Sunshine State of Mind

Cross-Country Move

It's been 8 months since our family packed up and relocated to Orlando, Florida. We've had quite the adventure exploring new places as well as enjoying visits from family and friends. It's been exciting to see our daughter enjoy being outdoors... running, swimming, jumping, biking, gardening, exploring various theme parks... anything that will help to get all of that energy out! We've also noticed a severe decrease in the "winter blues," which we are very thankful for. The move would not have been possible without the work from home job the Lord provided that Jordan has been doing at a company in Denver, BlueModus.


Good friends of ours told us to be prepared for the loneliness to ensue once we made the transition out of state. It has been absolutely remarkable the magnitude to which God has provided so we do not feel that in anyway. We've enjoyed attending and getting involved at First Baptist Church in St. Cloud. It was the first church we visited out of the six we had initially planned on checking out once we moved... We've had the opportunity to take part in authentic community and begin forming deep relationships where we can encourage one another toward Christ. Aside from getting involved in worship, Life Group, and the children's department, we have been able to participate in two different classes. The first was a class called "Grace Walk" that emphasized the undying love, faithfulness, and mercy that God has for his children. The second was a 16-week parenting class which will greatly help as we seek to raise Zoey in the Lord. The moral precepts and principles for application will be a great asset for the years to come as we seek to raise Zoey in the Lord. Hilary also recently started going to Mother's of Preschoolers (MOPs) which has been an excellent connection to other moms living out the toddler life. It has been a great way to meet new friends, and find out so much more about different activities and events that are going on locally.  

While we have thoroughly enjoyed our time in the sunshine state, it is no secret that we are missing our Michiganders dearly. We were able to make it up for a short visit over Christmas and see as many people as humanly possible in a matter of a few days. Zoey did excellent on the drive to and from with many snacks, books, and activities prepared by Hilary. We ended up driving straight through on the way home due to Zoey's sleepless night in the hotel on the way up north. During our sweet time with family and friends, we found ourselves cherishing the time we had with loved ones more than ever before. Overall, we are incredibly grateful to have had that opportunity to visit, and plan to be up again soon! Thankfully, those who have gone before us filled us in on the truth that it simply is not possible to see everyone on the short visits back home, as much as we would absolutely love to. Michigan friends & family, please keep in mind that we also love hosting and having visitors..

We have been immensely blessed in the home that God was preparing for us. It's placed alongside a small lake South of Orlando. We had the wonderful privilege of meeting the owners who cared and nurtured the property for over 20 years. The wife was a master botanist, so Hilary has been working hard to try to keep up the immaculate garden she left behind. The experience of nature is absolutely astonishing.. We have been able to enjoy a little slice of heaven here on earth, between the majestic birds, breathtaking flowers, and the marvelously painted skies we get to take in morning and night. We also have been enjoying the ability to work on the home and do some DIY projects. We find this sort of creativity inspiring and relaxing. We are grateful for all of the skills we accumulated over time in Belleville, Michigan, working on the place we once called home.

Cherishing Life

As we seek to Cherish Life and love in all that we do, Hilary has been getting more involved with various organizations. She volunteers as a Client Advocate at Beyond Pregnancy Care, performing pregnancy tests, and meeting with women who are in need of maternity/baby supplies, emotional/financial support, prayer, etc. Hilary also works  through Heartbeat International as a hotline nurse for Abortion Pill Reversal. (APR) She is able to work directly with women who have ingested one or both of the abortion pills. The amount of women that are pressured into having an abortion is absolutely astounding. Many regret immediately taking the medication. Reversal for a chemical abortion is absolutely possible with a 65-68% success rate. "Nearly 1,000 lives have been saved (both born & preborn) since 2012 when the APR was started. All are counted as abortion statistics but are alive & well."  Christa Brown - Director of Medical Impact

Adoption

 We began the adoption process a bit earlier than we knew we were ready, since it does tend to take some time. Our home study approval was made in July of 2019, and from there our waiting has begun. To this point, we have agreed to show our adoption profile to six birth moms. It has been a different process this time around as we aren't going through a specific agency. We have been in communication with four or five lawyers who ask our for our permission before sharing our information with prospective birth parents.

This time around, we are definitely hearing more about the back-end of things since our permission is required each time. We were uncertain about the first prospect which quickly fell through... The second prospect, however, we felt that The Lord was saying no to the first to say yes to this opportunity that appeared to be "perfect." Turns out that neither of these opportunities, along with the five others that followed were not within the Lord's will for us.

A "Hope" onesie for our potential future baby ☺️

We are content. Content with what the Lord has planned for our family, content with enjoying the family of three we have been immeasurably blessed with. The waiting pangs certainly come and go. It still can be difficult at times, and we wonder - wonder if we will one day have a biological child. Those feelings are absolutely still there.. feelings of inadequacy, frustration, and curiosity as to why we haven't had the smooth time conceiving that many people do.. Yet we have much hope. Our hope is in the Lord and His never ending faithfulness.

Adoption is a such a beautiful picture of the Gospel, and we are honored to have the privilege of displaying that for the world to see. As Christ has adopted us as sons and daughters, we to seek to adopt and love as many children as God has planned. Our family would absolutely not be the same without the struggles we've walked and the triumphs we've shared, and we praise the Lord for the plans He has in store for our lives.