Our Journey of Adoption

We are so excited the Lord has chosen this path of adoption for our family! We are also nervous, unsure of what's coming our way, eager, and a list of other emotions.

Our journey begins....
As Bain and I talked about having a 3rd baby, he blurted out, "What do you think about adopting?" Huh?? You mean adopting a baby? But as far as I knew, we could have another. Adoption is for people who can't have children. Immediately, these thoughts began running through my mind. I think Bain even second guessed what he had just suggested. Although there weeks many weeks without talk of a new baby, I couldn't stop thinking about what he said. "What do you think about adoption?"

Over the next few months, we discussed over and over a possibility of adopting. It seemed like everywhere I went, I ran into stories of adoption. I would turn the radio on and someone was telling their adoption story. We met several families who were in the process of adoption. The Lord was making us aware of his desire for our family.

It was just another Sunday morning... or so we thought. As we walked into our Sunday school room, Betsy was there. Now Betsy, a college student, has never joined in on our "young married" class. So of course, I was glad she was there, but wondered what she was up to. She began to tell us Her summer plans and asked that we would join her in praying for her as she traveled to Africa to work in an orphanage. As you can imagine, those adoption thoughts started flowing. That day, Bain and I discussed, for a while, adoption again. We were still unsure, even after God had been showing us all this time. We prayed that God would make it totally clear the direction he wanted (as if he hadn't made it clear already). That night at church was the last meeting of the Lisa Turkeurst series. She basically, through a video, told her families adoption story. She spoke about how God had made it so clear but they felt so unsure until they submitted to God' will for their family. I could barely keep myself together to finish that class. There He was, giving me that conformation that we begged for just a few hours earlier. 

Fast forward to today! We have mailed our paperwork and waiting for it to be authenticated. We are adopting a precious baby boy 24 mo. or younger from Ethiopia. Not a day goes by that I don't think about him. How old will he be? What will he look like? Why has he ended up in the orphanage? How long will we wait? We love him so much already!! The Lord has confirmed 100 times over that this is His desire for us. And oh how I am so thankful!!

We have learned so much about trusting God and following Him. We have no idea what is in store but we are trusting in God's promises. I have realized more now than ever before about our own adoption as children of God through His saving grace. Just like our orphaned baby boy, I was orphaned and without hope. I am so thankful that despite my sin, Jesus gave me hope through His death on the cross and salvation! 

Please join us by praying! Pray for our little guy. Pray for his birth parents and the situations they face. Pray for our family. We have a LONG wait ahead of us. We have tried to prepare Ross and Reid for their new brother who will look so different from them. Ross has watched every Ethiopian adoption story on YouTube. Each time he asks, "Is that my baby brother?" It is so sweet to hear him pray every night for his baby brother in Ethiopia. 

Thank you all so much for the support you give! We couldn't do it without you!