strings and asking you to give?? You could be the one who helps make our family complete.

If you are feeling led to give you can do so online at our go fund me account at this link
http://www.gofundme.com/8q2v58


We appreciate all donations and also ask that everyone pray that God would provide the funding needed to bring our child home forever.

Moving, adrenaline, Nala, and working on bringing baby home.

             If it weren't for the excitement and anticipation I am convinced no one would ever make it through a move. I have ran on  adrenaline for days now. We however are finally moved and have got some much needed rest. We are mostly unpacked with the exception of some boxes we stored in our " extra room" which will be babys room. :)  We LOVE our new place and being in Sweetwater. 

  One person not adjusting so well is Nala :/ She has never lived anywhere but our old house and She keeps going to the car and wants to go home. Poor girly She just doesnt understand. She finally played with her toys a little this morning, and hopefully will continue to improve as time goes on.

We are currently still trying to raise the rest of the money for our home study we need around $1400 still, but I know God will provide in His timing. Once we have the money and everything ready at our house we can schedule our home visit. After the home visit we wait ( could be 3-4 months) to find out if our home study was approved. If it was we are moving on to our dossier ( immigration paperwork). We are so excited to continue our process and be a step closer to our baby.

We ask that you continue to pray for us as we hold our heads high and work diligently at bringing our baby home.

A home in Sweetwater

   As most everyone knows Jeremy and I have had a desire to move to Sweetwater for a while now. We wanted to be in the same town as our church. We had a desire to be more involved, we wanted to run into folks from our church at the grocery store, we wanted to be more available and closer. Also with Jeremy working in Knoxville it puts him that much closer to work. This was all a thought and future plan until recently when things began to happen in our neighborhood. I wont go into detail, but it got BAD!!! To the point where I no longer felt safe and did not wanna live here and I promised that my Child would NEVER have to live here.  We began to make calls for rentals we saw in the paper. Well praise the Lord we found a sweet couple and we put a deposit on a place. The location is perfect, we were told about all the neighbors and how quiet the neighborhood is, and we felt such a peaceful comfort when we met the couple who are now our landlords :)

God timing is perfect!!!!!!!!!!! We are so thankful and ready to move forward into a new start in Sweetwater. Besides living in Montana we have never lived anywhere, but Athens so it of course will be a adjustment, but we did fine adjusting over 2000 miles away so id say this will be a easy transition for us.
 We are so excited and will be moving this weekend.  Please pray for safety as we pack everything up and start new in Sweetwater.

Whats your opinion?? week 4

                 I am continually amazed at peoples rudeness!!!  Jeremy and I were at a fast food restaurant saturday. Bless the workers hearts they were busy!!!! The lady in line in front of us ordered ALOT. ( im sure she had a big family at home.) We knew there would obviously be a wait for our food due to the big order ahead of us. We were fine. We ordered, found a seat, and waited. All around us were loud compliants and whining coming from other customers.A few of them even yelling things out loudly to be sure the workers heard. I felt so bad for the workers and was saddened by peoples actions. The girl taking orders was obviously new, Folks we have all been new once. Maybe you have never worked retail or fast food, but you too have been the new person at your job. Be nicer, be patient, slow down and relax.

Have you ever been saddend by others actions or rudeness??

****Just to clarify this is not about my job.

God answers prayers. . . .

  I worried, begged, and stressed over our tshirt fundraiser. If we didnt reach 50 shirts, no shirts would be sold and the fundraiser would fail :/  I prayed  and asked God to make this first fundraiser of ours a success.

      We not only sold the 50 we needed but we sold 60!!!!   Im so glad that God answers prayers.   He made our fundraiser a success but whats more incredible is why were having fundraisers and asking for prayers!  Jeremy and I prayed and prayed for a baby, and God is giving us one. Not only are our dreams of becoming parents coming true, but a precious child will be a orphan no longer. So glad that God is in control and sees the bigger picture.   Thank you to everyone who bought shirts and prayed for the fundraiser. God is good!!!

*Shirts will arrive in 14 business days :)

Please continue to pray for our adoption.

2014 Mothers Day

 Todays Mothers Day, but today was a brand new Mothers Day for me. I was told Happy Mothers Day by so many friends. Strange maybe but they all said I am a mother-to-be :). What a weird emotion it struck in me when each friend said Happy Mothers Day Stephanie.  I also received a rose today, like all the other mothers. I just cant help but wonder sometimes if im dreaming. I know I am still a long ways from bringing my baby home but it is beginning to sink in more and more that I am gonna be a mother. It feels crazy good to just type that. I know that I had a cheesy grin on my face all day. I think about my child contstantly. Who they are and what they'll be like, and although I would book my plane ticket this very moment if I could. Right now knowing that that days coming is enough. Im learning and growing into the mother God wants me to be, and although I'll never ever be fully there I am changing and making progress everyday.
So  thank you to everyone who wished me a happy first Mother-to-be Mothers Day . It was a amazing day!!!

My baby lives in Hong Kong

              I realized recently that I have never shared the story of how we knew Hong Kong was where our baby is.  So here goes. . . .

          When we decided it was time to pursue our first child through adoption, it was not a lightly took decision. After countless prayers we knew for certain it was Gods plan for us. We then began praying about agencies we applied to our first pick  and  praise the Lord we were accepted. All during this time we had been researching countries. I wont lie we had our minds set on Ghana, Africa. Our pastors family adopted two precious boys from Ghana and we wanted to adopt from there too. Did you catch that "We wanted to".  Then we found out Ghana had placed a temporary band on adoption ( I dont know alot of the details). So this opened our eyes and  we realized we needed to find the country God wanted us to chose. After all God knows our child already so He knows where He or She is. So we began to pray and seek His direction. Alot of countries we do not qualify for due to our age China was one of those countries.  However we could adopt through Hong Kong. We fit every qualification and guideline.  We both felt strangely drawn to Hong Kong. Our agency discussed all our country options with us. We continued to pray. Then our prayers begin to change a little and we began to pray about Hong Kong.

   Where is Hong Kong??

Hong Kong is located in the South Eastern tip of China.

We both felt God had already given us our answer. We sent a email to our agency asking all about Hong Kong and any more information they could give us. We knew in our hearts God had caused our hearts to be drawn to Hong Kong and we felt certain that the child He had for us was there. A day later I got a email back that knocked us off our feet so to speak. The Hong Kong orphanage that our agency works withs mission is to place special needs children with there forever families. I wont lie we were in shock.

**** Im gonna be honest about how I felt and I pray it doesnt hurt anyones feelings.
 My first thoughts were why? Why would God lead us to a special needs orphanage??

Next were the I cants. I cant do it! I have no idea how to care for a special needs child. We dont have enough experience. We just cant!!

Our minds were racing and so we began to pray. We asked God for direction, we asked for answers as to what His plan was.

In the end we knew and I think deep down from the moment we found out we knew. After prayers and prayer and more prayers we know our baby is in Hong Kong. We dont know who he or she is.   We dont know what special needs they may have, but we trust that God will equip us to be ready for their specific needs. We know God wont leave us through all the difficulties that lie ahead. We know that many friends and family dont understand and cannot fathom why we would choose to have a child with special needs. My answer to that is you dont choose just as if we were pregnant God has chosen our child.

I ask that you pray for us as we have paperwork to fill out regarding what  special needs we are open  to and what we are not. Pray that God would guide us in our decision and we would not let our hearts or heads get in the way of His plan for us.

We know that our child WILL have developmental delays we ask that you pray for them and  that we would  be ready to help them. Its possible that they can come home and catch up, but thats not certain. What we want everyone to know is we are NOT sad. We love our child already and it does not matter to us what they look like or what special needs they have, they are ours. We will be there for them every step of the way. We will love them unconditionally as if we had given birth to them.

My baby lives in Hong Kong and He or She has special needs.

A baby for us :)

    I have heard pregnant women thousands of times say that its so unbelievable to love someone so much that you have never met.  I now understand that statement. My baby may not be in my tummy

 But because of Gods perfect plan I am still just as much their mother. 
  I know its hard for others to understand but we love our baby even though we have never met.

 We are working hard to bring them home and although we long for them to be home as soon as possible thats not always how things work. With every bump in the road  we know that its Gods plan. Our baby could possibly not be born yet or they may not be old enough to be adopted yet. So thats why with every delay we must trust God and His timing.  We appreciate your prayers and We ask that you pray daily for us, our baby, and our adoption.

Telling a stranger. . . .

      I saw a lady one day last week, She was very noticeably pregnant. I smiled politely and asked " How far along are you?" Her eyes sparkled when she said " My due date was two days ago!"  Then I did it. The next thing I knew I was smiling ( probably with a sparkle in my eyes) and I proudly stated that my husband and I are adopting from China. She was so sweet when she said "We wanted to adopt too" Then she smiled down at her belly and I said surprise. We both smiled and that was it. I went on about my day and she went on about hers. Then it hit me I have told family, I have told friends, and now I have told a stranger.

     

Stress Number. . . .

             Well hello there. So much has been going on lately so let me start saying we have sold 27 shirts in our tshirt fundraiser, but if we dont sell 23 more in ten days then we dont receive anything. I wont lie I am beginning to worry. I have begged, and whined . So thats stress number one :/

Stress number two goes hand in hand with stress one because we need quite a bit of money for our homestudy and it is due SOON. I of course am worrying and stressing over having to slow progress down a bit because of funds :/

Stress number three Im just gonna blurt it out I wanna move. I wont go into details as to why, but yeah so that means putting our home study on hold as far as scheduling our home visit because if we have it and then move we have to pay a hefty fee :/   As if moving isnt stressful enough on its own.

Stress number four some very important life decisions dealing with our child. Tough tough decisons.

Stress number five Fund raising. :/ Wish we were rich.

Stress number six  cant go into details but stress six sent me over the edge thursday night. To the point of literally getting sick. Migraine to the point of extreme nausea. Resulting with me in bed :/

Leading to stress number  seven  which would be another life changing event, but lots of worry and agonizing over making the right decision whether to stay put or move on.

Stress number nine Fundraising, adoption, books I have to read, decisons concerning our child, moving, packing, tshirts, "thing I cant say", Money,  grants, loans, training requirements, hurtful comments about adoption or our child, special needs, attachment issues, being a good parent, working after baby is home,trip to china, waiting, paperwork, financial requirements, interviews, questions, talking about past ALL my past, being strong, being brave, wearing a smile, hearing negative comments, feeling stretched to thin,.........



Stress number ten AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

You get the picture. I have been ill I mean ill. I have cried I mean ugly face cried.  From the moment we decided to adopt I have eat, slept, and dreamed adoption. I have did paperwork for hours,
I have schedule meetings and interviews, I have read books, I have researched, I have chatted with our adoption specialist, I have talked with our international coordinator. I have not stopped.

I wont stop but I have had to stop and catch my breath. I have had to step back and realize the paperwork can wait while I watch a movie with my husband or go for a night out with my mom. I am not stopping but it is not healthy for my future childs mother to lose herself. Some people say you have to be strong. I would have to say I disagree I think its ok to be weak. We all are weak from time to time. Its ok to cry, its ok to stress and worry. Its ok to feel discouraged and  aggravated. The important part is to be real. Cry when you need to, talk to a friend about you feelings ( this doesnt mean talk "about" someone who maybe made you mad or hurt your feelings. I dont have to fake a smile or pretend to be ok. Im stressed Im stressed bad and im not ashamed to say it. I tried to do it all and I paid for it. I am working on taking a step back and breathing. I am not sweating the small stuff. I am enjoying life, and with every step and every week that passes I am learning more from the training, and the books I have to read. God is working on those major decisions and working all things out for my good. Each interview and meeting is teaching me more about myself. I am growing into the parent God wants me to be, and when im ready, when I have learned all He has for me to learn, I have no doubt that the paperwork will be done, we will have a picture of our childs face and We will hear our adoption specialist say " its time to book your flight to Hong Kong".

If your stress I encourage you to make a list of all the things stressing you out. Taking a look sometimes makes you realize life is too short. Remember that God is working all things out for your good.
You dont have to be brave or strong , just be you.


Did anyone realize I forgot Stress number eight??
 I did it on purpose :)

 Stress number eight = two blog!! I feel bad posting on one and not the other so guess what??? Yep I am moving all the adoption post to this blog and combining the two. Yep first step to  eliminating a little stress :)

We need your help!!!

The good news We have sold 23 Shirts!!!!!!!!!! Praise the Lord!!!!

But We need your help. We have to sell 27 more to reach our goal and we only have until May 12th.  We desperately need this fund raiser to work if we dont reach our goal we receive no donations and no one is charged and no shirts will be sent. :(

Please consider helping us reach our goal. We would really appreciate it!!!

Click link to purchase a shirt and read more about why and where the money will go.
https://www.bonfirefunds.com/bring-home-baby-malone


**All donations go directly into our account for our adoption expenses.



To learn more about our adoption visit our adoption blog
http://stephsletterstoyou.blogspot.com/ 

Doggy friends :)

            When we first brought Nala home she had only had her first set of shots, and we were advised to keep her home and away from other dogs. She finally finished all her shots at the end of february. We have been so busy we just haven't socialized her the way we should, and we decided we really needed to start. So we arranged for our friend Dusty to bring his dog Rocky over to meet Nala. I was shocked when neither barked because Nala normally is a barker. She was so excited and wanted so badly to play. She actually had Rocky a little scared at first,

 but He warmed up after a little time. Pretty good for their first meeting we hope to continue to get them together and watch them play and become better and better friends.

Im someones Mommy

     Some say I have a glow.

 Some say I seem different somehow.

 

I may seem more relaxed and seem to be less stressed now.

 

 The truth is my smile is deeper, and theres no sadness behind my eyes. The reason being I have hope now, something I havent had for along time.

Finally I know where you are although I dont know who you are yet. I know that your my child and I have love for you that I can never explain and yet your over 8000 miles away, but I cannot remove this smile from my face.

The smile is because im working hard to be able to come for you, and each time I finish some paperwork, or another interview I know that im another step closer and one day in my arms you'll be.
So yes I have a glow and my smile is deeper these days because im someones Mommy.

Whats your opinion week 3??

          I feel so bad neglecting this blog :/ The reality is its gonna be that way until our baby is here, and even then im sure alot of my post ( when I find time to blog) will be about him or her which will mean they will be on my other blog. I often wonder why not merge the two, but then I feel bad turning this blog into only a adoption blog ( because most days thats all I wanna talk about). I like that its about so many things. Which once baby Malone is here it would be odd not to fill this blog with post about him or her and pictures. So my opinion question of the week is what would you do??
Continue to blog on both  leaving the adoption blog strictly to adoption and this blog to other everyday events?
 Then once baby comes stop writing in adoption blog and continue here??


Start using this blog and merge the adoption blog into it???

Have a page  on this blog that is only post about the adoption???


Leave things the way they are and stop thinking so much??  LOL

I wish people knew. . . .

   Here are some things I wish people knew......

• Do you like talking about your kids??? I love talking about mine too. Ask about our adoption!! I love to talk about our process. I dont mind answering questions. I am more thankful and excited that your interested :). ( Warning You could possible get cried on, but that hasn't happened often)

• Please don't feel sorry that I didn't conceive a baby. I am not sad. I am thrilled, honored, and over the moon,  and a  thousand other emotions but I am not sad. This is the plan God chose for me and I am in awe that I am who He chose to be a mother to a child without a family. What a honor that the King of Kings chose me!!

• I Know its ALOT of money,  seriously I do, but God will provide. I believe that or I would have never started this journey.

• Yes my child may not be a baby. He or She will more than likely be 2-3 please dont ask why we didnt get a "baby" or say don't you wish you could have gotten them sooner.    Of course I'll wish that what parent wouldn't. Ill always wonder who she smiled at for the first time, or who heard his first laugh. What was her reaction to solid foods, and when were his first steps. I will wonder for the rest of my life, but the important part is I  will have there present :)

• Please dont say I wish you could get them sooner. Um yes me too. 

• If you see that were having a fund raiser or are concerned about how the donate button on my blog works and where the money actually goes. Ask. Seriously we dont mind. I totally understand and would be happy to explain how it all works. 

• No my baby wont look like me. They wont have my eyes or Jeremys hair. Our skin will look different and all our features too.  She was still hand chosen by God to be our child just like a biological baby is.

  Yes this is a hard process, yes its alot of money, yes its a roller coaster ride, yes we cry ALOT, yes we get frustrated, yes we feel overwhelmed, we feel and go through all these things but the one thing that keeps us going is knowing 

THIS IS GOING TO BE TOTALLY WORTH IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 How is it possible to love someone so much when you have never met?!

T-Shirts :)

Wanna know how you can help Bring our baby home and spread awareness about orphans and adoption?

Consider participating in our t-shirt fund raiser

Click the link below
https://www.bonfirefunds.com/bring-home-baby-malone

A celebration weekend!

   What a wonderful weekend it was!!  Polar Freeze's grand opening went great, and The Fellowship Churches launch was awesome as well. Here are a few pictures from those two events.

We had three who were baptized at our launch!!!

   The launch went great we had 80 people there and many many visitors.

  I didnt take many picture because some folks dont want their picture on the internet, and I want to respect those wishes. God is really blessing The Fellowship Church and we are excited and thrilled to see what He has in the future for TFC.


 Polar Freeze Grand opening was awesome too!!! We had lots of new customers come and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. We had cotton candy, a inflatable bouncy house, 101.7 was there, and until 3 we had a buy one get one free sale going on, but we didnt forget our afternoon customers because every 15th customer got theirs free!!!!! It was a very fun day and we are thankful to all who came out.

Judd from Big Brother was even there!!!

   Sunday night Jeremy and I went to Eastview Baptist Church to watch their Easter Program.

  It was a wonderful program and they did a awesome job!!!

I also got to hold Oliver for the first time. So yes I can say I have held a answered prayer in my arms :)

 

Jeremy met Oliver for the first time and was a big hit.

 Of course anytime were together we have to have a cousin photo because were never all together lol.

What a wonder weekend we had and we celebrated many things, but we did not forget the real reason we celebrate this special time of year. Jesus could not be defeated, death could not hold Him down!!!!! Praise The Lord for the resurrection!!!!!

That and only that gives me peace. . . . .

 Here is a crazy thought what if your baby were 8,214 miles away from the state you live in?
My baby is. . . . . .I choose peace even though this is my daily nightmare. I choose to think of the positives.

• My child is being taken care of to the best of someones ability. They may be in a orphanage but that doesnt mean that they arent loved. I bet there care giver who has probably looked after him or her since birth cares for them deeply.
• Every second we wait and every step we take in this adoption is God better equipping us for our bundle of joy.  God knows our child, He knows their specific needs and He is training us with every step of this adoption.
• My baby is in the place of their heritage. Although they wont remember it since they are young, I want them to soak in every moment of who they are and where there from.
• I want them to enjoy every moment with their caregiver.  im sure to them she is mom. After all she cares for them each day and possibly is all they remember. I want them to enjoy the days they have with her.

• When We arrive to met them and leave with them a few days later and bring them to another country, what will be the happiest days for us will be the scariest and most difficult for them. I want Jeremy and I to be prepared and ready to help them cope.

 So although its hard I know we are waiting for a reason. We are learning and growing into better parents and our child is spending some more time in the country and with the people who gave him or her there start. I choose to focus on those positives and that and only that gives me peace.

6 years ago. . . .

   At barely 19 I was about to walk down the isle. . . .
 I was scared, anxious, but what I want people to know and understand is yes I was a kid.
I didnt know anything about living on my own .
 I had no idea how drastically life was about to change.
I didnt realize the struggle that goes along with marriage.
I had no idea that I was about to juggle so many things and  on top of everything else everyday I would have to chose to work at my marriage.
Oh yes I had been given advice,  even been told not to do it, but im glad I did.

If I hadnt. . . . .
Sure I could have lived out the rest of my teen and early twenties wild and free.
I could have lived with my parents awhile longer and not had to pay rent or a light bill.
I could have lived for me.

What I would have missed out on. . . .
Coming home every night to a small apartment and bills piled on the table, but knowing the love of my life would be there waiting to ask about my day.
Late night talks that could go on forever because no one had to leave to head home.
Never having to feel alone or wonder if God had someone out there for you.
Knowing that no matter what, you had someone in your corner and on your side.
Knowing that no matter how bad a day you had, arms would be waiting for you to fall into the moment you arrived at home.
Having someone to share every life experience with.
 The list could go on and on

And in our case my favorite is  growing up together in our  marriage.
So yes we realize we married young and despite statistics here we are six years later.
 Yep, we understand we could have waited, but were glad we didnt. :)

Newsletters

        We will be sending out newsletters every few months about our adoption. They will contain more information than we can share online.
         If you would like to receive a newsletter comment at the bottom and  send me your mailing address or email address and we will add you to our list.
Thanks so much for your interest in our adoption journey.

:) Well folks were approved!!!!!!!

    Yesterday ( thusday April 17, 2014) Jeremy and I took the day off so that we could attend a information meeting about Adoption. The meeting wasnt until the afternoon and since we took the whole day we decided to celebrate our 6th wedding anniversary (since I will be working saturday at Polar Freezes grand opening, and Jeremy will be helping with TFC last minute things as we prepare for our launch on sunday April 20th). We headed to knoxville early ate lunch, and went to a movie. After the movie we both stopped in the bathroom and I came out first. When I came out of the bathroom my  phone began to ring I looked at the number and knew instantly (even though the number only came up because it was not in my contacts) that it was the call we had been waiting for. I said hello and sit down on a bench right outside the ladies bathroom. We chatted for a few moments ( just small talk) when Jeremy came out of the bathroom and sit down beside me. A few moments later "Your approved" was what I heard. I was so floored I could barely speak " Were approved?" I believe was my first response and YES was the answer I heard. We hung up a few moments later and I know with the biggest smille EVER on my face I turned to Jeremy and said we'll I have good news!! We are approved!!!! We were both a little speechless, and I can tell you as I walked out of that movie theater I felt a million different emotions.
            Later once in the car I looked at Jeremy and said we are gonna be parents. He said it hadnt sunk in with him yet, but it has with me. I am gonna be a mother, not because anything I did or have done and certainly not because I deserve it, but because my God is good.  Because He heard my cries. Because He has worked all this out for my good.
          Later we attended the information meeting and when they opened the meeting with prayer I felt so much peace. I knew it was a christian agency, but  to see them live what they say was awesome. I instantly felt comfortable and was at peace. It was a awesome meeting with tons of information.
          Our next step in the process is our homestudy. It should last about 3 months, but can last longer. We will have meetings at our house, at the branch office, we will be interviewed together and seperately. We ask that you pray that the nerves go away and we can fully be ourselves. We ask that you continue to pray as we take the next step and are one step closer to our first child!  

Our were approved photo!!!!!!

I will be your Momma.

    Dear baby,
  I will fail you.
 I wont mean to. It  hurts to even think that I will, but im human and I will make mistakes as your Momma. But I will love you unconditionally.
I will make every decision with your well being in mind.
 I wont always know what to do or say to make you stop crying, but I will  be there trying my hardest to make the tears go away.
 I know that I wont always be able to give you everything you want, but I  will always make sure your needs are met.


I will love  you more than life itself.
I will be at every T-ball game.
I will come running when I hear your cries.
I will take a million pictures.
I will cry when you start kindergarten.
I will kiss every boo-boo.
I will read  you bedtime stories.
I will be there when you have a nightmare.
I will baby you when your sick.
I will never leave without hugs and kisses.
I will wipe away every tear.
I will be your biggest cheerleader.
I will help you with your homework.
I will play with you outside.
I will cook you yummy meals.
I will tuck you in at night.
 I will comfort you.
I will be there for every triumph.
I will be there for every diapointment.
I will always be there for you.
Theres a million things Ill do for you, but I can sum them all up with one sentence and this is a promise I make to you.



I will be your Momma.

Information meeting....Clinging to Gods promises.....and a promise to my baby.

   We are still waiting to hear back from the adoption agency as to whether or not we were accepted. This girl is a nervous wreck, and although getting a answer fast would have been awesome I totally understand and appreciate their thoroughness. I talked with the international coordinator and felt so much better after I did. I got so much important info, and all my questions answered.

      Jeremy and I will be attending a information meeting thursday. We are scared and will feel much better after we know the answer about our application, but we choose to hold our heads high and trust Jesus.
    We know God has a plan and that our baby is somewhere in this world, as to which agency we will use, or how long until I see my first childs face those questions cannot be answered just yet. We are clinging to God and His promises. We cannot wait to see and understand more of the hows and whys of His plan for us. We are grateful and honored He choose to place the call of adoption on our lives.


              We are coming for you baby. Momma doesnt know exactly how or how long we will be, but I promise we will come for you. :)

A very Launch full weekend.

          This coming up weekend will be CRAZY for me. Saturday April 19th is my 6th wedding anniversary:)  But its also Polar Freeze Yogurts grand opening!!!!  Polar Freeze has been open since January, but wanted to have our official launch when it was warmer, and the time has come!!!! We are so excited.
     

   Also Sunday April 20th is The Fellowship Church launch!!!! We are thrilled at how God has been blessing us and are so excited to finally have our official launch.

So yes it will be a very launch full weekend for this girl!!!!

God is with us. . . .

  So yesterday I was worrying and panicking about our adoption. We are waiting on our answer as to whether we have been accepted into a certain agency and my stomachs been in knots all week.  Anyway I sit down to do my daily devotional and this was my verse
 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
                        2 Timothy 1:7
  The worry didnt instantly poof go away, but in with the worry came a sense of peace in knowing that the God of the universe has His hand on our application. That doesnt mean the answer will be yes, but that He will work all things out for our good. 
 
    And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
                                               Romans 8:28
What can give us more peace than that?? We are so thankful that God is allowing us to start on this journey and we know that He will be with us for every step, even the bumps and setbacks He will be there.

 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”                                         Joshua 1:9   

                       
Psalm 68:5-6
A father to the fatherless…is God in His holy dwelling.
God sets the lonely in families….      

Week 2 Whats your opinion??

    How to you feel about joint facebook accounts? ( meaning a husband and wife have same facebook)



              Jeremy and I have had seperate facebooks in the past, but a few years ago we deleted those and made our joint one.JeremyandStephanie Malone. The reason being it holds you so much more accountable, and that is needed very much in marriage :) Just one girls opinion, im not knocking anymore who has seperate ones, but dont knock us for our joint one ;)

Whats your opinion??

My "new norm"

     I am panicking!!! I know worrying is not going to help and I know its just making things harder on me, but I cant help it. I am agonizing over hearing if we were accepted or denied for the agency we applied through. My stomach is in knots and I cant concentrate on anything else. I know that this is Gods will and if its not this agency that He has one out there for us. I know that its ok either way because we have given this to God and asked Him to have his will. We have prayed continuously over this application. No matter where I am its on my mind, and then it hits me this will be my life until my baby is home in my arms. Worrying, agonizing, unable to concentrate it will all be the new norm for me. I know God is in control and I trust Him, but at the same time my baby is somewhere in this world, and i dont know if they are hungry, or sick, or cold, or scared. I dont know if they feel loved, or if they feel alone. Think about that and see if your mind doesnt start racing.
        As crazy as it is I pray daily for my child.  I ask God to provide enough food so they are not hungry, I ask Him to bless there caretaker in a special way for giving my child a good start. I ask Him to wrap His arms around there birth mother as she makes the hardest decision of her life. I ask Him to give her peace and help her to sense that someone is gonna love her baby so much, and try to give them a happy life.
     I know that God has a plan and if we will just take a deep breath, trust Him, and follow Him He will lead us to our firstborn. I dont know where or who they are, but He does.
   Please pray for us as we wait on a answer from the agency. Pray for us as we are getting different reactions from family and friends. Pray as we struggle to live life in our "new norm."  Pray for our whole adoption process. We appreciate your prayers and could never thank you enough for them!!!
   

Question you may have.

    I know we shocked everyone with our adoption announcement. I didnt wanna post all the info in the initial post because I wanted to let the shock of it all settle.

    First of all Let me say this was not some decision we woke up one morning and made. We have prayed  and agonized  over the decision for a long time, so no its not something were gonna change our mind about. This is happening , this is Gods will.
    
Do we have everything figured out?
 No. We are still in the beginning stages. Finding a agency, picking a country, alot lies ahead of us.
   
 Why did we announce then?
 Because we need your prayers.
   
 Another huge shocker is that were adopting international. This was not a hard decision for us. We both knew right off that this would be the route we took. We believe that we are all the same and it doesnt matter the tiniest bit what nationality you are. We want our family to be blended so we can live that message so the whole world can see Love knows no boundaries.

 Are you adopting because you cant have your own?
            Yes and no. Yes we have tried our entire marriage ( 6 years) , but no we were never told it cant happen. Our adopted baby is not plan b and they are not gonna enter our family  because we couldnt have our own, They are Gods plan for us. They were His plan the entire time, we just  couldnt or didnt want to see.

Are you scared?
Absolutely. Arent pregnant mothers scared when they find out there pregnant?? Thrilled but scared. Thats how we feel.

Will you get a newborn baby?
No. With international adoptions its almost impossible to adopt a baby that young. The countries we have researched so far the youngest is 6 months. We are hoping for 6 months-2 yrs. However we know that God already knows who our child is and where our child is. So we are along for the ride so to speak.

Why dont you foster and try to adopt that way?
I am by no means knocking foster care or domestic adopt. They are both beautiful things. However we dont feel led to do either.


We have to do what We feel God has called us to do. Sometimes that means disappointing family, sometimes it means others wont approve or understand. Thats ok we are seeing all of the above, but we have to press forward. This is Gods plan for us. We dont know all the hows and whats, but we are commited and ready.

If you have anymore questions feel free to ask. 

Letting you know first . . . .

  Because I love my faithful blog readers so much I am letting you know first about my other blog. . . . Warning its real and detailed I didnt hold anything back so some parts are very personal.    

                                    
What are you waiting for go check it out!!



http://stephsletterstoyou.blogspot.com/

Were not alone. . .

  As I sit here watching the rain pour I am reminded that God is with us through every storm in our life.  He never leaves us. He is right there through every trial and triumph. Just like He was when He led the Israelites out of Egypt. He was there every step. That doesn't mean thing's were easy and the same is true today. We will have trials in this life, but were not alone.
This is one of my favorite songs. It reminds us that God has never left, were never alone.
Click on link to hear song.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&ei=VrY-U42oOIrJsQTysIHgDw&url=http://www.godtube.com/watch/%3Fv%3DF9BEC1NU&cd=2&ved=0CDYQtwIwAQ&usg=AFQjCNGuOsSTLWi78siQ6qGLKod6xGXXwA&sig2=b88vnDYeFcXFUfv_7PYKP