As I reflect back on the past year, I can clearly see God’s hand in it all. He has moved, shaken, blessed and surprised me. It has brought me to a place of full dependency in some areas and a place of awe in others. What seemed like different paths He had me on, I can see clearly now, His hand weaving all these paths together for one amazing adventure.
Let me bring you onboard my adventure. In March, 2013 I started online classes at Light University Online to become a Christian Life Coach. I completed my classes in November of 2013 to receive an Advanced Diploma in Life Coaching. At first this was a scary thing for me because I had not applied my mind to education in 20 years. But I fell in love with the learning and the classes. My main three electives were Hope Coaching, Stress Management and Spiritual Formation. I’m just now slowly getting my coaching practice started.
In June, Ty and I ventured on a mission trip to Jamaica with 8 other people, mostly Brad’s family members. This was an amazing time of discovery and heartbreak for me and it was an eye opening experience for Ty. I will always remember the mother/son bonding that happened those 11 days. I just thought I was on a mission trip; well God had bigger plans in store……….. (Just hang on; I’ll get back to this.)
The years of 2011 and 2012 were very difficult for my health, I was dealing with Fibromyalgia like symptoms, I ached all over and was exhausted all the time. I went through a battery of tests and discovered nothing. Finally in January 2013, I had my food allergies taken and it showed I was allergic to 19 foods (it included all the normal foods I ate) I went into a mild depression and didn’t see how I could eliminate those foods from my diet. Then I discovered Isagenix, a nutritional cleansing system that provides your body the nutrition it needs for optimum health. I started it in August, and immediately started feeling better and I have lost a total of 40 pounds already. I got my health and my life back.
So back to BIGGER PLANS……. God gave me a great year of learning and education that increased my confidence and gave me a clear career path. He brought me products that helped restore my health. He sent me on a mission trip to Jamaica. In all of these things, I BELIEVE His main purpose was exposed when on November 7th, He spoke to me and He said, Lisa you are to adopt STEPHEN!! Yes, ADOPT. Stephen is an 11 year old boy that we met in the summer. He made a great impact on our mission team. I was shaking, excited and scared. I really wanted to bury this and forget I heard this, but it was too strong to bury. I send an email to Brad at work and it said:
“Brad I am going crazy right now. I just had a crazy thought or a God moment and I don’t know what to do with it. This morning I had been praying for some of the kids from Jamaica that I had met this summer like I do, nothing unusual happened. When I was working out at the gym they had a segment on the today show about adoption, great, made me teary but finished my workout. Came home and get into the shower and it was like bang… Stephen in the red shirt popped into my head. 
He was an amazing young man, 11 years old, full of vision and love for Jesus. I had this wrenching in my heart and it was like I need to bring him home. I have no idea if he is even adoptable and as you can tell, I never had any heart pulls this summer when I was there. What am I to do Brad?
I will sit on it, pray it, but what is it?????? I am honestly scared to death of this thought.”
I arrived in Brad’s office 20 minutes after I sent the email and I asked him so what do you think of my email? He sat there and was quiet for awhile, which to me felt like forever. Finally he smiled and went on to share how the evening before he had been at a men’s group. He had been asked what 2 words describe his life currently. One of his words was unrest. He had told the men that we had been seeking God as to what He wants for our lives and Brad’s exact words to these men were “we could adopt but Lisa is not very domestic!” Yep you heard him right. So when Brad got my email and he recalled the events of the evening before he could only say, YES!
So together we prayed about it, I contacted our friend in Jamaica to see if he could find out if Stephen was adoptable. When we found out that he was available we talked to our boys and they all said YES and the journey began! We currently have our papers submitted to the US government and waiting for approval. We have our initial Jamaican papers filed in Kingston and just today I found out Stephen’s last name and birth place. All of Stephen’s personal information has been added to our file today and now we are waiting for initial approval and then we will submit our entire package to them. Our hearts have totally fallen in love with our new son and brother. This mother’s heart is full of love and to be honest I am scared.
My word for 2014 is BELIEVE and I am clinging to the promise that where God calls, He will lead and never abandon. The Plett family’s world is going to be rocked in the next year. I know that God is on this adventure with us and it is all because we listened and obeyed. The rest has got to be placed in GOD’s hands. I’m good with that.