In early January, I posted a couple of my more ambitious 2018 goals:  running a half marathon and writing a book (any book, any length, just a book, OKAY).

I left out the absolute most important goal I have for 2018.  Nine days ago, it was still a secret.  But today?  Today, it’s real.  It’s starting.  It’s time to share the news.

In 2018, we will begin the process of adopting from South Korea.

You probably have questions.  So do I.  Lots of questions.  I would give Jackson a run for his money with my amount of questions right now.

I want to answer all of them, and I’m sure in time, I will.

But today, I just wanted to celebrate.  I want to pray for my child and the woman who will carry him or her for 9 months before making the hardest decision of her life.  I want to pray for his or her foster family who will provide love and care and support for 1 to 2 years until I can bring my baby home.  I want to pray for my kids as God prepares their hearts for a new sibling.  I want to pray for my husband who is my complete partner and rock every single day.

I find myself saying the same prayer that’s been on my heart for a while now:  That God would make us oaks of righteousness, a planting for the display of the Lord’s splendor (Isaiah 61:3).

I believe wholeheartedly this is the next step in that process.  I’ve known for nearly a decade that God had put this longing in my heart for a child who would not begin in my own womb.

The story of our family so far is just incredible.  Every twist and turn and joyful squeal and heartbroken tear.  The whole thing has been written with such precision and beauty.  Every single time God shows us the next page, we are in awe of how each chapter was divinely guided to bring us here.  We are so grateful that our own doubts and mistakes have never separated us from God’s great love and plan for us.

So, I’d like to invite you to follow our story if you’d like.  I hope this blog encourages others who are considering adoption.  I hope it’s informative to those who don’t know much about it.  I hope the next curious mama who Googles “South korean adoption blogs” finds a resource and a friend here.

I hope I read back on this in 15 years and am blown away all over again by God’s goodness and faithfulness.  And I hope my child can see how loved and wanted he or she is through these words.