As I watched video clips of Maria's story and read more about adoption, God began to reveal His heart to mine.
"Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved."
Ephesians 1:4-6
In March of 2011, I was pregnant with my sixth baby when I became convinced that God was calling my heart toward adoption. So I began to pray. I prayed that if we were to adopt, that God would be the One to impress that desire on my husband's heart...not me. I prayed that if adoption was God's will for us, that Brodie would be passionate about adopting as the leader of our family and that I could follow his lead. We also began praying as a family, on our knees, around the globe, for God to show us how He wanted to use us to respond to those in need around the world. We knew we wanted to show His love to orphaned children, but we wondered what His personalized plans were for us. What would He have us do for Him? We prayed and prayed and prayed.
The night before Mother's Day 2011, Brodie and the kids had bought me a Ugandan bead necklace as a gift and what followed could not have been predicted. I felt a new and well-beyond-me desire to adopt two boys from Africa. Previously, we had no inclination to adopt two children at once, nor did we feel drawn to any specific country, age, or gender, so this came as a surprise...to me anyway, not to God! Curious about what the future might hold, I journaled about this "crazy idea" (just in case it came to pass) and prayed again that God would be the One to impress the same desire on Brodie's heart if this was in fact His will.
In the summer of 2011, that is what God did...in a powerful way. Brodie's confirmed passion turned into urgency and we knew the time had come. And so, we began. We took the step of faith required by all who want to follow God into the unknown of His great plans. We put our fears, insecurities, and "what ifs" behind us and we said "Yes" to God.
"O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more."
Psalm 10:17-18
God heard the cry of our children's hearts and beckoned us to go to them. In hearing His call, we feel it has been an act of obedience and trust to follow God's loving guidance as He has led us to our children. We know by Psalm 139 that God knows all the days ordained for us before one of them comes to be, so we know that He is responsible for adding these little ones to our family.
"You have been the helper of the fatherless."
Psalm 10:14
In August of 2011, we began the process to adopt from The Democratic Republic of the Congo through an agency after the ministry we set out to work with informed us that they were no longer accepting new families for adoption. Although we had felt sure that the Lord led us to Our Family in Africa for a reason, we accepted this and felt that Lifeline Children's Services was a wonderful, trustworthy agency choice. We completed our homestudy, online education, and mountains of paperwork, then we began waiting.
In May of 2012, I approached the director of OFA to ask some questions about orphanages. With the encouragement of my sister, I ventured to ask one last time (9 months after our last contact with them) if they knew of any children in need of a family. To my surprise, they had recently begun adoptions again and sure enough, God had led us back to the very place we had originally been drawn.
He had just planned a detour.
We would later find out that the detour through Lifeline would ultimately result in our adoptions of both Bea and Beck.
God always has a plan. So, even when we can't see, we ought to trust Him. His plans are always wise and best!
He had just planned a detour.
We would later find out that the detour through Lifeline would ultimately result in our adoptions of both Bea and Beck.
God always has a plan. So, even when we can't see, we ought to trust Him. His plans are always wise and best!
On May 28, 2012, God brought our first son to us in this unexpected way. We praised Him for planning our adoption differently than we expected and waited for our second son. Just a few weeks later (June 22, 2012), we received an email about a newborn baby {girl} in need of a family. But wait...that wasn't the plan. We were going to adopt 2 boys. We had even written up our homestudy specifically to prevent us from changing up the plan. Our bedroom situation (from our view at the time) would only allow us room for more boys in this house because or girls room is maxed out and....oh yes, GOD is in control and His ways cannot be thwarted and His will WILL be accomplished, whether we create barriers for ourselves or not. He will make a way and He will provide for all of our needs.
And so it was...
And so it was...
Prayerfully and joyfully, we decided to submit our plans to God's and follow His lead off the path that we'd expected. We took a leap of faith as we amended our homestudy and immigration paperwork to allow now instead for BOTH genders, up to THREE children, and an increased age range in order to adopt our daughter...and whoever else HE had in store for us.
If there's one thing we've learned (and believe me there are WAY more!), it's that "many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the
purpose of the LORD that will stand." (Proverbs 19:21) His will cannot be thwarted...even when our paperwork seems to set boundaries. :) He WILL accomplish His will in our lives for His glory and He is pleased when we trust Him.
All within one year, God stirred our hearts for the children of the world along with my sister's family and multiple very close friends. It was a very special time and continues to be an amazing blessing as we share life with many adoptive families in our community. We are deeply touched to have shared our adoption journey with family and friends and we're grateful to raise our children together.
On November 19, 2012, Noble and India officially joined our family! We praise God that these two precious souls are no longer alone. God sets the solitary in families and we praise Him for His mercy and grace in the lives of these children.
"In you the orphan finds mercy."
Hosea 14:3
As children of God, we are grafted into His family. He does not leave us as orphans. (John 14:18) He has sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to save us from our sin. He draws us to Himself out of His great LOVE for us and He sacrificed His only Son for us. As God's love fills our hearts and overflows out through us, how can we not feel compelled to give His love away? It's impossible and inevitable. This is what led us to adopt children into our family...Christ's love for us.
"By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth."
1 John 3:16-18
Throughout our lives (and our adoption journey has been no exception), we are following Jesus like a flashlight at our feet. He gives us just enough light to see each step of our journey, but He does not illuminate the whole picture, though it is known by Him.
Why does He do this?
"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."
Hebrews 11:1
Without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6), so may we live our lives by faith.
May we trust Him with the outcome of our life journey, the process of raising our children, and however He should lead.
Above all, may we bring glory to God as we love others with His love.
May we trust Him with the outcome of our life journey, the process of raising our children, and however He should lead.
Above all, may we bring glory to God as we love others with His love.
"Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God;
if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us."
1 John 4:11-12
