Lukas Bennett

Well, my original plan was to update this blog frequently once we arrived here in Utah to give everyone updates on what was going on. Unfortunately, Bennett is a week old and I'm just now having a chance to let everyone know that he's here. He was born on Wednesday of last week, and the week has really flown by, well, sort of. The BM had to have an emergency C-section because Bennett was in distress and wasn't pulling out of it. The BM was induced at 7:00 that morning and he was born at 10:31! It was a whirlwind! We found out after the fact, that the cord was wrapped around his neck extremely tight, and at one point during her epidural, they didn't have a heartbeat for him, which is why they rushed her into surgery. I could talk for days about our experience from that point on, but I think I'll just sum it up with a couple of words: hard, heartbreaking, joyous, exciting, an emotional rollercoaster. I knew that this experience was different, but there is nothing that could have prepared me for what we just lived through. The Lord was faithful, as He always is, which honestly on some days, was all I had to hold on to. Although the experience was nothing like anything either of us had ever been through, I can tell you that the Lord moved mightly in it and did give us a little glimpse into His greatness. I had prayed when we started this journey, that our BM would see the Lord in us. And the burden became even greater when we found out about Bennett. It was really important to me that she look at me and not see me, but see Him. I had big plans for our interactions, our conversations. I wanted to love her. I wanted to pray for her. And I did love her. And we had the opportunity to pray for her. But nothing meant as much to me as this....When they were wheeling her back for her C-section, her case manager ran out into the waiting room dressed in all of her surgical apparel and said that she wanted me! I took off running down the hall because there wasn't much time, and when I got to her, all she wanted was for me to hug her as she cried. I'm crying now just thinking it! Her case manager was in awe because she had never had a BM request to see the adoptive mom in a situation like that. I was feeling overwhelmed and frustrated with the whole hospital situation in the days following his birth, and the Lord reminded me that eventhough the situation wasn't going as I had originally thought it would, He was still moving in it. And that was obvious when she called on me for comfort. Whether she recognized it or not, she saw Him in me which was exactly what I had prayed for. I wanted her to see Him, and I'm convinced she did. I don't say that to brag on me. I'm nothing special, but I do believe that at 10:15 on the 23rd of July, the Lord used me as his vessel to comfort the hurting and scared. I couldn't have asked for anything more honoring. It was a pretty humbling experience that I am extremely grateful for. Bennett is doing great! We've been out of the hospital since Friday and have been staying with a family that we hooked up with through some mutual friends. They have a been a huge blessing and have made the time here go by faster, if that's possible! Our paperwork has been delivered to Utah and will hopefully be delivered to the home state by tomorrow. Our return flight home is scheduled for the 5th of August. We are praying that our paperwork ends up in the hands of someone very merciful that speeds the process up a great deal. This right now is our biggest prayer request! We are ready to go home and get our life back chaotic normal. I promise I'll post more as I know it! Thanks for all of your prayers! We have felt extremely loved, and we really appreciate all of you! Until next time........


"There are only two ways to live your life. One is though nothing is a miracle. The other is though everything is a miracle." -Albert Einstein