Splurge

Splurge Fundraiser Night

A special thanks to everyone who came out and supported my adoption on the SPLURGE fundraiser night! I am especially grateful to the owners of Splurge who generously offered me the opportunity to raise funding. 

"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful." -Hebrews 10:23

With Love,

To be matched...

They say that I am now matched! This is very exciting news in the world of adoption. It means that I have been chosen by a birth mom to be the adoptive parent of her baby--my baby. This all still makes me reflect on my NEED for The Lord in my life. He has orchestrated every aspect of this adoption, including all of the changes, and this match. It makes me think about how I'm perfectly matched with Him; how He wanted me. I'm so grateful for being matched with Christ--meaning that I am adopted by the King of all Kings! 

Please pray for this particular match to be successful and complete for my adoption. That would mean my sweet baby will be in my arms by the end of the year! 

More updates to come. 

With all my love, 
 Kayla

Tournament

I have given him Egypt as a reward for his efforts because he and his army did it for me, declares the Sovereign Lord. -Ezekiel 29:20

The Adoption Tournament was on April 5, 2014. I had a great time witnessing some old acquaintances, family, and friends playing ball, helping out, or just hanging out. Here is a small picture of what the day looked like. I am extremely grateful to my family members who helped make this day possible. Additionally, many friends and family friends made this day happen and end on a positive note. Also, thank you to all of the teams who came out and played ball all day long! 

Here is the sweet person who organized the tournament, and endured endless calls and texts from me in the weeks before the tournament! Thank you dearly, Jade, for all of your hard work and dedication! 

The Brackets!

Only a tiny portion of who showed to help out in concessions! Thanks to EVERYONE who came and lended a hand!

The Auction....and the winners of most of these items....would be my family members!!!!! Ha! Thanks guys! Love you all! 

If you baked and donated a cake, I appreciate you! One particular banana cake made by my Aunt Amelia was fought over. And the battle was won by my hilarious cousin, who stayed all day with my grandma collecting money for tickets! 

Lots of family members cooked for me all day long! Many donations were made on the food, and I am grateful for each person who graciously donated food and/or time! 

AND THE CHAMPIONS!!!!! 

"It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy." -Romans 9:16

Therefore, I am remaining in full reliance on the Lord and His infinite mercy to continue to provide financially for this adoption, which He has ordained. I appreciate everyone's efforts ( and am so grateful for each of you). However, it is noted in my heart to remember that I cannot depend on human efforts, but on God's mercy. He is the one in complete control, and I willingly hand all of it over to Him! 

Peace

Thankfully, the above verse is truth. There is no peace like that of the Lord. The world vainly tries to offer peace, but it is false and fleeting. There is nothing like the peace and tranquility offered by the Lord to those who seek and know Him. I have known Him to immediately swoop me up in an overflow of peace in the midst of HUGE loss in this adoption. There are literally no words that could ever truly describe this kind of peace. I recommend KNOWING HIM and experiencing this kind of peace firsthand. Does this mean that my life is pain free? Not a chance! Does it mean this adoption process is instantly easy? Yeah right! It means that, amidst the suffering and pain, there is a sustainer who knows all of what is inside of me. Who surrounds me...whose presence makes me whole. This sustainer-Jesus- is everything to me. He is ALL. Such a small word (all); such a huge meaning! Thank you Lord for your peace. May it ever flow through my veins.

In Him-

Adoption Co-Ed Softball Tournament

This Saturday, April 5th at Fordoche Ball Park, I am having a Co-Ed Softball Tournament and silent auction to fundraise for my sweet baby.  Concessions and Jambalaya will be sold.  There is also a homemade cake sale!  If you can be there, please come out to support.  If you cannot be there, please pray that this fundraiser would raise enough money for me to reach my goal.  I would love to be able to---one day very soon--say that I can afford the full adoption cost because awesome people in awesome community banned together, and all of the funding was raised. I am ready to help others fundraise for their adoptions, so I am praying (and ask you to join me) that my fundraising process will be complete soon(because of this tournament). I am believing in a miracle. Believe with me. Pray with me. I need the body of believers to cover the entire weekend in smothered prayers---for safety, Jesus talk, and mucho funding! Thank you friends and family. 

Love,

Kayla

Profiles

In the domestic adoption world, there is a document called a "profile" which is ALL of your life bound in a tiny book of photos and words. In many ways, having a "profile" feels like overexposure. Or worse, it makes you feel like a phony. I mean, how can one person's whole existence be summed up on a couple of pages of Kodak paper? However, the "profile" is your lifeline in the adoption. Without the profile, no birth moms will ever even know you exist. Without the profile, you are never going to get your baby. Therefore, I remind myself, every time I think about my "profile" out there getting scrutiny and narrow looks, to put on the full armor of God. With this armor, as described in Ephesians 6:10-20, I am more than a conqueror. When I am wearing this armor, nothing formed against me can possibly stand. I am especially writing to inform everyone that this week I have sent out my profile for a specific case. The birth mom will review many profiles this week. It all is in HIS hands. Whether the "profile" advances me to the next level or not, I am still armored and fully HIS. 

Looking at verses 19-20, I am especially in need of your prayers. I cannot speak for myself...the "profile" speaks for me. More precisely, Christ speaks for me. He stands in my defense. My profile speaks directly of Christ and His love and His salvation. I am praying that it also audibly speaks to the birth mom that The Lord has chosen to bring my child into this world. This woman holds a very special place in my heart. Please lift up the birth mother of my child. Inevitably, the decision rests solely on her. I am praying for divine intervention in regards to her choosing me. As anyone can imagine, this decision will be one of the most difficult decisions of her entire life. Pray for her with me. Pray for her soul and salvation. Pray for her to experience clarity and peace as she decides the future of the life growing inside of her. 

As always, pray for my child. Pray for a healthy baby and a free-of-complications birth. Pray also for me. I covet your prayers in the waiting...in the quiet. 

Love in Christ,

Needing His Embrace

-Satisfied, The Gathering Place Worship- Come & Dwell

I want to keep these words on repeat each day as I face the multitudinous bumps in the road that is this adoption journey. To say that everything along the way is fantastic would be a lie. Most days, it is difficult to face the reality of the process----the agonizing waiting, the anxiety of the lack of funds, the pressures of making the correct choices.  Crawl under a rock and hide there forever? Yes, please! The only problem with that is that Christ is a beacon of light. Nothing about what He is doing here in the midst of this journey can be hidden. Daily I feel like a raw, salt-scrubbed, open wound. Here is the thing....I know why I feel that way. That feeling is Christ! He is speaking through the vulnerability.  If I did not know what discomfort felt like, then I would be missing out on Him Washing me in His grace, Drenching me in His Spirit, Clothing me in His Love, and Wrapping me in His mercy.  I do not want to miss such precious moments. Feeling exposed and ragged makes me want to be more overwhelmed with his presence.  It makes me long desperately for His perfect embrace.  So, I recant. Forget the hiding under a rock forever thing. He is my ROCK and my salvation. My ROCK, my Savior, hides me in His serenity. It is the only true calm in the storm.  It is a peace like no other. When I remember this, I am satisfied. Apart from HIM, I am nothing. Play that on repeat all day long. Never forget it. Never live outside of it. So, as I face weekly turmoil pertaining to choosing which birth mom profile is the "right" one, I am reminded of all of these things. Though I am weary, He is my strength, my peace, and my refuge.  It would be easy for me to complain and say, "I'd rather be somewhere else in this process right now." And, don't get me wrong, I do still say such things (pray for me!). However, there is nowhere better to be than right here--overwhelmed by His presence in this struggle, knowing that I am in the center of His will. So, if you're journeying with me, join me in rejoicing over the only thing in the world that matters....Jesus Christ! Please continue to pray over me and my child as the Lord continues to move at His own pace. 

Much Love, 

Jambalaya

This verse of scripture was lived out loud by my closest family on earth-- the family of believers. I am always overwhelmed by the evidence of Christ within His active body. I want to offer my deepest and sincerest thanks to everyone who participated in Jambalaya Plate Lunch Day! Thanks to my dad for being an excellent cook. Thanks to everyone who helped in all capacities. If you sold plates, dished beans, placed in forks, baked cookies(or even burned a couple!), counted orders, delivered orders, rescued delivery ladies whose car overheated, watched babies for hours so others could work, and sacrificed your space or time in ANY way, I am indeed truly humbled by your love and am grateful for your participation. It was a all-hands-on-deck kind of day, and I could not have done it without you guys. If you were one of the many generous people who purchased a plate or two, thank you again for supporting me in this process. I love you all! It is because of days like this that I am reminded of Christ's overwhelming Providence. It is by witnessing his followers serve so willingly that I am reminded of His power, might, and love. Thank you, family, for being the light of Christ in my life. 

 These days, I sometimes find myself pondering the difficulty involving adoption.  Whoever said it is an easy process is a fool.  It is, inevitably, a roller coaster of emotion. In many ways, my adoption process seems to be a lot like Matthew 7:13-14.  Without trying to take scripture out of context, comparatively, I would say that I see the mirrored image of my experience in these verses.  It seems as though this whole process began in a very broad fashion.  Slowly, the Lord has narrowed the path leading me to my child. I have had to allow the Lord to lead me further and deeper onto a more and more narrowed path. All the while, as he narrows my road, He brings forth springs of blessings. Many new people have been introduced as important to me and my future child along this narrowing pathway.  The Lord is creating permanent relationships, lessons, and love on this narrowed trail.  It is frightening to walk this path; this path seems like the wrong one because it is so novel. However, the narrowed path is Christ Himself. As I place my feet upon this path, I am literally deeply encountering the Spirit of God. He envelops my doubts and worry. He controls my destiny; He is guiding me directly to my baby. He calls me to a deeper faith upon this narrowed path. Christ, the small gate and the narrowed path, is in ABSOLUTE COMPLETE CONTROL over my life...my adoption process....my child's future. I am grateful for the walk along the path. I am finding Him and falling more in love with Him every step of the way. 

Just thoughts,

Major Changes

After the devastating news that the DR Congo would be closing permanently to singles, the Lord immediately opened a doorway for domestic adoption. I have been in a long season of prayer and grief. Grief over the loss of my beloved and cherished grandfather. Grief over the loss of a potential adoption from the DR Congo. But, Jesus is peace. He provides calm when there should be no calm. He sustains me. I am trusting in Him to lead me to my child. 

I ask that you continue to pray for the orphans in the DR Congo. Many children will suffer due to the closed door to single adoptive parents. 

I am now completely finished with my paperwork for domestic adoption. I am currently submitting my paperwork to multiple agencies at one time in order to cast the net wider. The hope is that I can be matched with a birth mom soon. I still need tons of funding. However, I know that the Lord will provide. Pray for me and my baby and the birth mom (family) of my baby. All of us need Jesus to take complete control. 

While this message may seen too brief, it is all that I can share at this point in time. I will begin to be more diligent in posting. I need and covet your prayers. Please join me in praying over this newest development in the journey.