Open House

JD and I just finished our evite tonight inviting our ward and friends to a party to announce our hopes to adopt.  Our friend, Shelley, has offered to host the party, cater the food, put a tent up in her backyard, and welcome hoards of people into her home!  We are hoping for hoards of people to come. (I can't even express the gratitude that I feel for her!)

JD and I are going to have our pass-along cards on display and tell people how they can use them to help spread the word that we are hoping to adopt.  Having this party has pushed JD and I out of our comfort zone, but we know it is what we need to do.  We have been asked to be pro-active in searching for a birth mother -- and this is definitely one way to be pro-active!  The church subsidizes all adoptions through LDS Family Services through the welfare portion of the church, which is funded with fast offerings.  So, JD and I are now recipients of other people's generosity.  That is very humbling.  As partakers of this gift, we have been counseled to not just sit and wait to be chosen by a birth mother, but to put forth work and effort.  This will make the time pass by easier --  knowing that we are not just waiting, but doing something to move this along.  We also believe that we will be blessed as we do our part.   A very sweet spirit enters my heart when I think that I get to be apart of something so special -- adoption.  So... hopefully I can convey this to the ward that I just invited to our Open House.