We have started the process of adding a new Ashley to our family!! Join with us in our adoption journey as we welcome a child into our family in honor of our Savior who welcomed us to his family.
Adoption is a vision we (Kent and Stacey) shared separately before we met! Growing up overseas, Kent saw what it is to live in poverty. As a missionary’s kid and youth pastor, he also observed the effects of difficult or broken family situations on kids. Stacey initially felt the desire to adopt after working for a week at a Russian summer camp where many of the kids were orphans and craved nothing more than love and relationship from another. God has blessed us with a beautiful family and life situation. We have been convicted by Scripture of the need to care for those who are vulnerable. What better way to demonstrate love and to bless a child in need than to welcome into our family a child who was not our own but, in adoption, becomes our own! We feel adoption is a way we can live in obedience to Him and provide the love, care, family, and wisdom that the child might not have had otherwise. “Three things will last forever–faith, hope, and love–and the greatest of these is love.”
We are beyond excited and are doing everything we can to be prepared to welcome a beautiful new life into our home. As part of our adoption process, we have started a crowdfunding campaign. It may surprise you to hear that adoption related costs can easily total up to $45,000 or more. This is why we have set a goal of $15,000 to help ease the financial burden that often overwhelms adoptive parents.
We hope that by inviting you into this process, you will see yourself as part of the community we hope to build around our child as he/she grows up.
But more than monetary donations, we covet your prayers for us in this process!
I realize that I have done poorly at updating on this site, as most of you are in contact with us directly or follow our page on social media. Since our last update, we did travel and get our beautiful little girl. We have loved her and watched as she achieved many milestones. We celebrated her first birthday a few months ago! But we are still in the waiting...waiting for DNA tests, waiting for the adoption to be final (we hope!!). This journey has not looked as we imagined, but we continue to see God work in so many ways! The main part of our story has been waiting, and we trust waiting and patience is a part of God's plan. I will try to make the next update with much less of a delay than this.
We are so excited to share that our family has been matched with a baby girl due in November. We are truly humbled that her birth mother has selected us to raise her precious girl. We feel blessed beyond words and ask for continued prayers for the health of the birth mother and the baby and the upcoming transition for all of us.
