March 3, 2014

Making Room, Part Deux

cont. from Making Room



After countless night of debating the room placement, John proposed an idea. It was the LAST place on earth I wanted, but I instantly knew it was our only option:

He suggested cutting our family room in half{almost}, by installing 2 walls to close off the area by my yellow wallpaper.

Now. You must know something. When we were looking for our first home 11 years ago, the main reason I selected this floor plan was because I liked the open family room.

Another thing. I dislike walls. My dream home would consist of a gritty old warehouse with zero walls. With a few bedrooms lined up in back, ha.

And now John wanted to cut our family room almost in half? And add...walls? Ack! Unthinkable.

That night I went to bed feeling very unsettled, my thoughts boomerang-ing all over the place. In all of this, God was working. You see, He saw something that I didn't--that I was holding on too tight to my earthly possessions. And that night, my eyes were opened to the truth. People everywhere have MUCH smaller houses than I do. How could I be so spoiled? Blerg. Stupid materialism. I didn't want to be like that anymore.

You could say I had a total change of heart that night. I was ready to get on board with John's idea.  John was giving me the GREEN LIGHT to add a room so we could adopt...I'd be crazy not to take his offer and RUN with it.

And I knew the second I saw the child, any room debates would seem ridiculous in comparison. Kid trumps house a million times over.

I fell asleep with a huge smile on my face. I woke up the next morning, in shock over my decision. But for the life of me, I could not wipe that smile off my face.

I was discussing this with my neighbor Patty and she said "We weren't mean to be deep oaks planted here on earth, but rather tumbleweeds, blowing here and there scattering seeds of the gospel. And using our homes as a tool to bless others". Wise words.

The next few weeks were a flurry of calls to prospective builders. Excitement was in the air!

Until I got my first formal estimate.

It was thousands more than anticipated. Like quadruple the amount I expected. It felt like a punch to the gut. I wanted to cry.

When I told John, he sighed "Well, it will take us a while to save up for that!"

"Can't we take out a loan?", I pleaded.

But John just wasn't comfortable with borrowing such a large amount.

A few weeks later, I decided to get another estimate. My friend Carrie recommended her builder, Jeremy Gustafson--the man who changed everything.

It was December. I was sipping cider at small group when my cell phone rang, with Jeremy's estimate. It was less than half the price of the first estimate, praise the Lord! We were back in business! Best.Christmas.Ever.

Construction began early February. In 2 weeks, my house went from this


to this


to this




to this








I thought I would feel completely claustrophobic once the drywall went up but...surprise...I kind of like it! Jeremy was MOST awesome. He always stayed after to make sure each job was done just right and that everything was clean and tidy. Plus he was super sweet and kind, especially to my wild boys running around.

We are all excited about the new room (Blue couch is not staying here).




There is another door to exit to the bathroom.


But I realize that to the adopted child, this room is just an insignificant consolation prize. This child will have gone through so much loss to have gotten here. Loss of parents. Their culture. Extended family. Familiarity. Everything. I picture Twain standing forlornly with his blankie(or any of my boys) in this position and feel sick.

One night before bed, John urgently told me "We need to be praying for this child. It could be out there, somewhere". And then he prayed the sweetest prayer and tears rolled down my cheeks onto my pillow. His prayer showed me he was really invested.

Kiononia told us, "You are signing up for heartbreak. We expect you to get attached". During the "foster phase", the child can be returned to their birth parents.

Despite this I can't help but feel optimistic. It's just my nature. I know it will be hard but I'm hoping that in the end, we will hold in our arms the child God picked for us.

 p.s. Next week someone from Koinonia is coming for my first home inspection! Eeek!

25 comments:

  1. oh davi. i'm crying. i just read both posts. i'm so excited, proud, and overJOYED to watch you guys make room in your heart, and your home, for "the least of these"..... you're doing KINGDOM work, and with tears, i smile as I imagine you standing before our heavenly Father hearing, WELL DONE, MY GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT. oh davi. i love you.

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  2. you are sweet to say those things about me, but I don't feel the least noble...I feel like I'd be the lucky privileged one if this all works out! love you!

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  3. I love reading this! It looks amazing. I still remember that lovely conversation sitting in bible study all those months ago. I am so happy with how everything worked out. I can't wait to watch and see who God has planned for your family!

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    1. Well I have you to thank personally! God is good!

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  4. Such beautiful words from such an incredible heart. So happy for you guys! You are taking a bold step and I look forward with anticipation to how God will use your willingness to expand your heart and home. <3

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  5. This is so beautiful. I'm so excited to hear more about your brave journey!

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  6. Such exciting stuff. I cannot wait to meet my new little family member. And the room looks beautiful. Its perfecto. Happy :)

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  7. Wow. You are amazing people. I can't help but admire you and your family. And how awesome did that room turn out? You still have an open layout!

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  8. i just love your family and of course we haven't even met!! but i love your love for God and just love how you live. this is so exciting and can't wait to be here watching, supporting, cheering you all on in this new adventure.

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  9. I love your house!! We just bought our first home/apartment and I would love it to have your combo of airy but cozy:) (and I would love to fill the two spare rooms with little people:) So excited what a beautiful room and I'm sure it will make a little one feel very welcome! The thing I love about adoption is how it reflects our relationship with Christ and even marriage, we chose to love God and became his children, the love was a choice, and the same with getting married- the love for my husband is a choice and we became a family. When you adopt you choose to love that child, you choose to let them become part of you even though they don't come from you:)

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  10. That looks wonderful! He did a great job and I think the room adds to the space. It's wonderful what you're doing!

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  11. what a truly beautiful transformation of not just your home, but your heart.
    God is moving - and when He moves - mountains move. <3

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  12. This is so exciting! Praying for you all as you embark on this amazing journey!

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  13. You may be "signing up for heartbreak", but I KNOW that even if you foster a child for only a period of time, there is NO WAY that child can not be impacted {positively!} by any amount of time they get to spend in your home.

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  14. How exciting! We are almost in the EXACT same boat! My my mom and dad were just certified as foster parents December. The process took over a year and now we have a foster baby girl who is 6 months old. She is soooo adorable and cute. We got her the day my family was "certified". Shes been with us for 12 weeks now and my parents have been "highly"considering adding on a wall to their current master bedroom. It's kind of like your story. We have the space, it's just the matter of getting estimates and actually building on a wall to transform it into a bedroom. We technically don't need a bedroom for our foster babies because you only need a room for kids who are 1+, but since shes just a baby, she sleeps in a crib that's kinda in a "family room" of their bedroom, but with a wall it could easily be transformed into a bedroom. People always ask my parents if they are going to adopt her, but it's almost completely unpractical (they would be 80 when she was just beginning college) and that's not 100% fair to her. It's just one of those things that's up in the air, but if they could keep her forever, they would love to. Heck, my mom is already attached, she tells me she just doesn't think she can give her up and will have to adopt her until either me or my sister get married and then we can adopt the baby from my mom... but we will see lol. Very very wishful thinking on her part but like you said, whatever is God's will is what will ultimately play out in the end. =) Can't wait to hear more about your journey.

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  15. Oh Davi! I love your heart and excitement for this wild journey that you are embarking. The room looks fantastic! I think the house still looks open and airy! I can't wait to hear how the home visit goes!

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  16. My family and I have been in the same boat before. God is going to work it all out for you and your precious family. I can't wait to hear what God does in y'all's life in the coming months!

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  17. Love love love it! So excited for your cute family!

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  18. Ah, tears just rolled down my cheek. I am so hopeful for you and this precious child. Xoxoxoxoxox. A thousands hugs and blessings your way!!!

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  19. This is so exciting!! I am so happy for you guys! Will keep your family in my prayers throughout this process :)

    I've been blog lazy for awhile so I hadn't seen all these pictures - looks awesome!

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  20. Awesome! Love reading about it all- the things you are doing to prepare are amazing.. so inspiring friend!

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  21. awwwwwwww. come on! im a nobody in texas but I loved following you blog! you are so inspiring! please post soon!

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  22. Davi, I just stumbled upon your blog accidentally while looking for another blog of a Facebook acquaintance. And I LOVE it! Your space is such a breath of fresh air in the noisy internet world. Keep it up! You're going places! Blessings to you and your adorable family. I know we want to keep up with you on your fostering journey! ..And your sense of decor is...amazing. I have never had any, and I am goggle-eyed!

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  23. Great article this is very informative .......keep posting Thanks Regards
    roman blinds abu dhabi

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