Approved for Adoption

We just found out that we've been approved for adoption through LDS Family Services! (That doesn't mean we've been selected by a birth mother, just that we're now able to post our profile online. It could still be years until we're chosen—but good things are worth waiting for, right?)

So if you ever know of a woman who's thinking about giving her baby up for adoption, we'd love to be put in contact with her. Usually adoptions that way are faster and less expensive.

Here's some links to view our adoption profile and blog:
mattnerin.blogspot.com/
LDS Family Services Online Profile



I'd be lying if I said this has always been an easy process—because it hasn't. And I don't want to minimize what others in similar situations have, or are, going through. But overall, Matt and I have felt overwhelmingly blessed in this matter, and we're pretty stoked to get this adoption thing going.

Not long after we started the adoption process, Matt and I were reading in the Book of Mormon, where the people of Alma were persecuted and had heavy burdens put on them. If Alma's people were caught praying, they were put to death. But they continued praying silently, and the Lord promised them that He would ease their trials—so much that they couldn't feel the weight of the burdens on their backs.

In Mosiah 24:15: "...the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord."

After reading this, I felt like that's what the Lord had done for me and Matt in every way. The burdens that once seemed overwhelming had become bearable. The heartache I'd felt had diminished almost completely.

I've thought about those verses a lot in the subsequent months and always feel grateful for Heavenly Father's love for me. It’s reassuring to know that no matter what we're going through, we can be strengthened and enabled to handle the challenges we face.

We're also appreciative to our supportive family and friends who've helped us out by writing letters of recommendation, helping put together pictures, reviewing our paperwork, etc., etc. Thank you!