“He has made everything beautiful in it’s time”
Ecclesiastes 3:11
I don’t really know how to start this blog post. I’ve been putting it off all week because my heart hasn’t quite figured out how to put into words how it feels. I’ve spent the morning praying that the Spirit would lead me to the right words that would bring Him glory. So, bear with me. Here goes nothing.
We know who our son is.
We have his picture.
We have memorized his face, his big brown eyes and his amazingly “ready for a fro” hair.
We know his name.
God knows his name!
Our son, whom we have named Camp, is now real.
He’s alive.
he’s a precious precious child of the living God.
There are so many details that go into this story and many of them I cannot tell you yet. And how I wish I could show you his beautiful picture, but can’t do that either yet 🙁 or tell you his beautiful Ethiopian name.
But I can tell you that it was ALL God. He is funny, ya know? Laughing at all the plans we make in our heart. Stephen & I weren’t expecting to have a face to go with our sons name for another year +. We expected to get a phone call from our Gladney worker, Sara, telling us she has the information for us and then I would have called Stephen to come home & gotten to a computer. We would then pray & video tape our reactions and cry and call asked all of our friends to come over & call our families. Well….that is not how God planned the meeting of our son.
As to not go into too many confusing details – I’ll tell you that God put four really amazing women in my path over the past 2 weeks to tell me about this precious baby (whom they were advocating for through another agency). A few that I blew off for a few days (sorry girls). But God kept on, and after one very wise woman told me to “keep praying & God will give you peace to know what to do”. Honestly, I hadn’t been praying about it because it wasn’t part of MY plan. God wasn’t supposed to move us to a different agency! I prayed something like this, “God, does this baby not have a family because WE are his family?” Then He used another friend to affirm that prayer & accidentally show me a picture of the boy we now know as Camp! The first words out of Stephens mouth when I sent it to him was, “He looks JUST like me when I was a baby!” Phone calls were made, prayers were prayed, a whole page of questions were answered (after being in this for 16 months I had LOTS of questions), prayers were prayed over us, lots of money was given to us and ultimately we accepted the referral last Thursday afternoon!
There is so much more to tell, so many details I don’t ever want to forget but that is all I have for now. All I can say is God HAS made everything beautiful in it’s time. And His timing was perfect. Are you kidding with the Give1Save1 week? We were supposed to be the week before, but because I spent an extra week in Ethiopia, my friend Lauren graciously offered to switch with me. God knew. He knew THAT week specifically we actually needed the money. To accept a referral! It was all in His timing.
He has confirmed again and again through so many other little stories that this little boy was meant for OUR family. He is our son! We can’t wait to hold him, to love him, to give him a family! To introduce him to Jesus, to speak truth into his life and to be his earthly parents. Words can’t even describe!
What now? Well, since we changed to another agency, International Family Services, we are having to have our dossier sent back to us to add/remove parts and update our home study. We are trying to get these two things done in a very timely manner & would love your prayers! We are praying that we get submitted to court with a court date in JUNE! But you know….nothing in Africa moves quickly. so PRAY!!!
You can continue to shop Noonday: http://www.wynneelder.noondaycollection.com/
If you are in MIdland, and have items at home you want to get rid of, we are having another garage sale sometime in March! Feel free to call me & drop things off!
You can order a Camp shirt: I just ordered 75 more & would LOVE for them to find a home!
http://camptees.storenvy.com/ {and I might start pre-ordering for KIDS shirts…let me know if you are interested}
You can continue to donate if your heart so desires, but clicking on the “donate” button on the top right part of the blog. With moving agencies & having to re-do certain items, we still have about $6-7k to raise (mostly for travel!).
Mostly, you can PRAY!
- for Camp’s caretakers – that they will show him the same kind of great love & care that Christ gives us
- for his health – that the Lord would continue to protect him from sickness
- that he feels LOVED every single day and is HELD!!!
- for the paperwork process to be speedy & the courts in Ethiopia also 🙂
Seriously, so many of you have been a huge part of this story. We want to genuinely thank you for your support- spiritually, emotionally and financially. For your prayers, your encouraging out of the blue notes with checks in them, for giving up your Christmas to donate to Camps fund, for giving up your kids birthdays to support bringing Camp home, for de-cluttering your entire house to give to a garage sale benefitting Camp, for wearing your Camp shirt & thinking/praying for us when you wear it and telling us so, for giving your dollars last week on Give1Save1, for praying for our son (and your own children) every day at 3 pm, for considering and asking God what YOUR role is in adoption & if He’s calling you to it, for hearing and spreading the gospel through Camps story, for letting me come over to your house at midnight to cry my eyes out because all I want to be is a mom, for comforting us in those hard moments, for praying for us in our kitchen, in your living room & in the church sanctuary, for affirming Gods call on our life, for writing a check bigger than we’ve ever had in our lives to help make it happen….but mostly for loving us and our little family more than we deserve. Words can’t express our thankfulness. We love you all! Thank you for doing what the scripture says, in being a part of taking care of the widow & the orphan (James 1:27).
{it’s for sure not a good blog post without pictures…especially of Camp’s siblings in their “I love Camp shirts”}
We can’t wait for Camp to meet ALL of you. He is one loved & blessed little boy already…..
get ready world. Camp’s coming!
praying he will be a WORLD CHANGER!!
Hey, I'm Wynne!
Hi, friend! First, I truly am so giddy that you are here. I want you to know I believe in you and all the ways you are growing towards living a more intentional life. I genuinely hope you are encouraged from our time together here.
A little about me, I’m a type 7 on the enneagram, a total extrovert + people lover, entrepreneur, connector, storyteller, people gatherer, and passionate wife, mama + friend. I feel most alive when I’m exploring new places and surrounded by people I love. Give me a day in the outdoors disconnected from wifi, and I am a happy girl. I run on oat milk lattes, Jesus, gratitude journaling and kitchen dance parties with my four kids.
Welcome, come on in!
I will pray!!!!! 🙂
I am SO completely thrilled for y’all!! I can’t wait to see his face and hear his story. GOD IS GOOD!!!
Congratulations-That is so exciting! I’ll be praying!
the post we have all been WAITING for!!! Its finally here!!! and its perfect and beautiful just like he is!!! Congrats Momma!!!
Oh my goodness! So many goosebumps and happy tears for you! Wow. God is good, all the time. Camp is real. And alive. With a face. With a name. How much more real did this just become?! So so so so happy for you. And I can’t wait to hear more details and see that precious face. So amazing.
CONGRATULATIONS! I am so incredibly happy for you!!!!!
Love love love it!!! So excited for you guys!!!! I lOVE CAMP! Praying for y’all and Camp and they whole process! xo
I am so happy for you both, I will continue to pray for you and your beautiful family and for your remaining funds to be provided and for Camp to be safe, happy, loved and healthy until he is safely HOME!
<3 Carrie
Yayyyyyy!!! Oh I can’t wait to hear more and see that beautiful face! Praise the Lord, He is GOOD! Oh and I want a Camp shirt and would SO order one for C if you make munchkin sizes!
What a beautiful post!! Praise God for running the show!! Love seeing these first prayers from a new mamas heart….that’s right!!! you are mama!!!! Love you too much for words and Yes!! we need kids size Camp shirts! Kaitlyn now wants a baby camp baby doll to match her Lucy baby 😉 Ha!!! Thank you for sharing such a joyous moment with my little ones in tow 😉
Wynne- I am so excited for your family! I was just sharing your story with a friend today. This brings tears of happiness to my eyes. I love the way God writes the story and blesses us!! We will continue to pray that the rest of the process goes quickly. I can’t wait for more updates!!
that is amazing!!! congratulations!
The LORD works in mysterious ways 🙂 I LOVE IT!!! CONGRATS on your little guy. 🙂
what amazing news!!!! I am so happy for you two and cannot wait to see his sweet face. You are a mommy!!!!!! If you get the kids shirts let me know. I have two little ones who would love to sport them. Praying for more miracles every day! xoxo julia
oh my goodness. i’m ridiculously excited for y’all!!! i’ve just been a lurker for the past few weeks… [i’m from san antonio {though going to TTU right now…not too far from y’all!!}…. jennifer verme linked to you!!]. i’ve fallen in love with y’alls story! i’ve fallen in love with the name Camp…and i’ve just fallen in love with your growing family!! just so so excited to continue to follow this journey.
CONGRATS!!
Tears of joy! Being a boy mom is wonderful – get ready, mama!! Camp is going to change your world! Sending prayers your way. xo
Oh my goodness! Yay!
Wynne, I just need to join in with the others; I am so, so excited for your growing family. God is good!! Prayers to get your little boy home SOON!
Soooo exciting, praying and waiting for more on this precious boys story!!
I am so excited for you!! Praise God!! 🙂 xoxo
I started following you months ago and have never commented, this post is amazing. What wonderful news, god is good ! Praying for your family, I can not wait to “meet” your son.
xo
Lisa
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!! You all have waited so long for this….I will be praying for you both!!! and your new little one!!!!!!! feel free to email me if you need any additioanl encouragement, etc etc…love and hugs, jessea
I was Africa when I read this post. Words cannot describe how excited I am for you Wynne! I will be praying for everything to go smoothly and quickly so you can get your little boy in your arms!!!!!
P.S. I vote yes for kids Camp shirts. I also want to order one for myself yet -are they true to size?
P.P.S Sick of me yet? 🙂 I just saw in your Camp t-shirt store that you don’t ship out of the US -do you make an exceptions?