You Can Be A "Piece" Of Our Adoption Journey!

I am super excited to launch our 2nd fundraiser for the "Missing Linck" We are asking our friends and family to sponsor a piece of the puzzle below for $20. We will then write the name of the person who sponsored the puzzle piece on the back of the piece. Once we have sold all 60 pieces, we will put the puzzle together and have it framed in double-sided glass. That way we will always remember who helped us bring our "Missing Linck" home......

If you would like to sponsor a piece of the puzzle, please click on the DONATE button at the top right hand side of the blog. Make sure you include a message to us that you would like a puzzle piece. I will post photos of pieces that have been sold and we will post a photo of the back of the puzzle when all the pieces are sold. That way you can see the names of all of those who have helped us.....
Here is what the puzzle looks like: We can't wait to show our son or daughter how we traveled from the United States to Ethiopia, Africa to make them part of our Forever Family!

Here is a photo of John's Mom and Sister with their puzzle pieces:

We would love for you to become a "Piece" of our Adoption Journey! Buy your puzzle piece today....we only have 54 pieces left!

Adoption Is Not Our "Plan B"

I am reading the book "From Ashes to Africa." If was written by Josh and Amy Bottomly, who are from Oklahoma. Like John and I, they struggled with infertility and felt God calling them to adopt from Ethiopia. Our stories are very similar - they write about many of the same emotions and fears that John and I have experienced and prayers that we have lifted up to our Heavenly Father.
Today while I was reading the book, a section hit really close to home. John and I have experienced what Amy writes about first hand.

"Countless times after I told people about our plans to adopt, they would offer me their congratulations-slash-consolations by telling me stories of couples they knew who had infertility problems and decided to adopt, and then soon after adopting, surprise, surprise, they got pregnant. It wasn't hard for me to decode the hidden moral to their anecdote: God has a way of giving people back their dreams of biological children after they have taken a step to surrender to adopt.
What I wanted to tell these people was that adoption had become my dream.
Adoption was no longer Plan B.
It was Plan A."

There have been many people who have said similar things to John and I. We have heard "just as soon as you mail the application you'll end up pregnant." John even had someone ask him how we could "give up" on having a biological child.
Do I believe God can open my womb and bless us with a child? Absolutely!!! God can and does perform miracles. But I also don't feel like I can just assume God has the same plan for my life as He did for Sarah and Hannah. Maybe it's not in His plan for John and I to have biological children.
Do I get sad thinking I might not ever experience being pregnant? Sometimes (but I am also terrified of childbirth!) - but then I stop and think how awesome it is that we're getting to experience such a cool journey towards parenthood. Not everyone gets to go to Africa to bring home their child. Not everyone has a heart for adoption. I'm humbled that God has given John and I a heart for adoption and an overwhelming love for a child that we don't even know yet.
I don't know if John and I will ever have biological children or not, but I do know that God has a perfect plan and has clearly laid adoption on our hearts. Adoption is our Plan A! It is not a backup plan. We will bring home our "Missing Linck" regardless if we ever conceive.
We know God is preparing our hearts for our Ethiopia Prince or Princess - our child has been handpicked by God for our family just like John and I were handpicked by God.

"For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will." ~Ephesians 1:4-5

Taking a Cookie Break....

Since we started the Africa cookie fundraiser, we have sold 75 dozen cookies! If that's not evidence of a faithful God I don't know what is. The cookie fundraiser has been a HUGE success, but also a bit overwhelming. I can honestly say there have been some tears involved while baking 900+ cookies! To say that I am "cookied" out is an understatement. So, with that being said, we are taking a break from cookie baking. I still have about 6 dozen cookies to make next week and then I will be caught up on orders.

If you didn't get a chance to order cookies, we will probably take orders again in a few months. We are switching fundraising gears from cookies to golfers! For the next two months we will be focusing on the golf tournament we are hosting with Able Ministries. The "Birdies for Babies Golf Tournament" will be October 23rd and we need 60 players for the tournament. If you are interested in playing please e-mail ableministries.linck@gmail.com

If golf isn't your thing, have no fear!! We will be revealing another fundraiser on the blog next week. Hint: It will be a great way for people who live outside of Oklahoma to help us bring home the "Missing Linck" I know it was kind of difficult for our family and friends in Texas and St. Louis to get their hands on Africa cookies. So stay tuned...the new fundraiser will be announced in just a few days and it's super easy...you can participate just by visiting the blog.

A BIG Thank You to everyone who ordered cookies!!!!!

"I'll stand, with arms high and heart abandoned, in awe of the One who gave it all. So I'll stand, my soul Lord to You surrendered, all I am is Yours." ~Hillsong United

For the past few days I've been in a funk. I've been overwhelmed, discouraged, confused, angry...pretty much in a rotten mood. Today at church all my emotions came pouring out in great, big sobs. We were singing the song above and the words just resonated somewhere deep inside my soul. I felt so close to the Lord as we sang "in awe of the One who gave it all."
John and I are VERY blessed, but we have been walking a hard road over the past 8 months or so. Sometimes I feel like every time we turn around we are face-to-face with another challenge or obstacle. Truth be told, I am tired! During this season of life we are having to make a lot of big decisions - about careers, a possible move, starting our family through adoption.
Things are changing. And although I know MOST of the changes are good, they are still hard. Even though I have a Saviour who has all the details in His hands, I still get discouraged when I can't see the "Big" picture.
I can truly say the past 8 months have probably been the biggest "faith test" of my life - and I feel like I have made a big fat F on the test over the past few days.
But when I start thinking I've failed, when I start thinking my faith is weak, God reminds me that it's through my weaknesses that His power and glory are revealed.

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2nd Cor. 12:9-10)

God also promises something beautiful in 1st Peter 1:6-7

"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith - of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire - may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."

Amy Grant has a song that talks about how much God loves and desires to hear what's on our hearts - He wants us to be real...not to cover up our true feelings with what we think He wants to hear. Sometimes those raw emotions are "Better than a Hallelujah" to God's ears.
Here are the lyrics....take a moment to meditate on the beauty of these words and the beauty of being able to go before God's throne of grace just as you are. He's waiting!

God loves a lullaby in a mother's tears in the dead of night
better than a hallelujah sometimes
God loves a drunkards cry, the soldiers plea not to let him die
better than a hallelujah sometimes

We pour out our miseries
God just hears a melody
beautiful the mess we are
the honest cries of breaking hearts
are better than a hallelujah

The woman holding on for life
the dying man giving up the fight
are better than a hallelujah sometimes
tears of shame for what's been done
the silence when the words won't come
are better than a hallelujah sometimes

Better than a church bell ringing, better than a choir singing out

We pour out out our miseries
God just hears a melody
beautiful the mess we are
the honest cries of breaking hearts
are better than a hallelujah

We Will Adopt Because...

Today a friend from work e-mailed me the link to a blog that I had never read. The words from one of the posts just penetrated my heart. It's exactly how I feel....it's exactly what I want people to know....the words speak volumes about this thing called adoption. After reading these words today and holding sweet Solomon last night, I know, I know, I know, that I am RIGHT where God wants me to be. I am completely humbled that my Saviour would choose ME to be a part of this amazing journey that He is orchestrating. Do I know exactly how it will all pan out? Heavens no! At this point I don't know how we are going to find 60 people to play golf in our golf tournament in August or how we are going to come up with all the money. It's very emotional, it's very exciting - I need A LOT of patience. We have a long road ahead of us, but I can't even imagine how amazing it's going to be when we bring our child home. When we see those big brown eyes for the first time! I would like to share with you what the author of the blog posted. I hope that you are as touched by these words as I was. She does such a great job of proclaiming God's truth and reminding me that if God has called us to it, He's going to make a way.

"And every single day it (adoption) is worth it. Because ADOPTION IS GOD'S HEART! He sets the lonely in families. Adoption is the reason that I can come before God's throne and beg Him for mercy, because He predestined me to be adopted as His child through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will - to the praise of his glorious grace, which He has so freely given us in the one He loves.
My family, adopting these children, it is not optional! It is not my good deed for the day...I adopt because God commands me to care for the orphans and the widows in their distress. I adopt because to whom much has been given, much will be demanded. I adopt because whoever finds his life will loose it but whoever loses his life for HIS sake will find it."

If this touched you, as much as it touched me, you can find more from the author at her blog
http://kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com

Our First Ethiopian Dinner....

Tonight John and I went to dinner with some new friends who recently adopted a baby boy from Ethiopia. Lance, Stephanie and Solomon met us at the Queen of Sheba, an Ethiopian restaurant in Oklahoma City, and John and I got to experience our first Ethiopian feast. I'll admit I was a little hesitant to try Ethiopian food because I'm not one to try new things....I kind of like to stick to chicken and mashed potatoes :) Thankfully, Lance and Stephanie were super at suggesting what to try and the meal was wonderful!!! The only part of the meal that I wasn't crazy about was the Injera, which is the bread that is used instead of utensils. It had a spongy texture to it that I didn't really care for. But the lentils and beef were really great, as well as the Sambusa, which was like a fried pastry filled with chicken and spices.
It was a great experience eating with our hands and learning more about the culture. It was also great getting to chat with Lance and Stephanie about their adoption. Meeting Solomon made me wish I could hop on a plane to Ethiopia tomorrow to go get our baby. Isn't he precious???

Here are a few other photos from our dinner.....

By Faith Jennifer....

I've studied Hebrews 11 in several of my bible studies. Beth Moore refers to this chapter as the "Faith Hall of Fame."
Verse 8 always stands out to me the most: "By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going."
In my bible, next to this verse (dated May 4-2010) I have written "Our future adoption, going to Ethiopia. We have to trust God and follow Him even if we can't see His full plan."
Like Abraham, we must have faith, we must trust - that all the details will be worked out in God's perfect way.
In the Beth Moore study, she encouraged us to write the following at the end of Hebrews 11. We were to add a verse 41, which said: "By faith Jennifer...."
I've been thinking about what I would want to be said about me if my name appeared in the "Faith Hall of Fame." I think I would like to read something like this....
"By faith Jennifer, when called to adopt a child, faithfully followed God, as He led her to Ethiopia, trusting that He would provide the finances and take care of all the details because she knew in her heart that this was what He was calling her to do. She stepped out in faith, not based on what others thought, but in obedience to God."
I want to share with you something I read the other day in my bible study by Kelly Minter.
"It's all been about faith. Because we trusted Him, He gave us the grace to walk through it even when we thought we weren't going to make it. Not only did He reveal His miracles first hand to increase our faith, but the people surrounding us also got to see that each blessing was coming from God alone."
I pray that other's will see God's mighty hand in the details of our adoption. John and I both know so many people who need to experience God's love and His amazing miracles. May we be obedient, so that He can do the miraculous!

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." ~Hebrews 11:1

I'm One Proud Sister...

Today's post has nothing to do with adoption. Today, I want to take a moment to brag about my sister. She is graduating from nursing school tonight, and to say that I am proud of her is an understatement.

I know I am going to cry tonight! (I am crying right now as I write this) I think my sister is probably one of the strongest people I know. This year she has had to walk down a hard road...she has had to to make heartbreaking decisions. At times, it probably would have been easier to throw her hands up and quite - just crawl in a hole and sulk. But not Myka. She has handled each challenge and each heartbreak with such amazing grace. Nothing was going to stop her from accomplishing her dreams of being a nurse - not the student adviser who told her she would never make it in nursing school because she was married and worked too much, not the heartbreak she has faced this year, not the early, early mornings and long drives to school and clinicals each day, not the many many hours of studying, not that stupid racoon who decided to jump in front of her slug bug on her way to class!

Over the past year, I have spent so many hours praying for my sister, my heart has broken for her and with hers. I have wished so many times that I could take away the pain that she has faced. I have prayed for her as she has taken all those tests and rejoiced with her when she passed them all.

This year has been tough and challenging, but my sister didn't just survive it, she has kicked major butt!

I love the person that she has become over the past year....God has molded and shaped her into an amazing, strong woman. He has used this season of her life to built her character. She has persevered! I know that God has amazing things in store for her! I am so darn proud!

I know I will probably cry my eyes out tonight! It's going to be a HUGE celebration! We will rejoice with and celebrate Myka and all that she has overcome and all that she has become.

Birdies for Babies Golf Tournament....

We will be partnering with Able Ministries to host our first "Big" adoption fundraising event on October 23rd.

The Birdies for Babies Golf Tournament will be held from 8 a.m. to noon, Saturday, October 23rd at Earlywine Golf Course, 11600 South Portland Ave., in Oklahoma City.

Registration is $80 for an individual player or $300 for a 4-person team. (cost includes lunch).

Please join us as we hit the links to raise money to bring home our "Missing Linck" We are very excited about partnering with Able Ministries for this event. Able Ministries provides support and encouragement for married couples who are struggling with the pain of fertility challenges, including infertility and pregnancy loss.

For more information about the golf tournament, you can contact

John Linck at ableministries.linck@gmail.com

or e-mail Jennifer at jmishon@gmail.com

To find out more about Able Ministries, you can visit http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Able-Ministries/115744615109542

$28,000 Is A Tad Bit Overwhelming....

"Don't be afraid, just believe!" ~Mark 5:36

I have been completely overwhelmed today - about coming up with $28,000 for our adoption and finding 60 people to play in the golf tournament that John is planning for October 23. (More details on the golf tournament to come!)
I have been on my knees, in tears before God today! I found the above verse during my prayer time and it is very fitting for the current obstacles I face. I have no reason to be afraid or anxious, because God really does have all these details in the palm of His hands. I just pray that no matter how hard this journey gets, that I will never take my eyes off of Jesus, that I will never doubt His perfect plan or miss out on all that He wants to teach me along the way.

"But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. He will be like a tree planted by water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes, its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit."

~ Jeremiah 17:7-8

During my prayer time I was talking to God about why I feel overwhelmed. I told Him that one reason is because John and I don't have the support from certain people who we thought we would have support from. The people we thought would have been there for us as we face the challenges of raising $28,000 haven't been there. As I was talking to God about this, He quickly spoke to my heart. He doesn't want John and I to depend on these people. He wants us to CLING to Him - to depend only on Him for wisdom, discernment, the resources we need for the adoption, etc. This quickly came to my mind: people will let you down, God will not!
I was also telling God how there would be absolutely no way that I could be walking through this season of my life without Him. I can get up each morning and face the challenges, only because of my Saviour Jesus Christ.
I am not consumed with doubt, fear or worry - ONLY because I have Jesus! God is bigger than the $28,000 we need for this adoption. God is bigger than my poly cystic ovarian syndrome. God is BIGGER!

"Because of God's great love we are not consumed, for his compassion's never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself "The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him. The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him."

~ Lamentations 3:22-25

God's Provision - A Lesson From Abraham....

I just love how God works! When He gives you just what you need at the exact moment you need it. Here are a few of my God moments from this week: a card from a friend, 49 dozen cookies sold for our adoption fund, the perfect lesson on God's provision, the courage (and the right words) for a tough conversation and lunch with a new friend.
Last night during my quiet time, I was so excited about what God showed me (and I still am!).
I was reading the story about Abraham and how he was willing to sacrifice his only son Issac when God asked him to (Genesis 22:1-18).
Hebrews 11:17-19 says " By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, 'It is through Issac that your offspring will be reckoned.' Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead and figuratively speaking, he did receive Issac back from death."
Even though Abraham knew God hadn't fulfilled His plan for Issac, he trusted God and was obedient when He asked him to sacrifice his son.
Genesis 22:5 says "He (Abraham) said to his servants, 'Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you." Genesis 22:8 says that Abraham told Issac "God will himself provide the lamb for the burnt offering my son."
And guess what??? God did! He provided a ram to be used in the sacrifice.
Abraham KNEW that God would provide! Although Abraham thought God would just raise Issac from the dead, he trusted that God had the perfect plan.
Here's what the author of my Bible study had to say:
"Isn't it interesting that Abraham was wrong about the process but right in concept? He was wrong about the details but right about the fact that God would provide. God honored his faith, never giving thought to Abraham's superfluous errors of how it would happen...Abraham believed God to be a God of provision." ~Kelly Minter
Do you see why I got so excited about this lesson?? John and I are walking a road similar to Abraham - we know that God has called us to adopt from Ethiopia. We thought most of the funding was available and now it's not. But God will still provide! God's provision for the adoption isn't happening like we initially thought it would but it's going to! God will honor our faithfulness and obedience. We must pray for the faith of Abraham.
Whew! I am tired just typing this! It PUMPS me up! God is Jehovah-Jireh - "The Lord Will Provide." He provided this lesson just when I needed it and He will continue to provide at each step of this journey.
I pray that today, you will see God's awesome provision in your life!

Facing Criticism....

As Christians, we have a choice. We can worry about what people think and follow the world's standards, or we can choose to please God.
When John and I realized God was calling us to adopt, we knew we'd face some criticism. Some people wondered why we were giving up on having biological children and others just couldn't wrap their mind around the idea of adoption a child, especially a child of another race.
The following is an exert from my journal dated February 18, 2010:

"The other day I was thinking about how I will react to people's comments and questions if we adopt from Ethiopia (regarding race). I am by no means racist, but there are cruel people in the world and we could face a lot of criticism having a "black" baby. Then I read this quote and God washed away my worries. I just cried.
"The color of love is always the same in the eyes of a child." ~Unknown
Then God brought to my mind this song from childhood: "Jesus loves the little children. All the children of the world. Red and yellow, black and white. They are precious in His sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world."

My prayer is that no matter what criticism John and I face, we will strive to please God and not man. That we will keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, "the author and perfecter of our faith." (Hebrews 12:2)

"Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ." ~Galatians 1:10

35 Dozen Cookies and Counting....

We have sold 35 Dozen cookies in just 3 days! If that's not a "God Thing," I don't know what is! Tonight I was up to my eyeballs in cookie dough, but with each cookie sold, we are one step closer to turning in our adoption application. I want to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who has ordered cookies and to those who have been spreading the word about the cookie sales...Aunt Myka (that is what our baby will call you!) and my wonderful cousin Mylissa. You guys are awesome cookie sellers! I love ya'll so much for doing this for John and I and our "Missing Linck" I can't wait for the day you get to meet that sweet baby! Well I thought I better post a photo of what the cookies look like.....the first 6 dozen didn't turn out too bad!!!

Last night I was doing my Bible study and I was reading the story of when God called Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac. I came across this verse in Genesis 22:14 and John and I have been living proof of this promise from God over the past few days.

"The Lord Will provide..."

My Bible study went on to say that provision is part of God's nature and God brought huge blessings to Abraham as a result of his obedience. I know that as long as John and I continue to be obedient to God's calling, He will bless this adoption endeavor....
The Bible study ended with a great quote by A.W. Tozer:

"Everything is safe which we commit to Him, and nothing is really safe which is not so committed."