LWA Project: the Waulk family [in the home stretch!!] · July 11, 2013

It's been a little quiet here, but the LWA Project is ongoing.  The store remains open and the efforts to bless each of the families and ministries continues.  Our first pressing deadline is upon us, though, folks!  We have a birth mom due and a baby coming! And we have some funds to raise ASAP!!  So I invited Josh & Christy to share a bit about their journey with you and hopefully encourage you to be a part of their story, too!

Josh & Christy Waulk are dear friends, and we have served together for the last several years in our church.  They are in the process of their second adoption--birth mom is due any day now!!  Josh has a word to share with you today--so listen in, and be sure and stick around until the end to see how you can be a part of bringing this little one home and MAYBE even win a little something as well!! ;)

Here's Josh:

I love the contributions of so many adoption advocates to the cause of bringing children into Forever Families.

Over the course of the past three years, we’ve witnessed men and women of God lead a charge that I believe history will show was pivotal in American church culture. With the Holy Spirit’s leading, these adoption warriors have helped to de-stigmatize a matter that at one time was taboo, and not referenced at family reunions. 

 My wife, Christy, and I were able to experience this firsthand at a recent family reunion of our own. My Cuban side of the family, the Perez line to be specific, gathered together for a ten-year fiesta that was marked with more than a few special moments. 

For us, seeing our first adopted daughter’s name on the family tree, with her home state of Kentucky listed, was a matter of personal significance and joy. Her name had been grafted into the family, just as our names have been grafted into God’s family. We rejoice over her. 

When I first became acquainted with the blossoming adoption movement a few years ago, the picture of the Gospel put on display for the entire world to see was encouraging. I was compelled to get involved financially in the adoption of other families, and I was compelled to get involved as an adoptive dad, myself. 

It’s not as if I needed extra motivation, though. 

As a couple struggling with the realities of infertility, adoption was our road to growing a family. Infertility and adoption were both realities given to us by God, and both would change our family forever. 

In response, we embraced the adoption movement. We wanted to put the Gospel on display through this gift of God’s grace. We wanted to celebrate the miracle that we saw other couples celebrating. And, celebrate we did! 

But, for all of the theological implications of adoption, for all of the hype surrounding the numerous Christian books on adoption that were released during the season in which we brought our precious Karis home, I’m left with this conclusion when I reflect back: 

We just wanted to have a family. 

When you look back on human history, we see this undeniable pattern. Movements come and movements go. It’s a reality that I don’t think we should always fear. We have a natural propensity to not want to see good things fade away, but often times, God allows those good things to pass from the scene, so that we might experience something even better. 

I’m not suggesting that the Christian adoption movement of recent years is fading or ought to fade away. But, for me, as an adoptive dad who is hoping to adopt again, I’m choosing to leave the theological significance of adoption to the theologians and conference speakers. 

For me, the most important theological significance of adoption, in this season of life, is being a dad, and receiving the joy of seeing my wife become a mom. It’s just that simple. 

Today, we are within two weeks of our birth-mom’s expected due date. We’ve walked with her for several months now. We’ve prayed over her, and over the little boy growing inside of her, thankful that she chose life. She has, to this point, made a courageous decision in the face of insurmountable odds. 

We look forward to seeing how God completes this story in the years to come. 

For now, we commit to being the kind of parents to this child that God would have us be, for His glory. We commit to raising this little one in the fear and admonition of the Lord. We commit to providing for him in every way that our Heavenly Father allows. As He has loved and freely given to us, so will we love and give freely to this child, and all of our children. 

We can’t wait to meet him. We can’t wait to be parents, again. We can’t wait to introduce him to Trevor, and to Karis. We covet your prayers and generous, faith-filled donations to this effort. 

Here are the final details on how you can help us bring our little boy home: 

1. Pray that God provides for a safe delivery for both baby and mother, and that He provides the needed financials in order to complete this adoption. 
2. Consider making a tax-deductible donation to our adoption via PayPal, or you may join our iPad Mini Giveaway. Both links are located on our blog. 

We have an estimated $7,500.00 left to fundraise. 

According to our estimated due date, we have less than two weeks in which to see God move. 

That’s all the time He needs. 

We’re praying that His people will move with him.

Just $7500.  Chump change!!  Let's do this friends!!  Pop on over to the Waulks blog, and give a little! A $25 donation gets you entered to win an ipad mini!  [Be sure and let me know if you do, so I can count it towards our LWA Project total!]  Can't wait to see them FULLY FUNDED!!