What is Joy in the Journey?!

As July is our birthday month, our plan is to revisit some of our initial posts on the Joy in the Journey ministry and reintroduce you to our team.  First up is a repost of our very first post from July 2, 2013, with some updates added in...

We sat in a booth at a local restaurant in our hometown of Joplin, Missouri.  It was April 2012 and the three of us came to dinner with heavy burdens.  Each of the three of us held pictures of longed-for babies in our hands that we displayed as the proud mamas that we were.  Through our laughter and our tears, we shared our journeys with each other, connecting in a way that only waiting mamas can understand.  Our emotions were scattered, but the fellowship with each other, with other ladies who “got it,” was pure refreshment to our souls.

We marveled at how God had crossed our paths and how, after only a couple of hours that evening, we had built a deep bond and had discovered a glimpse of joy through connecting with others on the journey of adoption.  We dreamt big that night, or so we thought.  We knew that the connection and rejuvenation we had received should be shared with other women.  That’s when we realized our common goal: ministering to other adoptive mamas in all stages of the adoption process.

It wasn’t until a year later that our dreams were made even bigger when the Lord revealed how we could best do this in our community.  It was at that time that the inspiration for a local retreat open to adoptive mamas in all stages of the journey was realized.  Once we caught the vision of this retreat, we began to meet and work out the logistics.  Well, the truth is, God began to work out the logistics.  Throughout the process of planning the first ever Joy in the Journey retreat, He showed up again and again, working out the details and confirming that He is in this and that His heart is for this process…both for adoption and for finding and fostering Godly connections.  He is good and He gives us Joy in our Journey, even when things are difficult.

Fast forward several months and we were so encouraged and inspired by the love and support we'd received through the ministry.  The blog had taken off, many gifted writers with a heart for adoption had signed on and shared their hearts, and the ministry was larger than the three of us could handle.  It was at that time the Lord revealed our need for a fourth team member and it quickly became apparent who He had in mind.  When we approached our fourth team member about the possibility of joining us, she immediately said "YES!" and revealed that God had been stirring in her heart for this ministry opportunity.

Our Crazy Team

Our prayer is that this ministry has blessed your heart as an adoptive, prospective adoptive, and/or foster parent.  And, if you are able, our additional hope is that you will join us for our second annual retreat…a place where you will be able to relax, rejuvenate, and make lasting connections that will help to foster joy in your own journey.