Back to Blogging

So, we started our blog 8 months ago and we only have 4 post. We have not done a very good job keeping it update! That is about to change… We are going to try to do better to keep everyone informed about the adoption process we are going through, having a newborn, and the amazing way that God is working in our lives.

In March, we shared that Jessica was pregnant. Wow, has time flown by?! It is now almost September and we are just weeks away from the October 7^th due date we were given. We are excited to meet our son Colton Douglas Nix. The bible says, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb” (Psalm 139: 13). We know that God has already been at work in Colton’s little life and ask that you would continue to pray.  Pray for a safe delivery and that we would be the parents God has called us to be.

While we are looking forward to Colton making his arrival, we are also thinking of the children we plan on bringing home and adopting from Ethiopia. This Nix family will be doing some more growing in the future! I want to reiterate that we still plan on adopting. Our excitement about our adoption is every bit as real as our excitement about Jessica’s pregnancy. While we are waiting for Colton’s birth, we have been busy working on adoption paperwork. Officially our adoption has been placed on hold until April, which will give us time to work on all of the required paperwork and training courses to adopt. We hope to keep you better informed about where we are at in the adoption process and how you can pray for us as well as share more about adoption and why this cause is so important to us.

The Growing Nix Family

In January, we started our blog called The Growing Nix Family. However, when I went to add a new post I discovered that we no longer have access to it. The blog is still online, but we cannot add to it. So we had to create this new blog; The EVER Growing Nix Family. However, I thought people might be interested what was posted on our first blog, because that is really when our journey began. Below I have included the four entries that were on our old blog. 

Sunday, March 25, 2012  Curve Ball
We have been blessed. Just when we thought we had God’s plan for our life figured out He threw us an amazing curve ball. Jessica is pregnant. We are in the 12th week now and it still seems unreal, at times. Sitting in the Doctor’s office during our first visit, looking at the jellybean sized child with a heart beating out of its chest, the miracle of life became very real. We are excited.
What does this mean for our adoption? We called and spoke with our adoption agency. Obviously, adopting a child and having a biological child are both huge events that deserve their own space in time to be celebrated and adjusted to. For this reason our adoption has been placed on hold. Just on hold, it is temporary. Our excitement about our adoption is every bit as real as our excitement about Jessica’s pregnancy. Having this child does not change the fact that there are 150 million orphans in the world. And it certainly does not change our calling. We still feel that we have been chosen to be adoptive parents. We can place the adoption on hold for up to two years or can start back up again April 2013. At first we thought that April sounded soon after just bringing one baby home. But if we do start back up in April, it may still be 12 to 24 months before we get to bring our child/children home from Ethiopia. We have been blessed and are extremely thankful for all of the support that you have given. We want you to know that all the support we have received will be used for what is has always been intended for. Please continue to pray for those children in need of parents, also for us as we continue in this journey.
1 John 4:19 We love because he first loved us.


Wednesday, January 25, 2012 Why Ethiopia
When we decided we were going to adopt we knew immediately that we were being called to adopt internationally…. but where from? We don’t feel that it is a coincidence that Dwight’s parents live in a country where there are 5 million orphans.  5 MILLION orphans…  When you hear a number like that, how can your heart not be stirred?! The further along we go in this process it has become clearer to us; this is all part of HIS plan. We didn’t choose to adopt from Ethiopia, it was already chosen for us. It is a great comfort to know that it is in His hands.
Last Thursday we had our orientation meeting with our case worker with the adoption agency. He laughed and said that the adoption process includes a lot of “hurry up and waiting, hurry up and waiting, hurry up and waiting…” We are definitely in a ‘hurry up stage.’ We completed the first 20 pages the agency sent us and signed our names and initials more times than we can count. We are now looking for a home study provider.
As we continue the adoption process it is amazing to sit and think that we are adopted children in God’s family. Jesus promises us the Holy Spirit in John 14:18, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” Please join us as we pray for the orphans in Ethiopia and all around the world. Pray that they will not be left as orphans, but that people would rise up and go to them.

Ethiopia 2010

Wednesday, January 11, 2012 The Adventure Has Begun
Last night Jessica and I both sat in one chair at the computer as we filled out the application for the adoption agency we chose. We filled out every line, double and tripled checked it to make sure everything was right. At the end we stopped and prayed, for guidance, patience and obedience.  Then with excitement we hit the submit button.

There has been a lot of seeking and listening that has gone on between us and God to get us to where we are today. Initially this process was not something we could easily get excited about. The truth is we started to think about adoption only after our “perfect plan” was not going the way we thought it should.  The more we looked into adoption and prayed about it, the more the burden grew stronger. There were some tough times, sadness and wondering why our plan was not working like we wanted it to. Jeremiah 29:11 says “For I know the plans I have for you” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  We ultimately realized that our plan was not working because God has a bigger, much better plan.  Finally we decided that we would be obedient to His direction in our lives, how awesome it has been. In the last couple of months the excitement we have felt has been overwhelming and this is just the beginning…

Sunday, January 8, 2012 Welcome to Our Blog!
Welcome to all of our friends and family! Jessica and I have decided to make a very 21st century kind of move and make a blog to document our adoption adventure. We hope that this will not only serve to keep everyone informed about the process we are going through but also to reveal the amazing way that God is working in our lives. We cannot wait to share this adventure with everyone we love, so check back regularly as we share the awesome opportunity that God has put on our hearts.