We've been chosen!!!!

As some of you may already have heard, we were chosen as the prospective adoptive parents of a healthy african american infant who is due to enter this world March 16th,2008!!! Praise be to God! We got a call Monday before last that our profile would be shown to a caucasian woman expecting a healthy caucasian child. We were so excited, but seriously shocked that after only 5 weeks of waiting we were being shown to a white mom. I have so prepared my heart and my mind for my little black or biracial child, since these are so much more commonly shown to families who are open to either race, early on. We agreed to be shown, only to get a call last friday (just 5 days after getting the first call) that we were going to also be shown to another expectant mother who is from Ethiopia. We are now even more in shock that 2 moms are viewing our profile! We were so encouraged and excited just to be shown at this point in our wait! We waited all weekend to hear something on Monday. Monday came and no calls. Tuesday came and the call did come. The white mom had not chosen us. She had decided to go with an independent family (one not with Bethany). Surprisingly we were so let down. I really never had a great feeling about the first situation, but was just chalking it up to being nervous. But somehow, even though we were pretty prepared that it wouldn't happen this time, disappointment was so thick and heavy. We talked a little, sat in silence a little more, and cried some too. I don't think it was about this specific situation that we were sad, it was just about the potential of having a child in our home, finally, and then having that potential stiffled. We really were so sad. Wednesday at work was a half day for me, and I got another call. It was Carolyn. I thought, 'oh, i'll just take the call really quick, I'm sure she is gonna say that we weren't chosen this time, but maybe next time.' After all, it HAS only been 5 weeks....I can find more patience than that! "Mandy...can you talk?" "Yes............" "I'm calling to tell you that you and Eric have been chosen as adoptive parents for an african american baby due on March 16th!!!" "WHAT!!!!!!" I literally screamed in the phone. And then, just 12 short hours later, I am crying tears of joy, at the news of our becoming parents to our much loved, much wanted, much anticipated child!!! I finally was able to get home to tell Eric in person, and guys.... I have never ever seen him so real, so vulnerable, so sweet and tender. He just cried in my arms and we just were literally floating. He kept saying, 'I'm just so happy...so, so happy!' It was an amazing day. I loved Wednesday. Wednesday's used to always be my favorite day, cause we got to go to Wed night church, which I loved. It was again a great day. So there will be much more to come. Please be praying for us on Friday morning. We will be meeting the birth mother. Pray for her and for her unborn child.

While we are ecstatic, please also be praying for a certain amount of God's protection over our hearts. We want to enjoy this time of anticipation and excitement, but also know that all we are doing at this point is giving her a choice in the midst of her unplanned pregnancy. Although she has chosen to make a plan for adoption for her child with us, she is still this baby's momma and will be needing lots of peace and wisdom and clarity for decisions she will be making very soon. Please, please, please, I am pleading with you that if you don't pray another time for us or haven't yet, pray for this special woman who has chosen life for her child. She is in a place that I can not pretend to understand and I do not envy her. Every person is created in God's image and deserves love, respect and dignity. Our hope and desire is that we can be used by God to minister to her in some way through this difficult situation... no matter the outcome. So please.....pray.