Monday, December 5, 2011

Guest Blogger: Sarah Fitzpatrick

I'm so excited to introduce my friend Sarah to you!
She is funny, real and down to earth.
Her blog makes me laugh and challenges me to be more like Jesus.

She is the momma of 4 little ones and is in the process of adopting a baby to add to the bunch.
I asked Sarah if she could share some of her adoption journey with us because, well...Aaron and I have thought a lot about adoption and I know a bunch of other people who have too
but Sarah and her family
And I think that's cool. and inspiring.

Here's Sarah :)


Word is out that we are expanding the FitzFam once again!! This time by way of adoption, which is so unbelievable that we're here - doing this - for real.

Where do I begin?

After we had Addison we wanted to adopt but (BUT GOD) I found out I was pregnant with Troy. After Troy we wanted to adopt but (BUT GOD) I found out I was pregnant with Mia. This time around I've pretty much been whispering "adoption" in fear of getting pregnant again. But (BUT GOD) here we are, adopting, and I'm not pregnant.

I was all about international, really it's all I knew. My friends who've adopted have gone overseas, and I had huge fears wrapped up in doing a domestic adoption and having a birth mother to contend with. For some reason I thought for over seas adoptions - out of sight out of mind. (Clearly a naive and immature rationale.) But (BUT GOD) my mind was slowly changed and my heart grew softer and softer and all of the sudden domestic didn't seem crazy and fostering became, dare I say it?, beautiful.

Mark and I attended a meeting for people with hearts for orphan care on September 13th. (This is open to everyone! Next meeting is in January.) In the car on the way home we both said we should look into fost/adopt. Nothing magical was said at the meeting. Nothing specific happened, but (BUT GOD) at some point God spoke to both of us and confirmed this is what he wanted for us.

There have only been a few times in my walk with the Lord that I have felt I am exactly where he wants me to be, doing what he wants me to do. This is one of those times.

That night we got online and researched Olive Crest. We sent in the pre-application to find out more information and a week later received the Main Application in the mail. Two weeks after that we had our first in-home meeting that basically laid out all of the intricacies of Olive Crest fost/adopt program and we signed a commitment letter stating we are in this for realsies. They don't want to waste their time if many man hours of training and interviewing later we decide it's just not really for us.

This is really for us. For realsies.

Today we had our homestudy. It was basically a three hour marriage and family assessment. I think everyone should have a homestudy done! I love answering questions about my marriage and family! At one point - when I was struggling to find serious faults in Mark - Mark pointed out that I would've had no problem finding a plethora of faults a year ago. One year ago, in the thick of him working an insane amount of hours and me being in a new house with four very little children, we would've answered a lot of the questions very differently than we did today.

"And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. BUT GOD, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:1-10

But God walked through the thick of it with us. He saw us tired and weak and knew it wasn't time. Then he moved us. And he reduced our stuff and increased our trust. I looked at our kids and was filled with a lovely fullness, but God said there is room for more.

I was a sinner, blind and lost, but God said he had room for more, and adopted me.

It is our joy to love sacrificially in the name of Jesus who so greatly sacrificed for us.

What are the "But God"'s in your life?

9 comments:

CA Skellys said...

We have our first in-home meeting Friday! Super exciting to watch my husband and I have the same thoughts throughout the process and our timing on each step has been the same - wow God!

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Unknown said...

Hi Sarah! Happy to read about you and you looking so cute in image. Since I am academic writer. At Secure Assignment Help I am work with best team of nursing writers and their one of my best friend is same as Sarah like cute and funny. I like your post.

Unknown said...

Congratulation to your friend and thanks for introducing such a good personality with us who is down to earth. As you said she is cute and here blogs will make us laugh so I just wanted that can you give the permission of reading her blog to my students who are taking dissertation writing help from me as I am also freelance writer and providing academic writing help to students so they can focus on their other study related tasks and get high grades in final exams.

Unknown said...

Hey Sarah, you are looking beautiful and cute. After seen your pics, no one can believe that, you have 4 lit babies, they all are looking as you. Since I am a writer and provide coursework assignment help - http://www.eliteassignment.co.uk/coursework-writing-help/ at Elite assignment help in London. Thanks for sharing your personal information with us.

Unknown said...

Thanks for introducing such a funny and cute personality person with us. Since I am personal statement writer at http://www.personalstatementfolks.co.uk/. Also nice images with your four cute babies. As you said that her blogs will make us laugh so can you give the permission to read her blog?

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