Adoption | Laurie Coombs

Archive for the ‘Adoption’ Category

What to do when blessings overwhelm you

Posted on: April 29th, 2015 by Laurie Coombs 4 Comments

Nothing teaches you how best to walk with Jesus than a season of much. I’ve had many balls in the air for many years now. Things I knew God promised me. Things I have been praying about for some time. And with so many promises awaiting me, I inherently knew that if I had forced any one of these promises into being that I’d find myself in a heap of a mess and wouldn’t be able to handle it. And so I prayed, asking God to do it His way. And He has. God’s timing is absolutely perfect––absolutely perfect. I know this. But when I prayed for all my promises to come, I did not know that His perfect timing for each of these promises would be NOW. Writing. Speaking. Adoption. Three things God clearly called me to. Over four and a half years ago, God called us to adopt. The call to…

“Chloe” – A New Film By Moving Works

Posted on: April 23rd, 2015 by Laurie Coombs

I recently had the privilege of pre-screening the new film “Chloe,” produced by a Christian film ministry called Moving Works. I had never heard of this ministry before, but after watching this film and reading what the ministry is all about, I must say I am impressed. Moving Works mission is to praise God, promote mission, and proclaim the gospel––the three things we were all created to do––and they do it well. “Chloe” tells the story of Walt and Annie, a couple who struggled with infertility for years before seeing God’s plan come to life before their eyes. A plan twenty years in the making. A plan that was bigger than they could have thought for themselves. If you have a moment today, be sure to watch this touching film. It will not disappoint. Click here to watch.

Would You Consider Helping Us Bring Our Children Home from Ethiopia?

Posted on: April 16th, 2015 by Laurie Coombs 4 Comments

I’ve been writing quite a bit about what God has done through our adoption lately. If you missed any of those articles, here are their links: Do Not Give Up (written in 2014) Filly Convinced (Feb 2015) All It Took Was One Word (Feb 2015) Will You Hold Onto the Faith? (March 2015) Twenty-One Days: A Glimpse Behind the Curtain (April 2015) God is just so incredibly good! He has once again done the impossible right before my very eyes, and I cannot help but sing His praises. As many of you already know, this has been an epic journey. What was supposed to take one to two years has turned into five (by the time they’re home). It’s been quite a journey. My family and I have grown in patience and compassion. Our hearts have been tested time and again. And every one of us (our two daughters included) can most assuredly say that our…

Twenty-One Days: A Glimpse Behind the Curtain

Posted on: April 15th, 2015 by Laurie Coombs 4 Comments

There’s an incredible account of God answering prayer in the tenth chapter of Daniel. I was amazed by it the other day and still am today. At first thought, most of us think only of Daniel in the lion’s den when we think of the book of Daniel, but this book has many more gems to mine than we may know. Now, I’ve always believed the truth taught in Daniel chapter ten conceptually, but even though I’ve read through this book several times before, I have never seen it for what it is. For some reason, I have been blind to what this passage shows us. As you read through the book of Daniel, it seems Daniel sought the Lord continually, but at this particular time in his story, Daniel decided to fast. For three weeks, we’re told, he “ate no delicacies, no meat or wine entered [his] mouth.” He was mourning, as he considered the…

Will You Hold onto the Faith? #PromisesOfGod #Adoption

Posted on: March 6th, 2015 by Laurie Coombs 8 Comments

All it took was one word! How amazing is that?!? I have to admit. The last few weeks have been a bit crazy here in the Coombs’ household. Good crazy, but crazy nonetheless. I’ve been buried in piles of paperwork, all to bring our little ones home. Now, I know it sounds super cliche, but God truly has done the impossible once again. “Shell-shocked… Speechless… Dumbfounded… Ecstatic… Terrified… These are but a few of the emotions that I have been experiencing these past 48 hours….” my husband Travis wrote after receiving the news. But in order to understand the significance of those words, I must tell more of our story. We began our adoption journey four and a half years ago, full of hope and conviction for what we believed God was calling us to. Travis and I had been blessed with two healthy, absolutely amazing biological children already, but…

All It Took Was One Word!

Posted on: February 18th, 2015 by Laurie Coombs 9 Comments

This post is going to be extremely informal. Quite honestly, my plate this week and next is incredibly full (for good reason!), but I just had to get on here briefly to share some amazing news––news I hope will strengthen you in your faith as it has me in mine. If you have yet to read last week’s post, Fully Convinced, I’d encourage you to do so. God’s timing of that post is just beyond words. In that post, I wrote briefly of the challenges my family and I have faced in our Ethiopian adoption. Our adoption had gotten to the point where it did not just seem impossible, but by all accounts, it was. But once again, we have seen God do the impossible! I received a call Monday, a call we have been waiting for for four and a half years, telling us of two amazing little people…

Fully Convinced

Posted on: February 13th, 2015 by Laurie Coombs 6 Comments

I held my Bible as I sat with one of my girls on each side of me in bed. “Do you see a pattern?” I asked. They looked at the passage and said, “What pattern?” “Look at what I’ve circled and highlighted.” Almost in unison, they read, “‘And God said…’” Pause. “‘And it was so.’” Fingers ran down the page, “‘And God said,’” they read. “‘And it was so.’” Over and over, their little fingers stopped on each of my markings. “‘And God said… And it was so.’” “Do you see it?” “I think so,” Avery said. “What do you think it means?” “It’s like God says something, and then it happens.” “Yes!” I said, with perhaps a bit too much enthusiasm. “Nothing is too difficult for our God. He speaks, and it is so! Just like He did in the beginning here in Genesis. Isn’t that amazing?” Both girls nodded….

{Orphan Advocacy} Children in Families First Bill (CHIFF)

Posted on: June 26th, 2014 by Laurie Coombs 1 Comment

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. – James 1:27 Everyone of us wants to be wanted. We all want to belong. But all around the world, there are children left to fend for themselves––orphans. Over 147 million of them, not to mention countless others who live on the street. My family and I have been in the process of adopting from Ethiopia for close to four years now. The process has been an incredible one, but it’s been long and difficult for numerous reasons that I won’t get into here (for the sake of brevity). What I will say, however, is that our difficulties have largely been due to bureaucracy that could be streamlined and resolved if our lawmakers were informed of the current issues….

Do NOT Give Up

Posted on: March 5th, 2014 by Laurie Coombs 2 Comments

Have you ever had a moment (or many) when you wonder whether or not God will deliver what you believe He’s promised? I sure have. For the last three and a half years, I have heard God tell me, “Do not give up!” Over and over, “Do not give up! Keep moving forward. Keep moving toward your adoption.” But nothing has happened. We’re still waiting. Travis and I began our adoption with nothing but faith, a desire for more children, and confidence in God’s call to adopt. With no money saved and little to devote to such an endeavor, we took the leap, believing God would provide for what He was calling us to do. And He has. Time and time again, provision has come in one form or another usually at the very hour we needed it. This may be too much information to share, but we’re over $20,000…

Three Shootings in Three Weeks – What Can We Do to Make a Difference?

Posted on: November 7th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 2 Comments

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On October 21st, a 12 year old boy brought a gun to Sparks Middle School––a school 12.3 miles from my home––and opened fire, killing a teacher and wounding two classmate, before turning the gun on himself. Last Friday, a 23 year old man walked into Los Angeles International Airport and opened fire, killing one TSA worker and injuring three other people before being shot himself and arrested. And on Monday, a 20 year old man walked into a New Jersey mall shooting into the air and at security cameras “causing widespread panic” before committing suicide. That’s three shootings in three weeks. I don’t think it takes much intelligence to recognize we’ve got a problem here––a problem much of America feels helpless to resolve. I am not one to advocate more gun control, I grew up in a hunting family, and I believe Americans have a right to bear arms. Additionally,…