We have BIG news!
We are adopting a child from Haiti!
In the summer of 2017, God called me to step out of my comfort zone. I went on a mission trip to help work on an orphanage in Haiti. I remember it so vividly. I was sitting in the courtyard as the children were slowly starting to stir from their daily down time. Quietly, I was praising Him for choosing me for this mission, keeping me safe and revealing His love for me even though I felt unqualified. Then I heard His voice. "Adopt". I told God, “No! You’ve got to be kidding me?! I already have four children back home! I came here to serve you, not to ADOPT!” He answered with a resounding, “Adopt.” I argued with God stating all the obvious reasons as to why I could not adopt one of these sweet children. Over and over again, He responded to each of them with “Trust me. I’ll take care of that part.” It felt like hours had gone by during this conversation even though I know it couldn’t have taken that long. The orphanage director approached me as I wiped away some tears and asked if I was having a heat stroke. Laughingly, I replied, “No, I assure you I am quite ok.” I returned home on July 4th. Sitting in the truck at the airport parking lot, I was excited to tell my husband the news. I said, “I think we need to adopt.” Ryan looked at me and grinned. “I knew it!” he replied. Wait…What? We’ve never really talked about adoption, but always felt as though someone would come to live with us…a friend of one of our children, perhaps. You see, God had been working on Ryan's heart at the exact same time! Talk about His perfect timing!
One of the things we've learned is that we will have to lean on others to accomplish His Will. Asking others for help is difficult for us, but we humbly ask you to donate whatever amount you feel led to give to help complete our family. 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 $35,000 or more. This is why we have set a goal of $35,000 to help ease the financial burden that often overwhelms adoptive parents. Every dollar is much appreciated. Please know that we are following God's plan and that this is all in His control.
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 grows up.
