I'm picking up where I left off in Part 1, so if you haven't read that, check it out.
Ever since Zoe, our second child, came along, whenever anyone has asked if we plan to have more children, Trevor and I have responded by saying, "Well, we hope to adopt someday." After the arrival our son Josiah, our response always went something like: "Well, we don't expect to become pregnant again, but we do hope God allows us to grow our family through adoption." This answer had a two-fold motivation. Firstly, we've felt God drawing us into this adoption journey for years now. We've always hoped to have a medium/large-sized family, and we've hoped adoption would be part of our family's story. Secondly, Josiah's birth was a very frightening & dangerous experience for both Mom & Baby - one we'd rather not risk again. So, adoption felt like it was down the road, somewhere in our future. We have good friends who are in the process of adopting from Haiti. We pray often for them and for the children they will one day bring into their family. As we've prayed for these kids, we've sometimes found ourselves also praying for "our kids." Saying, "Lord, if there's a child in the world you want to bring into our family, move us and compel us to pursue that child. Protect and watch over this little one. Lead us, guide us, and prepare us to be the parents this child needs."
After we attended the conference, "Together for Adoption," we had many people ask us if we were moving toward adoption. It's an obvious question. Our answer for the past year has been, "Well, we're not actively pursuing an adoption. We're not working with an agency, an attorney, or the foster care system. We probably will someday. But in the meantime, if God brings a child into our lives in need of love, stability, and a forever family, we will prayerfully consider if that family might be ours." My aunt was one of the people who asked that question. She works in southern California at a wonderful place called Elizabeth House. This home is a ministry serving women and children in crises, pregnant women in particular. Debbie and the staff do amazing work, beautiful work, helping these women overcome tragedy and adversity to love and care for their families. They minister to women in their brokenness, showing them the healing that is found in Christ, and they equip women to be good moms. It's a fabulous ministry - one I can't rave about enough.
Well, on July 19, 2016, Debbie sent a message, asking if we would consider adopting a four-year-old little girl. The message came in on my phone. I was driving, so Trevor read the message. His first response was, "Whoa! Wait a second.... Did I read that right?" We were driving to Sioux Falls for a baseball game. The kids were all taking afternoon naps in the back seat. We both stopped, sat there slack-jawed. Finally, he asked, "How should I respond?" Neither of us felt like we could just say "No" and dismiss it. We needed to know more. Debbie called, and we talked for the rest of our drive. She told us this little girl's story, most of which we're now choosing to guard rather than share. We know that many people will have many questions. But now, feeling so protective of J, we want to make sure that the details of her story are kept private for her sake. We will share that J's first mama, unable to parent J any longer, has chosen to make an adoption plan . Debbie told us that J's first mama wants to choose the forever family, saying that she had described the family she imagined for her daughter. That family sounded a lot like ours. We prayed before getting out of the car at the baseball game that night, and since then, not a day has gone by that we haven't prayed for J, for her birth family, and for the plan God has for her. Since the very first mention of her, a love has been growing in our hearts - a love that refuses to give up and walk away.
If you feel compelled to help us cover the expenses involved in bringing J home, please visit our "YouCaring: Compassionate Crowdfunding" site.
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