A HEAVENLY Celebration //Part 1

I was so excited I got goosebumps when I got the phone call. Carissa, the sweetest lady EVER had just found out that the adoption of her sweet little girl was officially about to be finalized, court date and all! I could hear her excitement and the love she has for this child all over her voice! I was so honored to be asked to document the ceremony and take pictures of all who were there to celebrate with them. I absolutely love and support adoption 100%, it's such a beautiful picture of the love that Christ has for us. So obviously when she asked me to capture this sweet and special day that her now daughter, Heavenly, (how gorgeous is her name?!) got a new last name, I melted. And loved EVERY second of celebrating with this sweet family. Her mom Carissa so graciously agreed to answer a few questions about adoption I thought readers might be interested in (especially those considering adopting) and kind of tell her story. Her story of their journey is below the images at the end. :)  Here's a few pictures from that special day, with sweet Heavenly Joy sporting her NEW last name on her adorable dress. Friends, meet for the first time on the blog Heavenly Joy Wingate, sweet as can be and so dearly loved!

Rachel: What inspired you to begin thinking down the long road of adoption? 

Carissa: The Lord laid adoption on my heart a few years ago and I just continued to put it on the back burner. Last winter, I finally finished reading The Hole in our Gospel by Richard Stearns. Through that book, the Word, I really began to think seriously about it and spent time praying about adoption.

R: What was the hardest part of the adoption process?
C: The waiting was hard, because I knew that there was a little girl out there who was supposed to be living with me and was not. There were days/nights where my heart hurt so badly to be without her...even though we never met! Having her in my home and heart had been incredible but has also brought with it fun challenges too! I went from living the "single life" to being responsible for a little person!

R: What advice would you give to readers who are interested in or have felt the calling to adopt?
C: It is a calling, but if the Lord is laying that on your heart, be obedient. I lived in disobedience for a while, and that is never fun. But do your research, ask questions of other families, your family, agencies, books, blogs and whatever you can get your hands on. Build a network of support!

R: How has your relationship with Christ affected this whole process and your new family?
C: It has definitely been a journey of faith and trust! It has been incredible to watch her learn about Jesus and to have her remind me of His unconditional love...it has brought me closer to the Lord at times and stretched my relationship with Him in many ways.

R: What has it been like explaining to your child that she has a new family that always be there?
C: This has been hard for her to fully understand due to her age, but when we do talk about never moving again, she gets so excited and is very sweet.

R: Now that everything is final, what is your favorite thing to do with your daughter and what do you look forward to the most?
C: Living life! And traveling together and all of the fun new experiences that we get to have together! I love all of our "firsts" together.

Thank you SO much for sharing Carissa! I will definitely continue praying for you and your sweet family as yall grow more and more in the love of Christ! Be blessed,
--R.