New Series!

We're still logging our adoption journey, just in a different place!


We've hopped over to: Welcomingone.wordpress.com


Come read about 30 Ways to Pray in the Wait: what we're praying for and how you can be praying too!

A Special Adoption Gift

Dear Mystery Donor,

How do you write a thank-you note to someone who single-handedly made your adoption possible? There are no words that will ever be worthy of such an incredible gift!

Since receiving your donation, we have experienced extreme joy, shock, feelings of unworthiness, and feelings of incredible worth. I wanted this thank-you letter to be worthy of the magnitude of this gift. I wanted the words to sound poetic and moving, so that others might be as encouraged as we have been. Unfortunately, I am not a wordsmith, so I can only say THANK YOU and tell the story of how you changed our lives forever!!

Jonathan and I have been sitting at 17^th on the waiting list for our adoption for almost a full year. We were discouraged (or I was) that it would even still be possible to complete our adoption in Ethiopia. Then on September 10th we got an email that our agency received an influx of new referrals, putting us at #9 on the list! Jonathan, baby Delia, and I walked around Radnor Lake that day thanking God and talking excitedly with newfound hope about what was to come.

Moving up the list got us started thinking about fundraising again as well. If our adoption would be coming sooner, we wanted to be prepared. Last Friday, October 10^th, Jonathan and I sat talking with some dear friends who were in town. We told them we would love to do one more big project with the goal of raising $10,000 to finish up our adoption fundraising. We brainstormed ideas with them, even though I felt a slight uncertainty at starting another large project. It seemed daunting and overwhelming.

Then on Tuesday, just four days later, I got an email from Fellowship that said, “A Special Adoption Gift,” in the subject line. The email read,

“Great News.  I wanted you to know that we received a very generous donation for your adoption expenses in the amount of $10,000.  Wow!!!”

I was shocked!! At first I kept thinking, “Is this a mistake?” There was a feeling of incredible excitement mixed with an immediate sense of unworthiness. Who in the world would do something so incredibly HUGE for us?? “Maybe that was meant for someone else,” I told myself. How could we ever give sufficient thanks? I called Jonathan on a break at work, and we shared the overwhelming feeling of, “Wow!!!” just like the email said.

After sharing the news with my mom as well, she gave me a great metaphor for my feelings of inadequacy:

Think about babies. They want to eat when they are hungry (it doesn’t matter if it is convenient for you). They go to the bathroom and cannot clean themselves (even when it is a blowout and soils their clothes). They cry to have their needs met (even if it is in the middle of the night). They are utterly helpless. They have not done anything of accomplishment in their lives. They have done nothing to earn our affection, only demanded their rights in their own timing. BUT when babies are born, they are immediately adored. We love them deeply, coo over them, are proud of them even when they do the slightest things like smile or giggle or cuddle. We would give up our whole lives for them. They are totally worthy of all our love and devotion and good things, because of who they are. My mom pointed out that this is just how we are in Christ. We are selfish beings who demand our rights and needs and want them on our own timing. We have done nothing to earn love or devotion or good things, but God pours out those things over us, simply because of who we are. We are His precious children. We are His helpless babies that He wants to sing over and delight in.    

As I write this thank-you letter, Mystery Donors, I have an adorable 3 month old baby sitting next to me cooing away and smiling when I take breaks to talk to her and sing to her. The amount of joy she has brought me is exponential! To think that God thinks of me this way, enough to give such an incredible gift to our family through you, is beyond belief. Even though I am not worthy, he loves me enough to pour out good things in order to accomplish His work. You have made it possible to bring this kind of joy to our family again, to have a little child to love as a child of God.  And you have made it possible for us to mirror Christ’s love for a helpless, worthy child of God.

And so, anonymous donor, there will never be sufficient words to communicate our gratitude.  We will never feel worthy of this incredible gift. We will forever thank you for giving a life to our family. You have enriched our lives GREATLY.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Lindsey & Jonathan

Both Hands Project Recap

Jonathan and I wanted to say a HUGE thank you to those of you who participated and contributed in some way to our Both Hands project. We are overwhelmed with gratitude at the ways our friends and family came around us to serve and participate. On our work day, we had 50 people come out to work on Ms. June’s house. We painted her garage, sanded and painted cabinets, sealed the garage floors, cleaned out a shed, cut back a tree line, mulched in the back and front, pulled weeds, and uncovered a stone path in her backyard. We were AMAZED at all that we were able to accomplish for her and so was Ms. June!

Ms. June said she felt so privileged that we picked her for the project. She even told us the next day, “I kept waking up in the night and thinking, ‘Did this really happen to me?’” She was thrilled that we were able to do so much for her and her home. We kept telling her that it was she who served us!

Finished product on her front yard!

We could not be more humbled and blown away by the contributions we received. God provided in such huge ways through the hands of people like you. Thank you again for those who were a part of this amazing project. You brightened the life of a sweet lady and an expectant family. You helped make an impact that will last a lifetime!

To see before and after pictures and a video of our project visit: www.bothhands.org/jonathan-and-lindsey-hays: 

We cannot wait to tell our future son or daughter about all of the people who helped bring him/her home!

Both Hands Work Day Info.

Hey friends and family!!

We are so excited about our big work day coming up THIS SATURDAY!! We cannot wait to get to Ms. June’s home, and we cannot wait for you to meet her. She is such an awesome lady, who is so grateful for our help.

Ms. June was a piano teacher for years.
She is active in her church choir &
volunteers with Meals on Wheels.

Ms. June gave us a list of “wish list” jobs she would like help with around her home. These include:

• ·      Painting and organizing the garage
• ·      Painting and fixing a small fence around her trashcans
• ·      Spreading a large wood chip pile around the fence in her yard
• ·      Organizing her storage shed
• ·      Trimming back brush on her fence line
• ·      Uncovering a small stone path that has been covered by dirt
• ·      Painting what we call her “piano house”

We have high hopes of trying to accomplish as much as we can of this list! But we’ll need your help!! There are two links for you to check in with.

Let us know if you are coming for any part of the work day this Saturday, April 5^th, from 8:00-2:00 at 409 Boyd Mill Ave. Franklin, TN:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1IkhZHK2zBf8PwFSDB6EMIu69VmLjx9exyEVHxfrT9rA/viewform

We also need a few supplies. You probably have some of them lying around your house! If you can bring a supply, sign up for one here:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0ApEAhYbxVBJydFpnYTR0U2VVTmppSkR1VzZBc1hnVlE&usp=sharing

Thanks so much for all of your love and support!! We can’t wait to make Ms. June’s day by helping out around her home.

Jonathan & Lindsey

Read more about our project here: http://www.bothhandsfoundation.org/jonathan-and-lindsey-hays

FAQ: Are you still adopting?

Jonathan and I are excited to give another update on our lives. We are feeling overwhelmingly blessed with the surprise news that came in November. We found out that I am pregnant! Baby Hays #1 will be coming in July.

Many people have asked what this means for our adoption. I even got a, “So are you adopting or are you pregnant? I couldn’t tell from Facebook!” And the answer is, YES and YES! We are working with a wonderful adoption agency that is allowing us to stay at our place on the waiting list and continue to move up as time goes on. The slow process of Ethiopian adoptions right now has turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Jonathan and I found out just before the pregnancy news that things are going even slower than in previous months. We will have plenty of time to have Baby Hays #1 home before we will ever get to bring home Baby Hays #2 from Ethiopia. 

In the meantime, we are wanting to channel all the energy that we have to continue to prepare, plan, and pray for our growing family!! We were blessed to be given the opportunity to work on a project with Both Hands and Lifesong for Orphans (two groups that do adoption aid and fundraising). Some time this Spring we will be gathering a group of friends to join with us in working on a widow’s home. Our team members will send out letters asking for sponsorship from friends, kind of like a golf tournament or a Race for the Cure. As we work, the money raised will go towards bringing our child home, while the work we do will benefit a widow in need. The Both Hands project is based on the verse, "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world." (James 1:27). We are excited to be able to carry out this call so specifically and tangibly! In the coming months, we will be posting updates, and we have already started assembling faithful friends to help us out.

If you are interested in learning more about our “Rescue Mission” project to bring our sweet blessing home, please feel free to comment, message, text, email, or call. We would love to share more info on our project so that others can be praying!

Lifesong & Both Hands

We're adopting!

Jonathan and I have talked about adopting since we were dating. Looking back on our lives, we both see ways in which God was preparing our hearts through our experiences to lead us to this very moment. For me, my passion for adoption began in my love of other cultures. I began learning Spanish in 8th grade, and I remember wanting God to use my Spanish to make an impact on the world. My experiences translating and using Spanish grew in me a desire to bring another culture into my home one day. Jonathan too had a passion for other nations. With his background in the medical field, he served in AIDS ministries and felt passionate about Africa specifically. Even as we talked about the possibility of adopting early on in our relationship, we didn’t have a time-line in mind. 

At about our one-year anniversary, we started really considering when we would want to start the process. Over the summer we started researching. The more we read and learned, the more we began to get excited. As we met with families who have adopted, we began to feel more and more drawn to acting on our desires. Jonathan was the first to be ready to go, but I still had a few worries. We began to pray and look for guidance in scripture. My two greatest fears were finances and the amount of time we would probably be waiting. Since international adoptions have so many uncertainties, I was nervous. I was reminded of the verse, "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." (Phil. 1:6). I have always loved this promise that He will continue to sanctify us until we are complete before Jesus. But this time these words had another dimension to their meaning. I think this verse can refer to the good works He has called us to as well. I thought back on my passions and life experiences and could see God's gentle hand leading me towards adoption. I know with certainty He was calling me to adopt, and this verse gave me the courage to begin now. If He is calling us to something, we can trust that He will carry it out fully. 

With my worries over finances, God quickly encouraged me with the resources and support He has surrounded us with. We talked with a few adoptive parents who immediately began telling us about different fundraising ideas, offering to help us wherever needed. We felt welcomed into the adoptive community, even before we officially decided to adopt! I also spoke with an adoptive parent at my church who said, 

                "Once we were matched to our daughter, I instantaneously did not care how much money I had to save, beg, or borrow. My mindset was-I have a daughter in China and I MUST get her no matter what. If someone kidnapped any of my children and demanded a huge ransom, I would sell everything and do whatever it took to ransom their freedom. Be prepared for this mindset to grip you."

Jonathan and I talked about this and already knew we would feel the same. We have wanted to adopt for so long, and we felt overjoyed that God would bless us with a child. He would take care of all the rest. Jonathan shared with me Matt. 18:5, "And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me." Jonathan and I talked about how adoption is so close to the heart of God. If we are seeking His will in acting faithfully, He will carry out His plan. So, we decided to move forward in starting our family through adoption!

But the next big decision came when we looked at different countries. If you've ever heard me talk about it, I've wanted to adopt from Latin America or Haiti. Since I lived in the Dominican Republic, I felt like it would make sense to adopt from a country I already had a connection to. But most Latin American countries are either closed to adoption or have difficult requirements, like residency requirements of 6-12 months, age limits of over 35 years, length of marriage of up to 10 years! We then asked ourselves, Do we want to wait ten years to adopt from a country we feel passionate about? Or could we meet a need in another area? We learned quickly that Ethiopia was one of the countries that we not only qualified for, but that also had a large population of adopted children in Nashville. We met with another mom and heard her child's story of how she came to the orphanage, and our hearts broke upon hearing the difficult situations of birth parents in Ethiopia. We learned that in Ethiopian culture they have superstitions about situations like rape, mothers dying in childbirth, teen pregnancies, etc. that lead some people to choose not to parent their children. We couldn't help but want to respond to the need of families for these children. Very quickly, God gave us a passion for Ethiopia, a country and culture we knew nothing about! 

Soon after, we jumped in to the home study process and began interviews, paperwork, and home visits. We then began the Dossier paperwork for the government. We wrote essays, got references, and got page after page notarized at the bank. Finally we got to officially be put on the waiting list! In this period of waiting, we want to invite our family and friends to begin praying and waiting with us. In the meantime, we thought this blog would be a good way to keep everyone updated. We are now taking adoption classes and reading all that we can to better prepare for our future child. 

And after writing about our desire to adopt in our Home study, Dossier, and even grant paperwork, I still feel as if I fall short in putting our desire into words! But we are hopeful, excited, and trusting in His timing as we settle in to wait for Him to allow us to be parents through adoption. We can't wait to see what God has in store for our family in the months, years, and lifetime to come! BLESSED.