Precious Bundle of Joy -- Rebekah (conclusion)

"Every generous act of giving and every perfect gift is from above and comes from the Father who made the heavenly lights, in whom there is no inconsistency or shifting shadow."  James 1:17     

     As we awaited news of our impending adoption from the Lighthouse, Rick and I busily steered our family through the daily grind of living.  Jeremy was still actively receiving therapy for his developmental disabilities while Megan had successfully integrated into second grade. 

     Summer was soon upon us.  As our family made plans to vacation in Colorado, Rick and I waited expectantly for an assigned social worker to complete the second half of our home study.  It had been almost two months since we'd sent our $500 check to retain a lawyer.  As the summer progressed and our vacation loomed closer I grew concerned that we would be traveling when our baby-to-be was born and we'd not completed our home study, yet.   So I left a voice mail to let the Lighthouse know that we would be gone for ten days in July.  Two days later our social worker came over to finish our home study and began telling us about a newborn baby girl who had been born just two days earlier. According to Phyllis, the birth mother had chosen us to be her baby's adoptive family.  Because of my earlier phone message to the Lighthouse, Phyllis was told to share the exciting news of Rebekah's birth with us before we left town! We were, then, informed that we would be allowed to see the baby before leaving for vacation.   We were elated.

     With great excitement our family drove to see Rebekah for the very first time!  Megan was beside herself with great anticipation!   As we drove through the streets of southern Kansas City I thought of how our lives would change in just a few weeks.  We continued to pray for God's affirmation that this little baby was to be the little one chosen by God for us.

     As we climbed out of our mini-van I remember gazing down the street only to see a tall man leisurely walking his dog along the sidewalk.  Reaching in to remove Jeremy from his car seat, I looked once more and could scarcely believe my eyes!  The tall man was the very same friend who'd originally told us of God's plan to bless us with another child!  God was clearly affirming to us that this child was God’s chosen baby for us!  As we exchanged pleasantries and shared surprise to be standing together outside the foster family's home, I snapped a picture of our friend and his dog.  It rests in Rebekah's baby book to this day.  

     Our family left for Colorado soon thereafter.  Besides riding horses, walking through the mountain meadows and eating BBQ, Rick and I spent a lot of time discussing the planned arrival of our third child.  My family stood in amazement to think that God would bless us with little Rebekah!  Thanking Him for His goodness and mercy, we excitedly began planning for our  new baby’s arrival.  Eager to return home, we drove straight home to Kansas with very few stops. 

     Rebekah was required by law to stay with a Lighthouse foster family for the interim before our first court date.  During this time we learned that our birth mother had become a committed Christian while staying at the Lighthouse and had decided upon our family with firm resolve that we were perfect for her darling baby.  (Our family had prayed specifically for this to happen.)
    
     As Rebekah's foster family, the Norbergs were a lovely family.  We would stay in touch with them throughout the years.  This family has continued to pray for Rebekah and their daughter, Kathleen, introduced her to the world of classical dancing.  The two of them enjoy a casual, easy-going relationship – both are very creative and bright -- and still share a passion for dance. 

     At fifteen Rebekah is a stunningly beautiful teenager.  She has brought much joy and laughter into our family!  Rebekah is a beautiful dancer with boundless energy and an infectious optimism.  She has been a joyful additional to our family – and we are so grateful to God for His bountiful gift to us.

Precious Bundle of Joy - Rebekah's Adoption Story (Part 2)

     "For You created my innermost being; You knit me together in my mother's womb."  Psalm 139:13

     As a family we began praying earnestly for our expected wee one.  No one knew when, how or what fashion God would deliver this precious bundle of joy, but we believed with all our hearts that a plan for adoption was in our future. 

     Several months passed.  I was busy driving Jeremy to and from his developmental preschool while still recovering from breast cancer.  Megan was now in school full-time which made my life a little simpler.  Still I tired easily and worked to ease the mental pain from having had cancer.  The thought of adding another child to our family was both exhilarating and scary.  We wrestled with the usual worries of any soon-to-be parents. 

     As the fall season gave way to winter I began to experience the blues typical for those in need of sunshine. Christmas was a reminder of past difficult times for me, including my abortion and then, diagnosis of cancer.  I looked for outside activities to keep me engaged and less focused on myself and planned outings with friends as often as possible.

     Then on one chilly morning in November Rick attended a businessmen and women's breakfast.  The guest speaker was someone from the Lighthouse, a Catholic home for unwed mothers.  As the speaker told about the Lighthouse's mission for the Kansas City community, Rick later said that his skin on the back of his neck started to prickle and that he was overcome with the urge to speak personally to this woman.   From talking with the speaker Rick learned that the Lighthouse was looking for women in the KC community to volunteer time towards helping the many young women living in their facility.  Rick excitedly told me about his encounter while encouraging me to volunteer at the Lighthouse.  I wasn't too sure; I was already busy enough.

     Soon thereafter a dear friend of mine, with whom I'd shared our secret, excitedly called to tell Rick and me about her sister who was adopting a child through the Lighthouse. Imagine how excited we were when Laura shared,  "You know, Kathy, my sister tells me that there are several children to be born this summer, and the Lighthouse is looking for adoptive families to help place these babies when they're born."  Maybe it was time to contact the Lighthouse after all.

     After speaking with the Lighthouse's volunteer coordinator I agreed to share my heart during one of their chapel times.  I wanted to encourage these women as they walked forward in life -- unwed and pregnant.  The best time for me to volunteer, I was told, would be in mid-January of the coming year.  So I waited and did my best to move through the holiday season.

     January finally arrived and I led chapel time one Sunday afternoon.  Afterward I noticed one young woman walking by who didn't look pregnant and I remember wondering about that.  She turned to me, saying,  "Thanks for speaking to us today.  I enjoyed hearing your story."  That was it.  Rick and I believe this young woman to be Rebekah's birth mother.  Arriving at the KC Lighthouse just weeks earlier --Krista* was about three months pregnant making Rebekah's probable conception date around the middle of October.  (Remember, Rick had begun journaling about the need for our family to begin praying for our new baby and for the birth mother in mid-October.)

     After much prayer, Rick and I officially moved forward with a plan for adoption through the Lighthouse.

     I wish I could say the process was easy, but it was not always so.  We had many forms to fill out, pictures of our family to be taken, home studies to be completed by a social worker and money to be paid for lawyers.   After the initial rounds of application for adoption papers were filed in early March, we waited for a letter of acceptance from the Lighthouse.  My mind wrestled with doubts.  Amazingly we received our acceptance letter just a week or two later.

     We were then required to complete more legal forms which included the hiring of a lawyer to help move the process of adoption along.  At that time retaining a lawyer for adoptions cost $500 which seemed like a HUGE sum of money for us at the time.  And frankly, we didn't have it.  Rick had only recently started his own business and I wanted to stay at home with our children.  I brazenly threw the paper-clipped papers onto our dining room table and saying aloud,  "Okay, God.  If you want us to move forward, You will need to give us $500 --- and make sure we know it's for this adoption."  I just couldn't see how we would be able to move forward any other way.

     A few days later a friend of ours visited Rick at his office.  Rick and he talked for awhile, then handed Rick a sealed envelope before leaving.  To Rick's utter amazement he found a check for $500 in that envelope!  Again, we were overwhelmed with the perfect timing of God's provisions!

     Clearly God was providing us with everything we would need to move forward with this adoption.  We filed our last set of papers, along with a $500 check, and waited for our next communication with the Lighthouse.  It was now mid-April 1997.  We wouldn't hear from anyone until the middle of summer.  And then the process would begin to move along more quickly.  Our precious newborn baby was being nurtured and prayed over by the many volunteers at the Lighthouse as well as by our family.  And we waited.



    

    

Precious Bundle of Joy - Rebekah (Part 1)

(Permission given by Rebekah to share this story with you .)
     When we first laid eyes on precious Rebekah she was just a few days old.  Nestled in the crook of my arms, this adorable tiny baby snuggled into my chest.  What a pretty little baby she was!  Beautiful brown skin and a little tuft of hair held together with a tiny pink bow.  Rebekah was just lovely to gaze upon.

     Rebekah's adoption story is special -- as are all children who are adopted.  This youngest daughter of ours is now 15 years old and has given me permission to share her story.  I hope you are as amazed as we were as we watched this story unfold!  In June 1996, just two months since I'd finished my last round of chemotherapy for breast cancer --

      One evening Rick and I reflected upon our lives together.  We both remembered regretting the inability to have a third child.   After Jeremy's birth I had surgery to prevent another pregnancy.  In retrospect we wished we'd not carried through with this plan, but also acknowledged the fact that another pregnancy would have caused my cancer cells to grow even more quickly. 

      On this particular night Rick and I stayed awake talking together for awhile.  Eventually I fell to sleep but Rick stayed up long enough to send a short prayer to God,  "If you ever see fit to bless us with a third child, we were be very grateful."  Rick didn't share this prayer with me for a long time.

     A few weeks later Rick was having lunch with a friend from our church.  During this time Paul* asked an unusual question,  "Are you and Kathy thinking about adopting a child?"  A little taken back Rick said that we weren't and asked "why" he asked this odd question.  Our friend cautiously replied,  "Because God has given me a vision," and then, proceeded to share the details with Rick.  "I saw the whole family gathered around Kathy as she held a newborn baby.  Everyone was sitting or standing around the sofa in your living room.  I couldn't see if the baby was a boy or a girl, but it was a newborn and everyone was very excited to welcome this little one into your family."

      Later when Rick shared this conversation with me I was stunned.  I'd recently finished chemotherapy and our son was struggling with autism. It seemed impossible for any judge to grant us custody of another child!?  After all, how long would I live given the possibility of cancer recurrence?  And how much attention could I offer a newborn baby with an autistic child to deal with. 

     After some discussion we decided not to do anything -- in fact, I thought the whole idea sort of silly.  Life went on as usual.  Then a couple months later Paul called Rick once more to say,  "This morning I was praying and believe God wants you to hear, again, that you and Kathy ARE going to be blessed with another child within a year.  I believe that God wants you and Kathy to prepare for this gift by praying for and expect the arrival of this special baby."   As you can imagine, we were astounded by this man's words.  

       With nothing to lose we began praying earnestly for this special little baby who might someday enter our home.  Neither of us were totally confident that these visions were Truth, but thought  prayers could only help move the process along if God was truly planning to bless us with another little one. 

        Then one chilly, but awesome morning in October Rick shared with me a journal entry he'd written just days before.  On that particular morning he had written,  "I believe God is nudging us to begin praying for our new baby to come and her birth mother.  I believe we are to pray that this birth mother come to know God and that her newborn child would be protected throughout this pregnancy."  Rick journaled this in October -- something important to remember.

       With renewed strength and courage we began praying together for God's will to be done.  We were careful to pray only for God's will and for guidance.   Rick and I agreed to only a few others which didn't seem to include members of our own families.  It was an exciting time --  a journey that would have many peaks & valleys.  It was to be an awesome story for Rebekah to learn about as she grew up.  She would learn just how much God loves His children -- even children who are special because of their adoption.

"Delight yourself in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.  Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass."  Psalm 34: 4, 7    

* Name Changed To Protect The Identity of Our Friend