We got the call! Just days ago we were chosen to welcome home a beautiful newborn baby girl!!! Yes, our good and gracious Father heard our cries and heart's desire to adopt another child. He has provided a Christmas miracle baby for our family and right now this little baby girl is home with us! Glory to God in the highest! (I’m reminded of Mary who rejoiced over the good and precious gift God granted her.)
Luke 1:46-48 And Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant …”
Baby “Patience” was born Friday, December 2nd at St. Mary’s hospital in Richmond, VA. She was born premature (4 weeks early and only 6 lbs.), but is a healthy, vibrant, and beautiful newborn. Her kind and courageous birth parents named her and gave us the honor of changing it if we desire.
Our adoption agency, Jewish Family Services of Richmond, took the lead with her case and reached out to us the first weekend of December. After a series of calls and some anxious waiting time, the birth parents chose us to adopt their daughter. We were invited to come into the hospital and meet her Sunday, December 4th and then take her home with us that afternoon. So yes, for the past 2 weeks we have been fostering “Patience” and in the process of grafting her into our family!
The one big hurdle that had us cautious and praying was the 10 day revocation period Virginia requires. By law, birth parents have ten days to change their minds about terminating rights. On December 11th at midnight we paused to celebrate the end of this revocation period – a major milestone toward the adoption placement sealing!
Last week the agency made a home visit and we now wait on legal paperwork to come together from the team leading this adoption. God is so clearly at the helm steering this ship forward. The shock, excitement, and emotion is surreal. Our FAITH is being stretched like never before. I knew I had a faithful Father who cared about my tender heart, but WOW … to see Him orchestrate all the details of this match down to her name “Patience” just blows my mind!
We have just chosen Brookley Patience Gillette as her full name. The picture of streams or brooks of living water and flowing water in the desert wasteland (Isaiah 35) speaks volumes to us. And how could we overlook the name Patience her birth parents first gave her? It fits our story so well. The Lord is faithful and he restores GLADNESS and JOY to the brokenhearted. Clearly the Lord remembers those weary and heavy laden with sorrow. In His time, he DELIGHTS in restoring and redeeming that which was lost.
Psalm 31:19 “How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you.”
To sum it up, Trace is ecstatic about being a big brother, Marcus is floored with God's timing, Jen is dancing in gladness, and our cat "Ollie" is quite confused. But The Lord is NEAR and this is clearly a Christmas miracle. Brookley can't wait to meet you soon!
Thank you for partnering with us to finalize this adoption and witness the miracle!
With incredible joy, Jennifer and family
Dear Friends and Family,
As fall approaches, we are stepping into a new season of faith and refinement as we move forward with adoption. The Lord is so near in this process, yet the waiting is intense!
Please see my new blog post: https://graftedintogether.blogspot.com/
We continue to be surprised by the calls and connections that are made each month. In August a friend reached out with news of a friend of a friend expecting. The possibility looked hopeful but then the birth mom selected a MD agency to take the lead. For us it was a difficult decision, but joining the MD agency was not best for our family. They would not accept our VA home study and we would have been waitlisted at the bottom of a hue pool of families.
This month another friend put us in touch with an expectant mother here in Richmond. We recently had a positive call with her and learned she was not yet connected with an agency. She is currently interviewing several families, so we wait and pray the Lord draws her to the best family for her little one.
As we continue word of mouth connections, we feel led to also press forward with the NC agency Amazing Grace Adoptions. This team accepts our VA paperwork and will waitlist us with 25 families seeking to welcome a little one in. Our hope is to interview with them this fall and dive into their training.
Thank you for your continued prayers and words of encouragement in the journey. As the pace of school picks up, we are trusting the Lord to take the lead and both open and close doors as He sees fit!
*FYI: The word is spreading about “the adoption option” in a world that is confused about the value of life. Just this week the movie trailer for a new film titled Lifemark caught my attention. It is a true story based on a brave young set of birth parents who chose LIFE and the adoption option. Kirk Cameron and the Kendrick brothers tell this moving story. Please consider seeing it in theaters beginning this weekend (Sept. 9, 2022):
Psalm 130:5 "I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope."
For the love of adoption,
Jennifer, Marcus, and Trace
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Dearest Friends and Family,
We continue to wait with patience and walk by faith through this journey. Thank goodness we know where to plant our feet in this shifting, shaking world.
Psalm 61:1-2 “Hear my cry, O God; Attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the ROCK that is higher than I.”
Check our Jen’s blog site for more details about leaning into the Rock of Ages: https://graftedintogether.blogspot.com/
The door to the Lynchburg agency closed for us recently which was disappointing, but two lovely people reminded us, “The Lord clearly wants to bring this child to you another way! Keep trusting His plan and hold loosely to the plans you form.”
We research other agencies in states with friendly adoption laws like FL and TX, but the cost averages $50,000. At this point it seems wise to follow the ministry we like in Paris, TN called Tomorrow’s Hope Pregnancy Care Center. The director there shares our profile with expectant parents interested in adoption.
We also advertise our profile on a matching site called Pair Tree Family. Please pass it along as you feel led: https://pairtreefamily.com/adoption-parents/jerams
A friend directed us to a ministry titled Both Hands (https://bothhands.org/) . If we partner with them we would have an opportunity to start a project to serve a widow in our community and raise the funds to adopt through an agency. We’re praying over this work project idea and all that it entails.
As always, thanks for partnering with us is prayer. We can’t wait to see what 2022 unfolds for our family and each of yours!
With great hope,
Jennifer, Marcus & Trace
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We are extremely grateful for God's rich blessing through you all. We never imagined how His provision would flow into this desire of ours to adopt, but you all have been overwhelmingly supportive. We would like to thank you, and to the anonymous donors, He who gives in secret, the Spirit of God sees, and reward you all in Heaven and on Earth.
The home study process is about 75% complete, and we are hoping to wrap it up in June to early July. At that time, our status will change from 'Paperwork in Progress' to 'Homestudy Complete'. At that stage in the process, we will then be eligible to start seeking and praying to find a birth mom. Our current prayer is that God knows exactly what child He wants us to help raise, and we are asking Him to shield and protect that child, and prepare the mother's heart.
Love to you all,
Marcus, Jennifer, & Trace Gillette
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We are pleased to announce that after much prayer we have decided to take a step of faith and begin the process of adopting an infant or child domestically! Many of you know the difficult grief journey we have walked, and the beautiful healing that has taken place. Every day we give thanks for healthy Trace Conner (age 8), and we wait with hope to see our daughters in heaven. (Britta would be 6 years old this spring and Haven would be 4). Today God has planted the seed of adoption in our hearts, and we are excited to take the first step toward seeing our family grow further.
Psalm 103:2,4-5 "Praise the Lord O my soul, and forget not his benefits … who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things."
Psalm 95:7 "For He is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care."
We believe the Lord has a huge heart for adoption and that he calls us to care for orphans. Our prayer is that He will grow our little flock, and allow our son to experience the joy of a brother or sister here on earth.
We are now preparing for the first steps of a domestic adoption: partnering with an agency, reading materials, completing paperwork for the home study, and preparing for the first attorney fees. As part of our adoption process, we have started a crowdfunding campaign. Adoption related costs can easily total up to $40,000 or more, and the start date to finish date often averages 2 years. This is why we have set a goal of $25,000 to help ease the financial burden that we'll face.
You are invited to partner with us in this exciting journey, first by praying for the road ahead and also by giving (if you feel led). We will keep you informed about our progress (or any setbacks). Our hope is that you will see yourself as part of the community we hope to build around our child as he/she joins our family and grows up under our care.
Trusting Our Good & Gracious Heavenly Father,
Jennifer, Marcus, & Trace Gillette
