Adoption Story...

Adoption Story

Our relationship started in high school as friends and prayer partners in our church youth group.  It eventually grew to more as we spent time with our group of friends.  By college, we knew we wanted to be married and serve the Lord together forever.  We went on a mission trip to and orphanage in Honduras several times throughout college and became passionate about children...especially children who did not have mothers and fathers to care for them.  We wished we could have adopted several from Honduras while we were there, and we were broken-hearted when one little boy drew a picture of a home, his older brother and younger sister and Daniel and I saying, “Mommy, Daddy, Family.”  Two years into our marriage, the Lord led us to work with an at-risk children’s ministry where we served for a couple of years ministering to hundreds of children in low-income areas...almost all of them living in poverty and broken homes.  We became foster parents for a short time, desperately trying to help children in need. Upon leaving this ministry, the Lord planted us at Lifeline Children’s Services, where we truly found our passion connected to our gifts and ability to serve.  We were able to see that children with no hope and future could be placed into loving, two-parent, Christian homes and suddenly have a bright, wonderful future and home.  Finally, we felt effective in our outreach to children, and while difficult at times, we have had the wonderful privilege of seeing loving, Christian couples and families welcome precious gifts from Above into their hearts and homes.  We have seen birth mothers make the most loving sacrifices in the world and choose adoption for their babies.  We have seen adoptive families endure challenges and trials and finally be united with their children through adoption.  It has been a wonderful gift to see the Lord make and create these beautiful families through adoption.  And we count it a special blessing to get to experience this before becoming an adoptive family ourselves.    

We knew from early in our marriage that we wanted to adopt children and that we would love to have a large family.  I had a desire to travel to Uganda since college and was unable to do so, and then Daniel’s first trip with Lifeline was to Uganda where he immediately connected and loved the people and culture there.  Two months after his return from Uganda, we applied to begin our adoption process!  Many times we are confronted with questions of, “How could you love another child?  Why Uganda?  Why adoption when you can keep having ‘your own‘ children?  What if they aren’t healthy?”

And honestly, our heart explodes with love for our child (or children...we are approved to adopt twins) that we do not yet know.  We answer, “How could we not?”  “We love Uganda and have been drawn there for years...the Lord has led and initiated this whole process in our hearts for years.”  “This child will be ‘our own’.”  “If they aren’t healthy, we will consider it a blessing that they were placed in our care so that we can love and care for them to get them the medical help they need.  Same as our biological children.”  We consider adoption an opportunity, a gift, a blessing.  Yes, we are “rescuing an orphan”, but it is so much more than that.  It is our family who is receiving a gift.  It’s we who are being blessed.  We are extremely thankful that the Lord has led us down this path and that He is creating our unique, precious family in this beautiful way.  Our boys are excited and regularly asking to “go to Africa right now.”  We cannot wait to meet our baby or babies for the first time and become a family.  Our hearts, arms and home are so open and excited and ready!  To God be the glory, great things He has done!

ADOPTION UPDATE:

• This Friday Daniel and I have our biometric finger print appointment in Atlanta- this is the last step to getting our immigration approval, which is basically getting permission from US immigration to bring a foreign child (or two) into the country
• Once we get immigration approval (could be a few weeks after Friday), we are then eligible to be officially matched with a child (which could take a week or over 6 months)
• Once we are matched, we send our dossier (a big ole bunch of paperwork) to Uganda for their approval, which could take several months
• Uganda courts then assign us a court date, and we make plans to travel based on that date!

IN THE MEANTIME:

• I am doing research on Ugandan orphanages and possible adoptable babies.  We can find our own referral, so I'm looking!
• Get the boys' passports and mine updated.
• Continue raising money and applying for grants (we have about $20,000 left to raise)
• PRAY PRAY PRAY for our child (children...we are approved to adopt twins, but still may get one), birth family and orphanage caring for him/her...also praying the Lord continue to prepare our hearts and home for the blessings He has planned!

FROM THE LIPS OF CHILDREN AND INFANTS....

Noah David is hilarious and hard-headed and chubby and cute and determined and hilarious...did I mention hilarious?  BUT, among all of those, he is so tender-hearted and loving and kind.  He loves to help and serve.  And he thinks about "his baby in Africa" all the time.  This morning he said something he rarely says..."Mommy, I don't want to go to school today."  So I said, "You don't?  Well, where do you want to go?"  And he said quite matter-of-factly, "To Africa."  He tells his teacher and random strangers that we're going to Africa to get our baby.  He pretends to go on trips to Africa.  He sits on his 3 inch boat in the bath tub and says, "Look out!  I'm going to Africa in my boat!"  He is maintaing his preference for a boy baby, yet she we talk about God possibly giving us a girl baby, he giggles and joins in talking about pink clothes and girl toys and hair bows.  He is such a blessing, and I love that our God is big enough to keep an entire universe going, yet intimate enough to prepare the heart of a 2 year old for adoption.  

These four little feet are ready.