Speaking Engagement & Isaiah's Baby Dedication

Steve & I were invited to speak at South Peoria Baptist Church this past weekend about our adoption experience. We took the four girls with us since the boys had other activities they were already committed to. We started off with prayer in a side room with Pastor Hayes and a representative from Arizona Baptist Children's Services who was also going to speak.

We spoke at both services with the second service being quite a bit fuller than the first. The girls sat in with us and did great. They were a great testimony for the ministry of adoption. We had them go up with us so the people could put a name and face to the story my husband was about to tell. All five of us girls went and sat down while Steve told our story.

He did a fantastic job. We were also able to share a video that we had downloaded from the internet. We contacted the man who made it and he gave us his full blessing. I wasn't doing so well with the video I was trying to make. I was getting pics up but couldn't get the music to snyc with it. His was so much better anyways. This is the video we played.

After Steve was done talking Pastor Hayes called me up and asked me some questions. I wasn't ready for that! One of the questions he asked was what advice I could give other moms. Thinking from the adopted mom standpoint I told the ladies to put one foot in front of the other and do the next thing. If God had called them to adopt/mother then He would help you take the next step, the next hour. We are just called to obey. He'll help us!

The second service started and this is when Isaiah, our grandson, was getting dedicated. We went up on stage with Nathan & Sarah since we as Christian grandparents will be held accountable for his walk with the Lord also. We are to encourage his parents and him to help him know the Lord.  

When the dedication was over we spoke again and Steve did an even better job than the first time. He was such a natural you wouldn't know it was his first time speaking on adoption. We had several people come up to us and ask questions. One mom wanted to know how I did it all. She only had two and was overwhelmed (been there done that). She was older (so she thought) I was five years older than her when we adopted our youngest two and am now nine years older than her adopting a three year old.  I enouraged her to be open, be faithful, seek the Lord, and He would direct her as to building her family.

One of Nathan's friends was joking with Steve when he came off the stage that his wife must have slipped Steve $20 to say what he said about babies.  He told Steve that he threw him under the bus because all the excuses he uses with his wife on why it's not time to have children, Steve had just addressed. At the end of his talk he simply encouraged the couples not to wait to have children because children are a blessing. He told them that if they waited until their ducks were in a row, they would never be in a row. If they waited until they had enough money. They'd never have enough money and so on. I'm hoping that we stirred some hearts towards growing their family either through birth or adoption.

We ended the day off with a church bbq and visiting with the couple who was there for Arizona Baptist Children's Services and family and friends that had come for the dedication.