As I'm starting to fill out the paperwork for the home study, one of the biggest documents is the autobiography. 12 pages of questions about yourself; from where were you born, to how did you and your spouse meet, to what are your motivations for adopting, to how do you resolve conflicts with your children? As you move further along in the questionnaire the questions get "harder" and more personal. I'm only on page 1 question 4 and I'm already stumbling.
"Are your parents still living? If not, how old were you when they died?"
My answer: "My dad was killed in a motorcycle accident when I was sixteen years old."
This fact is not new to me; obviously. But, the fact that I have to physically write that down, makes me realize how hard it is that my dad is not here to see us take on such an exciting, challenging yet rewarding process. Gabriel and I are in fact taking on the same calling my parents did when they welcomed me and my brothers into their home. If it weren't for my dad coming home one day saying "Well, lets put down boy OR girl on the paperwork", I might not have ever had the privilege to become his daughter. They were planning on adopting another son, but something special happened that day, he was able to help a little lost girl find her mother, and because of that, his heart and mind was changed.
Thank you Lord for sending that little girl into his life at that exact moment. Thank you for allowing him to help her out and to place that possible desire for a daughter on his heart. Thank you Lord for my father and the amazing man he was for my family, all his students and the community. Even though he can't be here today to love on his grandchildren, I thank you Lord for placing him in my life and for all the wonderful memories that no matter what, can't be taken away from me.
~Susan
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Monday, February 25, 2013
The Beginning Of Our Journey
Since Gabriel and I got married we've talked about adoption; 9 years and 3 biological children later we have finally begun the process! This will be my first post about our journey!
A little back ground info...
When we lived in Delaware (our previous station) adoption was a subject that we had started to seriously talk about. Soon after doing some research and learning about a really neat agency (that we were excited to possibly use) called Bethany Christian Services we found out my husband was going to deploy for 4.5 months. Well, at that point the idea of adopting anytime in the near future went out the door. Completing a homestudy, taking care of 2 young children and a house while my husband was gone was not feasible.
After returning home from deployment we became pregnant with baby number 3 (along with quite a few other squadron couples; deployment babies are the best:) With this pregnancy we knew it would be a while before adopting would fit into our lives....
We then made the cross country move from Delaware to Alaska for our new assignment! Since moving here a year and a half ago we have talked about adopting on and off. It seemed like for 2-3 months we would research, talk, pray and attend meetings about adoption; then life would get busy, my husband would leave for training or go fly missions, kids would get sick, and I'd be engrossed in starting my photography business that adoption would once again take the back burner. Then a spark would bring up the conversation again and we would spend a few more months talking and contemplating this life altering decision. With so many avenues for adoption, the hardest decision is deciding which is best for your family, and where to start! I believe that this was the biggest reason why we had such a hard time getting the ball rolling. We just didn't know where to start. Foreign? Domestic? Agency? Private? Foster? Newborn? So many possibilities with really one outcome...to give a child a home, a family, love, security and to show them the unconditional love of Jesus.
Here are some Bible verses about adoption:
A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,
is God in his holy dwelling.
6 God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing;
but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.
~Psalms 68:5-6
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
~James 1:27
Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows.
~Isaiah 1:17
Defend the cause of orphans. I love that verse. If we won't fight for them, then who will? These innocent children didn't ask to be abandoned, abused or neglected; they are not unloveable or hopeless. Unfortunately they believe they are because of the situations they have been put through, because the people they were naturally supposed to rely on and trust let them down.
Since moving to Alaska it has really been on my heart that God has a specific child (or children) already picked for us and I believe we will be blessed with this child while living here. Now, we just have to do our part in obeying His will and get the ball rolling!
We have picked out a homestudy writer (someone who performs the homestudy, compiles all the paperwork and concludes whether or not we are suitable to adopt) and now the process begins! She has emailed us a lot of documents to start filling out and we will be going to Anchorage to be fingerprinted soon. Even though we are not technically fostering, because we want to adopt a legally free child out of foster care; we must also become foster care licensed. Once the homestudy is done we plan to submit it to all the Offices of Child Services in the state of Alaska...then, we wait. We have not ruled out infant adoption, but have decided to try this route first. With the infant adoption, we would need a homestudy done too, as that is still an option for us.
I know this is a calling for us. A special way we can make a difference in another person's life, forever. With my love for children, my husband's true compassion for others, and our love for Jesus, I know we can change the world; one child at a time!
Please pray for us during this time. We will need wisdom to prepare our own children, perseverance to get through the mountain of paperwork, assurance to push through the doubt and strength to make it through the wait. I look forward to keeping you all updated on our process, and am already excited for the day we can announce the newest member of our family to you!
I want to leave you with my new favorite song by Audio Adrenaline. Every child has a dream to belong and be loved....
Kings and Queens
Blessings,
~Susan
All posts related to our adoption journey will be under the adoption tag at the top of the page.
A little back ground info...
When we lived in Delaware (our previous station) adoption was a subject that we had started to seriously talk about. Soon after doing some research and learning about a really neat agency (that we were excited to possibly use) called Bethany Christian Services we found out my husband was going to deploy for 4.5 months. Well, at that point the idea of adopting anytime in the near future went out the door. Completing a homestudy, taking care of 2 young children and a house while my husband was gone was not feasible.
After returning home from deployment we became pregnant with baby number 3 (along with quite a few other squadron couples; deployment babies are the best:) With this pregnancy we knew it would be a while before adopting would fit into our lives....
We then made the cross country move from Delaware to Alaska for our new assignment! Since moving here a year and a half ago we have talked about adopting on and off. It seemed like for 2-3 months we would research, talk, pray and attend meetings about adoption; then life would get busy, my husband would leave for training or go fly missions, kids would get sick, and I'd be engrossed in starting my photography business that adoption would once again take the back burner. Then a spark would bring up the conversation again and we would spend a few more months talking and contemplating this life altering decision. With so many avenues for adoption, the hardest decision is deciding which is best for your family, and where to start! I believe that this was the biggest reason why we had such a hard time getting the ball rolling. We just didn't know where to start. Foreign? Domestic? Agency? Private? Foster? Newborn? So many possibilities with really one outcome...to give a child a home, a family, love, security and to show them the unconditional love of Jesus.
Here are some Bible verses about adoption:
A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,
is God in his holy dwelling.
6 God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing;
but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.
~Psalms 68:5-6
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
~James 1:27
Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows.
~Isaiah 1:17
Defend the cause of orphans. I love that verse. If we won't fight for them, then who will? These innocent children didn't ask to be abandoned, abused or neglected; they are not unloveable or hopeless. Unfortunately they believe they are because of the situations they have been put through, because the people they were naturally supposed to rely on and trust let them down.
Since moving to Alaska it has really been on my heart that God has a specific child (or children) already picked for us and I believe we will be blessed with this child while living here. Now, we just have to do our part in obeying His will and get the ball rolling!
We have picked out a homestudy writer (someone who performs the homestudy, compiles all the paperwork and concludes whether or not we are suitable to adopt) and now the process begins! She has emailed us a lot of documents to start filling out and we will be going to Anchorage to be fingerprinted soon. Even though we are not technically fostering, because we want to adopt a legally free child out of foster care; we must also become foster care licensed. Once the homestudy is done we plan to submit it to all the Offices of Child Services in the state of Alaska...then, we wait. We have not ruled out infant adoption, but have decided to try this route first. With the infant adoption, we would need a homestudy done too, as that is still an option for us.
I know this is a calling for us. A special way we can make a difference in another person's life, forever. With my love for children, my husband's true compassion for others, and our love for Jesus, I know we can change the world; one child at a time!
Please pray for us during this time. We will need wisdom to prepare our own children, perseverance to get through the mountain of paperwork, assurance to push through the doubt and strength to make it through the wait. I look forward to keeping you all updated on our process, and am already excited for the day we can announce the newest member of our family to you!
I want to leave you with my new favorite song by Audio Adrenaline. Every child has a dream to belong and be loved....
Kings and Queens
Blessings,
~Susan
All posts related to our adoption journey will be under the adoption tag at the top of the page.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Southwest OK Newborn Photographer | Baby B Session
Saturday I was able to photograph a sweet 6 day old baby girl. She loved to be held and had the biggest brown eyes! Even though she was born at 8 lbs, she seemed so tiny to me, probably because my youngest is now two and a half and not a baby anymore!
Here are some of her best photos!
Nothing like a soft squishy sweet newborn to put you in a good mood on a Tuesday! ;)
~Susan
Susan Wetlesen Photography
Susan Wetlesen Photography-Facebook
Here are some of her best photos!
Nothing like a soft squishy sweet newborn to put you in a good mood on a Tuesday! ;)
~Susan
Susan Wetlesen Photography
Susan Wetlesen Photography-Facebook
Susan
Wetlesen Photography specializes in newborn,
birth, family and lifestyle photography
in Southwest Oklahoma and surrounding areas including but not limited
to Lawton, Wichita Falls and Altus.
Monday, February 4, 2013
Yesterday At Church
Yesterday was an emotional day at church, and let's admit it, sometimes it just is.
Looking over and seeing/hearing my sweet 7 year old daughter sing "How Great Is Our God" was definitely a happy moment for this parent. :)
Then the pastor spoke about some loses we have recently experienced in our church. He explained as a reminder to the congregation that through Jesus' death, our death is not the end of the road. His death replaced ours, He accomplished His death so that we wouldn't have to experience death to the fullest. Yes, we leave our physical bodies, which are not perfect anyway. We have pain, hardships, we get our feelings hurt, we struggle with thoughts of inadequacy/self doubt, we feel lonely, we suffer from loosing those closest to us; we have physical pain from childbirth, accidents, sicknesses, or just growing older. But, because of the death that Christ suffered for us, we don't have to be scared or sad about our deaths. We get to leave all of these pains and troubles behind....
After communion we sang the song "It Is Well." I leaned over and whispered to my husband, "I can hear my Dad singing this." Even though it's been 12 years, I can still hear his deep voice belting out his favorite songs at church. Then the tears came. Christ suffered his death for MY dad. He encountered the worst death possible so MY dad could spend eternity with Him. What an awesome God we serve. Even when it's not always easy to see "why"something as happened, we have to step back and remember God knows the bigger picture and the ultimate plan is authored by Him. He suffered and died for MY father, MY brother, MY brother-in-law, MY friend's husband, MY friend's mother, MY friend's father...who in your life has He died for? The answer is clear and the answer is true, Christ died for everyone...He died for me and for YOU!
~Susan
You liked that rhyming sentence at the end, didn't you? :)
Looking over and seeing/hearing my sweet 7 year old daughter sing "How Great Is Our God" was definitely a happy moment for this parent. :)
Then the pastor spoke about some loses we have recently experienced in our church. He explained as a reminder to the congregation that through Jesus' death, our death is not the end of the road. His death replaced ours, He accomplished His death so that we wouldn't have to experience death to the fullest. Yes, we leave our physical bodies, which are not perfect anyway. We have pain, hardships, we get our feelings hurt, we struggle with thoughts of inadequacy/self doubt, we feel lonely, we suffer from loosing those closest to us; we have physical pain from childbirth, accidents, sicknesses, or just growing older. But, because of the death that Christ suffered for us, we don't have to be scared or sad about our deaths. We get to leave all of these pains and troubles behind....
After communion we sang the song "It Is Well." I leaned over and whispered to my husband, "I can hear my Dad singing this." Even though it's been 12 years, I can still hear his deep voice belting out his favorite songs at church. Then the tears came. Christ suffered his death for MY dad. He encountered the worst death possible so MY dad could spend eternity with Him. What an awesome God we serve. Even when it's not always easy to see "why"something as happened, we have to step back and remember God knows the bigger picture and the ultimate plan is authored by Him. He suffered and died for MY father, MY brother, MY brother-in-law, MY friend's husband, MY friend's mother, MY friend's father...who in your life has He died for? The answer is clear and the answer is true, Christ died for everyone...He died for me and for YOU!
~Susan
You liked that rhyming sentence at the end, didn't you? :)
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