Her name is...

As many of you know, we are pursuing adoption of a little girl from Thailand. As you also may know, the process has been excruciatingly difficult. After 6 months of research, emails, and phone meetings with adoption agencies, we still do not have an agency to work with nor have we been able to file any paperwork (even though we meet ALL the requirements to adopt from Thailand!) It has been frustrating, confusing, and heartbreaking. There have been days I wanted to just quit.

But even in my emotionally exhausted state, I know we have to keep moving forward - and keep fighting until we find an open door. We have to keep speaking TRUTH and LIFE over this process --- wise advice from our mentor Michael.  A few months ago Michael encouraged us to go ahead and name our daughter, so that we could pray for her by name. He told me that God already knows who she is - and she is already ours - so we should pray for confirmation of a name, write it on our mirror, and pray for her everyday.

This really meant something to us, because we felt like God had given us a name from the very beginning. We had planned to wait to announce it until we were matched with her (and knew her Thai name, which we hope to incorporate in some way)... but we decided we weren't waiting anymore!

Her name is...

Kate

We have known it since the very beginning... as if God wrote it on both of our hearts. It just seemed perfect - short and sweet... easy for her to say and spell (and easy for other Thais to say because it doesn't have an R in it!)

God literally dropped it into my head one day right after we had decided to adopt. Rusty immediately fell in love with it... but I was initially hesitant. I loved the name but I always thought I'd name my daughter something a little more unique. But then I thought about all the incredible women with the name Kate. Women I admire like Katie Davis (Kisses from Katie) and Princess Kate (who wouldn't want to be named after a princess?!) Beautiful, accomplished women in Hollywood like Kate Winslet and Kate Beckinsale. And of course, the LONG list of exceptional women I am blessed to call friends who are named Kate or Katie! And the more I thought, the more I loved it...

But the REAL confirmation came when I looked up the Christian meaning of the name. This is what I found online...

Kate

origin :: Greek

meaning :: pure, clean, chaste

There are not any Kates or Katherines in the Bible, however, the name has a rich Christian historical heritage and likely originated with the Greek word katharos, which was translated as pure or clean in the New Testament.

Here are some examples of it used in the scriptural context;

Matthew 5:8,  John 15:3,  Titus 1:5,  Revelation 19:8,  Revelation 22:1

James 1:27

Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

When I saw that this was the verse used as the example for "scriptural context", I couldn't believe my eyes! This is the verse that is my email signature. This is the verse that turned my world upside down in 2007, when I became passionate about orphan care and adoption. This is the verse that started The Sound of Hope. In many ways, this is the verse that has led us is leading us to our daughter.

And so, her name will be Kate Jackson. We would love it if you would all join us in praying for her by name. And as we pray, we will rest in the truth that this is God's plan and He will make a way for it. We eagerly wait for the day when our precious Kate is in our arms!

 

Kate's name on our bathroom mirror - along with Gia Huguley (in Korea), Esther Bice (in Ethiopia),  

Rowen Junkin (in Haiti), and Baby Stoves (in China). Now I just need to add Little Knowles (in the Bahamas) 

and Baby Barnette (in Korea)! Can't wait for the day our little girl can hang out with 

these precious friends from around the world!