Progress

This week was exciting because we were able to submit 2 more checklists of documents to CAS (the adoption agency)!  So that's 4 of 11 lists now completed. 
Saturday was a cool, rainy day (Luke's favorite kind) and most of our regular housework was done so I spent a few hours in our guest room cleaning out drawers in preparation for the transformation into our child's room. 
A few months ago my parents visited and brought some boxes filled with some of my old stuff.  It was a pretty surreal moment to be going through my old books and thinking that these might actually be read by my daughter one day.  I'm not going to lie, I got a little teary eyed.  Then today we were speaking to some friends and Luke remembered that he had some of his childhood dominos in a drawer.  When he showed them to me we found the onsie that he was brought home from the hospital in.  When Sandi first gave that to us I was a little heartbroken because I was convinced that we'd never have children. (yes I'm prone to be a bit dramatic at times)
I love that each little step toward adoption and each little moment of revelation that there is hope for a child at the end of this points me back to my Savior; His changes in my life and His love for me.

Giving Platform Decided

Hello Friends! 

We have made it back safely from the UK and have hit the ground running in regards to the adoption world.  Our latest efforts have been in the fundraising relm.
after much research we have decided to use YouCarring.com as our platform.  Basically, this was the website that will end up passing the largest amount of the raised funds through to us.

If you are desiring to donate to bring our child home and have a PayPal account, please use your PayPal to make the donation as this will result in 100% of the donation coming through to us. If you use your credit card your donation will have to have 2.9% + $0.30 withheld for processing fees. The other sites that we researched withhold 5% or more.
I know some people might think that this is too much information to share, but I feel that you deserve to know the rationale behind the site we chose as well as why we're asking you to use PayPal if possible.
We want you to know that we appreciate your contribution toward our adoption whether it be prayer, emotional, financial, or anything else. 

We have had a few fundraising ideas (home décor & jewelry) from friends around us so if you prefer to buy an item rather than just donating funds please hold on, an update will be coming for you soon!

We love you all, please keep praying for our little one and his/her mother.

URL:  https://www.youcaring.com/luke-lynn-henderson-445032

Two in One Update

This was Luke's Monday update to the growth group:
 "I wanted to give everyone a quick report on the recent adoption agency meeting Lynn and I attended (this past weekend) in Charlotte. For the most part, the meeting was fine; we were not very thrilled with the way the meeting was structured (not the most organized), but we still were able to learn a little, and what we did learn encouraged us. In addition, we still feel very confident with our choice to go with this particular agency (answered prayer) and happy that we have completed this initial step of the process. As of right now, we are just waiting on the agency to let us know if our application has been accepted (we should know in the next week or so). Thank you for your prayers and the incredible support you have shown Us!!

 Lynn and Luke"

And on Monday afternoon:
 "Thank you all for your prayers.  We have been notified that we are approved to move forward with the process at CAS!  Praise the Lord!  We now get to move into the formal application process which consists of  lots more paperwork, some trainings, meetings, and the home study.
For those who have asked, we should have a better idea of fundraisers (and the giving platform) very soon.

We love you all.  Please joining us in praising our gracious Lord for the quick response!

Starting the adoption process

We have wanted to adopt for awhile now, but for various monetary and time reasons did not feel that it would be prudent at the time to adopt a child at that time.
So along with my job change to Nexus Global last October came an actual home life.  I no longer have to drive over an hour each way and I don't have any mandatory overtime, so early in 2015 Luke and I began to talk about the possibility of moving forward with the adoption process. 
We have been praying about it for a couple of years, and this past spring we began to research agencies and attend their informational meetings.
The Lord also lead us to change churches (for many reasons that I'm not going to get into here) with this change came a new small group.  One of the couples in the small group connected us with their friends who had just completed an adoption in North Carolina within the last 6 months.  We met with them and they were so helpful with many aspects of the VERY daunting process that is adoption.

We have decided after much prayer and research that (for this child) we are going to pursue domestic adoption.  We don't have any gender or race preference.  We are not limiting ourselves to open or closed adoption, but are hoping that the birth mother/family chooses an open or semi-open adoption.  We'd love the opportunity to use this difficult situation to be a ministry to her/them.

We have completed our preliminary application (roughly 15 documents) with an agency called Christian Adoption Services.  Their main office is about 3 hours from us outside of Charlotte.  Thursday 9/10 we will be attending their informational meeting at 7pm.  We should be hearing back from them in roughly a week as to whether or not we have been accepted to proceed in their program.  If we are approved, we will need to submit the formal application and the first and smallest of many fees.

There are many things that we don't know at this point about the process in general as well as what is provided by selecting this agency.  Unless something crazy comes up in the meeting tomorrow we will be trying to proceed with CAS.  We are super excited to get this show on the road as we hear the average time frame for placement is 15 months after the home study is complete (roughly 18 months from today)!

Our growth group had a prayer time last night for us and for this process that we are beginning.  We have never had anyone do something like that before.  We are just unbelievably humbled that so many people (both those that could make it AND those that could not physically join us) care enough to take the time to join us in praying.  I was just amazed by the love of the body of Christ that has surrounded us both from our new IDC family, from our RCCC family, from our various friends & family back in Texas, and from our biological family members.  We are so undeserving, but desire to be vessels of our God's perfect grace and love.  We hope to one day have a child to teach the truth of how the God of the universe reached down and adopted us into His family.
During the prayer time we were asked to provide 5 specific requests that could be lifted up for us, so I've provided them here in case you'd like to join us in prayer. 

Prayer Requests:
1. That each of would have a peace concerning the particular agency we are using. And that our application would be accepted.
2. Knowledge (good understanding) about the actual agency, the overall process, and the immediate tasks we need to fulfill and about practical (realistic) ways to raise money quickly.
3. That we might be approved for grants.
4. That our emotional state would remain focused on the Lord and His will/ timing rather than our efforts and desires. And that we will not be discouraged by lengths of time and the piles of paperwork.
5. Health of our baby and his/her birth parents. We're praying that this experience would be a ministry to the birth parents that they might see God's love and provisions for His children through this picture of adoption. (Regardless of the level of contact they chose to maintain)

You have no idea how much your prayers, love, and support mean to us.  We have been overwhelmed by you all. 
Our God is great, and greatly to be praised!  I look back at the few postings I had in 2012 and remember the bitterness that I allowed myself to stay in so frequently.  He has done a great work to soften my heart!  I don't know that I will ever be able to fully explain the depth of the change.  That is more than enough.

Results

So, just to keep you guys in the loop.  My doctor had blood taken to run several tests. They all came back clear. 
Praise the Lord!  He did a big work in my heart the week that they took the blood.  I was at a place where I was wanting the doctors (mine or Luke's) to find something wrong so that we could get it fixed and be done with this season.  (It's kinda scary to think about this now.)  Through a series of fantastic conversations with Luke and some of the women that God has surrounded me with, He showed me that I'm still not letting go & trusting Him.  I ended up finishing that week with a statement to Luke: "I'm ready to not have an answer, to really let go and struggle well.  I don't want to take any of the fertility medications they mentioned, b/c I know I'd be doing it just to feel in control."
I feel like we took the medically responsible route, and that's the only part that I need to do. 

So, in case you haven't guessed yet, all of the tests came back at normal levels.  And now I can really say "Praise the Lord" and mean it!  Thank you my gracious God!!
Thank you all for your prayers!  We are truly blessed by you!

Struggles & God's Sweet Sweet Grace

Okay folks... so we just had our third year anniversary, and we're trying to start a new phase in the Henderson home. 
As most of you know, we've been trying to have a baby for about two years now.  "Why haven't you gotten tested yet?" you may ask...Well, that is a very loaded question.  I have personally been struggling with where the line is between trust/faith in God to provide and the wisdom/knowledge that He has blessed our doctors with.  (Now before you go any farther, I think you should know that this is an ongoing struggle.) 
What I can tell you is that our God has placed some fantastic women around me to pray, encourage, and feel for me without adding the common (but not very helpful) comments about how "it'll happen", "you're still young", & "you'll be next".  : \
I'm not really sure why I'm writing this, other than to reflect on a few of the things our God has revealed to me recently. 
1. Romans 8 - ...there is no condemnation... 
   The irrational guilt that I feel each month is a spiritual battle that I will need to fight.  I just realized this weekend that the guilt wasn't just a reaction that on a physical level I'm not providing my husband with what we both want so much.  Beyond that, I have been feeling as if this is a punishment for not staying in the word, and for the apathy that I've had in my relationship w/ Christ. 
   But today I was blessed with an amazing conversation w/ Luke about the freedom that we're provided through Christ & reminded of in Romans 8.  Even if in His grace He is using the lack of children to pull me closer to Him, that's NOT punishment it IS love!!  Praise God for this!!

2. We're moving forward with testing just to have some answers.  However, I do still struggle with the line between faith & medical assistance. (Only med. help in this case, not for all medical issues)  No surprise that it's a control issue.  I Like to be in control!  Because of this each step that we take as a family will continue to be slow, with lots of prayer and inspection of our (my) intentions.

3. Jealousy is another gigantic stumbling block for me right now.  I love kids, and am so thankful that we get to spend time w/ families around us.  Unfortunately, this doesn't lessen the small shoot of pain that I feel when I hear another announcement of pregnancy or see a fb update page of nothing but new baby pics on 95% of the feed. 

Basically, as we wait for test results we are praying for increased faith, trust, patience, healing, loose fisted-ness, & desire for more of HIM! 
We're praising & thanking for our support & the love that He's showing us through the community He has surrounded us with and for the conversations He has given us as a couple.  We grow so much closer and stronger in our marriage through these times.  And looking forward to great visits with family this summer and fall.

Please join us in praying for these things!  We love you guys!

Holy Cow

Well folks, it has officially been over a year since I posted ANYthing.  That means that probably nobody will read this.  Oh well.  If I had done a Christmas card for 2011 it would probably read something like this:

2011 has been a generally pleasant year.  We have kept busy between work, school, and friends.  We volunteer together on Sunday mornings in the 1 year old class, and enjoy our small goup/Sunday School time.  We also tried out our green thumbs with a raised veggie/fruit garden.  The strawberries and bell peppers were the best!

Lynn was promoted to Work Director of her team in Wells Fargo's Home Preservation Settlement team, and is thriving on the responsibility. It is a very transitory department, so her bosses rely heavily on her knowledge.  This fall she joined the church choir.  She loves the fellowship that worshiping together has fostered in this group!  She even got to sing a solo/duet in the Christmas Night of Worship program.  (See our very crude video/audio below)

Her beloved grandfather (Pop-Pop) passed away in September, but our Gracious God provided some sweet/healing family time as we all converged on Cape Coral, Florida for the services.  It is still difficult at times.  Thankfully we have the confort of knowing that he is with the Lord, as well as the peace that He provides as The great Comforter. 
We're looking forward to the arrival of her first (on her side of the family) nephew, Rivers, in January!

Luke's classes have gone very well, he's loving all the philosopy classes.  It's loking like his graduation will happen in December 2012.  He is still planing to pursue his Doctorate in Philosophy (with the end goal of teaching along the lines of philosphy/logic/metaphysics).  We had a great time at Frontier Camp in East Texas this summer as he spoke to Teen Week A about the book of James.  We love getting to connect with the campers, staff, and (our favorite) the other Hendersons!  We were able to meet his newest niece Sarah in her first few weeks of life!  (She followed in the other niece's footsteps and fell instantly in love with her Uncle Luke...that man has a gift!)
He continues to earn the title of  "Best Husband Ever" as he juggles the delicate balance of school/work/ministry/husband & home.  He spoils Lynn nonstop by surprising her with a clean home & cooked supper on her return from work a few nights each week!

We are praising the Lord for his presence, love, protection, and blessings in 2011!