It's true…. we are adopting 🥹 Ah! I can't believe I am even typing those words.
We always knew adoption would be part of our family's story. After struggling with infertility for over 3 years, we recently felt God say it is time to move forward with adoption.
We've lived around the world since we got married in 2018, so it's possible if you're reading this you have met one of us but not the other.
Here's a little background on our story:
Jonathan grew up in Kerala, India, with a dream to be a missionary doctor serving people throughout India who don't have good access to medical care. In a surprising turn of events, he moved to China for med school.
Rebekah grew up in Minnesota, USA, with a dream from a young age to serve orphans in China. She unsurprisingly moved to China and started a nonprofit called Hope Station. But surprisingly, God had more for her in China than she realized: a husband ;)
We both met in the international church in Chengdu, got married in India a few years later, and continued living in China together while Jonathan finished medical school. Meanwhile, Rebekah was growing her ministry serving vulnerable children in local orphanages and families.
Fastforward 6 years: We now live in Alabama because Jonathan was placed here for Family Medicine Residency. He has over a year left! Rebekah continues serving vulnerable children and families through Hope Station (along with the Chinese staff team who are in China).
QUICK FACTS: • Adopting from: India! • Age of the child we will bring home: 0-3 years old • Open to special needs? Yes, but we aren't sharing specifics on this at this time
Here are some COMMON QUESTIONS we've been asked:
• Why aren't you adopting from China? Yes, Rebekah has worked with orphans in China for a long time. China's adoption programs are currently closed. We are very excited to adopt from Jonathan's home country. India has the most number of orphans in the entire world right now.
• How long will it take? We are prepared for this entire process to take up to 24 months. It might be closer to 12, but it depends on many factors.
• Do you get any kind of special treatment since Jonathan is Indian? Yes. We have to use an American adoption agency, because we live in the US right now. But during the matching process, Indian families get preference to choose a child before non-Indian families. Ultimately, we believe that God will put the right child into our family, regardless of this preference.
• Do you have to go to India? Yes! We will travel to India to bring our child home at the end of the process.
Please pray with us! We welcome your prayers and encouragement throughout the next many months. There is LOTS of paperwork to do, fees to pay, emotions to experience. We need the support of our community–and that includes you 🥹
If you would like to give, we welcome your generosity. This is a very expensive process. We believe God will provide (and no that's not just a cliche… we've seen Him do it, and He can do it again!) in whatever way He sees fit. We will also apply for many grants throughout the process. And we have a few other fundraising ideas up our sleeve, so be on the look out 😉
THANK YOU for celebrating this new beginning with us! ♥️ We're so ready to meet you, little one…
