Our Adoption Story

This Month is National Adoption Month and if anyone has been on my facebook page, they have realized that :).  Adoption is very close to my heart and a ministry that God has called our family into.  Today I want to tell everyone our story.  I think everyone knows where we are at now.  We are waiting...but where did we begin? 

I started thinking about adoption as a teenager.  My Youth Pastor and his wife were foster parents and they adopted 2 little boys through the foster care system while I was in the youth group.  I don't remember much, but I do remember they loved those little boys so much and it seemed like they were truly meant to be a family.  They also had several foster children in and out of their household while I was part of the youth and each one always touched my heart in some way.  I still think about those kids sometimes and wonder how their life has unfolded.  From the time I was a teenager in the youth group I have known that I was called to adopt.  I told Briggs before we got married that adoption was something I would want to do one day and he agreed that he was very open to the idea.  We were married and started our life together and we were content.  We agreed that we would try to have one of our own before we adopted and so almost four years after we were married, Emma arrived.  As I have said before, she rocked our little world and brought us so much happiness and joy! (she also brought more responsibility than anything I could have imagined...lol)  She opened my eyes even more to our burden for adoption.  We had our own little girl now and it opened my eyes to how vulnerable, needy, and innocent little children are.  It opened my eyes to how much a loving and caring environment mattered.  It opened my eyes to the fact that we could offer a little child the love of our God!  Of course, I knew all of this before Emma was born....but after she was born it became more real to me.  It is hard to explain, but I was so much more aware of the need that was out there.

  We began to seriously inquire about the adoption process and look at different agencies in 2012.  I had heard that you had to be 30 years old in many places and I was worried that our age would affect us.  I called Bethany Christian Services one day with a few questions and she said our age was nothing to worry about and she let us know the date of the next information meeting we could attend.  We attended our meeting in February 2012. The meeting definitely gave us a lot of information to think about.  Would we adopt internationally or inside the U.S.?  Would we be open to fostering or older children? After prayers and discussion, we decided on an adoption inside the U.S. and mostly because it seemed a little easier.  Not as much paperwork and on average shorter wait times from start to finish. We also decided that we would love to bring a newborn home from the hospital and to hopefully have an open adoption where we can have a relationship with the child's biological mother and father. I have read so much on open adoptions since making this decision and my heart is also burdened for these birth moms.  They are so brave and making such a difficult decision that most people can't make! (I am hoping to cover this topic on a different day) After making these important decisions we started our paperwork!  We did drag our feet some and what could have taken us 6 months to complete took almost a year.  The paperwork was time consuming but nothing was too hard and before we knew it our Home study was complete and we were approved!  I will never forget that email on March 20, 2013. Now...comes the wait.  I thought the wait time would be easy because up until this point we had just been so busy with all the paperwork and to be honest, I was happy where we were at, not really in any hurry to bring a newborn home.  I was very naïve to think the waiting time would be easy.  I am constantly wondering when it will be and hoping that it will be soon!  I do think that it has brought me closer to God because I am constantly praying for His timing and His will.  I also pray for our child's birthmother and birthfather who are out there.  I pray that God opens our hearts to them and opens their heart to ours.  I have read books about adoption and thought about my Salvation in terms of adoption.  It is overwhelming to think about God's love for us and being adopted into His royal family!  My burden for adoption grows stronger everyday and after this adoption process is complete, I can't wait to start the next one.  Maybe next time we will do international or an older child.  There are so many needs out there and if we can just help a little we are willing to do that.    If anyone reading this is at all thinking about adoption, PLEASE look into it!  You may not even know you are being called or maybe you are thinking about starting the process...but God all ready knows who He has out there for you.  A child doesn't have to be part of your bloodline with your heritage to be your family.  You can make a difference in a child's life.   I believe that children are just hoping to be loved and to be part of a family.  Just like Sinners are looking for Hope.  Hope that things can be different, Hope that is stable and secure.  Jesus gives us Hope.  He takes us out of this sin-sick world where the Devil just wants to destroy us and make our lives miserable and Jesus cleans us up and gives us a place to call Home inside His arms.  We are called as Christians to care for the Fatherless.  I want to offer a child hope.  Hope of an earthly family and also an eternal hope of Jesus Christ.   I hope that bringing awareness to adoption this month has at least made someone give adoption a second thought.  Maybe planted a seed in someone's mind and heart.  I pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to grow that seed until you too can answer the call. I know I have done some extra reading this month and it has caused my heart to be more burdened. Let us know if anyone has any questions or if we can be of help to anyone.  We are still at the beginning of our adoption story and I am so excited to see how it will continue!!

James 1:27

King James Version (KJV)

²⁷ Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

Matthew 18:5-6

King James Version (KJV)

⁵ And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.
⁶ But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

Romans 8:14-16

King James Version (KJV)

¹⁴ For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
¹⁵ For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
¹⁶ The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: