Welcome to the world Jojo!

It was brought to my attention today, that I have not updated my blog since Jojo was born! There is SO MUCH to say. SO MANY details that God lined up perfectly to bring our family together. But, we are still in Texas, and I don't think I can process it all until we are all home and back to "normal". So for now, here are some pictures!!

On June 19th, we found out our baby was about to be born, so we packed up and headed to Texas!

At 7:22 pm on June 20th, Josiah Harrison Clark made his debut!

5 lbs 4 oz 18 1/4 inches long

And 48 hours later he was officially OURS!

Meeting his big brother, big sister and his Emmy....

He had to spend 2 weeks in the NICU nursery because he just couldn't seem to get the hang of breathing, swallowing and sucking all at the same time......

My sweet friend Tesney and her kids Clayton and Kirill drove all the way from Alabama to hang out with us!

And after a LONG 2 weeks, he got the hang of things and on July 5th we got to bring him to our Texas home!

We have had a GREAT time with our Texas family (Joey, Lisa, Ace & Archie) and feel so very blessed!

Lisa, and her kids Ace and Archie

Now we are just hanging out and waiting to be cleared to go home! Jojo has a check up tomorrow with the Pediatrician, and then once we get clearance to cross State lines with him we will be heading back HOME!

We CANNOT thank you enough for all of your prayers and support on this journey!



 Blessings from our family of FOUR!

{p.s. you can still donate to help us with our agency/court fees! see my previous blog post for the specifics}

Update! Oh my goodness....OH MY GOODNESS!!!!

• Aidan and Ella Mae's Super Awesomest Extraordinary Lemonade and Art Sale was a HUGE success! Never in my WILDEST dreams would I have thought my kids would come up with this idea, and God would bless us with OVER two THOUSAND dollars!

          It was truly a blessing {albeit a hot, sweaty, sunburned blessing} to spend the entire day in our front yard visiting with friends who came to support us. I was able to tell little snippets of our story to random neighbors I have never met. Some told their own adoption stories. One lady gave us $5 for some lemonade and a cookie and wished us well. A couple of hours later she walked back to our house, handed me $60 and simply said "I just felt led to give you more". Amazing.

• I am officially paperwork approved! Home study DONE. File with agency DONE. I CANNOT express to you how awesome this feels! Who says single people can't adopt!?!? : - )

• I applied for an adoption grant with Lifesong for Orphans through our church. I was told that the process usually takes about 10 weeks after your application is complete and they receive your home study. Since I did not have that much time, I really wasn't counting on it coming through in time .......BUT GOD! They called me last week and I am approved for the grant! So.....I need to raise about $1,000 more {in addition to what I have}and I will get the grant! WHAT A BLESSING.

• Some of you may know that I had not heard from my birth mom in about a month. Needless to say, this was STRESSING ME OUT. Big time. So many things that could go wrong and I have been a nervous wreck. BUT GOD....

          She called me today.

First time I have heard her voice. 

She had an appointment today, and little Jojo is looking a little on the small side. This is not a surprise to me since babies with Down syndrome are often born a little small. She is going to have an ultra sound in the morning, and if they think he is not getting any bigger they may go ahead and put her in the hospital tomorrow night.....and induce her THURSDAY MORNING.

Like as in day after tomorrow Thursday!

I simply feel gratitude right now. I have just been begging God to let me HEAR from her and TRUST Him with the rest. And, as always, He has proved Himself faithful!

So whether it goes down Thursday or in a couple more weeks, I can tell you this: My Jehovah-Jireh has GOT THIS.

• Speaking of my PROVIDER.....HE has shown off with this adoption. I mean seriously. All I need is a little over $1,000 and I am FUNDED. Done. WOW. So, if you had planned on pitching in and haven't done so yet NOW would be a great time! Details are below!

Aidan, Ella Mae and I cannot even fully express how grateful we are to all of you who have helped us out so far! We are at the finish line to bring Jojo HOME! We covet your prayers and appreciate you all so much!

Blessings!!!

jennymo, aidan, ella mae and soon to be jojo 

TO DONATE:

 {all donations previously made through Project Hopeful are still tax deductible and will still be used!}

1. Go to the Lifesong for Orphans donation page here. 
2. Fill in the required info (they won't spam you promise)
3. "Gift Preference" should be "Adoption Funding" and "Adoption Gift Preference" should be "Family Specific"
4. "Family Account #" is 3762 and "Family Name" is Clark

Individual donations of $250 or more and yearly donations totaling $250 or more will receive a tax-deductible receipt. Receipts for donations under $250 will gladly be sent upon request. Lifesong is a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization.

Oh boy! We have a name!

I got the call as I sat in carpool line on April 15th. The birth mom said "I choose Jenny, Aidan and Ella Mae to raise my baby". Shock. Tears. Joy.

The kids hopped in the car before the reality had even set in. Ella Mae opened the door and I screamed at her "She chose us! The birth mom chose US! We are getting a baby!!!!" She immediately started to happy cry. I love that she does that. Aidan was in shock and squealing with happiness.

Before we even got home, Ella Mae was staring out the window and said "we should name him Josiah". "Where did that name come from?" was my response. It was random. She said "I don't know....I think there is a kid at my school named Josiah".

The first thing I do with baby names is think of what sort of crazy nicknames kids could come up with at school to terrorize my child. I don't know why I do that...........

Josiah
Joe
Siah
Si
Jojo

Jojo.....the memories came back like a flood......and then God made it clear why this would be his name. 

This is a picture of my sweet friend Deb {the one I went to Africa with} holding Jojo. Jojo had Down syndrome and he was being cared for by our friends at Ekisa {the orphanage for children with special needs that Deb and I visited in December}. Unfortunately for us here on earth, Jesus took Jojo home to be with Him last year. {you can read a little tribute to Jojo here}.

I remember hearing about him. I remember wishing for a family for him. But, sometimes things just don't work out how we think they should on this earth.....and we must TRUST that God's plan is better than ours! 

So, in honor of Jojo, 

and so many like him 

who never had the chance 

to be in a family here on this earth, 

we will be naming our baby 

Josiah Harrison Clark....

and we will call him Jojo!

Josiah had already been agreed upon by the kids and I when I found out that the literal translation from the Hebrew is "Yahweh supports" or "Yahweh heals". Wow. I needed that affirmation! 

Harrison was my grandfathers middle name. I never had the opportunity to meet him because Jesus took him home when my mom was young. BUT, he and my grandmother CHOSE my mom. They adopted her. So we will honor them in this way.....amazing how things come full circle!

We have been so blessed already on this journey! There are a few random items that we still need but more than anything we need:

1. Prayers
2. Funds

As I have said before, I have NO DOUBT that GOD will provide every single dime we need to bring this little guy home. We would be honored if you would become part of our little family in this way! We have already raised almost 1/4 of the money we need and every little bit helps!!

If you would like to make a tax deductible donation to our adoption fund, we would be honored. Click here to go directly to paypal {if for some reason the link doesn't work, go to projecthopeful.org and click "matched families" under the "adopt" dropdown menu}. You can also make a check out to Project HOPEFUL and mail it to me at 6166 Eagle Point Circle Birmingham, AL  35242.

Blessings!

jennymo, Aidan and Ella Mae...and soon to be Jojo : - )

Now why this fear?

Now why this fear and unbelief?
Has not the Father put to grief
His spotless Son for us?
And will the righteous Judge of men
Condemn me for that debt of sin
Now canceled at the cross?

This song struck me to the core in worship on Sunday. I have to confess:

I. Am. Afraid.

I am a do-er. List maker. Give me things to do and I will get them did. But, now that most of my paperwork is done..... the room is ready......the necessities are all in place.....all that is left to do is wait. Wait on the Lord for the funds needed (which I have no doubt whatsoever that He will provide) and wait for the baby to be born. I am not a good wait-er.

Complete atonement You have made
And by Your death have fully paid
The debt Your people owe.
No wrath remains for us to face
We’re sheltered by Your saving grace
And sprinkled with Your blood

What if something happens to the baby? What if he is sick when he is born? What if he needs surgery? What if he has to stay in the hospital for an extended amount of time?

How sweet the sound of saving grace
How sweet the sound of saving grace
Christ died for me 

What if she changes her mind?

Be still my soul and know this peace
The merits of your great high priest
Have bought your liberty
Rely then on His precious blood
Don’t fear your banishment from God
Since Jesus sets you free 

The news is "out there" and soon his name will be announced. : - ) It is real. This is happening.

People see me and think I have it all together. I don't. People think adoption isn't hard. It is.

Because it is all about TRUST. Not trust in me or my abilities. Not trust in her. Not trust in my plans. Trust in MY FATHER who adopted me. Redeemed me. Purposed me for such a time as this. Lord, help me to trust YOU!

Jesus, all my trust is in Your blood
Jesus, You’ve rescued us
Through Your great love 

Please be praying for us while we wait!

jennymo

{If you want to donate to our adoption fund, you can make a tax deductible donation via Paypal here, or you are welcome to mail a check, made out to Project Hopeful to us at 6166 Eagle Point Circle Birmingham, AL  35242}

My review of the docmentary film STUCK....and who is to blame.

(I meant to write this post soon after seeing the STUCK premiere...however, April 15th happened to also be the day I got the call that a birth mom had chosen US! You can read all about that here if you like)

As I sat on the STUCK tour bus on April 15th speaking with Craig Juntunen (Executive Producer) I had the uncanny feeling that something was missing from this picture. And then like a wave it hit me.

I had made the incorrect assumption that any documentary film about children needing families would be motivated, at least to some degree, by a love for the Lord and a desire to be obedient to Him in caring for the orphan. But this was not the case. I quickly became aware that this movement sweeping the nation was very simply an effort to get the masses fired up about the politics behind International adoption, and get Washington's attention in hopes that the way things are would eventually turn into the way they think things should be.

I became increasingly uncomfortable throughout the 1 and 1/2 hour long film as each and every person on the screen opened their mouths and never, never, never, never did one person utter the words

Jesus
God
Church
Bible

I was uncomfortable, not because the film was inappropriate or entirely wrong, but because I felt as if I was watching someone else do my job....

.....and God was watching me watch someone else do my job.

Like a mother standing in a room watching while someone else comforts their crying child.
Like a father watching a stranger teaching his son how to ride a bike.

Like the Church, watching the world do our job. 

And we wonder why people call us hypocrites.

There are many issues with the way International adoptions work in this country. Do we need better oversight of our US adoption agencies. Oh yes. Do we need to improve the way the Hague Convention operates? Yep. Do children all over the world deserve to be in families rather than stuck in orphanages and institutions? Of course. But guess what friends? We can make legislation and perfect the process until we are all in happy agreement, but unless more Christian families STEP UP to ransom these children, what will be the point?

This is the part of the program where most Christians start to zone out with the "I am just not called" excuses. Let me just say this: We need more Christian families to step up for the orphan, but not every Christian family should adopt. If you give God the blank check with your life and your family and He doesn't lead you to adoption, then support someone He does lead. Same thing with International missions. You can either be a zealous go-er, a zealous sender, or disobedient (stole that from John Piper). Just DO SOMETHING.

We have many, many problems in this broken world friends. One of them is the millions of people who have not been reached with the Gospel. Another one is the people who have been reached, who claim Christ but only offer Him lip service instead of their lives.

50 years from now people will look back on today and they will think:

Adoption: Humane Society
Orphans: Brad & Angelina
AIDS: Bono
Poor: Government Welfare


What will they say the Church did?

What will they say you did?

Did you coast it out in your comfortable life, giving the bare minimum required to be able to keep your Christian club membership card? Did you warm a pew once a week and write a check, most of which will ultimately cycle back to serve you. Or, did you realize that your life is not your life at all. That we are here merely to bring Glory to our Father and serve Him alone while we are on this earth.

Ultimately, without the power of the Gospel this will simply be another movement. And, without Jesus himself coming back, nothing on this earth will truly ever be made right. We live in a fallen world and until He returns that will remain the case. But in the meantime, He left us with work to do.

And CHURCH, we are not doing our job.

I don't know how to put this but........it's kind of a big deal.

A BIRTH MOM CHOSE US!!! We are having a baby BOY!

This is our surprised face. Yes, I have dark circles under my eyes.

I am told her words were:

"I choose Jenny, Aidan and Ella Mae to raise my baby."

Wow. I am still very much in shock. 

What a wild ride it as been. When we started the adoption process we were hoping to bring home a 3 or 4 year old child with Down syndrome from China. God almost immediately showed me that He had different plans!

Soon after starting that process, we found out about a local newborn boy who had Down syndrome and might need a family. While seeking to serve in any way possible in that situation, God showed me that He wanted me to go through the process to become a licensed Foster Parent. I also felt His leading to register with the National Down Syndrome Adoption Network. I wanted to be obedient so I did it, but I would have NEVER imagined anything would come of it! Who would EVER choose a single mom out of the HUNDREDS of "whole" families in the network?!?!?

The local baby ended up being able to stay with his family, but I continued to follow through with what God said and completed the classes to become a Foster Parent. VERY soon after I finished, I got a call from the National Down Syndrome Adoption Network that a birth mom in Texas had chosen US!

This story started with a newborn boy with Down syndrome, and it looks like it will end with one…God's perfect plan in HIS perfect timing!

So what now?

Well, I have spent the last 10 ish days filling out a whole bunch of paperwork. On Monday I will do the first interview in my home study process.Once all of the paperwork is done, we just wait for the call that it is time for the little guy to be born, likely the end of  JUNE!

The birth mom originally wanted a closed adoption, but has since decided she wanted to have contact with me. Communicating with this mom has been by far THE most humbling experience of my LIFE. She does want us to be there when he comes, so we are just hustling to get all of our little ducks in a row to be ready by then!

What can you do to help?

I am so glad you asked :-) Obviously I have been moving full speed ahead in the Foster Care direction, so I have pretty much all the baby "stuff" I will need, but I have done NOTHING in the way of fundraising. Did I mention I am in shock? :-) So the main need we have right now is simply funds to pay for the process, agency fees, travel to Texas etc.

There are 2 ways you can pitch in:

We would be honored for you to be part of our FIG family!

1. You can make a tax deductible donation to our FIG (Family in the Gap) account via Project Hopeful. No amount is too small. We would be honored for you to be a part of bringing our little guy home!

2. Make a purchase from my Noonday show! I will be having an in person show with a few friends soon, but you can purchase online via this link:
http://www.tesneydavis.noondaycollection.com

Be sure to put my name in the Customer Note field (right under billing address).

I am admittedly a very, very, very cheap person....BUT...I LOVE Noonday. Purchasing and wearing something that you know allows another woman to keep her family together and provide for them. I think helping a mom to keep and feed her child is a really great reason to spend a little more than normal on a piece of jewelry....and it makes you feel really good when you wear it!


 Our passion at Noonday Collection is to connect you with the lives of artisans struggling for a better future while styling you along the way. Fashion and design are a vehicle for opportunity and change. You, too, can be a voice for the oppressed! Every Noonday Collection piece has a story behind it...a story of the artisan who makes it being provided with a pathway out of poverty and given an opportunity to provide for their family. Many of our pieces are named for the artisans and their children.At Noonday Collection, we also believe every child belongs in a family.

 

We also would love it if you would all pray for us! This is going to be an adventure to say the least, but it feels AMAZING to do this knowing that we are right in the center of God's will!

 

Blessings!!

 

Jenny, Aidan & Ella Mae

I just couldn't give them back. Thoughts on foster care.

"I would LOVE to do Foster Care, but I just don't think I could give them back."

If I had a nickel.

Imagine with me for a moment:

Imagine you and your husband (or boyfriend, or friend) are cooking in the kitchen. He spins around to put something in the sink and accidentally nails your child right in the eye with his elbow. Child falls backwards and hits her head on the corner of the cabinet. Ouchie. You take a trip to the ER. Child checks out fine, but a social worker has to talk to the family about the "incident" because it is protocol.

A few weeks later you are on your way home from work and you get pulled over. You have an expired tag ticket from years ago you forgot to pay. And you were speeding. Woops.

What if (we are imagining here...work with me), you get taken to jail. What if your husband (boyfriend, friend) is out of town on business. You have no family in town. Babysitter has to go home. Kids have no where to go DHR is called. 

I know this is a big stretch on normal events, but my point is very simple:

IF something happened to YOU and YOUR CHILD was placed in Foster Care for some crazy reason, whether it be for an hour, a day, or a week, who would you want to be caring for your child while you couldn't? 

AND......would you hope that they would be willing to give YOUR CHILD BACK?

Not one of us is immune to the effects of this fallen world. "But by the grace of God go I" is what keeps playing over and over in my head.

Giving a child back that has been in my care for a hour, much less a year or more..................... IS GOING TO BE HARD. 

But, when did we decide that God doesn't call us to do the hard? 

Quite the opposite if you look at scripture. To be Jesus to a child, whether it be for a day or a year or forever. The opportunity to pour love in to a child who has never experienced the love of Jesus. A child who may never again experience the loves Jesus. It is life changing stuff people. It can be eternity changing. Just think about that.

So then why doesn't the church do it?

Why don't you do it? 

It doesn't cost a dime to get started. You simply attend classes that will teach you more than you thought you could learn about Foster Care. Once you have completed the training you are not obligated to anything. You can move forward or decide to wait a while. You can do respite care for Foster families (a huge need). There are so many ways you can help. Contact Alabama Baptist Children's Homes to learn more.

The need is great and the CHURCH should be meeting it. We are not.

"It's too hard" is not a good excuse.

If God is tugging at your heart strings, I suggest you just take one tiny step toward Him....it may not be easy, but I promise it will be worth it!

Blessings,

jennymo