Being Led to Adopt

As 2008 came- we started talking about our family. Whitney was 18 months old, and Gavin 31/2 years old. We both want more children, but we were not sure that my body can handle more pregnancies. About the same time we started talking about adoption. We went online and looked up Bethany and Adoption Assoc. websites. I sent away for packets from each agency explaining domestic adoption. It was overwelming. Not sure what to do we turned to God and told him if this is his will, we will follow.
We thought for sure God was leading us to domestic adoption. So we started to pursue this. We meet with Bethany and Adoption Assoc. and they said that foster care was closed unless you want to have children over the age of 8. We wanted to keep the birth order of our kids, so we wanted to adopt a baby. Foster care we thought was the best option, because if you have a child in your home you are the first ones looked at for adoption. ( and they pay most of th cost)
So we looked at domestic adoption. Todays domestic adoption you need to have a pretty open adoption. I do not agree. I told the agencies that I was not very excited about this- and they both said chances are you will NOT be picked. In our meeting I told them that my heart is for the orphan child, and it breaks my heart to see kids in orphanges. (with no family. Chances are in a 3rd world country they will not live to be 5) Both agencies expressed to us that they thought International adoption was what we should pursue.
Aaron and I we confused and frusterated. We thought domestic is what God was calling us to.
We prayed and cried together. There is no way we can afford International Adoption.
So we asked God to hit us with a 2x4. What is your will? Show us- and we need it to be VERY clear, because we just are not getting it. Speak to us.
Our God is such a awosome God- the next 5 days changed our lives forever.
The day we prayed this we looked at our finances and cried. We had no right even looking into this. We have no money to do this. The next day in the mail we received a letter from Bethany Chr. Services saying if you get everything done for the formal application in the next 30 days we will deduct $200 off the application fee. ( this was March 2008)
WOW- ok we are listening God. 2 days later we went to a banquet and sat next to a couple we have 2 biological children and 2 adopted children. The adopted kids are from Ethiopia. We talked and had a great time. We know that God placed them at our table for a reason. Ok God we feel this is right, but the money is a BIG DEAL. We cant do this.
On Friday, ( the next day) I got the mail. I open the first piece of mail and it was the government stimulus check information from Pres. Bush. For our Home Study and the Formal Application fees, ( minus the $200) the stimulus check would pay for it- to the penny.
God truely answered our prayers. This is the 2x4 we needed. We knew God was leading us and we followed. With tears in both of our eyes we sent in the application for International Adoption.