Like pieces of a puzzle falling into place...

The Lord, MY God, answers prayer. In a matter of hours today, He brought in all the EXACT amount of money needed for the 3 post adoption visits. Since Monday, we have been praying while our adoption process was on hold. Knowing that our hands were tied and trusting God to bring it in, we have been doing what we can, and that is pray. Today... the Lord gave us the EXACT amount we needed...$1,050 has now been paid in full tonight. Now, we can get our home study report into our adoption agency's hands and move forward in our adoption process. (RELIEF!) AND, I can FINALLY start applying for GRANTS! :)


Jay and I have started reading Jesus Calling to the kids before bed each night. They love it and won't go to bed without it! They remind us if we 'try' to skip it and hurry the bedtime process! I love that the last thing they hear before bed is the Lord's Word. And it's amazing how each day's devotional has spoken directly to my heart for whatever I'm going through at the time. I started a Puzzle Fundraiser today to help raise the funds we needed to prepay for our post-adoption visits, knowing that our Home Study Report wouldn't be released until we did. Would you know that the Kids' devotional tonight was called Puzzle Pieces? How fitting! Here is what their May 18th devotional was from Jesus Calling for Kids:

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher

than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.

--Isaiah 55:9 (NKJV)

I gave you an amazing mind. With it you can think great thoughts and dream great dreams. But My Mind is infinitely bigger and more amazing. My thoughts contain all of creation and the universe, all of the past, present, and future. And because I understand all things and all times, My thoughts and My ways are different from yours.

Life can be like a box of puzzle pieces--with the box top missing. When you look around at your life, all you can see are the pieces. But I see the final picture. I know how all the pieces fit together. I know how to join together all the jagged pieces of hurts and disappointments, plus the smooth pieces of victories and joys.

Trust My timing and My ways. Trust Me to fit all your pieces together into a wonderful life. And trust Me--at the end of your life--to lead you home to heaven.

Over the last couple days, I've been praying for the Lord to increase my faith. It is such a roller coaster of emotion in the adoption process! One day, you're on cloud 9 over all that God is doing to bring your little girl home, and then another day, you're worried how you're ever going to meet the next payment needed without going into debt. I've been having some heart to heart talks with my heavenly Father, bearing my heart about being worried how we are going to pay for this precious little girl to get here. And then, He reminds me, "I've got this. I've called you to adopt her. I have already made the way for her to come home. Just trust me. I've got this." His gentle reminders renew my faith, refresh my soul and bring joy to my heart. And how He uses special people in our life to show us that He is indeed making the way for our Annika to come home.... He uses people who want to bring glory to Him, who see this as not just the Sappington's journey....but everyone's journey. God has used people (and you know who you are) to help us, pray for us, to remind us of His faithfulness......Our little girl is loved dearly.


I came across this song today and instantly began crying. Another reminder that the Lord indeed has this adoption and Annika in the palm of His hand...

Adoption Update

Provided by CoolFundraisingIdeas.net

We are waiting for our Home Study Report to be finalized.  It is in the Rough Draft phase between our Home Study agency and our Adoption Agency.  Waiting is HARD!  We know we've passed and all, but waiting for paperwork to go through the proper channels and it's out of our control is TOUGH! We are so ready to have our little girl home, yet we are still so far away in our process, it seems.  Once we have the final report of the Home Study, our paperwork will then bounce from Washington's government and then to San Francisco to the Consulate.  This is about a 3-4 month process, all said and done, and THEN our paperwork will head to China for it's process there (based on current wait times).  In the mean time, Jay and I will have things to do here and there as far as paperwork goes, for the adoption process, but for now.... we wait.

It occurred to me to make a thermometer that shows the total of what has been raised so far in our journey.  We've had people donate on our Crowdrise site, donate in person, by mail and by PayPal, so I haven't been able to show a running total raised so far.... until now. :)

https://www.crowdrise.com/adoptingannikajourneyoflove/fundraiser/shannonsappington

We are also selling shirts and our first round of orders have arrived and been delivered!  I'm getting ready to send in another BIG order on Monday.  Let me know if you want in on it!

God is so good and He continues to provide at every step of the way.  Every time payment is due, the money is there!  We are so humbled and thankful to everyone who continues to support us through prayer and financially along the way! We canNOT wait for you to meet our little girl!  Lord-willing (and a faster adoption process), we will have her home before the end of 2016).