Sunday Safari: Primary Polka Dots

I have been HORRIBLE with Sunday Safari. I am going to try and do it a little differently.  

I asked Lindsey here to write a guest post.  See how that works- I get off easy :)

In all seriousness I can't wait for you to read Lindsey's story- perfect for a Sunday!

Hey, ya'll! I am so excited to be featured as a guest blogger today for Katie! I have never been a guest blogger so it's a privilege to be here!

First, let me give a little background on myself. My name is Lindsay and I live with my husband in New Orleans, Louisiana. I am originally from a small town in Kentucky, but we moved to NOLA in July 2011 for my husband to pursue his degree in Youth Ministry from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. I taught 4th and 5th grade reading for 3 1/2 years in Kentucky and I LOVED IT! Since moving to NOLA, I have taught 5th and 6th grade reading and social studies, and now will be teaching 3rd grade reading. Needless to say, I LOVE teaching reading and all things ELA! It's truly a passion of mine! I have  most recently started a 3rd Grade Reading Blog called Primary Polka Dots to chronicle my teaching journey in reading!

Secondly, the reason I am here today as a guest blogger is to share about another exciting part of my life that doesn't involve the classroom. Last March of 2011, my husband and I felt that God was calling us to adopt. That was a very scary thing for both of us, since that was never a plan that we had set for ourselves. However, if you know God, then you know that His plans are always different than your plans. Through lots {and lots and lots} of prayer and seeking His wisdom, we felt called to adopt a sweet baby from Ethiopia. I have been blogging about our adoption journey since last year. Click {here} to read our testimony {in detail} of when and how God called us to adopt, and specifically from Ethiopia.

Most recently, on July 6th, 2012, we received the news that we had been longing for for so long. We finally made it to the wait list! For those of you that have adopted, you understand the excitement and hurdles you must jump to finally land on this coveted list. For those of you that have not adopted, let me just tell you, it's a lot more than flipping through a catalog, picking out a cute face, calling it yours and paying a few dollars to get that baby home! I can honestly say that God has called us to adopt, but He has also called us to be faithful to His promises along the way. Our newest numbers on the wait list are:

Basically, it means we are #113 in line for a boy from Ethiopia that is 0-4 years old, and #131 for a girl that is 0-4 years old from Ethiopia. There are so many factors that go into this wait list time, but we work closely with our agency {All God's Children, Inc.} to stay as informed as possible about these numbers. With this information, we can typically expect to wait anywhere from 18-24 months for a referral of a child. Then, we  must make two trips back and forth to Ethiopia within a 6-8 month time period before we bring our sweetums home for good {OH! What a day that will be!}.

So, with all that being said, my husband and I completely trust that God will continue to provide for this sweet baby in all ways; spiritually, physically, emotionally, and financially. To date, we have already paid {through fundraisers and out of pocket} close to $12,000. We have another $15,000 left to raise within this time frame that we wait for a referral. So far, no matter how many times I start to doubt, God always {and I mean always} provides the money that we need, whether $100 or $7,000 dollars {Isn't God good? I love watching Him work!}! 

Most of the financial support comes from my Teachers Pay Teachers store and Teacher's Notebook store. Combined, since January 2012, I have raised $2,400 dollars by selling my teacher's resources. I am SO thankful, and I know that God has blessed my husband and I to help us raise these funds!

If you would like to help to bring our baby home, please visit my Teachers Pay Teachers store by clicking this picture of Africa:

Click this picture to visit my Teachers Pay Teachers store

 Click on these pictures to download a copy of two of my most popular {FREEBIES} on TpT!

                                               

Click on this picture of Africa below to visit my Teacher's Notebook store:

Click this picture to visit my Teacher's Notebook store 

I am so thankful today to get to share a small portion of our adoption journey with you all! Please feel free to follow our adoption journey at Journey of Faith Adoption! We look forward to the day when we get to see our sweet baby's face and know that God has brought us down this path for a reason, and that reason is to share His love and to give Him glory for His mercy, faithfulness, and love towards His children, and the orphans of this world.

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you, and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future. 

Until then,