Our Adoption Story

The princess named him Moses, for she explained, "I lifted him out of the water."
Exodus 2:10

I can remember being a little girl and dreaming about my future family. That day dream family always included children through adoption. I am not sure where this desire came from, since I did not know anyone who was adopted or any families trying to adopt. Yet somehow the concept of adoption just made sense to me. I have a family- there are kids who need a family - let's put those two together and the problem is solved. Now being an adoptive mom, I realize the orphan crisis is much more complex than that, but God used that child like faith to lead us down the path to our son. As I became older, the passion to adopt morphed into more of an act of obedience. The Bible is clear about God's heart for the orphaned, the vulnerable and the concept of adoption in general. I believe caring for the orphaned child is multifaceted and does not always look like adopting a child into your family, but God very clearly burdened our heart for the orphaned and graciously equipped us with the means to do so. So after 5 years of marriage, Justin and I began the process of international adoption. We pursued adopting from India specifically, because of WHY we were adopting. We were adopting to bless a child who needed a forever family and was highly vulnerable (medically, socially, situationally). In addition, we anticipated the blessing of bonding and attaching with a child who would become our own. 

Our adoption process was a 3 year journey, 2 of those years pursuing our son specifically. During those 3 years, God expanded our eyes, minds and hearts. Originally, we set out to adopt a female, age 0-2, with a minor/correctable health condition. It took one picture of a smiling waiting 4 year old boy to change that plan completely. God confirmed loudly that this little boy was to be our future son. Despite being pregnant with twins and despite challenging India's strict policy on not adopting out of birth order, we began the process of bringing Sam home. It was a long 2 years of waiting and praying, but on April 12th 2016 Sam was officially and forever our son. 

Adoption is hard. The process of bringing a child home is hard. The logistics are hard. The paperwork is hard. The process of bonding and attachment is HARD. Navigating trauma and loss is HARD. But, to risk sounding totally cheesy and cliche, it is worth every hard moment. Sometimes we interpret hard as a closed door, but I want to challenge that interpretation. In John 16:33, Jesus tell us: "In this life you will have many troubles and sorrows, but take heart, for I have overcome the world." Hard is just part of life on this earth. Hard is following the call of Christ on your life and clinging to hope, clinging to faith, and clinging to the promise of sharing in His glory. "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." (Romans 8:18) Jesus is always worth the hard. Love is always worth it. 

Popular posts from this blog

If you want to hear God laugh....

I once heard that "if you want to hear God laugh, tell Him your plans." Looking back on the last 10 years of my life, it is so evident that my plans are not always THE plan. Justin and I are "planners" by nature and thought we had this whole family thing planned out when we dove head first into parenthood. We would conceived one child, then in a few years our adoption would progress and we would bring home a healthy infant girl from India. Then done; family complete. Well, needless to say, God had other plans for us. Within a year we added twin biological daughters and a 5 year old son to our family! We like to tell people that we ordered the "Family Starter Pack".  Our family looks nothing like we originally planned, which we are forever grateful for.  We are more aware of God's beautiful plan for our lives than ever before! As we wait...and wait...and wait for our son's passport and travel dates, it is becoming increasingly easier to doubt G
Read more

4 years later

Image
Honestly, I was not planning on continuing this blog. It started as a way for us to spread the word about our adoption and keep loved ones updated on the process. Now, over four years after our adoption has "completed", I realize that the process really isn't over. Like parenthood in general, it is a continual unfolding of stages, seasons and cycles. But unlike parenthood in general, parenting a child who is our's through adoption, comes with a unique set of challenges and blessings. Much like at the beginning of our adoption journey, I now find myself scouring blogs and books looking for advice and companionship. So here I am, committing to reach out a hand to any other adoptive mama who is also feeling her way through this beautiful and messy journey. I do not have all the answers, or really any answers at all, but I am committed to try and keep trying to raise my son who I did not birth to be the man he was born to be. 
Read more

USCIS Fingerprints/Apostille

Last Thursday was a very long but productive day! We left at 4am and traveled up to Portland for our 9am fingerprinting appointment, then headed back down to Salem to get out dossier apostilled (authenticated). Oh and we stopped at BabiesRus to find carseats for the twins too! What a day, what a day! Now we are just waiting for our USCIS approval and the dossier is COMPLETE! Hooray! Then we will just wait for that wonderful day when we receive our little girl's picture….good thing we have twins to keep us busy while we wait! :) Thank you for your continued prayer.
Read more