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. 

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