Monday, November 19, 2012

This Thanksgiving I am thankful for the "Even If"!

Even if the healing doesn't come
And life falls apart
And dreams are still undone
You are God You are good
Forever faithful One
Even if the healing
Even if the healing doesn't come
~ Even If by Kutless

As many of you know we are still patiently or trying to patiently wait for a placement in our adoption.  However, while we have been waiting, God has been growing us as individuals and as a couple.  A month or two ago, God caused one single question to penetrate my heart and for me to really ponder my answer to the question.  The question was this "Even if I don't give you children, whether through pregnancy or adoption, will you still love me?" WOW!  What a question!  When you have been longing for something or struggling with a problem for so long, no matter what it is, it is hard to imagine and think that there is a chance that God's ultimate plan for your life is for that problem you are facing to never be removed.  I know people have the best intentions, and mean well when they say, "you will receive a placement one day," or "I know it will happen for you," and trust me, we still believe with our whole heart that God has called us to be parents, and one day that will happen.  However, God has convicted me to reexamine my focus and ask the question, "do I have my identity wrapped up in being a parent or is my desire to find my identity in Christ always".  He also has caused me to answer the question "will you love and trust me EVEN IF my plans for your life are not to be parents". Two hard questions that you always feel you know the answer to, but what if God chooses to not answer a prayer you have or fulfill a longing in your heart, because even though you feel it is the best thing for you, that it is not what He feels is best for you.

If you have ever seen the movie Facing The Giants, the main character and his wife are struggling with starting a family.  I remember watching this movie when it first came out, which was before Kelly and I ever started dating.  I had no idea that this one scene in this movie would become so real in my own life down the road.  I just saw this movie for the 1st time, since that time years ago, and this one scene has so much more of a powerful meaning now then it did back then.  This one clip started my process in examining this question of "even if" and how I would answer it.  Here is the clip to refresh your memory:



One day while I was working, I heard this amazing song, which hit this question right on the head.  It is by Kutless called "Even If".  Needless to say, I cried the 1st time I heard it.  I spent a lot of time in prayer and examing my heart to make sure my calling and focus in life is to serve God and to find my identity in Him and not in being a parent.  God has been so good to me and provided for all of my needs!  Even if He doesn't give me another blessing, I could never repay Him for all He has done for me and Kelly in our lives.  So this Thanksgiving I am thankful for the "Even If" in my life because even if we never receive a placement I will still trust, love, and follow my God because He knows what is best for me and loves me beyond anything I can ever comprehend!



So this Thanksgiving I am thankful for the "even if".  I hope in your own life if you are struggling with health issues, family issues, financial issues, whatever it might be, that you will examine the question "will you still love and trust God even if the healing never comes".  My God if faithful, all powerful, and loving and I am thankful for that.  Even if He never does another thing for me, He has already done more than I could ever comprehend by sending His son to give me eternal life. 

Happy Thanksgiving!
Lindsey

Sunday, September 9, 2012

A Long Overdue Update...

I know it has been a few months since our last post.  We have had a busy summer and took a break from blogging for a few months.  I know many of you have been asking where we stand in the adoption process, so the answer to your question is...we are still WAITING!  Haha!  The word "waiting" has become a very common word in our vocabulary over the past few months.  Now, I know a few people have not liked how open we have been with our adoption process and our infertility struggles, so just a heads up that the next few paragraphs to follow will be a detailed update on what has been going on with us and this process.  The desire of our hearts from day one has been that if someone can learn from our adoption journey, and can find hope in it, as well as see how our amazing and wonderful God will work out all things in His timing and glory, then it is definitely worth it to share our journey.  So here we go...

Since our last post, we have been very busy closing on our new house.  We finally feel completely settled and at home.  God has blessed us in so many ways, and we can't wait for the day, that in addition to the sound of our little dog's feet running around,  we can also hear the sound of our little baby's feet.  The process of building the house helped keep us busy and not focused on the waiting process with the adoption, but now that we are settled we have definitely had those moments of anxiousness where we wonder how much longer it will take.  Due to our recent move to our new house, we had to update our home study to contain the most recent information on our new home and its location.  During this home study we did receive some discouraging news that the waiting time now with our agency is between 1 to 3 years, instead of about 1 year as we had originally been anticipating.  The extended wait is due to the slower flow of birth mothers coming to the agency in order to pursue the adoption process.  We know that in God's perfect timing that He will bring the perfect child to us.  Until the time of placement, we will keep on waiting and trusting.  Here are a few pictures of the new nursery...
 



We have always said that we would be completely honest with our adoption journey. So to be completely honest, I will say that the waiting has not always been easy.  I can't tell you how many times we have spent crying and praying and seeking guidance as we go through this process.  We have joked that the nursery has become an amazing prayer room during this time.  We often sit in the nursery and stare at the wall over the crib where we have the verse "For this child we prayed, the Lord gave us the desire of our hearts" 1 Samuel 1:27. We know that God's ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts and that He sees the greater picture.  The positive thing is that we have had a couple of potential leads on placements during this waiting period, which shows that the process is working.  However, none of these leads ended up working, which just means that it was not the right time for us to have a placement.  It at least gives us hope that the process is working and some day we will receive that placement.

One piece of advice that so many couples who have adopted told us is that we need to enjoy this time together and have fun traveling and doing all the things we have always wanted to do.  Kelly and I love to travel, so this was something we definitely wanted to enjoy doing right now in order to keep our minds occupied.  God has blessed us in so many ways and one of those ways is with a company I work for, Thirty-One.  God has allowed me to earn so many trips and do things we never thought we'd be able to do. Last year, Thirty-One afforded us a few opportunities to vacation for FREE in some amazing places. Over this summer, we have taken a couple of trips with just us, with Thirty-One and with groups from our church.  We plan to take a trip with our New Beginnings group from church, as well as finally having an opportunity to take our anniversary trip for this year.  Even though we have been blessed to take some wonderful trips, we have still kept our focus on continuing to save money for our adoption fund.  We still have a ways to go to reach the necessary amount for our entire adoption cost, but we know that God will provide the money and help give us the wisdom as we save for adoption. Some people believe in putting their lives on hold during an adoption. For us, we realize that these days of waiting are some of the most precious that we will share as husband and wife. The memories we make during this time will be the foundation upon which the future years of our life are built. We can't wait to for our baby to join us, but until then, we'll keep moving forward together, and trusting in our Great God!

Ok...I think that covers everything in our update.  I know that is a lot of information, but we have always believed in being open and honest in this entire adoption process.  We hope that some how God can use the things we share about our journey to be an encouragement to someone else.  We know that God is allowing us to walk this journey to grow us closer to Him and to each other.   We also know that this entire journey is going to allow us to treasure and enjoy that moment when we are finally placed with our little one so much more.  Here is a special song that has really spoken to Kelly and I through this process. We have the lyrics to this song printed on the last page of our adoption book in hopes that they can be an encouragement to a birthmother when looking at our profile book.  I hope it can be an encouragement to you today as well.


Thursday, May 3, 2012

And the winner is...

We would like to say thanks to those of you who contributed to our most recent giveaway supporting our adoption. This was a a great success and your generosity is greatly appreciated. The lucky recipient of this giveaway is Tracy Johnson from Fayetteville, NC! Congrats Tracy, you'll be receiving a personally customized cornhole set!

Thanks again for everyone's support. This will be our last giveaway for a little while. Please keep us in your prayers as we continue to wait on God's addition to our family. We are still waiting on a placement from our agency, but we know that in God's timing it'll all happen!

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Win A Personally Designed Cornhole Set!

Want to win and personally design your own cornhole set?!?!

So I know it has been awhile since we have done a drawing but we have had a lot going on and thought it would be good to take a little bit of a break from the fundraising endeavors. Now, we are back and ready to go!!!! A very sweet friend of ours works with a cornhole design company and has volunteered his time and resources to donate a cornhole set and assist the winner in personally designing their own image/logo for the boards. We are blessed to have so many wonderful friends and family that are helping our dream of bringing home our child a reality!

Your cornhole set will come with 2 boards, bags, carrying case for bags, and instructions. Here is what your cornhole set will look like before you create your own design:

If you want to learn more about the company that our friend works with, you can go to www.carolinacustomcornhole.net to learn more and see some of the designs that have already been created. I also thought that I would include a couple of pictures of boards that the company has done to help get your mind going as you thinkabout how you would design your own set. Check out the pictures below. Just think, you could have your own personally designed cornhole set for your summer cookouts, graduation parties, and just because events!

You have between Sunday, April 1st to Monday, April 30th at midnight to take part in this giveaway and be entered in for a chance to WIN your own FREE personally designed cornhole set. For every $5 you donate to our adoption giveaway, you will receive 1 entry into the drawing. See details about how to obtain more entries in the giveaway below. Thank you in advance for your contribution and willingness to help us get one step closer in our adoption journey! We know that only by faith and trusting in God's timing will we reach our financial goal and receive our placement for our child! Thank you so much for your love and support! We couldn't do this without you!

Want to know how you can be entered for a chance to win?!?! I'm glad you asked! I would be happy to tell you!

HOW YOU CAN DONATE:
You can make your donation by clicking "GIVE" on the GiveForward box on the right side of this page. You will be directed to our personal donation site where you can enter your donation amount. Remember, for every $5 donated, you will receive an entry into the giveaway.

NOTE: When you give your donation with GiveForward, please be sure to provide your name. If you choose, you can select the box that reads,"I would like to hide the amount given." Also, at the bottom of the donation page, please make sure you check the box that reads, "I would like to share my contact information with the beneficiary." This will ensure that we receive the necessary information to enter your name in the giveaway! If you would like your donation to be made in private, please feel free to mail us your donation.

You may also mail a check with your donation to our home address. Once we have received your check, we will make the appropriate number of entries into the giveaway. Please email us at ltbullard@yahoo.com for our mailing address.

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE GIVEAWAY:
After you donate, post something about this on Facebook and we'll add your name again to the list. Just be sure to friend one of us (Kelly or Lindsey Bullard) in your status on Facebook. If you desire your name to be put on the list for the drawing without donating, just email ltbullard@yahoo.com. Note: GiveForward donations are not tax deductible. If you
would like to send a check just email me.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

An Update On Our Journey!

Well, it's been a while since we've updated our blog...long over due! While we've received many questions through this process, the most common question we are asked is, "Have you heard anything about your adoption?" Our repeated answer is, "no, we're still waiting." We understand that those inquiring are excited and anxious, just as we are. Our adoption agency told us that the waiting period would be the hard part...and it is!

Every day we keep our phones close by wondering if this will be the day we get the call. We know that God is sovereign and that we'll have a baby in His perfect timing. As we've said before this process is definitely teaching us to trust in God and lean upon Him.

While we wait, one of the big questions that we face and struggle with is concerning the financial side of our adoption. As you know, adoptions are very expensive. While we are so grateful for those who have supported us so far, we still have about 65% of our adoption cost that has to be paid. This remaining cost has to be paid at the placement of our baby. Not knowing when the placement will be, this can be a little nerve wrecking.

We are in the process of completing grant applications and trying to do what we can to make the financial arrangements for placement, whenever that might be. We will still do some fundraising to help with these expenses. Please subscribe to our blog, so you can stay up to date with our journey.

Thank you for your love, support, and prayers. Your prayers are the most important thing that we need during this journey!

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Support Adoption and Orphans Around the World!

Did you know that according to The Orphan Foundation there are 147 million orphans around the world? As followers of Christ we have been instructed to care for orphans. In fact, the Bible calls caring for orphans, "pure and undefiled religion" (James 1:27). Through our adoption journey we have come to learn that people adopt for a variety of reasons. However, among these reasons, one of the greatest is a sense of God's calling upon a families life to adopt. That's right, it really is a calling.


We are so thankful that God has called many individuals and organizations to come to the aid of these children who are so precious to our Lord. One of these organizations is AdoptionBug.com. This company was started to provide assistance to families in raising financial support for their adoption. Today, not only does AdoptionBug help with the financial obligations of adoption, a portion of their proceeds go to help organizations who are on the front line of orphan care, like Show Hope, etc.


We have created a site through AdoptionBug to help raise financial support for our own baby adoption. When you visit our site (www.adoptionbug.com/bullard) you'll be able to purchase adoption related t-shirts, that will not only help our adoption and the care of orphans around the world, but you'll help promote adoption and orphan awareness. There are 6 different t-shirt designs that you can choose from. In fact, the two images in this post are both t-shirt designs! The prices vary, depending on shirt style and size. A portion of the cost of the t-shirt will come to us for our adoption, and if you purchase a "Show Hope" t-shirt, a portion of the cost will go to our adoptions, as well as the ministry of Show Hope (www.showhope.org), which is affiliated with Steven Curtis Chapman. Please note: When you go to our site only the 6 shirts on the home page help support our adoption. There are other shirts on the site, but only those 6 will go to help with our personal adoption.

To check out these really cool t-shirts and to order yours today, please visit our personal site at www.adoptionbug.com/bullard. We are so thankful for your love, support, and prayers through this journey. While our previous fundraising efforts have helped us tremendously with our adoption expenses thus far, we are really excited about this effort, because we will be helping support adoptions and orphans around the world!

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

TV Winner Announced!

Thank you all for your support and participation in our TV giveaway. We are excited to announce that James Davis of Lumberton, NC is the winner of this new 32" Vizio LCD HDTV! We will be delivering James' new TV just in time for the big game!

Once again, thank you to those who participated in this giveaway. Please keep checking our blog for more adoption updates. We will be starting a new fundraising effort next week. Not only will you be able to help our adoption, but you'll have the opportunity to help orphans around the world!

Saturday, January 21, 2012

We've be officially APPROVED!!!!


You may or may not have heard, but we received our final adoption approval this week! That's right, all the paper work, background checks, medical exams, questionnaires, reading assignments, and home studies have been completed and approved!!! The next call we receive from Bethany could be a placement call-- we are so excited! We don't know how long we'll have to wait for a placement. It could be weeks or months, but in God's perfect timing our family will be complete!

We also wanted to let you know that there are 48 hours left in our TV giveaway. For every $5 that you donate to our adoption cost, we'll enter you into the drawing for this brand new 32" Vizio LCD HDTV.
You can give online using the Giveforward Link on the right panel of our blog site. We will do a random drawing next Monday and someone will receive this AWESOME TV!!! Just think, you could watch all the upcoming games on this new TV! How great would that be?

Thank you so much for your love, support, and prayers. This has, and continues to be, a journey of faith. God has provided for our financial needs thus far, and we know that He'll take care of the rest!

Monday, January 16, 2012

Thank you! (Don't forget: 1 Week Left)




Many of you have already mailed us checks, donated online, or given donations to us or our parents in person to be a part of this donation. We first want to thank all of you that have given so far. It means so much to us that you want to be a part of our adoption process and donate to our giveaway. Even though we know you are hoping to be the lucky one to win the tv, each of you have also told us that you just want to be a part of this special giveaway as we travel this exciting yet uncertain journey in our lives. Thank you for loving us! We really do appreciate it!


******************************************************************************




Now just a reminder to everyone....We are down to 1 week left for the NEW 32" VIZIO LCD HDTV giveaway. Just think, if you win this TV, you will have it in plenty of time to watch the Super Bowl and March Madness!


Below is a list of a couple of ways you can be contribute to this giveaway:


1. You can see us or our parents to pay and receive your raffle tickets.


2. You can still pay online through our GiveForward on the right hand side of the blog and we will mail you your raffle tickets.


3. You can mail us a check and we will then mail you your ticket stubs.


Here are the rules on how you can be entered in for a chance to win this giveaway:


For every $5 donated until January 22nd, we'll enter your name into the give-a-way for this 32" VIZIO LCD HDTV. (So, for $20 you will receive 4 entries and so forth.) Give the post a shot out on Facebook or Twitter (pastorkellyb) and we'll enter you in again.


****On January 23rd, well do a random selection and someone will be watching the games on this brand new TV!!!!!****

Monday, January 9, 2012

Preparing the Nursery

I know it has been awhile since we had our last post about the adoption process, but between Christmas and New Years, and Lindsey being sick for a week, things have been a little crazy. So, here is where things are now....

We have completed our adoption book and received the printed copies that the perspective birthmothers will look at to decide if we are the ones that she selects to adopt her child. It is crazy to know that just through a single book she will determine a connection that will allow her to make a decision, which will forever change our lives. We know that this connection can only be something that God designs and brings together, which creates such a special feeling and connection between us and the birthmother.

*** The picture on the cover was taken by a sweet friend of ours, Shawna Cox. Thanks Shawna!!! Who knew that a spur of the moment picture would turn into one of our favorite pictures!

We have begun to work on the nursery. Now I know you may be thinking, "but you haven't been selected yet." However, if you know us, then you know that we are very much planners and want to be ready to the best of our ability for when we become parents. Just think...for women that are able to get pregnant, you are able to plan for 9 months for your baby's arrival. We have no idea when our little one will arrive. We may be given 6 weeks notice or we may get a call as the mother is giving birth that she selected us. For this reason, we want to be prepared as much as we can. Below you will see some pictures of the nursery in progress. We still have a lot of work to do and will add pink or blue to the room decor once we know if it is a boy or girl.


** A table full of sweet gifts from some of our family. The changing table was a gift from Kelly's parents for Christmas. My Dad and Stepmom gave us the 2 packs of diapers. Joan knitted the beautiful blanket laying next to the diapers. Karen Holmes gave us the book "The Very Hungry Caterpillar." We purchased the adoption baby book ourselves. My Aunt, Dianne Duke, gave us the adorable bib that says, "Spit Happens." Steve's mom, Marilyn, gave us the cute UNC baby blanket. The baby swing was donated my friends of our family in Durham. All I can say is our child will definitely be loved and spoiled by so many!

Finally, we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the letter that says we are officially on the wait list. I can't deny it...I have been rushing home from work and anxiously awaiting the arrival of our mailman each day to see if the letter arrives. Our caseworker said we would receive the letter at some point during January, but I would love for it to arrive sooner rather than later.

I think that basically wraps up everything that has been going on. Of course we still have our monthly drawing going on where you can be entered for a chance to win a 32" Vizio TV. This giveaway will be open until January 22nd and then we will do the drawing on the 23rd. Don't miss out!!! It only take $5 for 1 entry into the giveaway